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Orbitz sucks



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 8th, 2005, 04:44 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

I've had problems with Orbitz in the past - the same problem I outline
below, so I haven't tried using them for about 2-3 yrs. Well, I tried
booking a trip (air/hotel) last night. After completing everything &
clicking Authorize, the page flipped to an unsecured page. I never got
a confirmation. I called Orbitz, they checked & said it didn't get
booked. I went online & checked my credit card & it didn't get charged
either. I went back to Orbitz & redid everything - guess what - the
same thing happened again. I called again, blah, blah, blah. The heck
with Orbitz; I booked the same EXACT trip thru Expedia.com. The site
worked fast; everything was really easy to follow; I got fast
confirmation and the BEST PART, it was cheaper!!!
Orbitz was $1708 for 2 people air/hotel. Expedia was $1,437 for the
same hotel and the exact same flights . I saved $271.

Expedia I love you - Orbitz I hate you.

  #2  
Old December 8th, 2005, 07:00 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks


brian wrote:
I've had problems with Orbitz in the past - the same problem I outline
below, so I haven't tried using them for about 2-3 yrs. Well, I tried
booking a trip (air/hotel) last night. After completing everything &
clicking Authorize, the page flipped to an unsecured page. I never got
a confirmation. I called Orbitz, they checked & said it didn't get
booked. I went online & checked my credit card & it didn't get charged
either. I went back to Orbitz & redid everything - guess what - the
same thing happened again. I called again, blah, blah, blah.


I never have that problem

The heck
with Orbitz; I booked the same EXACT trip thru Expedia.com. The site
worked fast; everything was really easy to follow; I got fast
confirmation and the BEST PART, it was cheaper!!!
Orbitz was $1708 for 2 people air/hotel. Expedia was $1,437 for the
same hotel and the exact same flights . I saved $271.

Expedia I love you - Orbitz I hate you.


Well, use Expedia then.

  #3  
Old December 9th, 2005, 04:30 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

"brian" wrote:

[..]
Expedia I love you - Orbitz I hate you.


My feelings exactly.

We recently booked an overseas vacation trip. In doing the cost
comparisons, Orbitz showed the lowest rate for the airfare, but when
we actually proceeded with the booking we got the "that rate is no
longer available" bait-and-switch scam for which Orbitz is infamous.

We continued with the booking anyway, but the tickets that were sent
contained a name problem. We immediately called Orbitz back for and
asked them to correct it (expecting a $200 penalty). Basically, they
told us to shove it and refused to help in any way, for any price.

The tickets cost more than $3000 and are non-refundable.


Caveat
  #4  
Old December 9th, 2005, 05:34 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks


"Caveat" wrote in message
...
"brian" wrote:

[..]
Expedia I love you - Orbitz I hate you.


My feelings exactly.

We recently booked an overseas vacation trip. In doing the cost
comparisons, Orbitz showed the lowest rate for the airfare, but when
we actually proceeded with the booking we got the "that rate is no
longer available" bait-and-switch scam for which Orbitz is infamous.

We continued with the booking anyway, but the tickets that were sent
contained a name problem. We immediately called Orbitz back for and
asked them to correct it (expecting a $200 penalty). Basically, they
told us to shove it and refused to help in any way, for any price.

The tickets cost more than $3000 and are non-refundable.


Caveat


I almost always find cheaper airfares than Orbitz and Expedia claim. Last
September, the cheapest fares they came up with were in the $950-1100 range
from SFO to Rome, Italy. A consolidator I found through the LA Times put us
on Delta, via Cincinnati for $470 / person RT.


  #5  
Old December 9th, 2005, 08:38 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

In message Caveat
wrote:

"brian" wrote:

[..]
Expedia I love you - Orbitz I hate you.


My feelings exactly.

We recently booked an overseas vacation trip. In doing the cost
comparisons, Orbitz showed the lowest rate for the airfare, but when
we actually proceeded with the booking we got the "that rate is no
longer available" bait-and-switch scam for which Orbitz is infamous.

We continued with the booking anyway, but the tickets that were sent
contained a name problem. We immediately called Orbitz back for and
asked them to correct it (expecting a $200 penalty). Basically, they
told us to shove it and refused to help in any way, for any price.

The tickets cost more than $3000 and are non-refundable.


Was the name problem your fault or theirs?

--
One can't make an omelette without breaking eggs, but it's amazing
how many eggs one can break without making a decent omelette.
  #6  
Old December 9th, 2005, 09:59 AM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

Bill McKee wrote:
I almost always find cheaper airfares than Orbitz and Expedia claim. Last
September, the cheapest fares they came up with were in the $950-1100 range
from SFO to Rome, Italy. A consolidator I found through the LA Times put us
on Delta, via Cincinnati for $470 / person RT.


Not surprising. For international tickets, ALL the online ticket brokers
are ripoffs. You can almost always get a better price for international
tickets by going to a travel agent.

It seems that fewer and fewer people go to travel agents anymore; they
figure that by going online and "cutting out the middleman" that they are
saving big. In reality they are paying through the nose for the luxury
of booking their tickets without having to leave their own house. Orbitz,
Expedia et al prey on these people.

K.
  #7  
Old December 9th, 2005, 02:41 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

""Király"" wrote:
For international tickets, ALL the online ticket brokers are ripoffs.
You can almost always get a better price for international tickets
by going to a travel agent.
It seems that fewer and fewer people go to travel agents anymore...


For good reason. TA's rarely have 'saving the traveler money' as
their top priority in selling a ticket. There's no incentive for TA's to
find the best fare, since their commission is based on the price of the
ticket. Whenever I'm quoted a fare by a TA, I've found better on the
airline's own website. TA's are for "sheeple" or those who do not
have time to research the various sources on their own. =R=


  #8  
Old December 9th, 2005, 03:53 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

Rog' wrote:
""Király"" wrote:
For international tickets, ALL the online ticket brokers are ripoffs.
You can almost always get a better price for international tickets
by going to a travel agent.
It seems that fewer and fewer people go to travel agents anymore...


For good reason. TA's rarely have 'saving the traveler money' as
their top priority in selling a ticket. There's no incentive for TA's to
find the best fare, since their commission is based on the price of the
ticket. Whenever I'm quoted a fare by a TA, I've found better on the
airline's own website. TA's are for "sheeple" or those who do not
have time to research the various sources on their own. =R=


My TA often finds me the best deal on air travel to Europe, but she knows I will
have already researched the fares online, and will tell her the best I found.
She has access to Consolidators that I don't right now.

My TA helps me with the stuff I need. She can get better international car
rental usually than I, she gets my rail passes, and she's very helpful for
cruises. I can get the same deal on a cruise online as I get from her, thanks
to the fact that the cruiselines are no longer permitting discounting, but
she is much better than I at getting them to address issues.

I don't use her for everything, for example I never use her for domestic
airfare and have only rarely used her for hotels, but she is a great resource.

Julie



--
Julie
**********
Check out the blog of my 9 week Germany adventure at www.blurty.com/users/jholm
Check out my Travel Pages (non-commercial) at
http://www.dragonsholm.org/travel.htm
  #9  
Old December 9th, 2005, 04:01 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks


"Rog'" wrote in message
. ..
""Király"" wrote:
For international tickets, ALL the online ticket brokers are ripoffs.
You can almost always get a better price for international tickets
by going to a travel agent.
It seems that fewer and fewer people go to travel agents anymore...


For good reason. TA's rarely have 'saving the traveler money' as
their top priority in selling a ticket. There's no incentive for TA's to
find the best fare, since their commission is based on the price of the
ticket. Whenever I'm quoted a fare by a TA, I've found better on the
airline's own website. TA's are for "sheeple" or those who do not
have time to research the various sources on their own. =R=


I cant speak for your TA but mine got me a business class return ticket
from LHR to Calgary on Air Canada for $700 less than the price available on
the Air Canada web site.

Keith




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  #10  
Old December 9th, 2005, 04:37 PM posted to rec.travel.usa-canada
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Default Orbitz sucks

DevilsPGD wrote:

We continued with the booking anyway, but the tickets that were sent
contained a name problem. We immediately called Orbitz back for and
asked them to correct it (expecting a $200 penalty). Basically, they
told us to shove it and refused to help in any way, for any price.
The tickets cost more than $3000 and are non-refundable.


Was the name problem your fault or theirs?


Mine, in the sense that the booking carried over the existing traveler
profile we had used with them last year when booking a RT trip to
Europe, as well as the shortened name on my credit card (they will
only send tickets to the person who pays for the flight). It worked
fine just last year with four airlines and travel through six
countries, so it didn't occur to us that using an initial for my first
name might be a problem on this trip. Surprise, surprise.

The problem with my name is that -- like with tens of millions of
other Americans -- I've never used it in ordinary life (think:
Richard/Dick, Robert/Bob, Caveat/C.). We've traveled to more than 30
countries and my initialized first name was never questioned, despite
the fact that my passport uses the birth-ascribed full first name. And
on the planning for this trip, we double checked with American Express
Travel and the initial airline (Delta) that we will be using on the
first leg of the international flight. All assured us that a first
name initial is perfectly acceptable on a ticket (although nicknames
and a different last name are obviously not).

This should be a cautionary tale for others reading this post.


Caveat

 




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