Need a maths expert please

[mayhemdiva]

Further to my earlier posting regarding travel agent disaster I took advice and proceeded to lodge a formal complaint. I got a reply that befuddles me..so here goes
I paid 408 and 898 for a BA and EgyptAIr flights total of 1306. I wanted to change some times/dates was told repeatedly by agent that the tickets were no change/no refund..had lost all my money etc...(I then had to rebooked new flights at the cost of $980 (got a better deal than they could and better flights))..so far I have paid out $2286. I get the reply from the complaints section saying they "'regret any misunderstandings or miscommunication regarding the conditions of Egypt Air and Ba flights. You said that the new flights you had booked are $900 . We have calculated the min change fee for EA to 20 Euro pp and BA 60 euro pp about $300. This leaves $600 refund which is the approx amount we are expecting back. AS SUCH YOU WONT ACTUALLY BE OUT OF POCKET"
Is my maths that bad or is it something I am missing.
If they had given me the correct information I would have paid about $300 in change fees as no difference anywhere else re flights a grand total of $1606 @.
Instead I paid 1306 for tickets - 600 refund - leaving 706 outstanding. Given that with the Correct advice I would have had to pay $300 in change fees that still leaves me $400 out of pocket the cost of the seats..:shock:
I think Im confused...They seem to think they can PROFIT from their mistake and my hard work after the fact in getting a better ticket for myself..PLEASE EXPLAIN

 

[straitman]

I'm confused also :!:

 

[NM]

What you originally paid is not relevant. You paid $980 to book new flights instead of changing your originals, so your change cost you $980. Someone seems to have rounded that down to $900.

They calculated the change should have cost you about $300 so have refunded you $600 being the difference between what you paid (rounded down to $900) and what the change should have cost ($300).

So you are out of pocket the $300 that the change should have cost you, plus the $80 rounding down process.

 

[ric_melb]

I really don't think it is up to the members of this board to explain this.
You selected a travel agent and booked an inflexible ticket.
You then went ahead and made new bookings.
Think yourself lucky you are getting some refund.

I think what the agent is trying to tell you is that the original payment is foregone. However they are hoping to refund you $600.
Presumably if they take $300 change fees from $900 they come up with you not being out of pocket. Time to move on.

 

[mayhemdiva]

Thank you for your answer, but I did not book inflexible tickets, they were changeable but my travel agent who booked them told me that they were not. Despite my repeated requests that the tickets I had purchased were flexible they told me
unequivocally in writing they were non refundable etc.



After I had paid for new tickets to replace the "non refundable" tickets I was informed that a mistake had been made and in fact the original tickets could have been changed.

I thought that made it my travel agents error.

I don't travel till December, I don't get any documents till November. The agent even changed some of the flights/airlines on the flimsy paperwork that I had signed at time of payment without letting me know.

I am not inexperienced at travel or travel arrangements,
and I will get over it, I just wanted to understand the logic in their mistake costing me anything..thought maybe it might have occurred to someone else before and there was some science to their maths and calculations.

Good Evening

 

[Moody]

Please don't expect a logical answer to this debacle.

You unfortunately picked an incompetent and dishonest TA. They are now trying to confuse you (and the FF community it seems) to cover up their lies and the fact that they owe you compensation.

I would find out the cancellation costs of your original tickets from BA and Egypt Air and inform your TA that you expect the refund to be paid to you in full or you will name them as thieves on every travel site on the internet.

But you REALLY should tell us who they are anyway.

 

[medhead]

I find your post slightly confusing. To try to simplify, As i understand you paid to the TA:

$408 for a flight with BA
$898 for a flight with egypt air (EA)

You then paid $980 for some other flights. I presume this was only to replace the EA flight based on the other thread. Is this correct?

If it is correct then I guess they have cancelled the EA flight, charged you the $300 change fee and hope to get you the $600 refund ($898-$300= ~$600). In this case then you still have the BA flight ($408) plus the new flight you arranged ($980). Therefore the cost is $408+$980+$300= [you do the maths]

Otherwise, the $980 replaced both the original BA and original EA flights. In which case they must be cancelling and refunding both the BA and EA bookings. If this is the case, then contact them to clarify the cost of the cancelled booking and that they only seem to have mentioned the refund due from EA and ask about a refund from the cancelled BA flight.

Important you really need to clarify what booking has been cancelled the EA only, or both the EA and BA. firstly to work out exactly how much this has cost you. Also to help us understand exactly what is happening.

 

[mayhemdiva]

Paid for BA IST_LON flight and side trip IST _CAI_IST.
Side trip was inadequate for needs. Agent was told the dates were not right. They were not changed. When queried and asked to have new dates was told the tickets had been issued (for December 2009) and were non transf/changeable/no refund etc....
I queried this, in writing, in person, over the phone and was told in writing that they could not be changed.
Left with being so close and a small window, and based on what the agent had told me I looked and found an EA flight
that went IST_CAI_LON for the times I wanted. Told agent that I had found them and would she speak to EA about changing the original ticket, being willing to lose the BA (only $200 each). Was told it could not be changed. So chose to not miss out on CAI and bought the new EA ticket for 980..after that it was discovered that the agents had made a mistake and that the original BA flight could have been changed IF NEEDED for 40 euros pp and the EA for 20 euros per person. If the EA flight could have been changed there would have been no need to change BA flight..just less days in IST..
clear as Mud..sorry...so I have bought new tickets based on the agents instruction and it has turned out ot be incorrect..so at worst I would have paid 300 over the original price..Now I have paid penalties, seat price and got the tax back on BA and EA flights originally booked..$600 after paying $1300..
add to that the rest of the ticketing is poor at best..
Flight Centre..flock off

 

[medhead]

Yes that has the clarity of wet cement. Basically too much information remember less is more sometimes.

But I gather the short answer is yes both original flights got cancelled. In which case I'd be ringing to find out where the money is for the cancelled BA flight

 

[straitman]

I'm confused also :!:

I'm still confused :!:

 

[serfty]

As I posted elswhere on this forum in response to your original thread, most regulars on this forum would advise against using flight centre to arrange your travel - let alone paying them anything.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing I guess.