There is something that is bothering me a lot these days and it’s the fact that people are still booking online. Why does it bother me? Because I can’t stand watching these online travel sites take advantage of consumers and continue to swindle them with things like hidden fees, unexpected changes to rooms and flights and horrible customer service. In the last few months it seems like complaints have exploded more than ever on sites like the Better Business Bureau, Pissed Consumer, Trip Advisor and more about Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline and other online travel sites.
Did you know that reputable travel agencies like Elite Travel don’t charge any fees to work with them, but online travel sites do? It’s true! Look at the fine print and you will see processing fees on top of your taxed amount!
The online travel sites do NOT always offer the lowest prices available either. When you book with Elite you will not only get the lowest price, but if you find a cheaper price available to the public we will match it! You may think these sites are competing for your business and offering you lower pricing, but you may not always get what you think you purchased as is stated in your terms and conditions. By the way, a little fun fact- did you know that Travelocity and Expedia are now one company? Oh, and Expedia also owns Hotels.com and several other online booking sites. They are planning a merger with Orbitz too! Where’s the real competitive pricing when they are all under one corporate umbrella?
When you call a big company like this with a complaint, what happens? You are usually stuck listening to a robot and it will take a while to get to a real human. If you want a customer service rep that speaks English you’ll be waiting even longer. Some people get so frustrated they eat the charges whereas others take it to the Better Business Bureau in hopes of a resolution that could take months or years. When you book with Elite you can connect directly with an English speaking human that will fight on your behalf in the event anything goes wrong.
So, again- all of this leaves me wondering, why are people still booking online?
EliteTravelGroup
