This Might Be A Good Scam
 

For the first time I booked some return tickets on Virgin Blue using the internet. Got the prices, confirmed the times and credit card details and hit the 'Confirm' button only to get a page saying the server was busy/unavailable etc and to try again later. Scrolled back thru the arrow buttons to try and confirm again and it confirms but Bingo, the price of the tickets has gone up. I may watch too many conspirator flicks but is this a good computer programming scam to get the sucker in, automatically reject the first purchase attempt and then bung on a bit more for the second?

I then rung up their 13 number and after sitting through 20 minutes of platitudes apologising for delays a young lass explained that tickets were sold on a first come first served basis etc. I'm not completely dense and do understand yeild management, but when I then started to say: "So in other words......" That's all I got out, she just hung up!

Why didn't I use Ron?

Steady eddy,:}

I have had the same experience with Qantas and Jetstar as well, whilst discking round confirming with family/partner, by phone or shouting down the hallway, on time date etc have timed out and/or the seat has gone, it's called the real IT world. There ARE others out there doing the same, "first in best dressed".:ok:

One exercise over a morning had three seats on the same flight all business colleagues who checked in with me to confirm times etc at different times then prices.:sad: Was only $20 bucks or so but still waaay cheaper than it used to be.

Thanks for the vote Mobi, but we have to charge $10 a sector up to a maximum of $40.00 to make it worth the effort with DJ.

However, if something goes pear shaped, and it can as those skylights engines are loaded with more traps than the Yukon in rutting season, we wear the responsibility and the cost as it is our fault.

I had an instance today for a mate where I quoted DJ on Chrissy eve LST SYD and back 04 JAN and the fare was decent. He went home to his wife, rang back several hours later and said "yes please".

On I go to the lovely user friendly rock ape booking engine and bugger me - the fare has dropped $40 each as it was "Happy Hour". Went thru the hoops and tunnels and got to the payment page and got a system error saying "Go Back".

So - I did and recompleted the booking ant tried again. The confirmation came up on the screen and I check the fare as one does. $60.00 more than it should have been. I called DJ and a very friendly guy checked it and agreed that the booking had been charged but had also had been allocated 2 change fees due to the "load on the server causing a problem due to Happy Hour".

Not happy Jan, but this was immediately refunded to the credit card and a new itinerary issued.

Good reason to use a scapegoat I guess.

At least if you use a carrier that exists in the major GDS systems, any seats that are sold are locked and loaded into our system for around 10 minutes at the price that you quoted. No such fun with LCCs and the Slylights program.

Best all

EWL

Mobi LAME, people like you must really drive call centre staff mad…
 

First in best dressed buddy. The family of four who pressed the book button two seconds before you beat you to it. Once the cheapies are gone they’re gone and it’s stiff bikkies.
I don’t know why you even bothered phoning. Hahaha that you had to wait on hold for twenty minutes! You’re lucky you didn’t miss out on the next best fare and pay through the roof when that sold out meantime too!
Next time you want to go see a U2 concert and its sold out perhaps give Bono a call and demand to know why. Let us know how that one goes!
:ugh: