A frustrating error has left an Aussie dad $3,800 out of pocket and is still waiting for a refund eight months later.
Scott Mitchell from Melbourne booked a flight through Booking.com at the last minute in December for his son’s partner to join the rest of the family on their trip to the USA.
But when the generous dad booked the flight, he never got a confirmation email.
Mr Mitchell then booked the same flight again – but both flights ended up being processed.
‘I checked both Booking.com and United Airlines return policies to make sure if there was a double booking they were refundable,’ he told Seven News.
The airline has a system that picks up double bookings – and refunded the money within 24 hours.
But the money was not refunded directly to Mr Mitchell.
The money is still being held by the booking agency – but in the form of a credit.
Scott Mitchell (far right) with his family on their American holiday
‘(Online travel agency) Gotogate do the bookings for Booking.com and Gotogate had the refund, and they had elected to put a travel credit against the flight not a refund,’ Mr Mitchell said.
Since the accidental double-booking, the father has sent weekly emails to the third-party booking platform.
Eight months on, he’s still communicating with customer service chat bots.
‘I’m being dogged in my pursuit of it,’ he said.
Mr Mitchell has since sought assistance from consumer advocate Adam Glezer.
He described Mr Mitchell’s battle for refund has been ‘an absolute disaster, and a game of cat and mouse’.
The consumer advocate said there had been similar cases and transparency is needed from third party companies.
‘If you book through a third party and there are issues with refunds, more often than not it’s going to be a lot more problematic than when you book direct,’ Mr Glezer said.
Scott Mitchell has vowed to never go through a third party travel booking website ever again
The dad booked a United Airlines flight last December via Booking.com so his son’s partner could join the family on their American trip. But when a double booking accidentally occurred, the father said he was offered a travel credit only (pictured a United Airlines flight)
The booking platform, Booking.com, uses a travel partner for all flights booked on its site (pictured the booking.com app)
Booking.com has its headquarters in The Netherlands (pictured)
Mr Glezer said had Mr Mitchell booked directly, he would have gotten his money back and that the experience would have been far less ‘painless’.
Mr Mitchell has vowed to never book via a third party again and instead organise directly with an airline or hotel.
Booking.com told 7news.com.au that they are ‘sorry’ to hear about Mr Mitchell’s experience and they have ‘followed up’ to offer their assistance.
The company also said when a double booking is made, the customer has to request a refund that is based on the terms and conditions and the airline are the ones who must authorise it.
The platform said flights that are booked on their site are actually through their ‘flights partner’ Etraveli and their brand Gotogate – which is mentioned to customers when booking a flight.
Customers are also informed they have entered an agreement with Gotogate.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Booking.com for comment.
The company, that has its headquarters in Amsterdam in The Netherlands, is a stock exchange darling – with it’s prices going up by 92.99 per cent over the last five years to $3,830.58 USD per share.
