Like
Kate Irvine, I've suffered at the hands of easyJet online booking system
price hiking.
In February this year my credit card was refused several times when trying to
book return flights for four, plus infant from Bristol to Palma. After
several failed attempts with my own card, my wife's card was eventually
accepted; only to be advised after we had re-entered all the credit card
details that the price of the flights had increased by £95 from £901.92 to
£997.51 (10.5%). Suspecting I was in a bidding war for these seats and would
lose the flights if I delayed, I reluctantly pressed accept.
I wrote to easyjet suggesting their computer had calculated that I was bidding
against myself for the same seats, but my request for a refund was refused,
with the suggestion that I should have phoned their call centre. I checked
the easyjet website on the same night I made the booking and several times
since and every time the price advertised was the original £901.92.
Where are we going to see this practice next? What would Advertising Standards
do if people reached the supermarket checkpoint to be told, after handing
over their card and entering their pin number, that the price of their
purchases had just gone up 10% from the prices still advertised on the
shelves?
I also noted easyjet have introduce a fee for Advanced Passenger Boarding.
Travelling for the first time with a lively two year old, I thought it best
to make our own, as well as fellow passengers' flights as peaceful as
possible by paying this charge so we could hopefully sit together. When we
have travelled before, we've noticed that families with young children have
been called forward first, presumably without having paid this charge? I
will be interested to see if this is still the case when we board. Anyway
isn't it safer to have families with young children travelling together?
I also had to pay extra for a pushchair as hold luggage. This seems yet
another add-on. Kevin Price, Hereford
A response from an easyJet press officer: easyJet's usual pricing
policy is to sell seats on a first come, first served basis. All flights
start at the lowest fare and, as the flight sells out, the price gradually
increases. However occasionally seat prices can go down too, if we have a
seat sale, which we have had recently, or if sales for that particular
flight have slowed and we need to further stimulate demand.
In the latter instance easyJet does offer a price promise if the passenger
calls us and if the lower price is visible on the website we will then offer
a credit file for the difference, which can be used towards future flights.
We do not offer a price promise for a sale item.
I received a 'price promise' refund from Easyjet a few months ago but it entailed a long phone call to Customer Services to raise the issue. I was issued with a 'credit file ' but when I decided to offset another fare with the refund in my credit file, I spent £4 on a phone call to book a flight before slamming the phone down in disgust at being kept on hold. I was determined to get my money back so I attempted another booking which entailed a 10 minutes phone call (which is the only option when using a credit file) but this incurred costs of 65p per minute! So, the cost of all my calls pretty much negated the amount I had saved on the price promise!! They get us at every turn!
Catherine, Newcastle, England
Phoned the Easyjet Price Promise line. Since I booked in February, the price of the above flights has dropped by £305.50 for which I've received credit valid for flights booked until 5th Jan 2008. Thanks to all for your comments and advice.
Kevin Price, Hereford, UK
Advanced Passenger Boarding is a bit of a risk. On our last trip people who had paid for this were called forward, then people with small children. They were first on the bus to the plane! However, this meant they were also last off the bus when they got to the plane.
I would never pay for this, I find it best to let families with small children get seated first then I avoid them.
I Blackburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
As far as I know all easyjet 'offer' are carefully called sale so they don't need to refound anyone with the price promise...am I wrong? has anyone never got a refound with their price promice?
Antonella, london, UK