Big bill for Vancouver travellers after Expedia says it can’t fix passenger names
Posted February 8, 2023 8:44 pm.
Last Updated February 8, 2023 9:13 pm.
A Vancouver couple may have to pay thousands of dollars more to rebook plane tickets after they made an error listing one of their last names while booking with Expedia.
Nick Assarasakorn and his partner bought flights with Expedia, but now he says he isn’t sure they will make their March trip to Hong Kong and Thailand.
“We were tired, I had been researching, it’s middle of the night, so it was kind of easy, prone to make mistakes, so what happened is I omitted my partners last name, embarrassingly. I put her middle name in the last name section and my partner caught it a week after I booked,” he explained.
He says he called Expedia and says he was told it wasn’t a big deal and to submit a name correction request. He did and says he was told everything would be okay, the two times he followed-up. But on the third time, that changed.
“They then told me that it’s not possible and I would have to rebook the entire thing and then go through the process of getting a refund and of course, at that point, the tickets were already more than double their price.” said Assarasakorn.
Assarasakorn understands he made the mistake and would pay a fee to change the name, but he’s frustrated he’s getting conflicting information from Expedia. CityNews reached out to Expedia but did not hear back.
Simone Lis, President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau in Mainland B.C. says while there are upsides to booking with a third party, such as cheaper prices, there are downsides.
“When you’re dealing with a third party, you’re no longer dealing with the airline directly,” she said. “You’re adding in someone with their own terms and conditions, so I think it’s really important you understand what their terms and conditions are, as well as the party who’s ultimately going to deliver the service.”
Assarasakorn says the error has put the trip in jeopardy and hopes the company changes its tune.
“It’s very upsetting as a consumer because I felt I was misled to believe things are okay,” he added.
