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Orbitz - Unauthorized Charges

Orbitz • Air travel • Hotels • Minors • MWI charges • Unauthorized charges --- News • Orbitz Takes Top Spot in J.D. Power Study

Joyce of Moseley VA (8/18/04):
I attempted to make reservations on Orbitz for a hotel in Wilmington. It appeared to not take my credit card number so I put in another credit card number. It didn't seem to take that either as the number never appeared on the screen. I logged out and made reservations directly with the hotel. Much to my surprise I received an e-mail from Orbitz that my reservations had been made. Now I've been charged $25 to cancel the Orbitz reservations. A little thing but hey! I will never do business again with Orbitz.

Joe of Ramona CA (6/3/04):
I bought a one-way ticket from Canton, Ohio to San Diego and when I hit the purchase button it switched the ticket to a more expensive flight. I contacted costumer service, they canceled that one, set it up correctly for the correct flight and one again it messed up. After more talking they said they got it right, would not charge my credit card for both flights or both service charges.

Checking with my credit card company, Orbitz credited my card the $6.00 service charge from the first ticket but then charged me 2 separate $27.95 service charges for something unknown. Has locked my card for the cost of both tickets and called me on the phone and said that since the ticket sold, the price has gone up and they wanted $39.00 more. I told them no way. They said they sold me the ticket at an agreed upon price. They said "alright".

The ticket was to have been delivered to the passengers address in Akron Ohio. It has not arrived. Orbitz web page shows the ticket being shipped to me in San Diego. The FedEx tracking number on the Orbitz web site is invalid on the FedEx site. This is the 2nd and last time I will ever do business with Orbitz. Both times this same thing has happened. This, the 2nd time, is far worst than the first but it is beyond belief.

Each time they messed up the order, each time they called me and told me the cost had gone up and wanted more money, each time they overcharged my credit card at first. This time it seems they charged me, for many things including some I didn't authorize, and then decided not to ship the tickets because I would not allow them to raise the price after the sale was complete.

I am physically disabled and moving to Akron Ohio in 2 weeks. This ticket was for a friend that was going to fly out to San Diego and help me to move my belongings and to make the drive from California to Ohio. Now I must make the move on my own. I do not know how this will work but thanks to Orbitz I have no choice now. I can only hope that my credit card is eventually not overcharged as I can not afford to pay for services and tickets that I do not receive.

Heather of Morristown NJ (4/1/04):
My credit/debit card was used and not authorized by me. I contacted Orbitz and they have given me a song and a dance. I purchased a ticket for my brother. He didn't use it but called back 2 weeks later and used my mom's credit card to purchase a new ticket. Orbitz just put he charge on my account (which was my checking account). My brother is not an authorized user of my account and there is NO way he had my credit card number. My mother and aunt were in the room when he purchased the second ticket. Orbitz isn't even willing to acknowledge that he called in and used my card.

I bounced a check, had to borrow money from my savings and have spent a lot of time on the phone trying to work this out.

Jeffrey of Plano TX (2/21/04):
I tried to buy a flight on the website - after pushing the final "purchase" button for the tickets, the site did nothing for several minutes (a DSL connection). So I closed the web browser and when I came back to the site again, I did not know the purchase had gone through. In the meantime, when I tried the same dates the price had gone up so I went to another site (Travelocity.com) and made a new purchase.

When I next checked my email (2 days later) I find out that I now have duplicate airline tickets and if one is to be changed I must pay $100 per ticket (in this case 4 tickets were purchased). I called and they said I could have changed within 24 hours but it was too late. The web site does not offer anything but the nonrefundable type of ticket.

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