Orbitz

I used Orbitz for the first time to book a vacation for my family. I took their recommendation for the "luxury" hotel and accommodations (it was advertised as a suite). The package I bought was for the hotel and airfare. Unfortunately I did not think to ask for the breakdown of cost between the airfare and hotel at the time. Note I was traveling with my spouse and three minor children. When we arrived at the hotel it was, to say the least, horrible. The air conditioning was not working (we were in a very hot climate), there were puddles on the floor from windows leaking, mold on the walls, the kitchen area was grimy and dirty, the rest of the place was not clean and there was an inappropriate, poster sized picture on the wall by the door of a woman pulling her pants down showing her bare bottom. We complained to the hotel manager. He offered us another room but it wasn't any better.

I called Orbitz and told them we were not going to stay there. I was in a foreign country with no place to stay and was transferred around Orbitz customer service, which was terrible. Also, after seeing this hotel I did not trust them to find me decent lodgings somewhere else. I called other hotels at my own expense, and found availability. After much delay/debate, Orbitz offered me a credit of only $1,700 for the hotel - my total bill with them was $6,300 for airfare and hotel. So that would mean my airfare was $4,600. The new hotel cost me $6K for two rooms for the week (last minute booking so expensive). I didn't have much choice but to take the credit and go to the new hotel, thinking I would get in touch with Orbitz when I returned to make it right. I mentioned above that I was traveling with three minor children and we needed a decent place to stay.

I checked online and found the same flights for $2K less than what I paid for them. I only searched for about 10 minutes to find better fares. When I returned home I called Orbitz customer service and was on hold/transferred around for hours. I asked for a full refund to cover the additional $6K I had to spend for the new hotel, but at the very least, a refund of $2K for the discrepancy in airfares I found. Orbitz was not helpful in the least. I received nothing and the customer service personnel, even when transferred to a supervisor, were not helpful at all. To add insult to injury, on the return home the airline (United) gave our ticketed seats away. We got to the airport two hours ahead of the scheduled flight. My family and I were caught up in an immigration line (with 500 or so other people) and United gave our seats away, despite the fact that we were checked in with boarding passes.

All of the other airlines were getting their passengers out of that line but United chose to ignore our boarding passes and gave our 5 seats away. This is another topic but thought to add to describe the totality of our travel problems. Please use this as a discretionary tale to not use Orbitz for your travel. Do not trust the hotels they recommend or what they have on their sites, and expect nothing in terms of customer service or remediation. They do not have the lowest airfares as advertised - quite the opposite. They do not check the hotels they recommend and customer service/remediation is non-existent.

Erroneously purchased Airline tickets and hotel reservations using my nickname. The tickets and reservations were all international and I did not realize I needed to use my full legal name which appears on my passport. Upon realizing this I worked with (by now) dozens of Orbitz representatives to painstakingly change the name on reservations to my legal name. One of the tickets was lost completely due to an alleged policy from one of the partner airlines. Tried to invoke the cancellation policy I PURCHASED WITH MONEY based on the original sales representative's assurance all situations were covered. Turns out I would have to die in a statistically impossible terrorist attack (or just die in general) to even make a qualifying claim. YOU HAVE TO DIE TO GET CANCELLATION INSURANCE HONORED.

The rest of the messed up tickets were excruciating to name change since I kept getting disconnected by obviously incompetent customer service representatives, many of whom could not speak English well and I also suspect it is this company's strategy to not take the onus for their stupidity. It is my suspicion most of the managers I escalated to purposely disconnected the phone line so they did not have to contact British Airways to make the change for my ticket from my one vacation stop to the next. I finally reached one representative supervisor (Homer) who started to fix things initially but then the phone conveniently disconnected again due to an alleged phone outage. HOW INCREDIBLY CONVENIENT THEY LACK PHONES, EMAIL AND CORPORATE INSTANT MESSAGES ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

Apparently other modes of modern communication escape this company (such as I'M, emails, etc). I have had to spend over $1700 for the flight I was not able to make to travel to Europe from Cleveland, Ohio and nearly had to spend $300 to make it from the first half of my vacation to the next (I was in two countries in two weeks). I have lost two full business days on the phone with this ridiculous company which I could've spent with my European family members instead of working on this labyrinth of incompetence. My flight back home to Cleveland was STILL messed up when I was about to fly home from London and the only way London could honor my flight tickets home was due to the fact I was flying home and had a USA passport. IF I WASN'T LIVID ENOUGH, THIS WAS THE FINAL INSULT.

This could have all been resolved with a phone call from a reasonably intelligent and competent person which Orbitz seems to lack. This is quite legitimately the most horrendously unpleasant customer service experience that I've ever had in my lifetime and it has cost me money, time and emotional trauma that cannot be erased. Will never use again them and am going to dispute the magically non-refundable (but cancellable if you die) first ticket with credit card company since Orbitz did not honor the travel cancellation protection I purchased. I am amazed this company has not been shut down yet for their ridiculously unethical and incompetent practices and am going to investigate my legal rights about all of this further.

I took my son for a weekend trip. I booked a hotel room on Orbitz at the last minute because they were $6 cheaper than the other 3 sites. When I was checking out on the website I remembered verifying the dates. July 31st to Aug 1st. The price was $116 plus tax. Moments later, I received a confirmation for Aug 13th to 14th. I immediately called to correct whatever mistake had been made. I was told there would be a $50 penalty plus the difference in rates for the new date. The rep had obviously been through this before so I asked for a supervisor. I was told that it was impossible for the system to do that and it was my mistake. He contacted the hotel and got permission to waive the $50 fee. So now it was going to be just the rate difference of $40.

When I mentioned that there were many complaints on the Web about the same situation. I was told that he could call corporate IT because they record every transaction and they could confirm whether the system was faulty but it could take more than a day. SO... then I mentioned bait and switch and the Federal Trade Commission. He then called the hotel and got permission to refund the original transaction and create one with a coupon code. This made the amount $6 more which was what everyone else was charging. The problem is they ran my card again and the refund on the original transaction takes 7 days. So here is a rundown of their scam.

5. If the consumer is smart or "causing trouble" Pretend to go above and beyond and use a coupon code. Get the actual rate that everyone else is charging. 6. Keep the original transaction for 7 days to earn interest.

I know the market is tight and highly competitive but these kind of tactics are unacceptable. Some of you may think I am crazy and that a large corporation like Orbitz would plan the whole thing, but look at Wells Fargo. They outright signed people up without permission. What's a little bait and switch in comparison? You have been warned, make transactions at your own risk.

So I thought I was being smart and bought the cancellation plan. Wellcthat's a scam. Yes it was my fault I booked my flight for 12:44 am. I thought it was pm. Called to change or cancel and remake since I bought the cancellation plan and guess what. It pretty much only works if you're dying. Would pay $350 on top of the 500 I already paid for the ticket. This also has to do with a medical emergency that I have to be there that morning which I thought I would ask but I made the accident. I filed a claim and will be getting a doctor's note. Don't ever buy cancellation plan unless you think you're gonna die and want your money back after death?

Basically, what happened to me that my nephew booked his ticket to overseas flight having one stop and short layover time. Obviously, these 2 options cost more money which he paid. 2 weeks before his return he wanted to reschedule and leave earlier. When I called the Austrian airline from the USA to reschedule, I found out that they canceled the route from Cairo to Vienna and they were surprised that Orbitz didn't notify us. Called Orbitz a couple weeks after to confirm what I was told because we never received an email to notify us of any update. For almost 3 hours they kept arguing with me to force me to take a 2 stops option without any discounts or partial refund which is not enough to book a return ticket or lastly to book me a new route and I pay the difference.

But wait a second. Why I have to accept a 2 stops flight where I paid more upfront to select a one stop flight. Why I have to pay a delta of new tickets if it's not my fault. And more importantly, why no one cares about that fact that there was a cancellation of one of the flights and weren't notified but found out by luck when we call the airline itself. Finally, after I threatened to go to the court, they magically found another ticket that has one stop and acceptable layover on another Airline.

UPDATED ON 07/24/2017: After promising me with a new ticket that has one stop and reasonable layover, they sent me an email apologizing and giving me the 2 stops only option... I believe I'll need to sue them.

Made a reservation, paid and booked a week prior to my vacation. I arrived at my destination 6 hours away from home, and could not check in because my reservation was never sent in by Orbitz. The hotel said there was nothing they could do on their end, so I had to call Orbitz customer service. I spoke to 5 PEOPLE, and put on hold each time while they were trying to get a hold of the hotel. Each time I hung up because I was on hold for over 20 minutes. After 2 hours of standing in the hotel lobby, FINALLY, someone called me back, and all they could say was the hotel gave away my room because they were over booked, and that I should call the hotel to make sure my reservation was complete. To accommodate me they were going to put me in a piece of crap hotel 20 minutes away.

I asked multiple times to just have my money refunded, and that took over 30 minutes to accomplish because they kept wanting me to book that room they offered me, and kept transferring me to other departments!!! I ended up going home with my fiance, and family because there was absolutely nothing in the area (besides that hotel) that had any availability. I was just fed up with their customer service, and I am a very patient person, but this was UNACCEPTABLE, and UNPROFESSIONAL. Our weekend was a complete waste of time, and ruined. I will never give Orbitz my business ever again. If anyone is going to make a reservation through this company, please make sure to call the hotel before you leave or arrive. I would hate for this to happen to another person.

They forgot to call and notify that my international flight had a 20 hour preplanned delay. Very negligent people and service is very bad. Customer representative promised me 200$ of travel expenses and later then was bargaining for lower amount, very cheap behavior. I learned my lesson and I'm not going to book any future international trips through Orbitz.

Booked hotel for our vacation and found same hotel and room much cheaper. Sent in required form for price match. They said they couldn't price match because my proof didn't show hotel. Replied it was in the right upper corner of screenshot. Then they said it was the same price as what I paid them. Resent screenshots of documentation. Then they said the cheaper rate doesn't show my two kids. I replied with additional proof that two kids under 17 stay free. Once again they replied with my rate says "Two queen beds" their listing says "two standard queen beds." The price match is an absolute scam. I verified with the hotel if there was any difference with their double queen bed rooms. None. Orbitz still refused to honor their price match. Only option was to refund, pay resort penalties, wait five days to see the reversal of funds in my bank and rebook.

Me and my fiancee book a car on Orbitz. Final price with taxes would be $358. When we arrive to pick up the lady said we supposed to pay $760. But was clear when we booked that we wouldn't have extra fees. We call, send email and till now they didn't return $85 for "insurance" and in the end we pay $620 for another car. We lost money, time and for nothing. I had so many options to rent this car but I chose Orbitz for "trusty". I couldn't be more wrong. We are not from US. We from Europe and they keep sending us automatic emails with phone that doesn't work and so on. Terrible customer service. I'm ready to go forward with this. I know we have a case but I'm hoping for the best with good communication. This is my last chance.

Terrible!!! Accidentally booked the wrong date, asked to move the date (even at a fee) and they did not respond to any of my messages to their support site. They pretty much do NOT have a support site, since your email is ignored. DO not use!

I booked a roundtrip flight with Orbitz.com in June. Upon review to my trip itinerary today (July), I've found that the departure flight was not book by Orbitz but the return flight was booked. Yet, I was charged for the round trip flight. I did not receive any notice of this from Orbitz (email or phone call). Had I not reviewed this information myself, I would not have known of this issue with my departure flight until the day of checking. This is unprofessional, inconvenient & extremely upsetting. Very POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Orbitz is the world's first worst vendor to book our travel reservations. I booked my airline tickets for myself and for my kids from Chicago to Visakhapatnam, India. Orbitz took $4,097 from my credit card and sent me the itinerary, confirmation number which includes seat assignment too. When we reached airport to check in, the particular airlines people said no tickets were booked on our names. We called Orbitz customer service. We spoke to them for 3 hours. They admitted that it is their fault and that they are going to arrange our trip for the next day.

They charged another $4,097 to my credit card and they didn't send us the tickets. Every time we call them, they will transfer to 5 representatives. We need to tell them the story right from the scratch. They don't keep the notes from our calls. Representatives are highly inexperienced people who are novice in customer service. Our international trip is completely messed up and they stole our money and they didn't issue us the tickets. We contacted the airlines people and they are saying tickets are still available. But Orbitz people keep on saying that they didn't receive the tickets from airlines people.

I used to use Orbitz to book my all my business travels. Recently I have made an travel to Geneva returning from Rome. I have made a mistake in the passenger name so I call the next day to ask them to revise it, of course they have to charge me additional fees for that. I was fine with extra fee because I'm responsible for it since I made an error. However, when I left for my business trip I have notice they made an error on my return flight!! They changed my departure location. I have called in orbitz requesting them to make an correct on my flight. They told me it takes them 5 days to check back on the call in order check if they should be responsible for my flight! I am so disappointed, I would never use them to book any of my flights any more. I would suggest my company or any other companies out there to be aware of it. NOT RELIABLE!!!

Please be careful when booking flights with Orbitz. They part with the airline to rip people off. I booked my flight 2 weeks ago with Orbitz and because it was a good deal the flight would only last 8 hours and we wouldn't have to wait in Mexico City that much since my mom is cannot to very much because of her back and I'm traveling with a four year old. I print out my itinerary four days before leaving and find that our flight from Las Vegas to Mexico City is gone. How the heck are we suppose to get to Mexico in the first place! I call them up. Mind you the almost $2000 flight is paid for. At the end they blamed each other. Couldn't get me on a flight. The only one available was the where we have to stay overnight in Mexico City. What I found most amazing is our original canceled flight was still being offered but at a higher price!

BEWARE! I ordered (and paid) for a family vacation package via Orbitz only to show up at the airport and find out that we did not have any flight tickets issued. And after calling Orbitz we were not only informed that we could not get tickets for the scheduled flight, we were also informed that Orbitz would not get us tickets for any other flights. I travel extensively and have never been treated like this before - I understand all the issues that arise when traveling, but to be left at the airport with no support/assistance (I.e. finding another flight) was unacceptable. I travel a lot and know many people who take family vacations...

I am very upset with my experience with Orbitz. I was planning a trip to Texas to see my son graduate from Basic Military Training. We were told to purchase refundable tickets in case the trainee's graduation was postponed for various reasons. When I called Orbitz I asked specifically if my flight tickets would be refundable if my trip to Texas had to be postponed for this reason. She reassured me a number of times that for $44 per ticket, they would be refundable. Then I told her that I possibly may rent a car. After giving me the price of the tickets, she proceeded to give me the price of the car rental.

As I was questioning her about the prices, all of a sudden she told me the price of the tickets went up a considerable amount. Then she said, "But if you rent the car I can give you a lower price on the tickets." Red flags suddenly went up but I was so pleased that I was getting refundable tickets I figured paying a bit more for the tickets was worth it. After I told her the times of the flights that I wanted she said I would be receiving an itinerary in my email. I hung up. I saw I received the itinerary but I did not check it over.

A couple days later I went into my email and noticed one of the flights was not correct. I called Orbitz and the man told me there was nothing he could do and if I wanted to change/cancel the flight it would cost $200 per ticket. Then I figured since I was on the phone with him I would confirm with him the refundable tickets and asked if my tickets would be refundable for the reason stated above. He told me my tickets are only refundable for medical emergencies. Needless to say, I was furious. I cancelled the insurance. I then told him I wanted to talk to a supervisor about the mistake on my flight. He said a supervisor would call me within 48 hours. I waited 2 days... no call. I called them back. Waited a looooong time on the phone. Finally spoke to a supervisor. It got me nowhere.

The 2 previous people I talked to were foreigners. They were extremely difficult to communicate with. (That's probably why she made a mistake.) I asked the supervisor a few times if she could listen to the recording of my conversation with the girl who placed my reservation, but she totally ignored my request. At the beginning of each phone call they state that the conversation is recorded. If it is, then why can't they go back and listen to it? Isn't that why it's supposedly being recorded? This company is definitely only out to make big bucks. Definitely not customer friendly! I will never do business with them again and I will tell friends, family and acquaintances not to do business with them as well. Next time, I will buy my tickets directly from the airline. Learned my lesson.

Never booking through this website anymore. Customer service takes a too long to get to and have to go through an hour long holding for a flight reservation and at last the person made the wrong reservation. Plus, if you ever want to cancel, you will only get 10% of your paid price back. Never again!

Wow, so many issues. Where do I begin. I purchased travel insurance on my flight to Brazil because it clearly stated "Protect your trip now with Orbitz travel insurance. You'll have peace of mind no matter what changes, we've got you covered" (Paraphrase obviously). I went to file a claim today because I had to change my return date because of a family issue, and I learned through the black and white extensive fine print that ONLY CERTAIN SITUATIONS are covered with travel insurance. They wouldn't even refund me the travel insurance premium I paid.

In addition, I also tried to change a separate domestic flight with GOL airlines which their site said had a $0.00 change fee. When I contacted customer service, they said there would be a $25 change fee - when the tickets were only $35 each. How can the site say one price, then customer service another? I suspected this was being imposed by Orbitz not the airline, which they can do but not without posting on their website. The agent told me I could cancel the flight at no charge, which I ended up doing. Then when I called back in after I cancelled online the agent told me there would be a $50 fee to use cancelled airline credits - which was more expensive than the original ticket.

Their site is easy to use, and their fares are reasonable. Everything else is borderline fraudulent and inexcusable. All they had to do was acknowledge their mistake and compensate me somehow for their mistakes and guidance, which directly cost me money. Nope, never happening. No refunds, no accountability, no exceptions. If you book Orbitz after reading this, you have no excuses to be upset if you have to deal with their customer service. Buyer beware - the rest is on you if you choose this company. I'll be a Travelocity customer going forward.

I recently booked (3) tickets for a round trip flight from Houston to Seattle and upon returning from a Princess Cruise to Alaska. I discovered that my return flight to Houston [Alaska Airlines] had been cancelled. I contacted Orbitz and explained the cancellation and was told that there was nothing they could do. This unfortunately, required purchasing (3) more tickets through Orbitz on United Airlines for the return flight to Houston.

After arriving back in Houston I contacted Alaska Airlines and they directed me to contact the third party booking agency (Orbitz) for a full refund. I called Orbitz and after a long delay, was told that since I missed the first porting on my flight from Houston to Seattle that it was airline policy to also cancel the second return flight booking. So, Alaska Airlines is telling me to contact Orbitz for the refund and Orbitz is telling me that is was Alaska Airlines policy not to refund the cancelled flight. Again, total run-around by both Orbitz and Alaska Airlines!! I will NEVER use Orbitz to book another flight, nor will I ever use Alaska Airlines in the future. A Very dissatisfied consumer! Beware, Do Not use Orbitz to book flights.

I recently obtained an Orbitz Visa card because I travel frequently and have always used Orbitz for bookings. The Orbitz Visa card offered an excellent benefit package. I opened my account with a $2000 credit limit. I booked airfare for $1700 last month and paid off the full amount on 5/27/17 before the due date leaving a $0 balance.

Today on 6/16 I tried to book another flight but my card was declined. When I called Orbitz Visa customer service I was told that although they received my payment (and my money was deducted from my checking account on 5/27) that the credit may take 20 business days (that's 4 weeks) to post to my account. So although my balance is $0 I cannot use my card for a month. I cancelled my card and will no longer use Orbitz! I have had credit cards with Delta, United, Discover, and Capital One and credit limits are always affected on the day they receive payment. This is beyond ridiculous!!!

Bought "refundable" tickets on Orbitz. Had to cancel due to medical reasons and Orbitz tells me to work with the airline! They say airline policies differ for refundable and they cannot guarantee full refund. Sounds like false advertising, bait and switch tactics. They don't even acknowledge that they are misleading customers on their site with the "refundable" filter. Worse, their customer service and executive resolutions line will keep you on hold for hours, start from scratch and repeat the same message. Very disappointed. Buyer beware!

I booked a room and there was an issue with a typo in the reservation for dates. The reservation was made for June 12-14 and was supposed to be made for June 13-15. I called Orbitz immediately to have the issue resolved. After 1 hour and 8 minutes and speaking to the supervisor I was told there was nothing Orbitz could do to resolve my issue and move the dates. They tried to tell me that the hotel had to make the change. I called the hotel on the other line and they told me Orbitz had to make the adjustment. This should have been resolved without question.

Please beware. Orbitz customer service has been terrible. I incorrectly spelled my daughter's name on an international ticket and have been trying to make the name correction for the last three months. I called the airline and they told me they could do nothing since I booked it with Orbitz. Orbitz has done nothing to rectify the issue unless I call them. They have told me on numerous occasions that someone will call me back with an update. NO ONE EVER HAS. I have spend endless hours on hold to no avail. My very last encounter with a senior manager named "Jaime" really sealed the deal when rather than being apologetic on the length of time it has taken to rectify the problem, she blamed me for making the error to begin with. I have been using Orbitz for years. I will NEVER use them again. BTW my daughter's name is "Josie". I wrote it as "Jose" by mistake. This is what I have been trying to fix for the last 3 months.

Orbitz and its parent company, Expedia, have one thing in mind: To rob the consumer by creating non-refundable prices. Shame on them and the other travel companies they own. Just use them to get information. Call hotel directly to book because they'll refund you if plans fail. Also, directly booking with airlines gives you double mileage points. Orbitz does not.

Do not use this company but do not waste money on travel insurance... you must have a Dr note to cancel and get refund. It will cost you 250 $ to get Dr note... more than the cost of ticket... but you can pay a 125.00$ change fee for a credit of $ 117.00. Call center is in India... cannot understand them on the phone. Put on hold for 20 minutes. They want you to give up. Do NOT USE Orbitz. There are too many options that are much better. I learned the hard way, cancelled my flight due to family illness and they would not refund my ticket even though I purchased the insurance. I would have to send my ill elderly mother to a Dr to get note before they would which was not possible. It was a holiday weekend. DO Not Purchase travel insurance. It is FRAUD.

Thanks to this horrible company I did not attend my father's funeral. I made my reservation the day before due to this being a last minute flight. I was traveling to Mexico City from Nashville with a connection in Dallas. As I am checking my reservation online I see they canceled my return flight. I am thinking I have 2 days to deal with this before my return date and I will deal with it later. I go to the check in at the Delta desk and they ask me if I am traveling to Dallas. I said I had a connection there but my final destination was Mexico. The person at the check-in station inform me that I did not had any flights schedule to Mexico City.

I called Orbitz and they try to blame it on the airline, but the airline said they never received the money or payment for a flight to Mexico only to Dallas. The Orbitz representative just apologize and told me to buy a ticket at the airport. I don't have that kind of money, and my funds were already on hold due to Orbitz processing the payment for the tickets. They didn't even try to help me look for other options. I will never use this company again or any of my family and friends. I couldn't say goodbye to my father. If you have to travel and do not want any surprises, just book it with some other company. Do not use Orbitz.

I had a reservation at the Holiday Inn in downtown Sacramento. Unfortunately the confirmation from Orbitz went into Spam. I found out too late that it had been made for the wrong date. Orbitz called several times and they agreed to refund the cost of the no-show. I thought this was surprising and very gracious so I want to give them credit for that.

I just got off the phone with an Orbitz rep who took a good 20 minutes to cancel my hotel reservation. While waiting for her to do some "quiet work" I read all the terrible reviews on ConsumerAffairs about this company. Although I canceled the room less than 24 hrs from booking (it was 22 hrs exactly). She put me on hold while she "contacted" the hotel for me to get the cancellation fee waived. I asked for an email to confirm that the fee was waived. The email came on my phone while I was on the phone with her. It confirmed that the room was canceled but still said I could be charged a late penalty of $86. I asked why it still said I could be charged. She said it was an automated response from the hotel. We'll see... She did a lot of fast talking... #shady #somethinsfishy

First of all I'd like to open with the fact that I know it is the responsibility of the consumer to research the fine print prior to purchasing anything. However, my dissatisfaction lies in the fact that they have the audacity to name an Insurance Policy on your ticket a "Cancellation Plan". If I die, someone near and dear to me, or I am deathly ill do you think that I am going to think, "Oh I'm sure glad I got the cancellation plan for my airline ticket". NO, NO ONE WOULD THINK THAT!

When you purchase a cancellation plan for 2 tickets to a destination you think of it as a Just in case I cannot go any longer PLAN!! However, Orbitz clearly understands marketing without integrity. I gave them the opportunity to make up for this and in the end they made me wait 3 days to simply tell me that they will do nothing at all, no refund, no reimbursement, not even a $25 Orbitz bucks credit on my account. They clearly think shareholder first as they have clearly outsourced their customer service to India. I will NEVER EVER use Orbitz again. I will be sure than anyone and everyone I meet over the span of my life understands my dissatisfaction anytime someone mentions traveling around me.

Found in VERY small writing it was US dollars! Could have saved over $100 by booking on airlines' own website. Orbitz is a sneaky, shady company and don't recommend doing business with them!