Earlier this year my partner and I were held up on the Greek island of Naxos for 48 hours because of bad weather. Over the course of the delay I had to reschedule our return flights on EasyJet three times.
I was impressed by the flexibility of the airline and the courtesy of the booking staff, even if I was a little disappointed with the ratcheting cost of the flights as the fare increased and administration charges mounted.
On each occasion I gave my credit card details and was informed that I would be charged £105 (including the admin charges) on the first occasion and £20 (admin charges) only on each subsequent occasion.
In an otherwise disastrous journey, EasyJet appeared to be the only part going right. Sadly this all changed when we got to Athens airport.
We arrived at the airport on the morning of March 25 to wait for our 8pm flight. I took the precaution of checking our booking at the EasyJet desk only to discover that we were not on the passenger list and that we were down as no-shows for that day's 6.50am flight.
As far as EasyJet's records were concerned no third transaction had ever occurred. Clearly the lady I had spoken to much earlier that morning had failed to enter the change onto the system despite telling me on the phone that it had gone through when I gave her my credit card details.
Unfortunately things degenerated when I was transferred to UK customer services. I was told that since the change wasn't on the system it could never have happened. Tough luck. I would have to buy new flights. I asked to speak to a manager. I got one, but his position was the same as his subordinate's, albeit his tone was more dismissive, arrogant, and quite frankly rude. There was absolutely no room for the prospect that the fault lay with EasyJet.
On questioning him, I established that EasyJet does not keep any time record of when an inquiry into a booking reference code is made and it does not record telephone transactions and hence there is no apparent comeback in the event that EasyJet fails to enter the transaction onto their system.
Despite my accurate account of the conversation I had had with the rep, the customer services manager still maintained that any transaction I felt may have occurred was either a figment of my imagination or a fabrication. If the lady I 'claimed' to have spoken to hadn't put it on the system, it couldn't have happened - end of story.
Not wishing to throw good money after bad with EasyJet, I booked seats on the next British Airways flight.
Bookings and changes made on the phone by EasyJet customers are made in good faith. So why are these conversations and transactions not issued a new booking reference number, or in the absence of this, the conversations at least recorded?
I complained to Easyjet in writing, expecting an apology and full compensation for the cost of the alternative flight arrangements.
After five weeks, I was informed that the company was satisfied that the sales agent in question was 'thorough and reliable', in light of which they regretted they would not be able to reimburse the cost of my flights.
In the end I couldn't prove anything. After all, I'm only a customer - or at least I was.
EasyJet says
"We are very puzzled by this complaint. When any alterations are made to a booking, information is recorded on the reservation. As our call centre staff are paid on a commission-only basis, it is in their interest to ensure that a booking or transfer is completed. There were no systems problems on the morning the passenger called, nor have we received any other complaints of this nature. It also seems there was no charge to a credit card. As a low-cost airline we do not record all phone calls.
"The call centre is a very efficient and economical way to make a booking, or get customer services assistance.
"We appreciate that there has been some kind of a misunderstanding, and as Mr Hughes did not use his EasyJet flight from Athens, we are prepared to refund the amount paid for the flight."
· If you have suffered poor service, inconsiderate treatment or shoddy products, and want to hit back, write to Sounding Off, Cash, 119 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3ER, or email cash@observer.co.uk.
