Expedia.com Ripoff - Cancellation Waiver and Customer Agents Suck Los Angeles california

Just some clarification on the cancellation waiver business. Expedia.com has two types of waivers that are frequently used to book travel. The waivers are very good to have if a customer may foresee a possibility of them cancelling or changing.

First, the flight protection plan, is used for air booking only. Its primary focus for customers who may need to cancel in case of a medical emergency. This is offered on the website but if it should need to be activated the customer should contact the insurance company listed on the voucher. They will need to file a claim with the company.

Second, Package Flight Protection Plan, is offered with packages like flight + hotel or flight + hotel + car. This plan will waive fees from cancelling or changing. This is the best plan, in my opinion. The customer gets to cancel or change one time for any reason. What customers fail to realize is that the penalty fee from the airlines for change and cancellations. Will have to be paid, however, expedia will refund that back to the customer. The reason this has to be done is the airline is a separate company. Expedia cannot dictate what that company will charge both in airfare and penalties.

The customer, when shopping, should way the pros and cons of these waivers. Not every customer will need them. The people should look at their life-sytle to see if it will be worth it to purchase the waiver.

Also, the remark about "published airfare" is simply not true. Published airfare does not mean it is non-cancellable or non-refundable. The customer would have been able to cancel their flight regardless. Whether or not the customer would have gotten their money back is another matter. If the ticket was refundable; then of course. Non-refundable tickets, in most cases, the customer will hold a credit with the airline. Penalties will always need to paid; but depending on the waiver purchased. This may be refundable from expedia; not the airline.

All booking agents must read a legal script before booking anything at all for a customer, and it is a very long script. That's why I believe a lot of customers tend to say they weren't told something. When the agent is reading you tend not to listen and just agree to everything he or she says to hurry make the purchase (I myself is quilty of this).

No one wants to be on the phone forever. Many calls are recorded at Expedia and everyday agents are monitored, that's why I know an agent will make sure to read his or her script (and no you can not go back to one certain conversation). Once the flight or package is booked you automatically get an email with all the same info the agent explained to you. It is you the CUSTOMERS job to look over everything even the fine prints and make sure you got what you wanted, and if you didn't do that then you cannot blame Expedia.

If you read over your email you would have seen that you purchased a published airfare and the waiver didn't cover cancellations on it. Read everything and listen to everything said during the purchase process, and please ask questions if you don't understand something (this will save you a lot of hassle in the long run). It is not all a lost either if I'm not mistaken the airlines grant a credit on tickets to use within a year (fees apply of course).