VIC Airlines with Misleading Information Under Australian Consumer Law?

[Callan Williams]

I have been in contact with the Airline that I tried to purchase an airline booking through. I was looking on their website clicked on two flights that I wanted to travel from Melbourne to LAX on specific dates. After selecting the flights it gave me a very generous total that I tried to book in right there and then. This website has a 30 min guarantee that the price will not change from that moment you clicked the flights until you book it.

I clicked the booking and the price jumps from 1,420.42 to 2,352.15. I was still within my 30 minutes so I opened up a chat log talk to the person there and they told me they can't help me. Then when my guarantee was outside its 30 minutes because it would no longer give me a price, he gave me a number to call.

I call the number and was told they can't help me, and give me an email address. I emailed them, then they replied today saying it was getting passed along. I took screenshots of the price their website said it was going to be, and I have the chat log with the customer service person.

I was just wondering if they have to bite the bullet and charge me that original price? Or is misleading information to a customer under Australian Consumer Law, or perhaps false advertising, etc, etc?

 

[Victoria S]

Was it when you clicked through to the next page and they add on all the extras? Or did the actual flight price change when the page refreshed?

The ACCC has found that Jetstar and Virgin Australia engaged in “misleading and deceptive” conduct by failing to reveal the true price of their flight tickets until the end of the sales transaction online and engaging in “drip pricing” where the true price of a flight is only incrementally disclosed.

However, if the airline has made a guarantee and they are failing to follow through on their guarantee there may be a breach of some consumer laws, or possibly misleading and deceptive conduct. I would start by writing them a letter of demand setting out your gripe with them and threatening to inform Consumer Affairs VIC or the ACCC if you are not provided the opportunity to purchase the flights at the price you first found them.

Don't know how far you will get with them though, airlines are a stubborn bunch.

 

[Callan Williams]

Here is a screenshot:
[http://puu.sh/pOBxi/b1e25a0312.png]

It states all applicable charges, tax, etc., at the top for 2 adults, and the price changed when I clicked the book button from that price to one that was just over 2,300.00. The fact that it has the price breakdown, the price of everything as it states as well as saying it was 2 adults.

I am in contact with the site. It seems they are trying to work out how it happened rather than deal with me getting the price that was originally given to me. I told them a few days ago I will open up something with ACCC and yesterday they told me to wait until their reply. Today, I got some reply about them trying to generate that price on their site and they wanted more info so I gave it to them, of exactly the flights I picked etc.

I also just emailed the ACCC figuring that it seems they don't want to help me just work out why their site gave me that price for 2 adults. They are clearly not working from their guarantee of a price held for 30mins.

I was just wondering if it would of been easier to pay for the inflated price then complain and show them that hows much your website said it was going to charge me.

 

[Victoria S]

Great work taking a screenshot of the original prices. See where you get directly with the airline and with ACCC. Keep ACCC in your pocket as a threat, don't tell them you have contacted them yet if they don't know and go in hard, be aggressive with them and demand they honour their guarantee.

 

[Callan Williams]

ACCC takes 15 days to get back to me, I will have to get my tickets before then leaving in 7 weeks. Already going at them pretty hard just might have to step it up, but then again I will settle for a similar price at another time, or perhaps a certificate for a cheaper flight later on.