E-bookers (london-bkk)

[Steve2UK]

Having previously posted (I hope) helpful suggestions about online flight-booking services, seems only fair that I now report a really cr*p result from one I've recommended before - E-Bookers.

About three weeks ago, I did an online booking with E-Bookers for mid-week Thai flights LHR-BKK-LHR 8 & 28 June. Got my preference of night-flights both ways and for what seemed to be a very good price (total of £392.50 - £318.00 + taxes, Scheduled Airline Registration Fee, Registered Post and 1.5% Credit Charge Fee). Even better, I'd get Nectar Points for the purchase........

Great. Except - I wait 2 weeks to get the promised e-mail confirmation. No sign of it, so I e-mail E-Bookers to query the status of the booking. Here's what I get back:

Please be informed that your booking is still under process and once it is done, we will inform you through email or you can email to us for the confirmation after some days.

Warm Regards,

Chongpy Limsong

Customer Care Coordinator

Ebookers

I wait a week and e-mail them again (apparently there's no way you can talk to a human being on the query line until 48 hours before your flight!). This morning (Saturday) I get this second e-mail (3 weeks after my online booking):

Dear Passenger,

This is in response to your mail,

Please be advise that your booking has been cancelled, I would request to rebook it again by calling us at given number.

With regards,

Bharti kaushash

Customer Relations - Coordinator

Ebookers PLC

What kind of service is this? Needless to say, still no way to talk to a human being about what's going on. Online availability for my flight is now £500 (+ the extras) instead of £318 (+ the extras). So, I just have to take them at their word and scrap that booking. Needless to say, I'm double-checking with the credit card that they're not charging me for any of this.

Have just now booked with Opodo for the same Thai flights on nearly the same dates (just come back one day later than I originally planned) for a total of £372.04 all inclusive (and using a £20 online discount voucher you currently get for just signing up to their mailing list). Booking went as smooth as you like (inc frequent flyer number and meal preference noted) - and a confirmation e-mail 2 minutes later.

Wake up E-Bookers! You can't run an online flight-booking service like that in such a competitive market.

[alex100]

E bookers have recently moved most of their operation to India this is causing loads of problems with service and communications...... aviod for the moment

[mr_lob]

E bookers have recently moved most of their operation to India this is causing loads of problems with service and communications...... aviod for the moment

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, No - not recently - over 2 years ago. i used to be one of the top boys at their call centre in London. We got so pis*ed off with the incompetence of the Delhi office staff that it frequently got very heated. These guys in Delhi deal with all the online bookings - what a load of monkeys they are - and they're supposed to be all graduates!! you best bet is to call the australia/nz section - they are all western and can do ya flights to Asia for the same price as online.

[Rinrada]

Ebookers have been taking over other companies like I believe Travelbag and Bridge the World and can only imagine that and they do seem to be a bit tied up with their globalisation expansion programme.

I have used them quite a lot and cant complain about their services or prices...wot can go wrong..2 tics r/t lon-bang on tg.. ....?

I do however always CALL and make/confirm the booking although it (reservation)comes in email format.

The last time I booked (with CC of course)the tickets arrive almost the next day.......so......

admittedly didnt have far to come ...office down at Chalk Farm.

Lady I dealt with was ms Mel Shankland and as said NO Prob.

Will give them a call in the morning and suss out ....

[Steve2UK]

Keeping me dangling for 3 weeks is inexcusable in my book - and what if I'd lost the opportunity to get a comparable cheap deal elsewhere while E-Bookers blithely "cancelled" my booking with them?

Maybe I missed it, but I searched their website thoroughly looking for a number to call to find out what was going on. As I said, their only phone route was for flights just 48 hours away!

[welshchris]

Just had a look at there website, they used to have a contact number under the customer services bit but looks like they have replced that by booking hotels and cottages numbers, they also used to give a phone number at the bottom of all emails sent to take it they dont.

Only number i could find was in a newspaper.

Had a few probs with there website few weeks ago to kept putting my dates and flights but kept putting me back to the original screen.

Luckily i have the weird scenario here in Peru of phoning the airline direct and actually getting far cheaper flights than any travel agents or the online companies, weird.

[Rinrada]

I tried an e-mail with the complaint on their feedback page last night but it wouldnt ....GO

[mr_lob]

I tried an e-mail with the complaint on their feedback page last night but it wouldnt ....GO

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

guys, for future flights, i suggest you use my ex-colleague jimmy - [email protected] - he is based in the london office and will sort you out.

[asanee]

funny&uinteresting

here in NL=holland, over the northsea, Ebookers has since the start been run like one of the many indian owned cheap travel agents, thus they know where to find the deals...

[Steve2UK]

I tried an e-mail with the complaint on their feedback page last night but it wouldnt ....GO

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

guys, for future flights, i suggest you use my ex-colleague jimmy - [email protected] - he is based in the london office and will sort you out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Appreciated - I'll try that route next time and compare it with the others. All I need is for it to work as advertised.