Fleeced By Fees When You Travel?

[jko]

Fleeced by Fees When You Travel?

New York Times article

FEE to hold your airline reservation for a few days: $20. Peak air-travel surcharge: $47. Rental car GPS: $13 a day. Beach chaise longue: $20 a day. Resort fee: $25 a day.

Your carefully planned vacation budget? Out the window. We have all learned by now that the travel industry loves a surcharge, and most of us have adapted accordingly. On planes we bring our own headphones, snacks, pillow, blanket. At hotels we know not to drink the pricey bottled water in the room. Fine. For anyone taking a trip in 2012, certain perks might seem like legitimate extras.

But as I peruse some of my latest bills, the à la carte add-ons do not feel like small pleasures; they feel like things that ought to be included in the basic price. More to the point: they feel like sneaky ways to pluck a few more dollars from my pocket.

In the last few months I’ve unwittingly paid for newspapers plopped outside my Starwood hotel-room door (review your bill before you check out) and rental-car fees with vague, perplexing names like “airport concession recovery” and “facility charge.” And I have been taken aback by fees for hotel beach chairs, umbrellas and parking. These were on top of fees I knowingly paid for preferred seating on planes, in-flight Internet, changing tickets and simply printing boarding passes.

The growing list of add-on fees would be comical were they not at our expense......

Full story

[jackinbkk]

I doubt it's as bad as Europe and the US is probably worse again. I mean you are forced to pay just to have luggage now. Sporting equipment is charged extra again. I'm paying something like 3,500 baht to take my 2 fishing rods that weigh about 700 grams. All firms are doing it now. We are left with no alternative.

On Ryanair, a firm who should be boycotted in my opinion for their disgusting behavior people are being charged 60 Euros (2,396 THB) per person to print boarding cards if they forget them. This vial way of black mailing people is spreading.

search for headline:

'Ryanair charged £236 for a piece of paper': Mother, 35, forced to pay for failing to print her boarding passes'

[JoeLing]

In a restaurant on Koh Phangan,

50 baht extra for "Non Spicy"

[WilliaminBKK]

Worst travel fleecing was not the airline fees, I'm used to them and some make sense and others are simply highway robbery with LCC's. I suspect in years to come many carriers are going to be in deep doodoo over the fuel surcharges.

Now my issue was with a rental car firm in LAX, I was there on business, hired a car for 3 days @ $54.99 a day plus all their insurance crap, my credit card is also supposed to cover something, never really sure if I get 100K for loss of one limb or it is 100K for two limbs anyway returned the car and a month later my credit card was billed $802.00 USD on top of my car rental fees. I called and was told there was a chip in the windshield. Okay I didn't see it but surely how can a replacement windshield cost $802 ? well $309 for the glass, installation $100, and because the car was out of service at a rate of $109 per day (3 days to install a windshield), transportation fee to a from the depot and an admin fee, total $802.

What about all the insurance I purchased and my deductible clearly says $50 what's up ? oh in order to avail the insurance you must report it on the day the accident/incident occurred and fill out the forms-I honestly didn't see the chip.

Called my credit card company and yep, Sir we would have covered up to $300 for that type of claim however you must inform us within 24 hours of the incident.

After a few complaints they sent me a nice coupon for $25 off my next car rental.............and yes I gave up and paid the $802

[CharlieH]

I thought they were supposed to check the car on return and inform you of any issues before you leave ?

otherwise they could claim absolutely anything they desired (or dreamed up) against you.

[54321]

Thompson travel tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I took them to court and recovered my costs and got the settlement I demanded. Barclays tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I complained and got a full refund. Royal Sun Alliance tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I took them to Court, I lost, it cost me about £200 but it cost them c. £25,000 in legal fees. Crap service from an airline, I complained, they said sorry and asked me to let them know when I would fly with them again, I did and we were upgraded to business class

If someone is trying to fleece you (especially in the West), take legal action, the more people that fight back the less they will try it on.

[WilliaminBKK]

I thought they were supposed to check the car on return and inform you of any issues before you leave ?

otherwise they could claim absolutely anything they desired (or dreamed up) against you.

I know they did the walk around and issued the receipt, what they claimed was upon final inspection after the car wash they saw the chipped windshield. I still don't know to this day if there was actually a chip or I was simply fleeced.

Just like the lady who got fleeced by Ryanair if sharing the story can help others by our mistakes then hopefully others wont be fleeced or at least will watch the fine print.

[roamer]

I thought they were supposed to check the car on return and inform you of any issues before you leave ?

otherwise they could claim absolutely anything they desired (or dreamed up) against you.

I know they did the walk around and issued the receipt, what they claimed was upon final inspection after the car wash they saw the chipped windshield. I still don't know to this day if there was actually a chip or I was simply fleeced.

Just like the lady who got fleeced by Ryanair if sharing the story can help others by our mistakes then hopefully others wont be fleeced or at least will watch the fine print.

You certainly were fleeced if they signed off on the inspection. it's quite scary how many companies are resorting to decidedly underhand methods. The problem with the "fine print" is it is often exactly that and invariably in their favour. In the UK at least there is often the chance to take legal action through the small claims court at minimal cost or risk as was mentioned above. Too few people avail themselves of this course of action, were they to do so more frequently it might help to stamp out the sharp practices that are becoming endemic.

[WilliaminBKK]

Thompson travel tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I took them to court and recovered my costs and got the settlement I demanded. Barclays tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I complained and got a full refund. Royal Sun Alliance tried to fleece me (cheat in my opinion), I took them to Court, I lost, it cost me about £200 but it cost them c. £25,000 in legal fees. Crap service from an airline, I complained, they said sorry and asked me to let them know when I would fly with them again, I did and we were upgraded to business class

If someone is trying to fleece you (especially in the West), take legal action, the more people that fight back the less they will try it on.

I agree if you are in your home try to sue, for me that would have been an impossible feat as I don't live in LA and who knows when I'd be back there so they sort of have you over a barrel.

A word of caution when complaining to an airline (US carriers especially) the moment you mutter I'll sue, I'll contact my lawyer, let's see what happens in court or you dress up your words with words like legal action, legal damages the complaints department will CLOSE your file, they will not return calls or even respond to you query. Once you invoke "Legal" you have to carry on and sue as your only recourse. These folks are not trained in providing customer service they are programmed to appease clients with the lowest cost to the company.

Remember "United Breaks Guitars" on Youtube

[moe666]

Typically if you fly the super cheap airlines they will nickle and dime you to death.I will pay more up front for my ticket rather than pay more when the fees are paid. Fly Southwest in the states as you get 2 bags no charge. They are giving up over 500,000 million a year by not charging for those two bags. Eva from LA to Bangkok 2 bags checked free.

[impulse]

Most irritating for me was the "Stadium Fee" I had added to my 30 day car rental in Houston.

Voters decided that they would pay for their new stadium by taxing hotel rooms and rental cars- ie, get the money from those who can't vote. What a gutless way to subsidize a group of uber rich team owners that would (and have) move their team in a minute if they got a better deal at a different city.

Haven't rented a car or stayed in a hotel in Houston since then. Even bought a beater car and then started flying into Denver instead.

Airport parking for several months at a time cost me a lot more than the car did, but that's another story...

[sscsamui]

If you fly Air Asia there will be a dozen more add on's also...

[surangw]

Some cities ( like San Diego) charge a room tax of just over 15%, greed government getting their cut, most of the time the money is used to promote tourism ( promotion companies run by connected persons)

[Genericnic]

If you fly Air Asia there will be a dozen more add on's also...

Not to mention the 90 baht for a 325 ml bottle of water. Must be a very expensive printer they hire to put the logo on the bottle.

David

[theoldgit]

If you fly Air Asia there will be a dozen more add on's also...

A dozen of more?

I can think of 4, and you can decline them all, seat fee, convienience fee, checked luggage and insurance, what am I missing?

I know you will be charged Airport Taxes, VAT and fuel surcharges but that applies to all carriers and are not really add-ons

[tig28]

If you fly Air Asia there will be a dozen more add on's also...

Clicking on "decline" for the few optional extras (which some want) seems to be beyond the capabilities of a few travelers ........

I really appreciate the AirAsia credit card processing fee of only 100Bt .... compares well to some "full service carriers."

Recent flight with Qantas copped a A$60-00 Booking fee per passenger ..... and with Thai Airways a A$56-00 credit card fee.

God bless AirAsia !!

[watcharacters]

I doubt it's as bad as Europe and the US is probably worse again. I mean you are forced to pay just to have luggage now. Sporting equipment is charged extra again. I'm paying something like 3,500 baht to take my 2 fishing rods that weigh about 700 grams. All firms are doing it now. We are left with no alternative.

On Ryanair, a firm who should be boycotted in my opinion for their disgusting behavior people are being charged 60 Euros (2,396 THB) per person to print boarding cards if they forget them. This vial way of black mailing people is spreading.

search for headline:

'Ryanair charged £236 for a piece of paper': Mother, 35, forced to pay for failing to print her boarding passes'

not long ago i read ryan air was considering charging for the use of the in flight toilet facilities as well as contemplating offering standing room only flights. I doubt i'll ever find myself on a ryan flight.