Orbitz
Reviews and Complaints

Wife and i for our 71st birthday booked a trip to Sealtle with Orbitz, mainly due to a statement that the reservation could be cancled with no penality. A week later we find out my wife has to have major heart surgery and we can't go. Try to cancel on line, could not, even though i booked on line. Told to call [protected]. After 20 minutes on hold for this 'VERY IMPORTANT CALL', I'm told that to cancle they would keep my money for 1 year and if i do not rebook within 1 year, i forfet my money. Additionally, i have to pay a $200 fee to the airline if i do rebook. When i told about their web page that said no penality or problem with cancelation, they said this had to be done by 10 am of the day after i booked the trip.

I consider this lying, misrepresentation and likely illegal. Likely they caluculate most of us can't afford to legally challenge it. Not only is my wife's dream trip shot but on our fixed income, we are going to be out a lot of money for us. I WISH SOMEONE WOULD DO A CLASS ACTION (SUE) ORBITZ. WE CAN'T BE UNIQUE, THERE MUST BE 1, 000s and 1, 000s out there with the same experience. That is Millions and Millions of dollars ORBITZ is stealing daily. I will keep trying without much expectation of success, but i make sure everyone i know, everyone i meet now and in the future to not use ORBITZ and ask them to tell 10 other people

Total scam, so better avoid this jerks. I booked the cruise from the company Orbitz Cruises. I provided all required info and asked the rep to book it. The rep booked and provided the confirmation info. I checked info and it turned out that the rep booked cruise for the wrong date. I contacted them and asked to help, but these scammers refused to help as well as return money back. I wonder if there are people, who have the same problems and what have you done in such situation, please post comments.

I booked my ticket online with email address as a required field. Then passenger's name and other pertinent personal info were filled up and entered. They sent me the confirmation with my userid on email. Days passed by, ignoring the userid is on the itenerary as usual practice. But when I was at the airport I couldnt board because my name was different from what was booked. Then I called orbitz and gone thru all this ordeal of why their online booking took my email userid instead of what I entered for required passengers data. They suggested to cancel my trip and took $200 cancellation fee. I ended up buying my ticket at the counter so I can leave and deal with this later. Moral lesson, don't use Orbitz at all. Their online system is a thief. I used them many times in the past using my email and did not have problem. But because I have not used for the last 4 years, this happened. I'm not sure how to go about getting that cancellation fee.

I booked a hotel with wrong information, so I called the customer service to cancel the reservation. They told me to book a new one with right information and call they back, then they can cancel the old one and refund the money. I did as what he told me to do. And they agreed to refund. However, I waited ONE MONTH，and no money back. So I called again, they also agreed to refund, but still no money back after another MONTH. I tried the THIRD time, still the same result. They not only made me waste my money, but also waste my time. WILL NEVER USE ORBITZ AGAIN!

Here's a copy of an email I sent to Orbitz Customer Relations:

On July 11th, 2013, I used Orbitz.com to book a Lufthansa flight from Mexico to London, returning from Amsterdam to Los Angeles (Orbitz record locator: PBORB5636047714). The ticket number, according to Orbitz.com, is: [protected]. The flight was scheduled to depart on August 11th, 2013. I cancelled my travel plans on August 10th, 2013. On January 28th, 2014, I spoke with an Orbitz Customer Service Representative regarding this cancelled itinerary. The representative told me that I would be able to use the $1, 610.53 from the original reservation on a new reservation, provided I booked it before July 11th, 2014. The fare difference and any applicable fees would be my responsibility. On July 9th, 2014, I called Orbitz to book a new reservation using the credit from the cancelled reservation. All of my contact with Orbitz from here on is with the international booking department.
The first agent I spoke to told me her name was Skylar. She told me Orbitz had no record of my booking, and that I would have to call Lufthansa to try and use my credit. I then spoke to Svan at Lufthansa, who informed me that his company also did not have any record of my booking. I called Orbitz back and spoke to Marge, who told me she would look into the matter for me by calling Lufthansa and straightening everything out. Instead, she transferred me directly to Lufthansa and left me with agent Nazima of Lufthansa. Neither of us had any idea what had happened. Agent Nazima kindly informed me that agent Marge had done a "blind transfer, " effectively abandoning me on the line.
I then called Orbitz back and spoke to agent Hazel. Hazel informed me that I had already forfeited my flight credit and that there was nothing I could do. I asked her to transfer me to her supervisor, Logan. Logan informed me that in order to use the $1, 610.53 in credit from my original booking, I would have had to cancel, book and complete my travel plans before the date of the original departure. Not only did this not make any sense, but it directly contradicted what the Orbitz agent had told me on January 28th, 2014. Agent Logan informed me that even if an Orbitz agent had given me false information, the fact of the matter was that I had forfeited my ability to use the $1, 610.53 I had spent on my original booking. Agent Logan also informed me that this was per Lufthansa's rules and regulations. I asked agent Logan to send me a copy of the fare rules or terms and conditions of my booking. He replied that he did not have access to this information, as it had been purged along with my $1, 610.53. How he managed to inform me of the terms applying to my flight verbally, but could not send it in writing, escapes me.
On July 10th, 2014, I called Lufthansa to confirm that what agent Logan had told me regarding Lufthansa's regulations was correct. Agent Marie of Lufthansa informed me that the real reason why I couldn't rebook was because the return leg of my trip from Europe was non-negotiable and non-refundable.She provided me with ticket number 220-[protected]-29, which was different from the one Orbitz.com has saved. She advised me to contact Orbitz and seek compensation for the loss I suffered due to the inaccurate information I had been given on January 28th.

I then called Orbitz once again (at 10:04AM Pacific Time) and spoke to Vince. Vince confirmed what Lufthansa had told me. Why none of the Orbitz representatives I had spoken to before were able to verify this also escapes me. However, Vince told me that he would listen to the recording of the call I made on January 28th, and that he would call me back. Vince called me back within the hour and informed me that, because Orbitz had given me inaccurate information, I would be able to rebook using my $1, 610.53. He informed me that since the original issue date was July 19th, 2013, I would have to book and complete my new travel before July 19th, 2014. Vince was kind enough to give me a "one-time exception" and let me book travel after July 19th, 2014. I thanked Vince for his help, and told him that I would call back and rebook my travel. Vince then told me that he would notate my account, so that when I called back I would have no issues rebooking my flight. This being such a momentous occurrence, I asked if there was any way to identify him when I called back. Vince simply told me to tell Orbitz I had spoken to "Vince."
I called Orbitz back at 8:29PM, Pacific Time, and spoke to Jasmine. Jasmine informed me that my flight credit was forfeited. She could not find any notes on my account, she found no record of my call from earlier that day, and she did not know who Vince was. She then placed me on hold while she contacted Lufthansa. Like agent Marge from the day before, agent Jasmine also did a "blind transfer, " and abandoned me on the line with a pleasant Lufthansa agent. It pains me to say that I had to hang up on this Lufthansa agent.
I immediately called Orbitz back and spoke to Stacy. Agent Stacy was a bit more helpful. She also informed me that I had forfeited my credit, but she was willing to look for evidence of my call with Vince. If Orbitz had indeed given me inaccurate information, she said, I would be compensated. After another one of Orbitz's obscenely long holds, agent Stacy informed me that she could not find any record of my call with Vince from earlier that day. She told me that she would forward this to the Orbitz Technical Department, and that I would receive a call or email within 24 hours. Not wanting to lose track of this gem of an agent, I asked for any identifying information. Agent Stacy is the first Orbitz agent to give me her employee number: 062404. Why nobody else would give me this number continues to elude me.
I considered waiting, but I'm sure you can agree that this is beyond ridiculous. I suspect that, given the chance, Orbitz might place me on hold until July 19th, 2014, and then say I'm out of time. I do hope you can help me resolve this issue before then, because my head really hurts now. If you are unable to do so, could you perhaps direct me to someone who could?
I also thought it might be a good idea to record my conversations with the agents, to avoid misunderstandings in the future. Seeing as the Orbitz representatives I spoke to can't seem to keep track of what goes on in our phone calls, I am more than willing to provide you with the recordings if need be.
If I can salvage any of the $1, 610.53, that would help ease the pain some. I don't know what you can offer to an abused customer, but I hope that at least you can reply and explain to me if I am in the wrong. Do not hesitate to call or write back with any questions. Thank you very much for your time.
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It is my hope to spare another poor soul from falling into the hellhole that is traveling with Orbitz. I will post updates as they occur.

Sent to Orbitz Customer Relations:
On July 11th, 2013, I used Orbitz.com to book a Lufthansa flight from Mexico to London, returning from Amsterdam to Los Angeles (Orbitz record locator: PBORB5636047714). The ticket number, according to Orbitz.com, is: [protected]. The flight was scheduled to depart on August 11th, 2013. I cancelled my travel plans on August 10th, 2013. On January 28th, 2014, I spoke with an Orbitz Customer Service Representative regarding this cancelled itinerary. The representative told me that I would be able to use the $1, 610.53 from the original reservation on a new reservation, provided I booked it before July 11th, 2014. The fare difference and any applicable fees would be my responsibility. On July 9th, 2014, I called Orbitz to book a new reservation using the credit from the cancelled reservation. All of my contact with Orbitz from here on is with the international booking department.
The first agent I spoke to told me her name was Skylar. She told me Orbitz had no record of my booking, and that I would have to call Lufthansa to try and use my credit. I then spoke to Svan at Lufthansa, who informed me that his company also did not have any record of my booking. I called Orbitz back and spoke to Marge, who told me she would look into the matter for me by calling Lufthansa and straightening everything out. Instead, she transferred me directly to Lufthansa and left me with agent Nazima of Lufthansa. Neither of us had any idea what had happened. Agent Nazima kindly informed me that agent Marge had done a "blind transfer, " effectively abandoning me on the line.
I then called Orbitz back and spoke to agent Hazel. Hazel informed me that I had already forfeited my flight credit and that there was nothing I could do. I asked her to transfer me to her supervisor, Logan. Logan informed me that in order to use the $1, 610.53 in credit from my original booking, I would have had to cancel, book and complete my travel plans before the date of the original departure. I was a year too late by now. Not only did this not make any sense, but it directly contradicted what the Orbitz agent had told me on January 28th, 2014. Agent Logan informed me that even if an Orbitz agent had given me false information, the fact of the matter was that I had forfeited my ability to use the $1, 610.53 I had spent on my original booking. Agent Logan also informed me that this was per Lufthansa's rules and regulations. I asked agent Logan to send me a copy of the fare rules or terms and conditions of my booking. He replied that he did not have access to this information, as it had been purged along with my $1, 610.53. How he managed to inform me of the terms applying to my flight verbally, but could not send it in writing, escapes me.
On July 10th, 2014, I called Lufthansa to confirm that what agent Logan had told me regarding Lufthansa's regulations was correct. Agent Marie of Lufthansa informed me that the real reason why I couldn't rebook was because the return leg of my trip from Europe was non-negotiable and non-refundable.She provided me with ticket number 220-[protected]-29, which was different from the one Orbitz.com has saved. She advised me to contact Orbitz and seek compensation for the loss I suffered due to the inaccurate information I had been given on January 28th.
I then called Orbitz once again (at 10:04AM Pacific Time) and spoke to Vince. Vince confirmed what Lufthansa had told me. Why none of the Orbitz representatives I had spoken to before were able to verify this also escapes me. However, Vince told me that he would listen to the recording of the call I made on January 28th, and that he would call me back. Vince called me back within the hour and informed me that, because Orbitz had given me inaccurate information, I would be able to rebook using my $1, 610.53. He informed me that since the original issue date was July 19th, 2013, I would have to book and complete my new travel before July 19th, 2014. Vince was kind enough to give me a "one-time exception" and let me book travel after July 19th, 2014. I thanked Vince for his help, and told him that I would call back and rebook my travel. Vince then told me that he would notate my account, so that when I called back I would have no issues rebooking my flight. This being such a momentous occurrence, I asked if there was any way to identify him when I called back. Vince simply told me to tell Orbitz I had spoken to "Vince."
I called Orbitz back at 8:29PM, Pacific Time, and spoke to Jasmine. Jasmine informed me that my flight credit was forfeited. She could not find any notes on my account, she found no record of my call from earlier that day, and she did not know who Vince was. She then placed me on hold while she contacted Lufthansa. Like agent Marge from the day before, agent Jasmine also did a "blind transfer, " and abandoned me on the line with a pleasant but oblivious Lufthansa agent.
I immediately called Orbitz back and spoke to Stacy. Agent Stacy was a bit more helpful. She also informed me that I had forfeited my credit, but she was willing to look for evidence of my call with Vince. If Orbitz had indeed given me inaccurate information, she said, I would be compensated. After another one of Orbitz's obscenely long holds, agent Stacy informed me that she could not find any record of my call with Vince from earlier that day. She told me that she would forward this to the Orbitz Technical Department, and that I would receive a call or email within 24 hours. Not wanting to lose track of this gem of an agent, I asked for any identifying information. Agent Stacy is the first Orbitz agent to give me her employee number: 062404. Why nobody else would give me this number continues to elude me.
I considered waiting, but I'm sure you can agree that this is beyond ridiculous. I suspect that, given the chance, Orbitz might place me on hold until July 19th, 2014, and then say I'm out of time. I do hope you can help me resolve this issue before then, because my head really hurts now. If you are unable to do so, could you perhaps direct me to someone who could? The BBB has notified me that it may take up to a month to resolve my issue through them.
I also thought it might be a good idea to record my conversations with the agents, to avoid misunderstandings in the future. Seeing as the Orbitz representatives I spoke to can't seem to keep track of what goes on in our phone calls, I am more than willing to provide you with the recordings if need be. They're quite hilarious.
If I can salvage any of the $1, 610.53, that would help ease the pain some. I don't know what you can offer to an abused customer, but I hope that at least you can reply and explain to me if I am in the wrong. Do not hesitate to call or write back with any questions. Thank you very much for your time.
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Fingers crossed.

Was booking airline tickets on Orbitz after entering all information and went to pay website says those tickets no longer available so had to choose a more expensive ticket. Tried to purchase more expensive tickets and was informed those tickets were no longer available and needed to choose even more expensive ticket. Closed website and went to Travelocity and booked original tickets that I first wanted. Will never use ORBITZ again.

Dear Complaints Board,
I am writing, because Orbitz - on-line travel company not answering, evaded responsibility for their false ticket. The pursuit of profit some companies create intricate techniques like Orbitz. I am using online service about 15 years and have never seen such deception: Orbitz sell false tickets under the guise of error, because they are “non refundable”.
They sold me obviously invalid ticket! No one will write two first names instead of the name and surname, but they did it. I clearly wrote first name and surname, checked it several times, because the ticket is not refundable and I'm not a millionaire! But ticket suddenly popped up with 2 first names without any preview. They sold me obviously invalid ticket! How could this happen? This is possible only because of system failure or they have roguish group, which engaged in computer frauds (we are not so stupid to see it…). Later I found a lot of evidence for this. Orbitz made a fool of the person allegedly computer failure, forcing him to pay twice for the same tickets and departed from responsibility.
Orbitz stole my money from Visa-card without providing me right product. No companies usually take the money from Visa-card without preview. I buy a lot online and always before taking out a payment from Visa-card the companies show preview and only then you press the button for payment. But in Orbitz was nothing of it! Honest companies as Vayama, Expedia, Budgetair, Rayanair etc. besides preview even sent a copy of the ticket for my e-mail, asked to check data and confirm, or have on-line options to make correction, changes before check in (for non refundable tickets also). But Orbitz absolutely not have such kind of service; just quickly grab money. So it looks like Orbitz stole my money from Visa-card without providing me right product.
A very suspicious is that they can't correct their fault. And was a very difficult to contact them, because no contact addresses were presented even after ticket issue (why hide, if there honest work?). But I managed to find it through other sites and Facebook. I wrote to the company many times in hope that they will correct the error. They long tormented me, demanded a numerous ringing for which I also had to pay, someone promised me refund, but nothing did, and then disappeared at all …. When I came into the Internet to find their postal address, at once I saw lots of complaints against Orbitz, in one website were 692(!). Company deceived not only me, they practice in it often. Really nothing can be made with this roguish company?
Dear Complaints Board, please take measures and make something against games with trust of people! Orbitz must to reconsider the system, check the people on honesty and include preview function as all companies working on- line, to be able to correct the errors, to provide contact addresses (an e-mail and addresses of offices) as it is done by others. And certainly Orbitz must return me money which they took from my Visa-Card for their false ticket! Airline Ticket Number: [protected] Electronic. Orbitz record locator: PBORB0212548124. Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
Leila Rakhimzhanova

Our family has used Orbitz.com several times in the last 8 years. We booked a room in Sedona, AZ for our 15th Anniversary. We show up at the Inn to check-in to find a VACANT office. The reviews on Orbitz were decent, so this was a HUGE surprise. We called the number to the Inn(listed on my Orbitz reservation email). It was disconnected. My husband saw a note on one of the windows: If no one is in the office, use phone to call XXX-XXX-XXXX. There was NO PHONE! There was only a jack, where the phone was connected. So, we called this number as well-also disconnected.

Finally, We reached someone at Orbitz. Over an hour and a half on hold with several people, "researching" the Inn. They basically told us they were not at fault. When businesses close, they are required to contact Orbitz. We finally were escalated to the point of cancellation with no fee. Really? That goes without saying! We asked to be placed in another hotel. We were told we'd have to pay a $200 difference since the 3 remaining hotels in Sedona were at the Hyatt. They would not discount the room at all. The call was escalated again. The "Manager" based in Phillipines, decided he would give us a $100 rebate. We agreed as we were stranded on our Anniversary. We were transferred back to book a room, only to be told they were gone.

I continue to get Orbitz' incessant, annoying, asinine promo E-mails daily. Orbitz "unsubscribe", "contact us", "customer service" buttons do absolutely nothing. I had been a long time Orbitz customer but all future travel plans will be through Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, anyone but Orbitz.

Through this complaint we wish to highlight the irregularities, cheating, fraud, and deficient services provided by Orbitz Corporate & Leisure Travels (I) Pvt. Ltd, through its Director – Mr. Rupen Vikamsey, Chief Relationship Officer / Tour Coordination Person – Col. Shashidharan VSM, Mr. Vikram Singh and Others.
Brief background : We had booked our trip to Hong Kong, Schenzen & Macau through Orbitz Corporate & Leisure Travels (I) Pvt. Ltd., in the month of February 2012. Orbitz in turn had sub contracted the entire tour to another agent in Hong Kong Matadi Travel Co. Ltd.
The following instances highlight why travellers should avoid travelling through such unscrupulous companies and while travelling to Hong Kong be really careful since the Hong Kong tourism board will offer no protection / safeguards to International tourists who are cheated / their safety is at stake and inconvenienced to the extent of complete disregards for the health of Senior Citizens travelling.
The attitude of Hong Kong Tourism is completely non Senior Citizen Friendly. Word of advice, if travelling with seniors, Hong Kong is best avoided unless you are sure of
1) Though we had asked wheel chair request for one senior travelling in the group no arrangement was made by Orbitz with the airlines. It was left to us to make the arrangements with the airlines

2) Though we had requested vehicles (we had booked private vehicles and hence had a right to demand the type of vehicle) to be of low height (ideally a car instead of a 10 seater minivan which we were given every time since the travel company had only two vehicles) due to inability of the senior citizens to climb in and out of the car. The travel company and its driver were so insensitive they would stand outside the vehicle and laugh at the problem but refused to get another vehicle for the remaining part of our trip in spite of being told of this from Mumbai while booking and at the Airport and every sightseeing trip.

3) Though Senior Citizens are given discounts at most travel places, the Travel Companies never passed the benefit to us and pocketed the amounts themselves. This is absolutely cheating and fraud, and in spite of proof being shown to Hong Kong tourism, they have been unable to take any action.

4) Though we had paid for private transfers, instead of providing it, the travel companies put us midway through into a public bus citing that cars are not allowed beyond a point in Lantau Islands. The fact is you need a special permit vehicle to enter lantau, which they did not have. So in spite of taking money for private transfers they dropped us midway. They did not reduce / refund or adjust the Seat in coach charges taken from us when we opted for the private transfer (this change was done in Mumbai well before leaving) and the cable charge amount (the cable car was not working). The private transfer given to us only for 40% of the Journey was 3 times what would be charged by a public Taxi or private transfers provided to us locally. This is outright cheating.

5) To save on entry / parking charges for vehicles at Disneyland, the private transfer we had taken, dropped us nearly a kilometre and a half away from where wheel chair assistance could be taken. In spite of the knowing the condition of the senior in the group, they were heartless and made the senior walk all the way upto the wheel chair assistance, this despite disney’s fame of having facilities for Senior’s and differently abled assistance.

6) Though we paid for first class travel from Hong Kong to Schenzen, the travel company forced us to travel second class. (This is when we have written confirmation of first class travel in our vouchers).

7) The biggest fraud committed by the travel companies is of the Shenzhen(China) Visa. We repeatedly asked them for the Visa’s from Mumbai, however Orbitz kept insisting the visa’s would be given to us in Hong Kong. At Hong Kong Mata Di kept insisting that Visa would be given at Shenzhen. On arrival at the Shenzhen being totally confused (since no guide was with us through our journey from Hong Kong to Shenzhen) the seniors were stuck in the “No Man’s land” when the only adult in the group went to find the person who was supposed to come with the Visa. After a harrowing time and some convincing the Custom’s / Security officials, after lot of nerve racking experience we were finally allowed to enter Shenzhen. The company to save on the courier costs of getting the Visa’s to Hong Kong made us go through this harrowing experience and probably at the cost of our safety as well. All of this to save a small amount. Shows how low they can stoop and compromise on travellers safety.

8) At Shenzhen we were made to waste our time and visit local handicraft store for forceful shopping stating that it is mandatory for every traveller entering Shenzhen to visit the handicraft store (which they claimed was owned by the government) for endorsing the Visa, an utterly lie which we came to know later. Also the travel guide refused to hand over our Visa copy before leaving Shenzhen (though we are entitled to keep a copy all throughout, which he never gave), only when we gave him a tip, he parted with the document. As Shenzhen Visa’s are not stamped on the passports, when you arrive at another port (Macau) you have no proof you are coming from Shenzhen if you do not have these Visa copy.

9) Travel companies changes Macau itinerary on our reaching the Macau hotel. Instead of the tour starting from our hotel, they called us to the Macau port. On our protesting and refusal to move out of the hotel, they make up a reduced city tour from our hotel. Give us lunch at 3:00 PM in the afternoon after making us shuttling between restaurants at two different location 30 minutes apart. Finally we had lunch when the restaurant was closing and they served us what was remaining. This is after paying a high premium for the entire tour and the hotel stay.

10) Orbitz kept changing the itinerary till the last minute. We got certain things promised to us just as we were leaving our home for airport. Four hours before we were to board. Their knowledge of international destination is woefully inadequate. Despite asking certain things in writing, they fib that we did not understand the difference and try and put the onus to understand on us. When we requested to go up the Macau towers they said we would have to pay US $ 20 extra at the destination. After making part payment they claim that we will have to take another separate tour for Macau tower if we want to go up. In the tour they just take us till the bottom, and will not wait for us if we wish to go to the top. This clarification could have been made earlier as well, but to cheat us they lied. Then to cover up, they again lied, that hotel provides free coach till the tower (which was again a lie).

11) Does Orbitz really have qualified staff? They took out our travel insurance without following any proper procedure and the best part, it was to expire while we were in Air. On our protesting they changed it. This is coming of a travel company that claims to be expert in Trade fairs, business meetings and corporate events. I shudder what kind of knowledge they really have.

12) The travel co-ordinators have no knowledge absolutely of how International tours are to be arranged and keep going back and forth to their agents and senior colleagues, thereby increasing communication gap at the cost and detrimental to interests of the traveller.

What amazed us was that the Hong Kong Tourism board cites its inability to take any action against the errant tour operator. To rub salt into the wounds it infact support Orbitz in marketing Hong Kong as a business / Meetings destination. How can they promote when they cannot assure the safety, interest of the traveller. If they cannot assure international travellers of fair treatment do they really have a right to promote and that too the same firm which indulges in malpractices.

Urge fellow travellers to be abundantly cautious before engaging services of such companies and before travelling to Hong Kong.

After the unfortunate incident we searched the internet and came across a host of frauds committed by Orbitz Corporate & Leisure Travels (I) Pvt. Ltd.

a) Complaint by another aggrieved customer
http://mumbai.burrp.com/listing/orbitz-corporate-leisure-travels-i-pvt-ltd_prabhadevi_mumbai_travel-agents/1776018732

b) Consumer Court order against Orbitz filed by anther customer
http://164.100.72.12/ncdrcrep/judgement/2148342-2008.html

c) Trademark violations / trying to gain business by exploiting trademark of another company
http://domains.adrforum.com/domains/decisions/1190997.htm

d) Complaints on a facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Orbitz-Corporate-Leisure-Travels-I-Pvt-Ltd/115530578529354?fref=ts

e) https://twitter.com/consumeractive/status/321930209643335681/photo/1

I booked a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, on Delta through Orbitz and months later the same trip was more than $300 dollars less on their own website.I quickly contacted them to get their "PRICE ASSURANCE GUARANTEE".

Well, even though all the information was not on their website regarding the price assurance, when they responded they said the trip had to: 1) be purchased through them, 2) for the same number of people, 3) in the same airline, 4) on the same day, 5) at the same time, 6) on the same flight. WHAT A SCAM! Price guarantees generally require proof that the same flight is available cheaper. They had the same exact trip advertised for $300+ dollars less but now someone had to buy a ticket through them to make their guarantee good.

Their customer service is useless! They only repeated their policy in their responses without any intention to achieve a fair and reasonable resolution or customer satisfaction. LESSON LEARNED! NEVER AGAIN!

After doing a little shopping around for my vacation I decided to book with Orbitz. This turned out to be a mistake. Website had no problem loading every page until I asked it to book the vacation. It came back with the unable to process at this time, try again later message. Checked the bank account to just be sure (Sometimes my cable bill does the same thing, although it does go through). What do you know...vacation money gone and no confirmation email from them.

Called and basically got the run around from people that knew very little english. Was asked several times to go ahead and try to book again (to which all I could say was "With what money? Because I would like to use the funds YOU have already decided to take!").Finally was told it could take days or a week to put the money back on...

Isn't that a little scary? I honestly I would rather just get my money back and drive to my vacation at this point. Arrrgh.

I booked a hotel and flight to New Orleans to attend a conference that was later canceled due to Hurricane Isaac. When I saw that United was offering refunds to customers who pre-emptively canceled, I called Orbitz and tried to cancel the package. Their customer service representatives were completely ignorant about both the Hurricane and United's offer, even though the Orbitz website had a link to the policy. I called United and fortunately they canceled the flight and refunded my money. Orbitz, however, refused to refund me the money I pre-paid for the hotel, even though I tried to cancel the reservation almost 48 hours before check-in. They informed me that many (but not all) of their hotel reservations are non-refundable and there is no way to tell which reservations are refundable prior to booking. Seems like a scam to me.

On July 4, I bought a ticket on from Mexico City to Singapore on Orbitz, entering the exact name, as it appears on the passport, of the person traveling. When the confirmation arrived, the complete name was not included. The person traveling called and spoke to a supervisor at Orbitz named Sidney, who acknowledged the name was captured correctly but not passed to Singapore Airlines. Her solution was to buy another ticket where the two last names were joined together and we would receive an immediate refund (within 2 days), including the difference between the first and second ticket, which was of a higher value. She said to call if we had not received the refund on the date she committed to (July 10).

On July 14, I called and spoke to a supervisor named Linda. The call was cut off, I called back and spoke to someone who investigated the situation and told me that the refund would be credited in a matter of hours. It wasn't. I received an email from Linda saying that although we were cut off, she was investigating the matter and would respond. I provided her with contact details. On the 15th of July, I received this email from her:

Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Linda) 07/15/2012 11:54 PM
Hello Mr. Brian X,

I apologize for the late response.

We are still reviewing the reservation and the refund for the original ticket with locator PBORB1316733234.

We understand that the passenger's name was incorrectly inputted online and having "X" as a middle name instead of adding it as part of the actual last name. Because of this, an attempt to correct the name has been requested multiple times to the airline but failed.

A refund request for the full amount of the ticket was sent to the airline and regrettably, the airline declined the full refund. Another refund request has been sent to the airline to retrieve at lease some of the unused taxes. The refund request for the taxes is still pending.

As we reviewed further, we found out that the root cause of this matter was because "X" was incorrectly placed on the middle name box instead of being placed on the last name box as per the traveler information requires. Regardless of how many first name or last name a customer have this personal information should be typed in accordingly in the respective boxes provided online.

We are still reviewing this matter and need more time. Please allow me to provide you another update tomorrow, July 16 within the day.

Your patience and understanding regarding this matter is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Linda
Orbitz Team

I responded to this message, citing many of the above facts, and went on to say:
Today, after not receiving your response on time, I wrote and received a message from you that now implies we are in the wrong, the airline won't refund the money and that maybe the taxes can be recovered. Clearly, this is not acceptable.

I am assuming the airline in question that is refusing the refund is Singapore Airlines and that you are aware that the replacement ticket that we bought at the suggestion of Sidney was also on Singapore Airlines. I fail to see how an airline could refuse a refund in this case, especially when the matter is explained to them. However, that is not my problem, it is yours. Your commitments are clear.

Linda then responded again:
Response Via Email (Linda) 07/17/2012 12:32 AM
Dear Mr. Brian X,

Please accept my apology for the late response. Also, the last email we forwarded was not meant to blame and it was never intended to offend. We only wanted to relay all the information gathered regarding this matter after reviewing the reservation multiple times. Please accept my apology for the misunderstanding.

The refund that was promised is still being reviewed for further approval. Although my updates are late due to the heavy volume of calls we are experiencing, I will continue to provide you an update regarding your refund. I will do my best to provide an update earlier tomorrow, July 17.

Sincerely,

Linda
Orbitz Team

On the 17th of June, a further follow-up from Linda:
Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Linda) 07/17/2012 11:29 PM
Dear Mr. Brian Hubbard,

Please be informed that I am still waiting for the final approval for your refund. I will not be available from Wednesday and Thursday but I will be back on Friday, July 20. I will check if the refund has been approved and provide you another update with in the day.

Sincerely,

Linda
Orbitz Team

I had a phone call from Linda on July 22nd at 3:30am my time, in which she assured me that the refund was awaiting approval, it was too much for her to approve herself, and that it would include the difference between the 1st and 2nd ticket, which as mentioned, was of higher value. The implication was that it would happen within a day or two.

Today, I received this incredible email from the Orbitz refund department, once again shifting the blame and responsibility to Singapore Airlines and saying that IF the refund was approved, it would be approx. 45 days in being credited.

Discussion Thread
Message Via Email (Refund Department) 07/23/2012 04:30 PM
Dear Brian,

We wanted to let you know that we have submitted your refund request to Singapore Airlines.

• Orbitz Record Locator - AP110101NQRR7OH0

If the airline approves your refund, it will take an average of 45 days to process the refund to you. We will send you an e-mail once the airline has confirmed the final status of this request.

Thank you for traveling with Orbitz.

Sincerely,
The Orbitz Refund Department

I am incredulous at the amount of blame shifting and lack of responsibility and integrity Orbitz has shown in this matter. We bought a second ticket with Orbitz because they admitted their mistake, promised a refund and now they are doing everything possible to avoid responsibility and payment.

While in my mind, this has nothing to do with Singapore Airlines, I happen to live in Singapore and plan to take the matter up directly with them here and on their complaint site locally, sharing Orbitz's blame-shifting emails. It is interesting how Orbitz says that Singapore Airlines refused the first refund in a matter of days, but the latest request will take over a month to process.

Orbitz is deceptive, irresponsible and lacks integrity. What more can I say?

I rented a room at a hotel in July 2012 using Orbitz to book the hotel room. When I arrived at the hotel it was dirty, the shower did not work, the sink and shower both did not drain. The hotel manager booked two large families with 4 or more children in each room on either side of my room. The children ran up and down the halls after 10 PM at night. I called to complain to hotel management and nothing was done. After being awoken at 6 AM by these same children I went to the front office and told them I was checking out, they refused to give me confirmation that I checked out and refused me a refund. Hotel management told me I would have to get a refund from Orbitz. I called Orbitz right away. I spoke with Alger #326063, he told me that he would have to cancel my hotel reservation for me, but the hotel would not answer their phone. He took my number and said he would call me back in two hours. He never called me back, I got out of that hotel and now I can't even file a complaint with Orbitz as they block me from posting a review of the hotel and the use of their site. They also refuse to give me a refund because they never canceled the room and they charged me $185.00 for the room for two nights and said I would have to get a refund from the hotel management. Don't use Orbitz to book your rooms, you will be given the most disgusting hotels and the prices are outrageous. The second night I went to a hotel across the street, beautiful and clean and friendly and the price for one night was half what Orbitz charged me.

I recently booked a flight through Orbitz online- a round trip on China Airlines from San Francisco to Bangkok. Before booking, I was allowed to visit the seating chart for the airlines and “select” seats for that flight. (If an airlines does not allow this service, I move on to another.) I was booking two months in advance to make sure I did not end up in the back of the plane, in a middle seat, for this very long flight. I selected my seats, then proceeded to checkout where I bought my flight. A month later, checking my reservation, I found out I really did not have confirmed seats – but something called customer selected seats.

When I called the airlines, I found out that seat assignments for this batch of seats sold to Orbitz (category L) could only be made on the day of departure at the airport. They did have a record of seats I would “prefer, ” but seats could not be confirmed until the day of the flight. According to China Airlines, these seats were a special “promo” (I had no idea) and the downside was that you could not reserve seats for this cheaper fare. I spent hours, literally, on the phone with Orbitz. My main complaint was that this was a smoke and mirror sales tactic – in fact, false advertising.

There is no way I would have booked with Orbitz if I could not reserve and confirm a seat on these long flights. I asked for my money back so I could buy another flight that allowed me to confirm a seat. I was told I could only cancel my flight (and receive my ticket price back) if I paid a huge penalty to do so. Orbitz denied any wrong-doing here. I went from customer service to supervisor more than once (each call took more than an hour of waiting on the phone). The company never budged.

Now I am in the predicament of either giving Orbitz more money for this bait-and-switch maneuver, or biting the bullet, knowing that when I arrive at the airport in a month, I will be sitting in the back of the airplane in the worst possible seat (that no one else, buying a ticket either through the airlines or another online service) wanted.

I am hoping that unsuspecting consumers read this before they deal with Orbitz and their phony ‘Price Assurance SCAM’! I bought my flight at $471 through Orbitz and saw the price dropped to $451 only a week or so later. I called Orbitz and asked if I would get the $20 difference and was told that the rebate goes out after the flight concludes. Of course, no rebate after the flight and my inquiry was met with “Sir, you received the lowest fare!” When I advised them I documented the $451 price which sold they claimed that ticket was probably returned to the airlines (Delta) or sold to another agent.

Baloney. Orbitz, like all agents, buys these tickets in bundles and are stuck with them if they don’t sell. However, Orbitz will not disclose any info on ticket sales..so the consumer has NO PROOF to use against them. I can only recommend that scammed Orbitz victims file a complaint with their state AG and BBB to get it on file. It won’t get your refund back but at least have a record on file. OF course, NEVER use ORBITZ again.

I tried over 3 days to book a trip, using Orbitz, from Shanghai to Auckland, NZ and onwards to Melbourne, Aus before returning to Shanghai. Multiple times they would show a price but when I tried to book – “this price is no longer available”. When I finally got a firm price they would say the booking was accepted but would be “confirmed within 24 hours” whilst also immediately charging my credit card. Each time I would get an email saying they regretted the airline could not confirm the ticket “but this is a rare event”. This happened across multiple dates and airlines!

I purchase a round trip ticket from Thursday November 24, 2011 to Tuesday November 29, 2011. My flight for Tuesday November 29, 2011 was on American Airline Flight 613, departs from NYC JFK at 5:45pm at Gate 35 and arrive at Miami International at 9:10pm Gate D3. My record locator for this trip was confirmed. Unfortunately when I got to the airport they could not find my return trip. I was transfer from one counter to the other and no one could help me, they said they could not find me in the system, so press for time to get home I had to purchase another ticket for $278, and that flight that I was put on was the same airline and the same time of my previous ticket.

I received my Orbitz Flight Status Notification on Tuesday November 29, 2011 at 2:46pm confirming my flight. I would like to get reimburse for my second ticket. Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter. Switched to travelocity – confirmed the e.ticket by email within 5 minutes AND it was USD400 cheaper! If Orbitz is doing this to tens of thousands of customers each day are they using the credit card balances to bolster their finances? DON’T USE ORBITZ!

I want to share with you my experience in Vegas, NV. as I just woke up this morning in my mini-van writing my complaint of Orbitz.

My both in-laws (50+) and my wife had just spent our night in our Mini-Van and thanks for Orbitz set us up this wonderful weekend. We booked thru Orbitz online system on last Friday night for a single-night with Emerald Suites hotel. But, when we got here at Emerald Suites lobby, Voila.. no reservation was found. We called Orbitz and we even presented our electronic confirmation to Orbitz customer service. They simply said there was error somewhere. The best they can do was to give us refund plus $ 100.00 credit for next booking. NEXT BOOKING after this experience? My wife told the agent, Claudia, Orbitz can keep this $ 100.00 big dollars. All they have to do is to spend a night in a mini-van as my family did.

Unfortunately, Vegas was fully booked in every hotel and motel yesterday because of some sport event. We even tried to find affordable hotel as far as Hendersion and Boulder City but we have no luck. Orbitz said there was one room in Venetian hotel at rate of $ 400.00 per night. Orbitz is generous enough to pay $ 100.00 and we cover the rest ( $ 300.00). Seriously, this is out of my budget. This was the first time my family had to sleep in my mini-Van on a Vegas vacation.

I am not afraid to go for more detail with anyone because I am very very upset as I am writing in my mini-Van. DO NOT TRUST ORBITZ ONLINE SYSTEM EVEN YOU RECEIVED SOLID CONFIRMATION.