DO NOT BOOK WITH ON THE BEACH!!
I booked with on the beach for my first family holiday since the arrival of my son. What a mistake. I booked for the wrong dates in error and notified them the following morning within 24 hours via the messaging service. I received a message telling me my query would be forwarded on to the amendments team and because I notified them within 24 hours I would not be charged admin fees. I then received a message stating that It would cost £100 to change my dates to a week earlier and that this was the difference in flight prices… for 2 adults and 1 infant! This seemed extremely steep and since I have looked into the difference and it is £10pp at the most. I was also told that I had up to 2 days to decide and after this time the quote would expire.
Despite the ridiculous quote me and my partner decided we would pay it and be done with it. So the next morning I logged in to on the beach only to find that a message had been received stating that I had until 4 pm (the message was received at around 2 pm) the previous day to accept the offer and after this date I would be liable to 60pp admin charge. I was outraged! How can I be told I have 2days only for this to be retracted? Since this I have been messaging them but have gotten nowhere, nobody is willing to help and the last message I received ignored everything I had said, advising that any amendments had to be made through the “manage my booking” section on the site. This of course carries a fee of a further £80!
The customer service standards are beyond poor. The amendment fees are ridiculous considering the booking is for October 2015 and I notified them within 24 hours. I am getting absolutely nowhere, and it seems the cost to change details just keeps rising! Even cancelling the booking carries fees! I have no idea what to do next and am hoping someone can offer me some advice?
Sorry but your warning won't deter other people from booking. Forums are littered with complaints about them but none of them deterred you.
You knew about their admin charges when you booked, but then maybe you thought you wouldn't have to change or add anything?
You do know that their website prices aren't live, so even if It says it's only £10 difference, that may not actually be the case. The price depends on their suppliers price at the point in time they contact them. Even if OTB weren't charging you any admin fees themselves the change would be subject to their suppliers (airline) admin fees.
I'm surprised they even gave you a couple of hours grace never mind 2 days!
It just shows you've got to triple check everything you book but better still to make sure you've read the terms and conditions. Even better just book everything yourself. OTB along with many other OTAs aren't doing anything you can't do for yourself.
You knew about their admin charges when you booked, but then maybe you thought you wouldn't have to change or add anything?
You do know that their website prices aren't live, so even if It says it's only £10 difference, that may not actually be the case. The price depends on their suppliers price at the point in time they contact them. Even if OTB weren't charging you any admin fees themselves the change would be subject to their suppliers (airline) admin fees.
I'm surprised they even gave you a couple of hours grace never mind 2 days!
It just shows you've got to triple check everything you book but better still to make sure you've read the terms and conditions. Even better just book everything yourself. OTB along with many other OTAs aren't doing anything you can't do for yourself.
So the lesson here is check, check, and check again that all your details are correct before hitting that submit button. This will avoid all these 'charges'
Personally, I find them expensive and can get the same deal cheaper elsewhere.
Personally, I find them expensive and can get the same deal cheaper elsewhere.
I agree with Sunaddict, these companies are doing nothing that you cannot do yourself.
I use them and their competitors to find flight , hotels and transfers and then follow their information to individual websites and book direct with the airline, hotel and transfer company.
I use them and their competitors to find flight , hotels and transfers and then follow their information to individual websites and book direct with the airline, hotel and transfer company.
By booking direct you are doing yourself out of any of the financial protection that Travel Agents offer. Namely ATOL Flight Plus and supplier failure cover. The CAA introduced the Flight Plus Licence in order to help protect customers in the event of a failure when booking separate elements. All travel agents selling separate holiday elements (flight & hotel) are required to sell under this scheme.
I struggle now to find a hotel that is cheaper direct, most agents seem to undercut the hotel by a long way
Chris wrote:By booking direct you are doing yourself out of any of the financial protection that Travel Agents offer. Namely ATOL Flight Plus and supplier failure cover. The CAA introduced the Flight Plus Licence in order to help protect customers in the event of a failure when booking separate elements. All travel agents selling separate holiday elements (flight & hotel) are required to sell under this scheme.
And as you're travelling independently airline failure/supplier failure is just something that would normally be covered by the appropriate cover for independent travel, along with natural disaster and airspace/airport closure etc.
Should have said 'the appropriate travel insurance cover'. 
I struggle now to find a hotel that is cheaper direct, most agents seem to undercut the hotel by a long way
Fair comment, what I should have said was use the agent to find the cheapest/ best option and then use someone like Low Cost rooms etc to book through.
As far as I can see that is virtually what the likes of On the beach etc do and then make a charge for doing it.
I am assuming that OTB operate the same way as Travel Republic and Low Cost holidays etc.
It has to be said also that sometimes the flights are actually cheaper through an agent than by going direct to the airline
I haven't flown with them recently so don't know if it still applies but it used to be cheaper to book Jet2 flights through Travel Republic if you wanted checked in baggage than direct with Jet2 because Jet2 charged extra for this but when booking via TR there was no charge for it 
SM
SM
del949 wrote:I struggle now to find a hotel that is cheaper direct, most agents seem to undercut the hotel by a long way
Fair comment, what I should have said was use the agent to find the cheapest/ best option and then use someone like Low Cost rooms etc to book through.
As far as I can see that is virtually what the likes of On the beach etc do and then make a charge for doing it.
I am assuming that OTB operate the same way as Travel Republic and Low Cost holidays etc.
It has to be said also that sometimes the flights are actually cheaper through an agent than by going direct to the airline
OTB work the same at TR. LowCost Holidays are different now they're no longer a UK company. It's hard to tell what price the flights would be with OTB and TR as they could have changed by the time they actually book the flights. Hence the number of complaints about them ripping people off or scamming them. Far safer to book direct with the airline and be able to manage your own booking for amendments, schedule changes etc than have to involve a third party, even if it did appear to save me a couple of quid. I never even check an agent these days when I book a flight. Just head straight to the airline website.
As I said, I haven't flown with Jet 2 for a while but now that they charge £22.50 each way for checked in baggage if I could get the same deal now as then, I would probably be prepared to take the risk. I was booking for 7 of us for a family holiday and my nieces don't do travelling light (and bear in mind at the time at least, their cabin baggage allowance wasn't the generous 10kgs it is now). That adds up to a lot more than a couple of quid. Even now we would probably need a minimum of 4 checked bags between us and that adds up to £220 at their current prices - I can well understand why families on a tight budget would be attracted to such a deal if it was available.
Even if I was just travelling on my own then if I needed more than the free 10kgs cabin baggage I might still be tempted when trying to do budget holiday if it meant I was saving £45 which is still more than a 'couple of quid'. Those of us who aren't on very tight budgets can easily forget how £100 can make all the difference between being able to afford something or having to do without. Yes, a lot of on-line retailers capitalise on that but I do understand why some people do take the risk. The problem seems to be that not everybody who uses them reads the T&Cs Nd understands the risk.
SM
SM
Even if I was just travelling on my own then if I needed more than the free 10kgs cabin baggage I might still be tempted when trying to do budget holiday if it meant I was saving £45 which is still more than a 'couple of quid'. Those of us who aren't on very tight budgets can easily forget how £100 can make all the difference between being able to afford something or having to do without. Yes, a lot of on-line retailers capitalise on that but I do understand why some people do take the risk. The problem seems to be that not everybody who uses them reads the T&Cs Nd understands the risk.
SM
SM
I don't understand Sma.
The luggage charge is there no matter how you book isn't it?
The only way I have seen being able to avoid it with Jet 2 is to book a Jet 2 Package holiday, where the luggage is included in the price.
The luggage charge is there no matter how you book isn't it?
The only way I have seen being able to avoid it with Jet 2 is to book a Jet 2 Package holiday, where the luggage is included in the price.
SMa wrote:As I said, I haven't flown with Jet 2 for a while but now that they charge £22.50 each way for checked in baggage if I could get the same deal now as then, I would probably be prepared to take the risk. I was booking for 7 of us for a family holiday and my nieces don't do travelling light (and bear in mind at the time at least, their cabin baggage allowance wasn't the generous 10kgs it is now). That adds up to a lot more than a couple of quid. Even now we would probably need a minimum of 4 checked bags between us and that adds up to £220 at their current prices - I can well understand why families on a tight budget would be attracted to such a deal if it was available.
Even if I was just travelling on my own then if I needed more than the free 10kgs cabin baggage I might still be tempted when trying to do budget holiday if it meant I was saving £45 which is still more than a 'couple of quid'. Those of us who aren't on very tight budgets can easily forget how £100 can make all the difference between being able to afford something or having to do without. Yes, a lot of on-line retailers capitalise on that but I do understand why some people do take the risk. The problem seems to be that not everybody who uses them reads the T&Cs Nd understands the risk.
SM
SM
Jet2 hand luggage has been 10kg for at least 4 years.
I'm looking for a flight for end of April so out of curiosity I looked at Jet2 on TR. They charge £49 per 20kg the same as the airline. The flight plus luggage, no meals or seats, was exactly the same price for both dates I checked, with both TR and the airline. That's on the proviso that TR book the flight in a timely manner, before the price changes, or before they say it has.
Even if it appeared to be cheaper by £49 I still wouldn't book it with them. Chances are the price they charge would have altered by the time they actually confirmed it with the airline.
I did say that it was sometime since I had booked with them and can only say that each time I did book via TR the flights were booked and confirmed at exactly the same price as seat only booking direct with Jet2. We can each only talk from our own experience and mine with TR booking Jet2 tickets was excellent.
I suspect that it was actually a glitch in the TR website but checked direct with them the 1st time it happened and they said they would honour it which they did. i assume that either they have aince been able to rectify that glitch and/or realised just how much this was costing them.
SM
I suspect that it was actually a glitch in the TR website but checked direct with them the 1st time it happened and they said they would honour it which they did. i assume that either they have aince been able to rectify that glitch and/or realised just how much this was costing them.
SM
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