Virgin fare rip off

[medhead]

Well this is my whinge. I noticed earlier this year that Virgin's online booking system was ripping me off. I had a situation when booking a return flexi fare that the price of the individual legs totalled $615, but when selected the total owing was $632. I had to book to qualify for a promo, or something like that. Followed up with Virgin and was promised a refund of the $17. Really not surprised that I'm still waiting for the refund.

Anyway, booked one work flight tonight. Guess what? individual fares came out at $256, but I was charged $258. I guess the rip off on saver lite isn't as big as flexi. Also reproducible for other return flights that I require.

I'm really not sure about chasing Virgin again. But I guess this might be something for the ACCC.

 

[Mattg]

I just did a dummy booking search for 2x flexi fares, the outbound flight was $303.00 and the return $305.00 When added together the total price came to $610.00. Something is definitely wrong. It may only be $2 in this case, but the vast majority of people wouldn't notice, and if they are doing this to thousands of customers everyday, that's quite significant. I would be contacting the ACCC.

 

[eastwest101]

I just did a dummy booking search for 2x flexi fares, the outbound flight was $303.00 and the return $305.00 When added together the total price came to $610.00. Something is definitely wrong. It may only be $2 in this case, but the vast majority of people wouldn't notice, and if they are doing this to thousands of customers everyday, that's quite significant. I would be contacting the ACCC.

Same here. I can replicate it with VA Flexi and Saver Light fares.

A Flexi 349.00 and a 347.04 = 696.04 by my calculator but on the VA web site returns $698.00

Just checked a Flexi Light as well: 139.00 + 157.06 = 296.06 but on the VA web site it becomes $298.00

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

I just did a dummy booking search for 2x flexi fares, the outbound flight was $303.00 and the return $305.00 When added together the total price came to $610.00. Something is definitely wrong. It may only be $2 in this case, but the vast majority of people wouldn't notice, and if they are doing this to thousands of customers everyday, that's quite significant. I would be contacting the ACCC.

Wow, that's quite a find, multipled by potentially hundreds of unsuspected customers.

 

[Ansett]

WOW

Potential for a class action????

 

[Willsmere]

Interesting, juts did a dummy booking for mel,gold coast, $235 out, $233.24 back, total you would think =$468.24, but no it says $470??, looked at breakdown of fees, couldnt see any odd $1.76 fee. Needs further investigation.

 

[Mattg]

CBR-SYD-CBR

Oubound flight showing as $129.00, return flight $126.21. Total = $258.00.

This isn't the only problem I can see with the VA website at the moment - CBR to SYD is showing as 30 minutes and the return SYD to CBR as 1hr 30mins.

 

[Fiches Mouser]

MEL-USM-MEL in J

$2153.17 + $2330.59 = $4483.76

VA's site is actually totalling it at $1 less = $4482.76

 

[mannej]

I don't want this to come across as a defense or anything, but after having a look at this, it seems to me the price it comes up with as the return is the correct number. The price it displays in the individual segments is the one that has the error in it. They certainly have something that needs fixing, but I think it is in the presentation of the individual prices rather than the total price.

And that is the problem of the consumer how?

 

[medhead]

I don't want this to come across as a defense or anything, but after having a look at this, it seems to me the price it comes up with as the return is the correct number. The price it displays in the individual segments is the one that has the error in it. They certainly have something that needs fixing, but I think it is in the presentation of the individual prices rather than the total price.

That might be the case but I have been told the price is lower only to be hit with a higher price when I come to pay (not including the credit card fee). I told them about this error at the beginning of the year, months ago.

 

[basso]

And that is the problem of the consumer how?

I didn't say it was a consumer problem. Rather than have this argument with everyone, I've removed my post.

 

[Colin 2905]

This isn't the only problem I can see with the VA website at the moment - CBR to SYD is showing as 30 minutes and the return SYD to CBR as 1hr 30mins.

I've been seeing screwed up flight durations for months.

Another odd thing I spotted a couple of months ago were some CBR to ADL Saver fares that were $10 or $20 cheaper than the Saver Lite fares.

 

[medhead]

I didn't say it was a consumer problem. Rather than have this argument with everyone, I've removed my post.

Not sure why you'd remove your post. Sounds like we agree, I agree that there is something wrong with the price displayed for individual legs and you agree that is not the consumers' problem.

Anyway, you got me thinking back to my flexi booking. ADL-OOL return, so it required travelling via another port. Making it hard to know what is the correct fare. IT was showing 309.56 out bound and 305.44 on the return. If we take the idea that the return should be $309.56 as well, that still only gets me to $620 total. Compared to the $632 that was charged.

 

[eastwest101]

... I told them about this error at the beginning of the year, months ago.

medhead - I had contact from the VFF rep in Sept 2013 when I sent them a list of things that didn't work properly on the VA web site, this was one of them, the VFF rep let me know that the list formed a report that he/she made and had passed on.

 

[markis10]

medhead - I had contact from the VFF rep in Sept 2013 when I sent them a list of things that didn't work properly on the VA web site, this was one of them, the VFF rep let me know that the list formed a report that he/she made and had passed on.

Might be worth resending as there is a different rep now.

 

[mannej]

Might be worth resending as there is a different rep now.

Resenting?

 

[markis10]

Resenting?

LOL spell check

 

[eastwest101]

Might be worth resending as there is a different rep now.

OK - hadn't realised that. In that case they can make themselves a nice strong coffee and sit down to enjoy this on Monday morning.

Velocity/Virgin websites are RUBBISH - Blogs - The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community

 

[basso]

Not sure why you'd remove your post. Sounds like we agree, I agree that there is something wrong with the price displayed for individual legs and you agree that is not the consumers' problem.

No issue with your post. I just made a comment about where I thought the problem was, and where Virgin needs to fix the problem, and got a snarky 'How is this the consumers problem?' reply.

 

[Mattg]

That might be the case but I have been told the price is lower only to be hit with a higher price when I come to pay (not including the credit card fee). I told them about this error at the beginning of the year, months ago.

So they are showing the consumer one price and charging another, and this has been going on for many months?? That's illegal, and whether or not it's a genuine mistake, it doesn't really matter because they have been systematically doing this to every customer booking a return ticket for months AND they know about the problem, yet continue to do it! If you told them about it at the start of the year, they've had more than enough time to rectify this.

Please do contact the ACCC as clearly Virgin isn't interested in fixing this. I would also encourage others to do so.