Please lock!

[crisi]

Thanks, Mike, I guess we will see if our pediatrician will mark the kids down with ear infections and then maybe our insurance would cover the change fees...if not, we will suck it up I guess...sigh...lesson learned about not buying too far ahead, I used to think this was the best way to get good fares, but these days it doesn't seem to be the case.

ARGH!

That would be medical fraud for your doctor and your doctor would be at risk for losing his license. It would be insurance fraud for you.

 

[msmayor]

OK, I don't have time to read all the replies now because I am at my lunch hour which is nearly over, but I must say I am pretty surprised at the number of nasty replies, some of which are not even getting the facts straight...I said that Delta worked with us when their fares went down and I thought that was nice of them. It is Continental that is being unhelpful...

Also, I said I did NOT think Customer Care would work with us...I will try anyway but if you are going to say something mean, why bother to post?

Lastly, we bought a ticket for my DD because there is so much stuff to lug when you have a baby...car seat, stroller, etc...not that it's anyone's concern but we choose to do this.

Yeesh.

Hope y'all have a nice day and that if you are in the same position people are more kind to you.

Not unhelpful...just holding you to the contract you agreed to when you purchased the tickets.

I didn't really read anything mean in the responses...simply folks who know and accept that once you purchase a plane ticket, unless you bought a fully-refundable fare, it costs a LOT to cancel or make changes. That's the trade-off for the lower fare.

 

[pamjb]

It is hard to believe in this day and age that someone is not aware of the change fees that are involved with changing a ticket. I have not seen anyting terribly nasty posted, either. Just perhaps not the replies you wanted to hear. Maybe a voice of reason.
Change fees are one of the reasons that I fly Southwest. I have made already 3 changes to tickets I purchased for October and I just purchased them in March. My out of pocket = .00.
I realize that this information does you no good now, perhaps you can use it for any upcoming trips.
While I am sorry for your problems, you must take some responsibility. The information regarding fare changes are listed. You chose not to heed them.
If you don't think you are getting any sympathy here, certainly do not post on the Transportation Board. There really is no Pixie Dust over there. Just lots of good, solid information.

 

[lvinay]

So sorry that you have to consider delaying your trip. I did want to make a positive comment on Continental. Last summer we were flying out of the country, and one person in our party had an expiring passport. It was not caught until we were at our connecting flight. They could not have been nicer. They allowed two of the eight in our party to change their flight by a day, with no additional cost. They got their luggage off the plane and to them, and even gave them a hotel voucher for a discounted room. Our friends were able to get the passport fixed and met us the next day. We agreed we would fly Continental again.

I hope you are joking about asking the doctor to lie, especially since you work for a law firm.

Good luck with your arrangements.

 

[msmayor]

So sorry that you have to consider delaying your trip. I did want to make a positive comment on Continental. Last summer we were flying out of the country, and one person in our party had an expiring passport. It was not caught until we were at our connecting flight. They could not have been nicer. They allowed two of the eight in our party to change their flight by a day, with no additional cost. They got their luggage off the plane and to them, and even gave them a hotel voucher for a discounted room. Our friends were able to get the passport fixed and met us the next day. We agreed we would fly Continental again.

I hope you are joking about asking the doctor to lie, especially since you work for a law firm.

Good luck with your arrangements.

I suspect that Continental was sympathetic in this case because they bear some responsibility for this...THEY should have caught the expiring passport at your first check-in spot, and apparently did not. Had it happened at the point of your original flight, they may have taken a different view of the situation, holding the traveler responsible for not having current documentation.

 

[Magic Mom]

I have always bought a ticket for my under 2 kids. My kids have always been active, and therefore I've always brought a carseat for them. I've never heard of paying less for a seat for a child under 2 with discounted fares (which most are).

I always bought tickets for my kids as well.

 

[Magic Mom]

Argh! I bought tickets in late December for our August trip. Now we've had to spend $4K on waterproofing our basement after the Nor'easter...and it is possible that I may be out of work as of the beginning of July, because we were just informed that the law firm I work for is splitting up (and I am last hired!)

I'm not that stressed about the work situation yet, because I may still be kept on...but DH and I came to the realization this week that it is not wise to forge ahead with the August trip, especially because we just came back from a week in Arizona and need to get our ducks in a row financially...I figured we could change the tickets and hold onto our theme park tickets for a future trip (February perhaps)?? I can also get our hotel deposits refunded with no trouble, etc...

SO tonight I called Continental, and got the unwelcome news that to EITHER change our tickets OR cancel them, it will cost us $150 per ticket! This brings a $912 trip to $1500...there is no way we can swing that, but if we don't, we're out the original fares! I got a number to call for "Customer Care" but I doubt they will tell me anything different. I'm trying to figure out if flight insurance will cover this (we did buy it), but I'm really stressed meanwhile...and sad...isn't it bad enough we can't go, without them trying to make a profit off our misfortune?

Hoping this will all work out somehow...

I'm really sorry you can't go. We've had to make that decision before and it's no fun is it?
But Continental is only following their own policy. They aren't trying to profit from your misfortune or be deliberately unhelpful.

 

[LilyWDW]

OK, I don't have time to read all the replies now because I am at my lunch hour which is nearly over, but I must say I am pretty surprised at the number of nasty replies, some of which are not even getting the facts straight...I said that Delta worked with us when their fares went down and I thought that was nice of them. It is Continental that is being unhelpful...

Also, I said I did NOT think Customer Care would work with us...I will try anyway but if you are going to say something mean, why bother to post?

Lastly, we bought a ticket for my DD because there is so much stuff to lug when you have a baby...car seat, stroller, etc...not that it's anyone's concern but we choose to do this.

Yeesh.

Hope y'all have a nice day and that if you are in the same position people are more kind to you.

No one is being mean, they are being realistic.

It is up to the consumer to know all the rules on what they purchase. The information is there... it is up to US as the consumer to make sure we understand it. Not the airlines fault that you didn't read the information provided.

This is a lesson, not only for the OP but for anyone reading. Take the time and read the return/change/cancel policies BEFORE you buy. There are non-refundable tickets (which are usually the cheaper tickets that so many people love), change fees, and other fees. There is no reason to be surprised by these!

And I have never heard of them further discounting a seat for an under 2 year old that is bought on a discounted ticket.

 

[robsmom]

Yeah, well, we've never had to cancel a trip before and while I know that there are fees you would think they would give us extenuating circumstances.

I think you should take a few days and step back from this. Then decide what to do. You are obviously upset that you have to cancel your trip - I think everyone understands that. I think you are over reacting to the importance of your circumstances. The reality is that you do not have any extenuating circumstances. The situation is unfortunate and makes you sad but you are making a decision to say that you can no longer afford a trip that you planned. You changed your mind as to what you think is best for your family right now. If Continental (or any airline) let deciding to not take a trip be "extenuating circumstances" than there really would be no point to non-refundable tickets. Anyone could make a change because they decided they didn't want to go, or got buyer's remorse or got a better rate at a later date or found out their cousin was having a graduation party.

 

[MAH4546]

Thanks, Mike, I guess we will see if our pediatrician will mark the kids down with ear infections and then maybe our insurance would cover the change fees...if not, we will suck it up I guess...sigh...lesson learned about not buying too far ahead, I used to think this was the best way to get good fares, but these days it doesn't seem to be the case.

ARGH!

So because you were too cheap to buy refundable tickets, you think its okay to have your doctor commit fraud?

Disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself. And thanks for making flying more expensive for everybody else by defrauding airlines after you agreed to the rules when you purchased your tickets.

 

[4Seasons]

No one is being mean, they are being realistic.

It is up to the consumer to know all the rules on what they purchase. The information is there... it is up to US as the consumer to make sure we understand it. Not the airlines fault that you didn't read the information provided.

This is a lesson, not only for the OP but for anyone reading. Take the time and read the return/change/cancel policies BEFORE you buy. There are non-refundable tickets (which are usually the cheaper tickets that so many people love), change fees, and other fees. There is no reason to be surprised by these!

And I have never heard of them further discounting a seat for an under 2 year old that is bought on a discounted ticket.

Absolutely. If someone doesn't fully understand (or take the time to read) the change/cancellation policy of any travel product they purchase online, unfortunately this is what can happen. Please take the time to call the airline or provider and ask for clarification BEFORE YOU BOOK.

Or utilize the services of a good travel agent, that can be priceless.

 

[maxiesmom]

So, you bought non-refundable tickets which clearly stated that they had a change fee (and what the fees was).

The airlines give you a credit when the cost of the flight goes down AND waives the change fee for your daughter. Something many airlines won't do.

And you are still whinging about them??

And know you plan on lying to get out of the mistake entirely of your making.

And you can't understand why you are not getting any sympathy? Really?


For Shame!!!!

 

[bigmama67]

And you can't understand why you are not getting any sympathy? Really?


For Shame!!!!

Again, the post you were responding to was INACCURATE. And I am not asking for sympathy.

Peace.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

I like the idea of just doing the trip and downgrading if you are able to. Like if you are staying on site stay in a standard room at pop, if you are going during free dining take advantage of that, get rid of Park hoppers or water parks and more if you can etc!

I fly at least 10 times a year and I do not have good luck with continental the only time i'll fly with them is if they are cheaper than $100.00 than any airline. I tend to use United or Air Canada (I know you arent in Canada but Air Canada is AWESOMELY amazing! and United and Air Canada codeshare etc). I just flew last weekend and flew with Delta and they were so nice in helping me get on the plane early (Broken wrist and needed more time to situation myself). A couple weeks before that I flew continental (the wrist break was really fresh at this point and still sending pangs up and down my arm) Continental told me that they cannot help me get my overhead luggage up as they are not required to help I completely understand of course as some people bring heavy bags but mine i could lift with one arm i just couldn't lift it high enough for the overhead But the nice man in the row with me helped me and we discussed how rude it was.

After this experience I called customer care and they made me feel a lot better about the situation and they gave me food vouchers for my flight home. I did not expect it but it was a nice gesture.

I wish you only the best pixie dust and don't worry about anything negative just stay positive and positive vibes will take over your life.

 

[janets]

We had a similar circumstance last year. Had tickets for our August cruise and in April, DH was laid off. Was hoping he'd find something but by June we realized we would have to cancel our trip.

I contacted Continental and told them what had occurred and asked if there was anyone that could help me (reduce the change fee perhaps as I had 5 tickets). I got a wonderful person who I'm sure was in Customer Care. She told me she understood (we were in the height of the layoffs and terrible economy at that point) and she waived the change fees. Deposited the cost of our tickets into an account to be used within 1 year.

I have to say, in my instance they really came through. But we were already in the middle of the layoff and had lost a full income. In your case, you have encountered some costly home repairs and while you might be out of work in July, you are still employed.

I can understand your frustration, and I had it too, but I also realized that had it not been for the wonderful person to whom I spoke, I too would have had to pay the $150/ticket fee. I knew it when I bought it, and understood the risks. I was lucky, that's all.

You might try to contact Customer Care and see if anyone can help you. I can't promise that you will have the same success I did (again, I was very lucky), but it never hurts to ask.

 

[Lewisc]

.and sad...isn't it bad enough we can't go, without them trying to make a profit off our misfortune?

Hoping this will all work out somehow...

I won't repeat the (very good) points made by previous posters. Continental isn't making a profit off your misfortune. Change fees from passengers who don't want to honor the terms of the ticket is what allows airlines to offer lower fares to those passengers who honor the terms of their ticket.

Your fare is non-changeable and non-cancellable. The change fee is the alternative to telling passengers "too bad" and giving them nothing.

 

[bigmama67]

Janet, thank you for your story. It gives me hope, as my direct boss sat me down at the end of the day and said he doesn't yet know how this will all shake out but, and I quote, "If another opportunity presents itself, you should grab it." In other words, start looking. Sounds like I'll be gone sooner rather than later...

 

[kaytieeldr]

It should cost you nothing to cancel, although you won't get a refund, you will have a year to reuse the value of that ticket with a $150 fee added on. You would just be putting off the change fee until a time where you might be in a better financial situation.

I think actually it's the other way around. Each passenger will have a credit of $79 to be applied to a flight within a year. Continental will deduct the $150 cancellation fee from each ticket up front. It's VERY important to find out Continental's definition of "year". Examples: JetBlue allows you to reserve a flight within a year of the date the original ticket was purchased, while Southwest requires you to complete travel within a year of the original ticket purchase date.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Continental told me that they cannot help me get my overhead luggage up as they are not required to help I completely understand of course as some people bring heavy bags but mine i could lift with one arm i just couldn't lift it high enough for the overhead But the nice man in the row with me helped me and we discussed how rude it was.

Respectfully, at five feet tall and permanently disabled, I never expect a Flight Attendant (or anyone else) to help me with my luggage. If I can't lift it over my head myself long enough to get it into the overhead compartment, I don't bring it. I have a rolling bag specifically designed to fit under the seat. That's what goes with me aboard the plane, and yes, I can back 24 hours of 'stuff', along with meds and valuables in it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thanks, Mike, I guess we will see if our pediatrician will mark the kids down with ear infections and then maybe our insurance would cover the change fees...if not, we will suck it up I guess...

Seriously??? You should probably check your insurance policy before you ask your pede to lie for you.