"Bait and Switch" and KLM
 

This illegal activity involves offering one deal which, if accepted, turns into something else.
My wife and I were flying to to Amsterdam with friends on September 26 to go cruising. The day before I was checking in on the internet with the KLM website. We had our economy seats booked. That was confirmed. Then I saw an offer that shouldn't have been there.
I was unsure about the 9 hr. flight as my last long flight to London had left me with sore feet for weeks after we returned home.
Suddenly in front of me was an offer to fly business class.
I could put my feet up and therefore be sure of enjoying the cruise. My wife was happy to keep her economy seat.
But it wasn't a straightforward purchase. I was presented with an amount that someone had BID, in EUROS. Foolishly I upped the bid by 5 EUROS. 394 was the first bid and I expected to learn that the first bidder would up his or her bid.
I had fallen for the BAIT. Now the SWITCH.
I hadn't been bidding on ONE seat, I had won the privilege of buying TWO SEATS!
Strangely the seats cost the same as the mystery bid.
Well, double the 394 and you know what the sucker had to pay. Had to? Yes, it was charged instantly, our economy seats were gone and in a flash we were both in business.
That's how bait and switch work, KLM STYLE!!!

Huh?

If you had two tickets on the same booking wouldn't it be logical that you would be 'bidding' for both seats?

This doesn't pass the sniff test.

Uh, sparky, I'm thinking this complaint registers something quite foul and of a bovine nature on the sniff test.

And for 800E, that upgrade seems pretty inexpensive . . .

I had a very bad experience on KLM when I purchased Economy Plus and was refused those seats at check-in both on my departure from Chicago and on the return from Amsterdam.

The airline operates in a most unprofessional, if not amateur way. The right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing. I argued my case and did finally get my seats but only after refusing to pay the Purser on board again, for the seat I had paid for months ago when booking the flights. Never - but never, again will I fly that airline.

For less than 400 Gordon's going to make his Lovely sit in the back? Alone? Suffering? in silence...

Of course, I'm 99% sure that it was mentioned to be for both passengers on the PNR since the offer was made as you were checking in two people.

As to travelchat, you sound in the right but that issue should have been settled at the check in counter, not on board. Pursers shouldn't be arbitrating pricing and ticketing issues.

I got the bidding opportunity on Alitalia a couple days before my flight. I did not persue it as the bid was nearly what I paid for economy

I don't buy this story.

First of all there is no basis for this offer not being there. KLM did not violate anything by posting this option.

I don't understand why having your feet on the floor of the plane would cause misery for "weeks" and you must have known that ahead of time so why did you book economy ahead of a vacation if you knew you would be in misery??? This makes no sense.

If you bidding on anything then your payment is on. You don't ever bid without a payment obligation and you should have known that and that logically as it seems both seats were on the same ticket the bid is for both and you should have not relied on being outbid to relieve your obligation to pay. You have no proof of a shill bid either.

Agree with BigRuss in that 800 Euro to upgrade to two trans Atlantic flights is reasonable. I would have considered that a bargain.

I see the OP lives in British Columbia, Canada. I priced airfare from Vancouver to Amsterdam in Nov. and found two economy tickets for about $1800.00 vs. two in biz for $4000.00 so a mere 800 Euros upgrade for both seems like a great deal. These flights were on KLM too.

Tsss. people of no faith. I love these threads.

The guy comes with a non complete story, hints that he was himself a fool (didn't see it, then saw it, then was hooked...). It is all pretty clear : we have here a guy who did a great deal without knowing it and would have preferred to keep the deal for him only, not his wife (his wife ?).

Who in her right mind would say 'honey, upgrade yourself, I'll stay in economy I like it'. Not my wife.

I really love it. I'd like OP to come back and explain more.

Anyone who says they ‘won’ an auction is fooling themselves. If you are the highest bidder, you haven’t won anything. All that has happened is that you have agreed to pay more for something than anyone else is willing to pay. That doesn’t make you a winner, that makes you a .......? You fill in the blank.

<<All that has happened is that you have agreed to pay more for something than anyone else is willing to pay. That doesn’t make you a winner, that makes you a .......?>>

Smart consumer. If you're paying far below market value and the others are unwilling to beat your bid, then you win and they suck. If I win an auction on eBay for 150 financial units and the market price is 200, then I've come out ahead and the competing bidders lost an opportunity to get something they wanted for a great price over a couple of quid.

For once with I agree with Russ.
Let us imagine you are alone to bid...

It seems like the oddest stories come from people that are newly registered.