marryjane

I have given up. I booked a ticket for my brother in law’s girlfriend, Youa Vang, but I booked it as Youa Her in error. I made the reservation on Travelocity on Sunday, Jan 15, 2006, and realized the error on January 17. I called Travelocity on Jan. 17 and was informed that it was too late for the change. Travelocity needed 24 hours notice to make a name change (Monday was a holiday, but do they count holidays also?). Therefore, I called US Airways, and the nightmare begins. I have spoken to them 5 times now. Some reps say that I can use the ticket and that they put a note on the ticket about the name error. Other reps say that I can’t use the tickets at all. So I have decided to cancel the ticket, but the canceled ticket can only be reissued for Youa Her. Therefore, I have to go find a Youa Her out there in the world… Please help me! I have had a nightmare getting the right answers! No one seems to know. Her flight is on Feb. 5 and I will probably cancel tomorrow. Thank you!

marryjane

Someone help me please!

gb944

Surely, it will take longer than 18 minutes for someone who knows the answer to check the forum.

Cool your jets, dude, or cancel the ticket without waiting for an answer.

sunbum1944

well I think I would call US Airways and ask to speak to a supervisor instead of talking to customer service rep.
Maybe they would allow you to write a letter of explanation that you could fax or mail to Youa which she could carry with her - dont know, worth a try,
at this point you definately need a supervisor though

marryjane

I'm just anxious, and I want to know my options. I'm thankful for any advice. I have spoken to 2 supervisors already. One was rude and the other was ok, but both could not help me. It just seems like they don't know what they're talking about. One supervisor told me that I needed to go to the airport, and so we did, but the rep there told us to call US Airways. The second supervisor assured me that I could still use the ticket, because they placed a note on the it. However, he then spoke to his superior and then conveniently changed his mind about the ticket. Somehow some reps and supervisors feel that a note will be sufficient enough to board the flight, but others don't feel it will work. I'm getting all this contradicting information, so it's like I'm afraid to cancel also.

sunbum1944

well if it was me, I think I would try it with a note - I know thats not much assurance- but seems worth a try and better than cancelling the whole trip

BeachBoi

marryjane.....One of my clunkhead roommates had a similar experience...His first name is Mark his middle name is Robert and he goes by "Robert"...He booked his ticket on Orbitz using the name "Robert".When I pointed out that his DL was in "Mark R" he panicked.I told him to call USAir which he did.They looked at his reservation and the agent on the phone told him that she had changed the name on his reservation to match the name on his DL.There was no problem and he was good to go.All I can say is try again and maybe explain the situation in those terms:name on the ticket doesnt match the name on the ID...The rule tat the names match is the airline's rule.They are free to break/amend their own rules.Bet of Luck, I know its a nightmare.

LoveItaly

marryjane, I assume and hope you are not using your brother in law's girlfriend real name as most all post here end up on Google which anyone in the world can read.

marryjane

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind. OOPS..lucky there are many Youa Her and Youa Vang out there... so I'm sure it'll be ok. It's not really very unique name.

It has been a nightmare... I think I'll have her go the airport one more time, and then just cancel. It was my mistake, but it would have been nice to have some sort of customer service...

fdecarlo

If this ever happens again, the best thing to do is nothing. Had she simply checked in for the flight, there would have been a 99% chance the ticket clerk would have just blown off the spelling difference, or even not noticed it in the first place. And even if the clerk did ask about it, you would have simply needed to explain what happened.

Airlines aren't in a big rush to create obstacles for themselves, and this kind of thing (spelling or name errors when one person makes flight reservations for another) happens thousands of times every single day.

pjsparlor

This happened to me on a international flight. My friend's name is Betty, and I booked the ticket as Elizabeth since all the other Betty's I know are by birth Elizabeth. But I was wrong, when my girlfriend informed me her name on the birth certificate is Betty. So anyway we could not use the ticket, we went to Air France ticketing in John Hancock building and got a new e-ticket. No extra charge either.

sunbum1944

Well whatever happens - let us know the end of the story -

marryjane

Thanks for all the advice. I googled this issue and found a travel specialist. He contacted the companies. Because of him, Travelocity and US Airways have been contacting me. They are trying to change her name on the ticket now. Hopefully it all works out in the end.

snealfleeba

Assuming you put this on a credit card, so why not just contest the charge with the cc company (tell them the airline/expedia screwed up and won't work with you to resolve the situation) and then buy a new ticket? Of course, check to make sure you can still get a good fare given this late date.

marryjane

Can I really tell my credit company they screwed up? I did put in the wrong name, but the airline should be able to fix it for me. I didn't think I could contact my credit card company to contest the charge. Would this work?

BeachBoi

marryjane....Proceed with your plans...disputing the charge will only further complicate an already complicated situation..Besides, when you booked online, did you not "Agree" to the Terms and Conditions at some juncture?Of course you did, otherwise you would have not been able to book in the first place.Best of Luck!

snealfleeba

I disagree with BeachBoi--it's fine if you are finally getting satisfaction from the airline in fixing the situation, but if they are or were stonewalling you, a contested credit card charge should work. Your type-o mistake could be a construed as a computer error. Credit card companies, particularly American Express, can be strong advocates on your behalf in these situations and it's what they get their annual fees for. Agreeing to a website's blanket terms and conditions does not end the analysis.

marryjane

I think this nightmare has ended!!! I'm so happy!!! Because I emailed Christopher from Tripso.com, my situation has been handled with care and consideration. After I emailed him, I was contacted by a representative from Travelocity and US Airways. US Airways updated the name and agreed to issue a printed ticket with no extra charge. Everything seems good so far now. I didn't enjoy US Airways/Travelocity's customer service, but in the end, everything worked out. I know I made a mistake with the name, but I feel that both companies should have been more accommadating and informative without me contacting a higher source. It was frustrating, but it ended well. I don't think customer service will get better though....

beanweb24

I smell advertising.

marryjane

I had to mention his name in this posting. The correction happened because I googled it and found him. Search Engines are great! I'm so happy! This made my day and now my brother in law gets to spend Valentines Day with his girl!