I HATE Skybus!
 

I do. I completely hate Skybus. Here's why:

My sister grew up in Seattle. She moved to Ohio 10 years ago and due to money constraints, has only been back to Seattle once to visit family. We miss her. So the other day I'm talking to her on the phone and she says she wants to come visit this summer. Yes! I am so excited. I tell her that I've heard there's a new airline called Skybus that flies out of Columbus, Ohio (her nearest airport) and that we should check out their flights and prices.

Since she doesn't have a computer, I log on to the Skybus website. The prices aren't anything fabulous but she and her daughter want to come right in the middle of August - high season - so we just decide to buy the tickets while she's on the phone. I am so excited! I can't wait for my nine year-old niece to finally meet my 12 year-old son! This summer is going to be fabulous.

So I purchase the tickets we want via the website (the only way you can do it with Skybus), using her credit card. Or so I think. And here's where I screw up: Somewhere in all of the excitement, I get the dates right but I transpose the departure and arrival cities. (Omigod. How did I do this? What an idiot I am! I said the itinerary out loud about five times to my sister, how did I screw this up? I have purchased airline tickets a zillion times in my life on the computer and never had a problem. But now I have a problem.) I see my error after it's too late, but no matter, the Skybus website says all over the place that they will change a ticket for $40 per segment. Okay big deal! I just made a $160 error. But it is my mistake, I own it, I get over it. I tell myself that it's worth the $160 to just see my sister and niece this summer - of course it is - and that's that. I will pay for it and not even tell my sister so she doesn't try to pay me $160 for my dumb mistake. And at this point I'm naive enough to even ask Skybus if they will make the change for free, you know, to keep me on as a customer etc etc. Boy was I in for it.

Alright then, have I mentioned that the Skybus website says all over it that you can change your reservations? Because this is important. In fact, here's their actual wording from one place on the site: "A Few Things To Keep In Mind About Changing Your Reservation. There is a change fee of US $40 per passenger, per flight segment. You’ll need to pay the difference if your new fare is higher than the original fare. There are no refunds if the new fare is lower. You may not change the names of your passengers. Skybus tickets are non-transferable."

Yes okay. That seems fair. However, below is a copy of my email exchange with Skybus. It begins a few days ago and ends with my email back to them last night. (I have not received a response from them as of this morning.) Please read it and make up your own mind if you want to do business with them:


MY MESSAGE TO THEM ON SUNDAY, 5/27:

I am new to your website and when I originally typed in my departure/arrival cities I typed that they wanted to fly out of Columbus airport, to Seattle (Bellingham) on August 9 and then return from Seattle (Bellingham) on August 20, flying back to Columbus. Then I continued from there and put in their passenger information. After we went through all of that, I realized that somewhere along the line the cities got transposed, and it shows the first flight leaving Seattle instead! (Flight 271 on 8/9 and flight 270 on 8/20.) Help!

I'm not sure if it's something I did or if there's a glitch in the system, but the bottom line is we need to change their tickets asap. (I can't imagine what I did though, I'm sure I put in the cities correctly at the start, and I've used Orbitz at least 20-30 times and never had such a problem.)

Please let me know what I need to do to change this to flight 270 then on Thursday, 8/9 (Columbus to Seattle) and flight 271 on Monday, 8/20 (Seattle to Columbus). As a first-time customer, is there any way this can be done gratis? I realize I should have been more careful when undertaking the transaction, I just didn't realize that your website was a bit trickier than Orbitz.

Please contact me as soon as possible at my email address. Thank you in advance for your assistance! I am so sorry for any inconvenience and again, if you could help me out as a new customer to Skybus, it would go a long way to make me a return customer to your new company! Thank you.

Sincerely,
J

HERE IS THEIR "CUT AND PASTE" RESPONSE ON TUESDAY, 5/29 THAT TELLS ME I CAN CHANGE MY RESERVATION AS I REQUESTED, JUST FOLLOW THEIR EASY INSTRUCTIONS:

Thank you for contacting Skybus.

You may change your Skybus Trip for a $40 change fee per passenger, per flight segment – plus any fare difference if the new fare is higher (there is no refund if the new fare is lower).

To change your Trip, click the “View/Change Reservation” tab located in the lower left portion of the Skybus Home Page, then enter the requested information and click the “go” button. You’ll see an overview of your Trip, along with options to change dates and times, add “Extras” like Priority Boarding, and request special assistance such as a wheelchair.

We hope this information has been helpful, and look forward to serving you in the future.

Savvy
Skybus

HERE IS MY FRANTIC 5/29 RESPONSE TO THEIR MESSAGE, AFTER I TRY TO FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE THE CHANGES I NEED TO MAKE:

Okay, so I tried to do exactly as the instructions say below AND IT DOES NOT GIVE ME THE OPTION OF CHANGING MY DEPARTURE OR ARRIVAL CITY! It just says I can change the date they are flying out of Seattle. They want to fly out of Columbus, to Seattle on August 9 and then out of Seattle, back to Columbus on August 20. Please help me asap. So far dealing with your company is turning into a nightmare, I need the assistance of a human. Thanks, please contact me asap as I'm desperate to get this fixed before the dates we need sell out.

HERE'S THEIR 5/29 RESPONSE:

We apologize for the inconvenience. However, Skybus does not allow the change of departure or destination cities. Only flight dates may be changed. If you would like to make a new booking please visit www.skybus.com. Thank you for choosing Skybus.

HERE'S MY 6/1 RESPONSE:

I apologize for the inconvenience. However, nowhere on your website does it say that Skybus does not allow the change of departure or destination cities. What it does say, in fact, is that "reservations with Skybus fares may be changed or cancelled prior to departure at www.skybus.com for a $40 fee per person, per flight segment, plus any applicable differences in fare." Since this statement makes no specific exclusions about the cities in question, it is inherently implying that such changes can be made and it obviously leads the consumer to believe that "RESERVATIONS MAY BE CHANGED" for $40 fee per person, per flight segment, plus any applicable differences in fare.

Was I someway in error for believing what was posted by your company on your company's website? (I have printed every single page and know for a fact that there is no reference to any rule that says "Skybus does not allow the change of departure or destination cities," as you noted below). Please honor what you are advertising and let me know how I go about changing my reservation as promised on your website. I will do what I need to do in order to make this happen, and I trust that in the interest of being a reputable, upstanding company, Skybus will also.

Please respond asap and let me know how to go about changing these tickets within the guidelines you outlined on your website, and without the hidden rules you are so underhandedly trying to impose upon me now.

Thank you.

AND THEIR 6/2 RESPONSE:

We apologize that things are not stated more clearly on our website, but it is impossible to acknowledge everything a passenger can and cannot do with Skybus. Skybus is not trying to hide anything. Our policy is that tickets are non-refundable, which essentially means no changes can be made, meaning no exchanges, no returns. It is technically a courtesy to allow passengers to change a flight date with a fee. We apologize for the inconvenience, but departure cities cannot be changed.

...AND MY RESPONSE LAST NIGHT:

Your reply makes no sense whatsoever.

First of all, it is absolutely not impossible to "acknowledge everything a passenger can and cannot do with Skybus," your company has been purposely negligent in that regard and you should be ashamed of yourself for having anything to do with them. Life is too short to treat people this way, even for a paycheck. Honestly. It is simple to provide a list of what can and cannot be done by the customer, and by the company. To state what you did on the website and not honor it is poor form, totally lacking in ethics and bad juju. I wouldn't want to be the person relaying your message, that's for sure.

Secondly, the policy of Skybus, for all intents by its website and its advertising, is that CHANGES CAN BE MADE, for $40. I am done stating back to you what your website stated to me in the first place. Again, the company should be ashamed of its negligence you should be ashamed to be associated with such a company. I KNOW THAT THE TICKETS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. I did not ask for a refund. I simply asked for help with changing my ticket, which you said I could do for $40 per ticket, per segment. NO EXCLUSIONS beyond that. I am simply asking you to do what you said you would do. For you to imply that it would be "a courtesy" for you to provide the service you promised, the people you work for have a totally unbelievably screwed up idea of what customer service is. Again, glad it's you, not me.

Lastly, unless your company rectifies this immediately, tomorrow I plan to contact The Seattle Times, Conde Nast Traveller, The Better Business Bureau, and every single web travel group that I belong to, the list of which is too extensive to mention here. And that will be the start. I have never done such a thing, but then again, never have I had such a poor experience dealing with a company in my life. Skybus cannot possibly hope to stay in business with such poor customer service, even in this day and age.

...AND WE'RE DONE.

This has been my experience with Skybus, and I want everybody to know what they are up for if they choose to fly on this carrier.

By the way, in case you're interested in our saga, we have already purchased normal tickets for my sister on Delta and I have learned my lesson (which, as it turns out, was more than a $160 lesson!). Let me tell you though, it sure was a relief to pick up that phone and have a nice helpful Delta PERSON on the phone to help me with the second transaction.

Anyway, the bottom line as I see it is, I made a mistake, it was my mistake and I was ready to pay to rectify it. Skybus also made a huge mistake but they obviously do not think they need to do anything to make it right. How difficult is it to actually write down on their website their rules and regulations? By having a short list of what I as the customer can and can't do, I (silly me!) assumed those were the rules. However, they apparently have a whole set of rules somewhere that I can't see that they can impose any time they like, AND THEY CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO POST THEM ON THEIR WEBSITE! IT'S TOO MUCH WORK! Absolutely unbelievable.

ick up that phone and have a nice helpful Delta PERSON on the phone to help me with the second transaction.

Thanks so much for posting this advisory, LunaBella. Skybus just introduced service at GSO and several people had talked about trying them out. Don't think I will be one of them.

And, don't get too excited about Delta customer service. It has a few very rough spots, too.

Have a wonderful visit with your sister. I love Bellingham!

I haven't looked into Skybus yet, but know a few people who are excited about the low fares. Just watching their ads, it appears the tickets are around $16 from Columbus to SFO for instance. How much exactly were your tickets?

Thanks cmcfong. I know exactly what you mean about Delta! However, the fact that I was overwhelmed by Delta's customer service after that of Skybus just illustrates how freaked out I was by the whole Skybus experience. We took your money, you deserve nothing, we don't even have to post our regulations, we don't care what you think! You are lucky we're sending you a canned response of "NO."

Anyway, it's not that I haven't been treated poorly in the past by a company, just nothing even close to this. Certainly Skybus's actions in this case cannot be legal? Not sure where I'm going to take it at this point, but I am hopeful that my bad experience will help others make informed travel choices!

Yes that's the worst part Maj, we were lured onto the site (rightly so, I've got no gripe there) by the idea of those very low fares, which were of course long gone for August high season. We ended up paying over $200 per ticket on Skybus, which of course I don't have to tell you, I'm kicking myself over.

My sister is one of those people that will talk about taking a trip for years (she is the opposite of me, I can't stand it if I don't have one planned at all times! :), and it will never come to fruition. ("We're going to come out next summer, maybe June...", then June arrives and "the trip might happen in August, then maybe next year...") So, when I had her on the line and she said "Let's do it," I didn't want to let her hang up that phone without completing the transaction, so at that point Skybus seemed as good as any.

Again, hindsight is 20/20...

I think that the customer service and the policies are outrageous. Since they will let you change the dates could you and your son use those tickets at a later time to visit your sister and niece? Trying to think positive.

Thanks Suzie, but we can't change the names on the tickets, they would have to be used by my sister and her daughter. (That's one thing that IS posted on their website!)

I know, I've been trying to put a positive spin on it too, but so far I haven't come up with anything. Thanks for trying though!

Oh, wait! Here's a positive spin: At least their responses of "No we can't help you and we can impose any rules that we desire upon you after the fact" came back really super quick. No waiting around for the "NO!" reply, nosiree. They are there asap. No no no! No rules posted! No we don't have to post them! No we can't help you! No we don't care!

Try calling or emailing Floyd directly:

Primary contact

Floyd Nickerson
Vice president, people
(614) 246-8800
[email protected]

Executives (*)

Kenneth Gile
President and chief operating officer
(614) 246-8800
[email protected]

Bill Diffenderffer
Chief executive officer
(614) 246-8800
[email protected]

* Executives should only be contacted when your letter or email has not been acknowledged within six to eight weeks.

I know you are angry...I would be too.

I wouldn't wait for weeks to contact the executives.

This is a strt-up business. If they aren't perceived as being customer-friendly and reasonable I doubt they'll go very far.

I'm sorry you don't have leverage with the local paper.

Do you think you could make a case for some sort of false or at least misleading advertising with the BBB?

Good luck.

I feel compelled to do that thing that everyone hates, which is disagree with the OP's original premise. I am prepraed to take my lumps.

The mistake was the OP's, which s/he admits; Skybus stated a very common policy, which to my knowledge most if not all airlines have, which is that "changing" the departure AND arrival cities constitutes buying a new set of tickets; the OP persisted in emailing Skybus, but picked up the phone to call Delta. Who knows what a phone call to Skybus might have accomplished?

As for those emails, why even suggest that a "glitch" caused the mistake? It was simple user error unless the user can prove otherwise.

I'm sorry the OP is out a lot of money, but I fail to see what Skybus did that was so wrong.

I would pursue the matter through the credit card company. Let them cancel the charge until it is worked out. I made an online ticketing mistake once and Delta helped me make it right without a charge. The poster said tickets could be bought only online--are there no customer service telephone numbers to call for help?

There are NO phone numbers to call Skybus - for reservations, for help, for anyting. They make that point very clear on their web site. They state that phone banks are expensive, so they have no number by which they can be contacted - only email! You might be able to get through to one of the executives using the numbers listed above, but otherwise you're SOL.

That was just one of the things that did not appeal to me when I first started reading about the airline.

OK, so you can't call them--I stand corrected.

But: what airline refunds tickets purchased "in error"?

I made a similar mistake booking with USAIRWAYS. I notified them immediately of my error and they allowed me to cancel my tickets and start over without penalty. Just my experience, Newbe, but I agree with OP, this is not good customer service.

Most airlines will let you cancel within 24 hours if it's an honest mistake. But "most airlines" also have 800 numbers and let people bring food on their planes. Skybus is not "most airlines".

I think there's little the OP can do at this point other than emailing the executives. One can dispute the charge with the credit card, but I don't think one will win on this one.

In my opinion, they are fine for their $10 fare. I mean, if the OP had bought $10 fares, all she'd lost would be $40 (for 4 flights) + taxs/fees. Not a big deal. There has to be a very good reason before I'd buy their more expensive tickets.

Hi NewbE! Actually, my problem with Skybus was that they DIDN'T state anywhere that changing the departure city constituted buying a new set of tickets. I thought that changing them meant changing them. If they had outlined that premise - somewhere, anywhere on their website - then okay. But they didn't. That's all I'm saying.

I'm all about playing by the rules. I don't think I deserve special treatment, and I know I made a mistake which I was more than ready to pay for. I reiterate, what I don't like is that they changed the rules midway through our transaction. Certainly that is not okay, is it?

And the other posters were right, the only reason I didn't pick up the phone with Skybus is because I couldn't. But I went into it knowing that so I don't have a problem with that.

Also, as to your question "What airline refunds tickets purchased in error?," as I said earlier, I never asked them for a refund. I simply want to change the tickets, which they definitely said I could do on their website. I don't want special service or a refund. I want to them to do exactly what they said they would do, that is all.

Anyway yes. At the time I felt like I had a good reason to buy from them but in hindsight I wouldn't even buy a $10 ticket from them. If they are this negligent

I fall somewhere in the middle of the previous posts. I agree that it was a customer error and technically the airline cant be held responsible for that. And I don't know any airline where changing origin or destination is not considered a new itinerary, though changing dates on the original city pair is considered just a change to the original, not a new itinerary. I also agree that it sure would generate good will if they were to fix this. Given that you thought you had purchased the correct itinerary and there is the possibility (even if remote) that it was a software glitch, I'd sure press them on it.
Please do let us know how it works out in the end, whether or not they come through.

Again, Seamus, not trying to hold them responsible for my error. (I was prepared to pay the $40 per ticket change fee). What I AM trying to hold them responsible for is outlining their policies clearly on their website. Do you really think the following statement (their exact quote) is okay?

"We apologize that things are not stated more clearly on our website, but it is impossible to acknowledge everything a passenger can and cannot do with Skybus."

Really?

If so, then

Sorry...keep cutting off my last line! (Cat on the keyboard syndrome. :)

Anyway I was just saying I can't imagine that this what customer service has come to, it's crazy.

If you've read through their website, you'll find they show much contempt for their customers. [Their wording sounds a lot like Ryanair's chairman Michael O'Leary; but at least Ryanair don't put those on their website.]

So, I'm not surprised to read that email response you get.

"But: what airline refunds tickets purchased "in error"?" - all major airlines allow cancellations within 24 hours. I don't know how soon they will issue a refund.

Hi Luna
Nope, I am not excusing them. Especially in a business model premised on internet transactions, I would expect the merchant to be totally explicit in their web postings. For example, Continental (the airline I use most) includes a link to an exhaustively spelled out list of rules and restrictions during online purchases, displayed in the final screens before you pull the trigger and complete the purchase, including specific info on what can/cannot be changed and any penalties that accrue.

I don't understand why they would say this: "reservations with Skybus fares may be changed or cancelled prior to departure at www.skybus.com for a $40 fee per person, per flight segment, plus any applicable differences in fare"

If the tickets are "non-refundable," then what does it mean when they say a ticket may be "cancelled prior to departure" for $40 per person per leg?

So if I were to buy a $300 ticket and just not show up the day of the flight, I'm out $300. But if I CANCELL the ticket, I'm out $340? That doesn't make sense. They SHOULD charge you $40 per leg per person to cancel the original ticket, then have you pay the difference for buying a new ticket (which is what you thought would happen in the first place). That, to me, is the only way the right to "cancel" a ticket makes sense. Otherwise, what "right" is there at all?

Seamus - Exactly. When there are only a few specific restrictions mentioned, it is only right and proper for the consumer to assume those are the only restrictions. In fact, I believe that is the law. (But that's another chapter.) They cannot seriously think that just because they were THINKING something that their website did not outline, that it's valid for them to impose this THOUGHT after a transaction has occurred? In business? Does that even hold up on the playground?

I read their fine print but I cannot read their minds. The terms of their agreement were set in black and white. I wanted to make changes within the framework they established, and they in turn are not honoring their word.

Jolie - I know! It practically makes sense. Or not. Or does it?

Okay - as a total aside - who came up with the name "Skybus"? That has got to be the most unsexy moniker I've seen in a long while.

Can't you see the marketing meeting? "We want to come up with a name that's evocative of mass transit - like a bus in the air!"

Does a "sexy" airline give better service?

AirTran? JetBlue? American? Delta? Wow, I'm getting aroused here!

Jolie.....A non refundable ticket is just that....you will not get a refund.Period.What they are saying is that as long as you cancel the ticket prior to scheduled departure, the value of the ticket will remain in tact.Let's take your $300 example.And, yes you are correct.If you don not show up for the flight, and fail to cancel, you are out $300.00.If you cancel the ticket per the rules of the fare,the $300 ticket remains as a credit.Then, when you go to reschedule your trip, you pay a $40 per segment fee.But lets say that when you go to reschedule your trip, the fare has gone up $100.If its a 2 segment itinerary, then you pay $40 X 2, $80 plus the $100 in additional airfare.So to reschedule your trip, it would cost $180.00.Since I have absolutely no plans to fly Skybus, I havent done any more research on their fare rules.To the best of my knowledge, all other airlines, legacy and LCC as well, when you cancel a ticket, and they hold the credit, you can use that credit for any itinerary, not just what you had previously booked.Hope this helps.

This has actually happened to me, on AA.
If you use an agency, like I do, they could have simply voided the ticket and you just start over.
I am not sure if they can ticket Skybus.
Periodically this sort of scenario results in a nasty fare surprise when the reversed segments are priced.
SEA to CMH may have a fare that is much lower than CMH to SEA.
Anyhoo... if you called immediately after the reservation was completed, they should have understood the situation and helped you out on this without problems.
Like I said... AA has helped me out a few times over the year.
I agree with the previous poster... If you write management, call your mistake a mistake.

I'll agree w/NewbE here...You are ticketing an entirely differing itin. I would think they would (however) credit the price of the original tix towards a new booking. That is what I would have requested, anyway. None of the airlines know much about good customer service. If you could call (Based on other airlines) you would be on hold for over an hour prior to being switched to a 'supervisor' which would in turn be a busy signal. You made a mistake & are now paying for it. Is it good customer service, no. Will you be more careful next time when the prompt says are you sure you want to purchase these tix - yes. In addition, I believe the issue is your definition of change versus theirs. If the departure/origination city is different, then basically you're starting all over.

TTP....The only way to ticket Skybus is online.They are not interested in customer service.The head guy is old Eastern Airlines materiel.....go figure.

Hey Dukey...how about Hooters Airlines? That should get you aroused...

Thank you for the post and heads up. As bad as I am with typing (never took a lesson) and as many times as I've had computer glitches, I would HATE to think one accidental entry could cost me so much. I have "screwed up" on Delta and Southwest (usually entering a wrong date) and had it corrected immediately. One time, I had my calendar on the wrong year! HA! I would be very hesitant using Skybus based on their policies.

SAnparis, my definition of change vs. theirs is of course part of the equation but again again again, THAT IS NOT THE MAIN ISSUE. The issue is NOT that we have a difference regarding the definitition of "change," it's that they did not PROVIDE a definition on their website, yet they knowingly have a definition of what it is. This is underhanded and not good business practice.

Okay, I'll try to quit saying it now.

Also, the point that Jolie raised and Beachboi responded to is interesting for a few reasons.

First, Skybus has I think three places on its website where it talks about its "rules" and in only one place does it include the cancellation wording. If Beachboi's explanation is correct (leap of faith, not about Beachboi, but that he's interpreting their rules correctly because frankly, the rules could really be anything. Again, in hindsight, THIS is the real problem! Their intentionally vague rules can be interpreted however it suits them best.)

Anyhow, secondly, if Beachboi is right, I think, couldn't I just cancel my ticket for $40, keeping the credit of what I originally paid, and start over? Hmmm. So I go onto the Skybus website to see if this would work, and lo and behold, I don't see any way to cancel a ticket! Can't find it! Am I just missing it? I have sent them an email asking how I do this. Should be interesting.

Hmmm....let's see....Skybus is in the business of moving human beings from one place to another. Yet, they make no allowances for human error. We all make mistakes from time to time. Heck, I've even made one or two goofs in my lifetime.

Obviously, the folks at Skybus are making an error as well. They're forgetting that their "cargo" is human.

I imagine that the advent of online booking has created endless customer service nightmares for airlines. I am no apologist for the airline industry, far from it. But when customers make huge errors and then demand redress based on a technicality, it hurts other travelers more than it hurts the airlines.

Well....I guess "let the buyer beware". I use an online only cruise agency from time to time...but they are most helpful when there are problems or questions. I always get an answer from a person, not a form letter. IMO Skybus will eventually pay for the lack of personal service.

FWIW, I agree that Skybus should have credited the original purchase price to a new purchase, as it really wouldn't have cost them anything to do it. And I HATE the idea of never being able to speak to them on the phone. And I do think it will cost them in the long run.

Again again again, not "demanding redress." Didn't ask for a refund. I want them to post their rules on their website and then go by what they put there. Sheesh!

I hadn't heard of Skybus until this post so I guess they haven't come to Philly yet??? Hope they don't so I won't be tempted to use them.

Sounds like one of those start ups (of which there have been many over the years) that won't be around too long. I'd be wary of purchasing any tickets on them for any more than a few days out.

An airline website without a customer service phone number? I wouldn't even buy a book from such a company. I guess no phone number should be a clue. Do they post a physical address or just a PO Box?