Collette

Cancelling a trip to San Fransico Oct 12th due to husband's job loss. I tried to talk the supervisor at USAIR out of charging me $50 to redeposit the ticket we bought with frequent flyer miles... she said she empathized but NO . The other ticket is non-refundable. They "only" charge $100 to change it to another flight BUT my dilema is I have NO CLUE what our situation will be. Even if I use that ticket for a flight to family at Christmas and book it from where we live now, we might already have sold our home and be living elsewhere. Then I would have to change it again and pay another $100. Since some of you are very savvy with this stuff want to see if you have any thoughts on how I can avoid loosing so much . I have cancelled two hotels..no penalty ofcourse but will loose about $45 on the one night in the airport Priceline hotel unless people have an idea on how to get around that ?

xxx

It amazes me how many people jump at bargain air fares, hotel special prices, or priceline quotes that are cheap for one major reason -- they can't be refunded or changed. That's why they were cheap in the first place. You take your chances! So why do these same people then try to figure out how to beat the system and get a refund when they do exactly what they were told they couldn't do. This is called gambling and you lose. It's sad, but that's the chance you took when you bought it.
Sort of like buying a blouse on super sale that says "no returns", getting home, finding a major flaw, and going back to the store to try to get your money back.

xx

Very well said.

xxx

I like the posters who get angry when priceline or other such that will not refund the money. They are the ones writing those big hate letters and posting them all over the place like epinions.com and planetfeedback.com.

Collette

Attention KMART Shoppers... I am not angry with all this,,, just wondering if there is a way not to loose particularly on the airline ticket. As I said.. I can rebook for $100 but since we have to sell our house due to his job loss I have no clue where we will be flying from so if I change again it cost $100 again. I was asking for some help with that... I know the PRiceline hotel is gone and that is why I only booked that one night with them. So I resent your assumption that I acted rashly.. I was aware but did not forsee that this economy was going to force the cancellation. Again, my main ? is how not to loose the cost of one airline ticket ? Please, answer if you have ideas or thoughts not just put downs. Thanks

Miss Crabtree

You LOSE money! You LOSE a game.

Something is LOOSE when it's not tight enough!

pam

I think (not sure as I did not read it thouroughly,) go to msn.com. They have some articles about air fares, and perhaps this subject. I think I read it would be cheaper at times to go ahead, and not pay the 100 for any changes, and re-book all over again when the timing is right for you. You could be paying 100 over and over again. It would make no sense. Sorry, but the loss is still better than being in debt. The trip would more than likely cost more than the loss in the final end.

Judy

I sympathize. Unfortunately, it appears that you are a victim of USAIR's new policy regarding tickets. It used to be that a ticket had value for one year after its purchase date. (Of course you still had to pay the additional "change fee".) But the new policy is that you can only rebook before the date of the original travel. I don't know when you bought your ticket, but if it was earlier in the year, perhaps you fall under their "old" policy. Good luck.

xx

Hello People!!! She is asking on how to get around the rules! Tough luck Collette. Thats what happens when you don't buy travel insurance or a pricier ticket with more options.

Collette

Pam, Judy and all the other nice people who do not need to be hostile... thanks for those suggestions. I will call USAIR again and make the case that I booked before they changed those rules. As it stands now, they want me to rebook before Oct 12 or lose the whole amount. I could rebook for some trip and hope we can afford to go by then but I may be living in a different city ...so another change is possible.

Patty

Collette,
If you booked PRIOR the rule change, I don't see how US Air can make the new rules retroactive to your ticket. I would fight them on this. If you don't get anywhere with US Air, perhaps you could get your credit card company involved (if you charged the ticket).

x

I think you are going to be out of luck unless you find someone who has the authority and feels badly for the situation you are in so they will refund the $$$. But I doubt it. If they make an exception for you where would they draw the line in the future?

Instant Karma

Collette,

I believe in Karma too and I think your husband lost his job because of your nastiness somewhere down the line. What a jerk to come on here, ask for help in beating the system, and expect sympathy from other travellers. Like someone else said, this gets discussed all the time and you will always get flamed on this board for buying a restricted ticket and then asking how to get around the restrictions. I'm not saying don't ask, but don't get all bent about the hostile responses you're bound to receive. If you get a refund on your ticket, the rest of us bear the brunt of the costs in the form of higher ticket prices or lower stock prices. Again, more power to ya if you can beat it, but you have a lot of nerve acting up, though it doesn't surprise me on this board.

You're not married to Austin are you?

Collette

No, collette had to do some work. Instant Karma... the only reason we bought the restricted ticket was because we had planned a trip to Paris right after Sept 11th and had to cancel ( for a number of reasons). The rule was when we rebooked.. it was non-refundable. Again, I say thank you to those you had something constuctive to say. This trhread is no officially over...

LOL

So you are already using a ticket that they changed for you and you want it changed again??!! I say NO WAY!

Sue

Hi Collette, I think you best bet is with the people directly as USAir, explain once again and see if you get any further. It's possible you may get someone with a little more authority when you call this time. Or, if they will only let you change for $100, can you can the ticket for a flight that leaves out of a major hub near you? That way if you do move, you can fly to the "hub" and then use your ticket . .just a thought.

Now, what I thought was most interesting here was that Collette only asked for SUGGESTIONS as previous poster noted. Of course some of you who have NEVER had to ask for a favor when traveling or had someone bend the rules for you had to get up on your pious soapboxes and berate Collete. Get over yourselves, and I sincerely hope you have never asked for an upgrade to first class, for a seat change, ticket change, non-smoking room, larger room, decafe coffee (after all you ordered coffee, that is exactly what you get) extra towels, or a room change because the people next to you are having a party. I'm also sure you have never moved into those 3 empty seats in the row behind you on the plane so you could have more room - I'm so sure you stayed squeezed in between the screaming kid and the fat lady who smelled, because it was the "right" thing to do.

x

Sue
I understand your point but what Collette is trying to do is BREAK the rules that are clealy printed in black and white. Your examples are a little less black and white. Asking for something specific once you have made and payed for your reservation is much different.

xx

You get what you paid for.

x

Get real folks ... you can't "trick" the airlines into giving you something. Either Collette is going to talk to them and they'll agree to help her out or they'll say no, but I garantee you that neither Collette nor anyone on this board can come up with some sort of way to break the rules with the airlines and trick them into giving her something they don't want to which means she's not going be getting away with whatever it is you are accusing her of. She's asking on how to handle it. You can't fool mother nature and the same goes for the airlines.

xxx

Per Collette "... I am doing what is always advocated on this site and everywhere else... I am trying to use my brain, charm, wit, whatever to limit my financial loss at a time of crisis in my family."

Sweetheart, I dont think any of the above are going to work as you are lacking in all of them.