I had a weird experience with Expedia and wodner if others had similar experiences (or am I paranoid?) Okay, I bought 4 tickets on Expedia for travel January to Florida. When I bought the tickets they were quite a bit cheaper than any other website. Got an email that I had purchased the tickets and that they would mail them after confirmation by the airline. Twenty-six hours later another email that the tickets were being shipped via FedEx. Tickets arrive and everything is cool. About 2 weeks later I get an urgent email that the airline has informed them of a substantial itinerary change and I should call them immediately. While on hold with Expedia, I check the airline website; the flights are still available as purchased but have gone up quite a bit (also check Expedia's site --- ditto). The old price is still available with a three hour stopover but not for the non-stop flights I purchased. Now, the Expedia lady is on the phone telling me that the airline "doesn't fly"; huh?; well, they fly but not that flight; I'm telling her can't be because the airline (and you) are still selling the same flights. Then she tells me that the airline hasn't confirmed the reservation (then why did I get the paper tickets two weeks ago?). She says they'll help me get a comfirmation. I call the airline who indeed doesn't have any records of us flying on any of their flights. I call back Expedia, where they're still "trying to help me". I'm getting worried because not too many seats are still available on my flights. I tell them to confirm me on the flights that I have the tickets for and figure it out between the airline and Expedia. In fact, what do I have to do with it? I paid for a ticket, received the tickets, and seats are still available. I also tell them that there's going to be a major problem if I don't get on these flights plus I have thousands of dollars worth of cruise tickets. Finally, after 7 hours (and a couple of calls) during which they supposedly try to straighten it out (the supervisor is "working" on it, too), I ask to talk to a person who can make a decision right then and there. She then tells me that they secured a confirmation for our original flights.
Now, what was this? Am I oversuspicious or were they trying to switch me to the cheaper flight via Atlanta because they messed up and didn't confirm the original flights? (Why would the airline sent them an email about itinerary change if they didn't even know we were flying them and there was no itinerary change?)

All I can say is....that's what happens with all those wonderful online booking companies. I would NEVER trust buying tickets through expedia knowing I have to get to a cruise, not at all reliable.

No you are not being overly suspicious. Haven't you heard of the old "bait and switch". Classic example of how these things work. Congratulations on sticking to your guns and being aggressive. That's the only way to deal with these "bargain" discounters.

Well xx, if you're more comfortable buying your plane tix elsewhere, then by all means do so. I've purchased airline tickets for many trips over the last six or seven years using several different on-line sites. Never had a major problem. Saying they are "not at all reliable" is way over stating it.
Anyway noname, I've heard similar stories although the last time I had a problem (Travelocity)with an itinerary change, they acutally owed ME money and promptly sent me vouchers. I think this is the difference between doing our own booking and letting a TA do it. Using a TA, you would have been insulated from this type of snafu. Personally, its worth the $$ to me to take care of it myself.
Glad it worked out and have a great trip.

Well, I used to have a TA but after two major mess-ups I decided to handle all travel myself; usually cheaper and more reliable. This was the first problem I had in several years with on-line travel arrangements. (One TA expert for Central American travel once booked me on a flight from Dallas to San Jose, CR, instead of Dulles to San Jose, even though I told him I also could fly from National or BWI --- I then had to get a ticket via an ON-LINE discounter as even the airline told me that the flight was sold out). Another, local, TA failed to inform me that Canadian Air had stopped service altogether, which I didn't know until I showed up at the airport. I had booked both flights and a cruise from Vancouver with her and fortunately had decided to leave a day earlier.