An Ontario couple booking their dream vacation to Africa says they were searching for flights online when they got a call from a travel website offering a good deal, but after reserving the tickets, a typo of just one letter ended up ruining their trip.
“Just to change the ‘M’ at the end of my name I’ll have to pay,” Audrey Hamilton, of Courtice, Ont., told CTV News.
Hamilton says she and her husband planned their dream vacation to Ghana in February and were online looking for tickets.
After entering their phone number on a third-party website, she says someone gave them a call.
“I got a call from a 1-888 number that (told me) they were selling tickets to go somewhere and they noticed I was searching for tickets and they said they would help me,” said Hamilton.
The caller told Hamilton he could get her two round trip tickets from Toronto to Accra, Ghana for $2,750.
Hamilton agreed with the price and gave the caller her information to purchase the tickets.
However, when Hamilton checked the tickets she says she noticed there was an error with the spelling of her last name.
“At the end of my name he put an ‘M’ instead of an ‘N,’ so immediately when we saw that we emailed the agent and texted him, but he never responded,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton booked through a third-party website called ASAP Tickets. She said after a month of trying to correct her name from ‘Hamiltom’ to its proper spelling of ‘Hamilton,’ she was told she could be issued new tickets, but was shocked at how much she would have to pay.
“One person told me it’s going to be $2,000 plus and I said that’s going to be double paying.”
Their tickets were for United Airlines and when CTV News reached out to the airline on Hamilton’s behalf, a spokesperson said in a statement, “The customer will need to work directly with the third-party booking agency to make any changes to their ticket.”
CTV News also reached out to ASAP Tickets and a spokesperson said in a statement, “Please be advised that we will not be participating in any interviews or providing statements to the media regarding this matter. All communication will be handled directly and exclusively with the customer involved.”
Tips for travelling smart
“It’s a painful and hard lesson to learn and we are so empathetic when we hear of situations like that,” said Richard Smart, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO).
TICO is Ontario’s travel regulator which offers protections for travel services within the province.
Smart told CTV News travellers looking to buy tickets should be cautious using third-party websites and should understand that TICO registered travel services offer more safeguards in case there are any problems.
“The benefit of a travel agent or travel advisor is that the requirement that the documentation is correct at the time the booking is made,” said Smart.
Hamilton said she felt the typo was not her fault and in the end had to cancel the trip as she didn’t want to pay an additional $2,000 to fix the mistake.
“I think it’s unfair for them. To you $2,700 is a drop in the bucket, but for me it’s a month’s work. It’s devastating,” she said.
When booking a trip either with a travel agent or by yourself, always triple check the names and make sure they match your passport. Some airlines allow you to correct mistakes within 24 hours at no charge, but if it is a non-refundable ticket, there may be a fee or it may not be allowed at all.
