Found a cracking flight price yesterday on opodo for next year so I booked it.... Paid with credit card etc.

Had an email this morning telling me that the price has gone up and its now double.

So I phoned them.

Usual rubbish.

Price has increased from the time you booked blah blah blah.

Surely all these searches are online/live anyway?

I think pretty much it was a pricing error to be honest...

Is this legal?

Anyone could offer cheap flights, rope the customer in, get the credit card payment then say, oops the price has gone up....

Do I have any recourse other than to pay the new price or cancel?

Yes, you can cancel.

Also, as I did with last minute, report them to ico for obtaining details by deception.

Do a mock booking up to the point of payment without inserting credit card details and using fake name.

Take screenshots of every page along the booking.

If it is like lastminute, nowhere they tell you that it's not a booking but an enquiry.

So they harvest your personal details without reason.

Also, they take your money and then it takes 2 weeks to process a refund.

So in other words they have millions of pounds interest free loans from customers.

Call your bank and reverse the charges, then report them to ico.

Also plaster social media with your experience, highlighting that they don't do bookings but enquiries.

I don't intend to cancel because the revised price is still good but not as good.

But I see what you mean - if I wanted to cancel I daresay it'd take a while to get the refund.

But yes as you say they're saying I've made a booking request and the price has changed which is why the original is no longer valid.

To be honest, it was VERY cheap so I think it was a pricing error anyway.

funny thing about these pricing errors is that the comapny still gets your business. they shoudl ahve just automatically refunded the payent as they were stating an error and so no obligation on their part to continue with the contract.

I agree with kingy that this seems like a wheeze to get your interest and then hold your detaisl and use that to see what they can get away with charging rather than making a genuine offer or even a genuine mistake.

Had a feeling they could claim "mistake" and get away with it.

But their mistake benefits them. They can hold on to your money for a few weeks before refunding it or, like you said, charge what they like on top now - they've already roped you in.

Like DCA's they will undoubtedly tell lies to the ICO when you complain and the cost of a proper investigation for an end result that yields very little wont be keenly accepted.

many years ago all sport on Sky was free but they decided to try a subscription only showing of a boxing match.

They were resigned to the fact that no-one would pay but surprised themselves with how many people were dumb enough to pay up.

This set the scene for ever.

Same goes for hospital parking charges.

It was first tried out at Kettering General many years ago with the excuse that people parked there to walk to work rather than paying to use the council P&D.

Utter rubbish as the hospital was more than a mile away from anywhere but people meekly paid up instead of ignoring the meters and so we have it throughout the whole country when it could have been killed in week 1 by a payment boycott.

By not cancelling and demanding your refund you have not only made a rod for your own back you encourage the company to continue as they are.

getting them to delete your data costs them time and thus money so they would have to change their ways if enough people did it.

Surely Opodo take the money then they have to pay the airline..or do they block book airline seats first ?

They won't give you the original price, so unless you like being mugged off, get an instant refund and cause as much trouble as possible.

With my lastminute case, a few days later I got a better price directly from the airline website.

Nowadays most airlines guarantee best price, so all other travel websites are just fishing to get free loans and/or mug people off.

Its get worse. After booking flights for £190 I get email 12 hours later asking me to ring because price is £410.

I spoke to them yesterday moaned but agreed to £410. This morning I've got another email telling me its £880 now!

Scandalous. Its way expensive now so I'm on a mission now to complain where I can.

Suggestions?

GET A REFUND IMMEDIATELY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

(Deliberately using capitals here)

I doubt they'll give you the money now, after you accepted to be mugged off, so get in touch with your cc company and cancel the transaction as fraudulent.

See my previous post for following steps.

Then, if you're happy to be ripped off, let me have your contact details... I have lots of deals going on

The original purchase price of £190 still showing as pending....

Not a huge issue but Im sure I can get this back.

Amex is the card provider.

Call Amex and block the transaction.

Tell them everything and that it's a possible fraud.

That's the way I see it and how I reported it in my case.

Hi paulfoel

Did you actually receive a Confirmation Email with your Booking Number from Opodo? (as it states in there T&C at 2.6): https://www.opodo.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/

Hi paulfoel

 

Did you actually receive a Confirmation Email with your Booking Number from Opodo? (as it states in there T&C at 2.6): https://www.opodo.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/

No thats just it. Opodo are saying until its confirmed they can do what they want.

Offered me £300 in vouchers now though. BUT I can still see the same cheap flights for £190. Migth book again and see if they cancel again.

They will cancel again.

That's just a bait price to obtain free loans and personal details.

Book directly with airline.

take screen shots and report to ASA

you could try using your vouchers to apy for the "new" offer

You have been told what to do.Stop faffing about before its to late.Should have got e refund when they upped the price

They will take ages to refund you Do a section 75 transaction reverse with Amex.

Get on thier social media pages and complain they will normall produce results