[SOS] Need help on Edreams flight booking scam

Complaints Corner
1
Hi everyone,

I didn't expect the following experience as an end of year gift. Yesterday I booked a flight on US site as it speaks English. (God knows why I didn't Google it first.) Everything seems to be fine until the payment page. After I entered the credit card info and proceed, it prompts "Booking NOT confirmed" and ask me to do some bank transfer to their local bank in UK. I thought that may be a problem with my credit card for oversea payment. So I sent edreams an email, asking them for some alternative payment method. I didn't check my credit card statement because the card belongs to my wife. This morning when I wake up my wife left me a message and told me her credit card has been charged for about 800CHF, and asking me if I have booked my flight Then I did some research on edreams and found a lot of scam cases. However it appears that some people can get their money back if they keep contacting edreams and complaining for a long time. I have tried to contact them by telephone. The phone NO of the US site (19009451999) can not be reached by skype or rebtel, which are my only methods for calling abroad. I just wrote them another email, telling them I would sue them if I cannot get my money back (actually I cannot because I cannot afford it). Another problem is, now I am in a situation that I cannot book another flight in case that they said the book is successful.

That is really a lot of money for me, more than my monthly cost (except the rent). I feel very sorry for my wife although I always pays for her credit card, which are often charged for only several francs. I have personal liability insurance in ZurichConnect. I don't know if it helps. I wish I could find a way to get it back and book another flight. Any suggestions is appreciated.

2
If you have been the victim of credit card fraud then always contact your card issuer before doing anything else... they should have a fraud department that covers things like this and you should be able to get your money back.

As for you doing your research and being more careful... well, lesson learned I guess. Good luck getting your money back, hope it doesn't spoil your new year.

3
Probably a good idea to contact the airline directly as well. They won't be impressed if someone is taking bookings for their flights without passing them on. Always assuming you know which airline it is. Good luck.

4
Some poking around the internet will get you here , where you will find the names of the chairman, the CEO and the president of edreams, as well as a street address in Spain.

The links to e-mail do not work because Hoovers want to sell them to you, but with the street address you can now fire off letters to the higher-ups at that despicable company. I would write to all three of them.

It is also a good idea to contact your credit card company. They definitely need to know what's going on.

5
Interesting link here .

Ryanair provided the European Commission with evidence of four specific websites, Bravofly.com, Edreams.com, Volgratis.com, Wegelo.com in which the airline’s ticket prices had been inflated by 200% or 300%, without the consumers knowledge, and these hidden mark-ups are billed to the consumer as if this was the Ryanair ticket price. These specific documented examples show the following hidden overcharging of consumers;

(a) Bravofly.com price €60.93

Ryanair ticket price €19.95

Bravofly overcharge €40.95 (205%)

(b) Edreams.com price €385.97

Airline ticket price €106.87

Edreams overcharge €279.10 (260%)

(c) Volgratis.com price €63.25

Ryanair ticket price €25.25

Volgratis overcharge €38.00 (150%)

(d) Wegolo.com price €37.00

Ryanair ticket price €10.00

Wegelo overcharge €27.00 (370%)

Also, a link from Oz .

6
Thanks guys. That really really helps. I will try to reach them and contact the credit card issuer. I hope this process won't be such a nightmare as the others described. My holiday has been ruined anyway

7
I shouldn't worry too much.

You have a contract with your credit card company (CC), they have a contract with e-dreams.

When the bill comes through, just simply write to them and say that the service as indicated has not been provided yand you refuse to pay for it. They will do a reverse payment on your CC and then sort the problem out with edreams. As edreams are a scam and cannot provide to the CC the service paid for, your airplane ticket, the CC cannot charge you for a service not received.

The cost of this, one phone call to request a form from your CC and a Chf 0.85 stamp to send a completed signed form back to the CC.

So chill out, have a good New Year, safe in the knowledge that the CC is holding the hot baby and you are liable for zero.

8
Two comments:

1. I have bought extensively from eDreams (not for 2 years, but before than, when I lived in Spain). Simple and complex bookings - multi-leg trips with children, requesting bulkhead, etc. They got on the phone and spent literally hours helping me. When there was a problem with a charge they corrected it, two times they gave me a voucher (20 euros or so) as an excuse. So, in the past, I had a good experience with them, and in Spain generally they are well regarded.

2. A bit off topic but 1 month ago Grimaldi lines charged me 4 times for a ferry ticket. When I got my credit card bill, I called them and they acknowledged the problem and told me they would cancel the payment. Fast forward 2 weeks, lots of calls, they did not. Called bank (UBS), credit card I use also for business travel (to 10's of thousand CHFs there per year) and they told me 'nothing we can do if the vendor does not cancel the charge, we only stand in the middle'. I was surprised by this, I thought I was protected. Monday (after 2 more calls) Grimaldi finally credited my credit card, but I had to pay UBS the 1000 CHF in December and this will be returned to me in January. Again, much to my surprise. I wrote my UBS rep about this and asked her for how to cancel the credit card, which I will if they don't offer me a better explanation.

9
Don't wait for the bill. Call the credit card company now.

Do you have a print out of the not confirmed message? That will help a lot. If not, you can still dispute the charges with the cc company.

10
Thanks only. That would be a great idea. I just called the bank, they said my wife should contact the bank instead of me, and they will do a "research" and try to minimize our loss. When I asked them if we can get the money back, they said that if the transfer have already been made, it could be small chance...

11
I feel good that they provide good service to somebody. I will follow this thread and tell everybody the results. For now I just want to reach their hotline. Maybe I can call their Spain company instead (considering it's their base) ?

12
Yeah, I have it in an email. I hope my bank works the same way as you guys described.

13
I find it very strange that your bank would say "small chance" of getting your money back. What is their reasoning?

14
They said my wife should contact them personally as soon as possible, because that is her card. When I asked if there is any chance to get the money back, they repeated that they will do a research and see what they can do. But if the transfer has already been made, there is small chance. I didn't argue because I will let my wife call them later, also because I am not familiar with cc policies. For me, I can understand them in the way that the bank have lost some money because of my mistake, so I have to pay for it. However I do not know how it works, and how different banks operates differently.

15
Is this a fraud or a mistake? I'm confused. How much was the original flight listed as?

16
I cannot make sure. But it is much more like a fraud to me. Besides my research on the internet, and the missing money on my credit card, and their unreachable customer service, they make two replies for my reservation because I sent two emails to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) and [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) , the titles are

1. Re: [Ticket#2010122910003124]

2. Re: [Ticket#2010122810440083]

Two different tickets for the same reservation? I don't think there is really an e-ticket there. And, during the payment, there is no flight NO (how stupid I am). The price of the flight is more than $800, a little cheaper than other web sites. I guess there is no problem with the price. Anyway, I will make my wife contact her cc company tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow I would get an email from edreams. I will post my progress here to clarify. God bless me!

17
Ah. Ok. I see. So you paid but were never given the e-ticket. Still I think it's something that the CC company should be able to take care of. Seems like a payment went through without anything attached to it. Either it's a mistake (on the part of their system) or a fraud.

Good luck!

18
Today I let my wife call her bank. The bank said the payment is blocked and the transfer is still in progress, which means edreams haven't got the money yet. They will research on this issue and ensure the money won't gone for nothing. I also got the following email from edreams.

"Dear Customer;

The booking has been cancelled without any fee and we have refunded the charges done on your bank. If you have more doubts, please contact us the most soon as possible.

Thank you for trusting in eDreams."

Maybe it is just a mistake. In that case it is my fault to say "I need your confirmation soon and I need the money back, or I have to sue you..." in my last email. No matter what I won't forgive them because it scared my shit out and wasted a lot of my time. I haven't got my money back yet, so it is hard to say.

19
So not a scam then.

However, I've used edreams once. And wouldn't again. My flight was cancelled due to the volcanic ash earlier this year. I spent 20 minutes on a call to their customer services, being routed around different people, until I go to the person I started with, who then said that they'd issue a refund. Which I got a couple of months later.

The problem is that they make money from the phone calls, so they've, at best, no interest in being efficient, and at worst are deliberately increasing the length of calls.

20
I just googled Edreams and found a link to Switzerland:

Unsere deutschsprachigen Kunden können ihre Reisen entweder online unter www.edreams.ch oder telefonisch buchen, indem sie unser Callcenter anrufen: 0900 123888 (2,00 Fr/ Min., Mo.-Fr. 9:00 – 18:00 Uhr).

Scroll down the link and you will find some offices as well:

http://www.edreams.ch/edreams/ch/cal...s&item=item15#

Hope you get your money back.

And yes, calling your credit card company is definitely the first step.

Good Luck and Happy New Year