Travel agent.... Right or wrong

Rabies

Just over a week ago I booked flights from Dublin back to Auckland.
Total cost E1300 or so.

Filled out the online form as normal. Got my booking number soon after. All good.

Now things go a little odd in my opinion.

The next day I got an email from one of the support team. The asked that I fax them a form that they have attached and fill out my credit card information and also fax a front and back copy of my credit card. This is for security reason. According to them, details I filled out online didn't match the bank's records.

It seemed odd to me, the next day I check my credit card statement and I'm charged for the booking, I also have an invoice and full flight intinery and booking number sitting in my email account.

I call the travel agency up. Get put on hold for 10min(costing me fortune on international dialing rates). After questioning why they are looking for this information from me even though they have charged me they still tell me it is needed for security purposes and they need a copy of my credit card.

I call my credit card company and let them know what is going on. They told me not to send them any more information and a call was logged from the travel agents own bank checking my details and everything was cleared and passed. According to my bank they don't need my information again, they all ready have it. I was given the authorisaton number my bank gave the travel agent and told that is the only number they need from me and if there is any more problems they can contact my bank/credit card company about it.

I called them last night and gave them the authorisation number. They were supposed to call back in one hour, 5hrs later I get an email telling me that they passed this on to their manager and if she accepts this security information then things are fine.

Alarms went off in my little head when they asked for a photocopy of my credit card along with a form containing my details. Especially since payment was cleared.

Over reacting or am I right?

looksee

Dead right, no way I'd send credit card details like that, if the automatic system had accepted your card why should anyone be querying it the next day. Some sort of idiocy or scam going on.

jimmycrackcorm

looksee wrote:

Dead right, no way I'd send credit card details like that, if the automatic system had accepted your card why should anyone be querying it the next day. Some sort of idiocy or scam going on.

No, simply a business with multiple staff dealing with issues and no proper procedures.

If you worked for such a business wouldn't you be careful and double check credit cards in case of fraud? And on top of that you have incompetent staff?

Rabies

The never returned any calls even though the said they would.
Not happy with the customer service from this company.

I got an email last night, their manger agreed with me and said I didn't need to fax the form.

No apology for getting screwed around for the past week.

Not happy. Won't be using them again.