Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Ebookers, are they reliable?

  • 07-07-2008 11:45pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 731
    ✭✭✭


    Hi

    Going to Austrailia in November and ebookers are coming 300 - 500 euros cheaper than buying direct from the airlines websites.

    Are they worth going with as a few people online have been less than complementary about them. What are people opinions?

    Just booking flights getting accomodation etc on spec over there

    Thanks

    D


Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Comments

  • Registered Users, Subscribers, Registered Users 2 Posts: 47,352 Zaph
    ✭✭✭✭


    I booked flights for 5 to Vancouver and back from Seattle in September with them and had no problems. Used them before, never had any issues with them.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,376 rossie1977
    ✭✭✭✭


    used them a few times, never had any problems


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,055 Four of a kind
    ✭✭✭


    have used them numerous times and they are very good! No problems with them.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,144 robinph
    Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Used them a few times for flights to the US as well, no problems with them myself.

    The few people who have some minor problem with a service will allways be shouting louder about it than the majority who don't.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 396 Hailhail1967
    ✭✭


    dont heed all te negative stuff you can find bout ebokers out there you can find all the same stuff about every company if you want. though i must admit i omnly used them once and didnt have a problem


  • Advertisement
  • Closed Accounts Posts: 142 mackey087
    ✭✭


    we have used ebookers lots of times and never had any problems. we have flown with contential, united airlines etc and the price with ebookers was a lot cheaper than booking direct from company


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,055 Four of a kind
    ✭✭✭


    have used them loads of times and never had one problem. Great prices too!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,441 jhegarty
    ✭✭✭


    No problems using them in the past.

    Checkout www.travelnow.com as well , I book most flights between the two.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 Random
    ✭✭✭✭


    have used them without issues in the past. also cancelled a hotel on them as well and booked another and had no issues with this either. would use again.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 683 Head_Hunter
    ✭✭✭


    Dodgy as hell, they keep changing my flight times and won't answer my e-mails or calls. Would not recommend to anyone :mad:


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,606 schemingbohemia
    ✭✭✭


    I've used them twice recently and found them great, a couple of reminders sent before the flight was a nice touch, prices great also.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,144 robinph
    Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Dodgy as hell, they keep changing my flight times and won't answer my e-mails or calls. Would not recommend to anyone :mad:

    Was this over the last week, or another time when Iceland was not exploding?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 683 Head_Hunter
    ✭✭✭


    robinph wrote: »
    Was this over the last week, or another time when Iceland was not exploding?

    another time when Iceland was not exploding :p


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 826 vibrant
    ✭✭✭


    Dodgy as hell, they keep changing my flight times and won't answer my e-mails or calls.

    In fairness, sometimes airlines do change flight times for a variety of reasons and then ask the travel agent to notify the passengers. The travel agent doesn't have the ability to change airline schedules. Unless you mean that you were bumped off a flight that you paid for by ebookers?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 683 Head_Hunter
    ✭✭✭


    They sent me emails on two occasions, stating that my flights had changed, but no number to contact if I objected. I had to search their site for a phone number, which is never answered. The new flights were inferior to the original ones I'd chosen.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 Miss Lockhart
    ✭✭✭


    I found them ok but would always try to book direct now as when I needed to make last minute changes to our booking it was a nightmare. This isprobably not ebookers specific though I would say.

    I had booked flights and hotel for NYC through them a couple of years ago. In the early hours of the morning of the day of the trip I became very ill ( turned out to be winter vomiting bug) and was obviously unable to fly.

    I decided to reschedule the flights for a day later. However, ebookers were unable to make any changes to the booking within 6 hours before the flight. This meant I needed to contact aer lingus directly - which proved extremely problematic as they don't answer phones before 9.00 at weekends and check in for the flight was closing at 9.00. Nightmare!

    After that I swore I would stick with direct bookings as you always have access to your booking online. Also, we could not check in online as we had no booking reference specific to our booking.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,144 robinph
    Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Doubt that Aer Lingus would have let you change the flight that close to departure whatever way you had booked.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 Miss Lockhart
    ✭✭✭


    robinph wrote: »
    Doubt that Aer Lingus would have let you change the flight that close to departure whatever way you had booked.


    Well, they had no problems changing it when they eventually answered their phone, even though it was the same time as check-in closing.

    I just had to pay the change fee which wasn't too bad (around €75 per person) - certainly nowhere near what it would have cost to rebook flights or cancel the entire trip.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 19,080 Random
    ✭✭✭✭


    i've used them a couple of times and not had issues. this ranged from booking accomadation in london to multiple flights and hotels across the us.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 551 Todd Gack
    ✭✭✭


    Dodgy as hell, they keep changing my flight times and won't answer my e-mails or calls. Would not recommend to anyone :mad:

    Ebookers don't change airline schedules, airlines do. Booked flights through them last week and the flights were changed two days later (all before the volcano). The change meant i couldn't catch a connecting flight so I rang them up, I couldn't change airlines the way the ticket was so I just took the refund. No real hassle, wasn't ebookers fault BMI changed their schedule. Wouldn't have a problem going through them again.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 551 Todd Gack
    ✭✭✭


    Also, we could not check in online as we had no booking reference specific to our booking.

    I've booked through expedia and ebookers and didn't get an airline booking reference at the time but if you check your booking on the ebookers site (a day or so later) it does appear once they receive it (it did for me anyway). Obviously it takes a little time from you booking to them confirming with the airline.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,639 Miss Lockhart
    ✭✭✭


    Todd Gack wrote: »
    I've booked through expedia and ebookers and didn't get an airline booking reference at the time but if you check your booking on the ebookers site (a day or so later) it does appear once they receive it (it did for me anyway). Obviously it takes a little time from you booking to them confirming with the airline.

    Yeah, we got an actual booking reference, but when you go online to "manage the booking" you have to enter the reference and an email address. Since the booking was not connected to my email it did not recognise it. We were also unable to do our Advanced Passenger Information stuff online.

    I did contact ebookers at the time and they said there was nothing they could do about it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,127 DeadMoney
    ✭✭✭


    Hi, I just purchased flights through these now and I did not receive any email of confirmation or anything. Is this normal with these?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,606 schemingbohemia
    ✭✭✭


    Did you check your spam folder? I got email confirmation though it took a day or more I think (wasn't instantaneous).


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 Stinicker
    ✭✭✭


    I have used then loads of times for flights and hotels and find they often give great deals on long haul flights and if you book the hotel & flight together you can get a great deal.

    Only one time I wanted to change a flight at short notice and they were not helpful, instead I had to book a new flight direct from the airline which cost me $500 (Vegas-New York-Shannon) and I wanted to break the journey to Vegas to NY and depart from NY to Shannon 3 days later but they nor Delta wouldn't play ball, so I had to book two new separate flights with Continental instead as I was p'd off with Delta!

    Once you stick to your itinerary you'll be fine, but they can become very inflexible quickly.

    Got a great flight deal this spring to Thailand with Etihad from ebookers through the skyscanner link through.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,323 Savman
    ✭✭✭


    One negative experience here. Tried booking an Aer Lingus flight on eBookers but the booking was placed in some temporary holding state, I had to contact eBookers who informed me it wasn't successful without really specifying a clear reason. Was something to do with EI being a low cost carrier, or something to that effect, but I never received any email confirmation despite going thru the whole payment process right thru til final booking page.

    Ended up just going onto the Aer Lingo site and booked same flights, once eBookers confirmed they would not be taking any payment for any duplicate transaction.

    Wouldn't exactly encourage me to use them again tbh.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,606 schemingbohemia
    ✭✭✭


    Why did you use them for Aer Lingus fares? Was there a discount compared to the Aer Lingus site? I'd use them for long-haul flights only and have gotten great fares for those. Have never used them for short-haul as I'd go directly to Aer Lingus or Ryanair sites unless directed to ebookers by www.skyscanner.ie


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 8,323 Savman
    ✭✭✭


    Why did you use them for Aer Lingus fares? Was there a discount compared to the Aer Lingus site? I'd use them for long-haul flights only and have gotten great fares for those. Have never used them for short-haul as I'd go directly to Aer Lingus or Ryanair sites unless directed to ebookers by www.skyscanner.ie
    They were the same price as Aer Lingus without the 'Card Handling fee" or whatever they call it, so cost me a little extra to book direct but eBookers wasn't worth the hassle. Waiting indefinitely to find out if a flight booking is confirmed is not what I would expect from a popular company.

    YMMV, but I can't give them a recommendation.


Welcome!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.
Advertisement