Aunt Betty - I Had The Worst Experience with This Company

LRNG on 20/03/2024 - 14:08
Last edited 20/03/2024 - 14:08

I had the worst experience with this company.

I can honestly stay away from any third-party air ticket booking agency from now on. Aunt Betty's customer service is a nightmare, and gave me a traumatised experience that I didn't know what I did to deserve it. Here is what happened.

My family of 4 booked tickets via Aunt Betty to fly from Mebourne to Hochiminh City on Vietnam Airlines, and had everything filled out correctly, except that we filled out our first name and last name but left out our middle names (to be very clear, their booking website has fields specifically for first name and last name, but there was no field for middle name). The story starts from here: Because of some reason, my husband needed to fly earlier so he changed his departure date to 3 weeks earlier. To this point, his flight ticket was changed promptly with a fee. But then the whole drama started to roll out. First, he was declined to board the airplane because his ticket didn't not have the middle names and therefore didn't match his passport. We called the airline and Aunt Betty directly when that happened and there was still time to check in; the airline said they could usually authorise name correction directly at the counter which could be done in 5 minutes if we had bought the ticket directly with them, but in this case they refused to help and directed us to Aunt Betty because we bought the tickets via Aunt Betty. Of course Aunt Betty refused to do anything either, quoting that there was nothing they could do at these last minutes. As a result, my husband needed to buy another ticket to fly out. That costed him a few hundred bucks for something that if we had bought the ticket directly with the airline, it would be cost free and painless.

The drama didn't stop there. We then needed to correct the names (adding the middle names into the tickets) for the rest of my family. From the point when that event happened until today when I am writing this message, it has been 2.5 weeks and the name correction HAS NOT BEEN DONE. The extremely frustrating experience that I've got with this company includes:

  • They suggested me cancelling the air tickets multiple times and charging me $2000 ($400/adult and $600/kid) for doing so. Why do I need to cancel my tickets when they just need some name changes??? And gosh, the airlines can do that in 5 minutes. Why can't they manage to do so given 2.5 weeks have gone past?
  • They repeatedly hung up or disconnected the line on me
  • They promised to call back or email back within the day but they never did after 10 different times

I am so traumatised by this whole experience. I am on the verge of having to cancel all my tickets and pay them $2000 for doing so!!! I don't know where to seek help or escalate my case. There is no phone/email contact point at Aunt Betty that I can reach out to. My flight is in 3 days and I am totally screwed.

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Comments

  • Duckie2hh on 20/03/2024 - 14:21
    +63

    TLDR:

    we filled out our first name and last name but left out our middle names

    • MITM on 20/03/2024 - 14:25
      +1

      First Name(s): Jack Benjamin. Last Name: Daniels

    • Hybroid on 20/03/2024 - 14:28
      +93

      Yep, OP not being truthful here.

      The Aunt Betty page specifically says Given name(s) (as on passport).

      Screenshot: https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/255280/111280/capture.…

      • Duckie2hh on 20/03/2024 - 14:30
        +15

        RIP

        • Hybroid on 20/03/2024 - 14:32
          +22

          Also that link in screenshot is to a guide on inputting names with a specific My passport has two or more given names. I have a middle name section advising to put both in.

          https://www.auntbetty.com/en/answers/how-to-enter-names-corr…

          So it's all well and good to complain when things go wrong but it's your own doing really. Also third party sites are cheaper for a reason, there's tons of T&Cs and complications on making any changes.

          • rumblytangara on 20/03/2024 - 17:38
            +2

            @Hybroid: TIL

            If your given name is made up of only one letter, double the letter in the “Given name(s)” field.

            To be fair, I've never met anyone with a name consisting on just one letter, but R Smith being entered as RR Smith is a surprise.

            • GordonR on 20/03/2024 - 21:00
              +1

              @rumblytangara: So if your surname is a single letter “S” you enter “SS”.

              What if your surname genuinely is “SS” ?

          • Drakesy on 20/03/2024 - 22:28
            +2

            @Hybroid: Lol, Given names does insinuate middle name as well.

            I can see how OP would overlook this, but damn, Aunt Betty has spelt it out pretty easily.

            • kiitos on 21/03/2024 - 08:33

              @Drakesy: Although confusingly, the example given in the Last Name field ("De Niro") differs from the instructions in their guide, which are to leave spaces out.

      • HeWhoKnows on 21/03/2024 - 09:18
        +2

        Thx for that.
        Clearly OPs mistake

      • BanannaMan on 21/03/2024 - 15:08
        +2

        /end of thread

      • R-Man on 21/03/2024 - 20:39
        +2

        Jeeeez complete with e.g. Robert Anthony

    • Sinnerator on 21/03/2024 - 08:29

      !

    • HeWhoKnows on 21/03/2024 - 09:17

      And OP blames the booking agency but could be the airline…..

      "the airline said they could usually authorise name correction directly at the counter which could be done in 5 minutes if we had bought the ticket directly with them, but in this case they refused to help and directed us to Aunt Betty because we bought the tickets via Aunt Betty."

      • skittlebrau on 23/03/2024 - 10:59

        And OP blames the booking agency but could be the airline…..

        Every airline is like this. If you buy through a third-party, all airlines won’t deal with you because you’re technically not their customer, the agent is.

        It’s the main reason I won’t use an agent. There’s no flexibility when you need it. With that said, OP’s mistake is silly. Everyone should know that all your names need to be on your ticket and if a web form doesn’t specifically ask for Middle Name, then you contact them to ask them how to put it in.

        • HeWhoKnows on 28/03/2024 - 13:57
          +1

          More correctly…..
          The name(s) on your ticket must match the names on your passport.

    • nickvdk on 21/03/2024 - 15:54
      +12

      Bad TLDR. You left out the important point the agency was contacted multiple times, but did not address the customer issue. Either you intentionally left that out to make OP feel worse which is poor form on your end or you lack comprehension skills.

      OP made a mistake for sure, but we are all human. No different to asking for a refund for a change of mind purchase. Agencies can accomodate changes like routes for a fee, but why not a name change for a fair fee is puzzling.

      • Duckie2hh on 21/03/2024 - 23:10
        -8

        Sorry my child wanted vanilla ice cream but I bought chocolate ice cream. Now I tried to complain to Coles head office but they took too long to get back to me and my ice cream melted. Was it Coles' fault?

        why not a name change for a fair fee is puzzling.

        See below comments.

    • wade2006 on 22/03/2024 - 09:34

      I would probably make the same mistake and would probably cope the cost of re-purchasing the 1st ticket but then suggesting to repurchase tickets instead of fixing the mistakes is ridiculous

      • Duckie2hh on 22/03/2024 - 09:41
        +1

        But all the tickets had mistakes. Airlines do not allow name changes on tickets (without heavy penalty)… how is Aunt Betty going to fix the mistake?

        • Nebargains on 23/03/2024 - 07:14

          Doesn't basically every airline allow name changes for a fee? Leaving off a middle name would be extremely common and frankly having the middle name on the ticket when it's accompany by photo ID anyway seems silly.

    • drprox on 22/03/2024 - 18:48

      and went to change details on the flight. It lost me there. Don't book through a 3rd party agent to save money then expect changing flights to be all cool and easy.

  • Jake D on 20/03/2024 - 14:21
    -3

    ok

  • MITM on 20/03/2024 - 14:23
    +1

    We'll that's surprising - so every ticket sold by Auntie Betty will be rejected to not having a middle name ?
    When you bought your tickets did you also buy travel insurance ? Reach out to them.

    • ballofspam on 20/03/2024 - 14:35
      -2

      Vietnamese naming structure is middle name is listed as first and middle is actually the first name. I assume this why it was such a big deal, sounds more like a case of overzealous worker. Unless it was a name with a hyphen

      • CommuterPolluter on 21/03/2024 - 20:56
        -2

        This is a big deal for any international flight. I’ve never known an airline to allow you to fly without listing your middle name and I would NEVER fail to list my middle name.

        As for Vietnamese naming structure, it has no bearing. As may be expected, it’s in the MIDDLE of their name. Most will use it but it’s not going to befuddle anybody if somebody omits the Thị because they’re embarrassed.

        • ballofspam on 21/03/2024 - 21:36

          Just to be clear here I don't empathise with the OP.

          They point I was making was around Aunt Better rejecting tickets with no Middle Name. As not every airline and country enforces the need for the middle name. But Vietnam Airlines does… because its the social norm in Vietnam.

          However, I have known people to fly Vietnam Airlines without a middle name but have the middle name on the visa, and everything was fine. So they could of been let on the plane but what happens at immigration is another story

        • madreece on 22/03/2024 - 11:43
          +5

          We have done well over 50 international flights on 10+ different airlines and have never put our middle names on tickets. Never had a problem.
          But I have never flown on Vietnam Airlines.

        • rfarlz on 22/03/2024 - 22:31
          +1

          This isn't a big deal - I've flown hundreds of international flights with just my first and last name on the ticket. Agree that this is most likely an extremely overzealous check-in agent.

    • SydStrand on 20/03/2024 - 16:04
      +7

      No, OP just wasn't being observant

      My passport has two or more given names. I have a middle name

      Enter both names into the “Given name(s)” box (see example). Use the same input field if you want the middle name to be on the ticket.

      • azero on 21/03/2024 - 12:17
        +1

        I have 3 given names, too long for any ticketing system to enter - not even a physical airline office can't enter it.

        I always use the full last name, first given name and initials for the other 2. Never had an issue. Although I dread flying to the us

        • Ridiculous Panda on 21/03/2024 - 16:38

          I had many similar issues with a long ass name that even TMR couldn't fit on my driver licence.. I finally changed my name legally to make it shorter. I can't tell you how much happier I am now while filling out forms.

        • bazingaa on 22/03/2024 - 11:14

          I always use the full last name, first given name and initials for the other 2. Never had an issue. Although I dread flying to the us

          same for me, I found this on an airline info page and back then ticketing agents were filling my name as such.

  • Nutrino on 20/03/2024 - 14:24
    +3

    like a broken record. do you travel much?

  • Lemond1977 on 20/03/2024 - 14:26
    +1

    I had a similar experience recently with Qantas using Reward Points. I booked via the Qantas website for a China Airlines flight. Online booking form only asked for First Name (It did not state names) & Surname. After booking I double checked with Qantas only to be told it should have middle name which they would add free of change & reissue ticket. Next day no ticket, called them back oh sorry we can't do that…..ended being pointed in five different directions until finally they said we can't change it & you need to cancel & there will be a charge for it. Not happy jan. Qantas advised that they only need first name & surname on Qantas flights.

    • Hellfire on 20/03/2024 - 15:13
      +2

      Glad i read this thread. Ive got some reward tickets booked for later in the year and just entered first name as per the form.

      I'll need to contact qantas to see if it needs to change.

      • Lemond1977 on 20/03/2024 - 15:16
        +2

        I would ring a couple of times & take note of the people you speak to….as I had different replies each time I called

    • PixelPaul on 21/03/2024 - 11:15

      strange as i had a friend who used the live chat on jetstar website and they just added his middle name onto the flight booking without any hassle.
      I also left out my middle name when getting my passport to make it easier for things like this, so glade I did.

      • Lemond1977 on 21/03/2024 - 11:26

        The issue is when they are acting as an agent for another airline not within the Qantas group I believe

    • quick-dry on 21/03/2024 - 21:53

      China Airlines have awesome staff in the air, and are absolute nightmares when it comes to names, and differences of names - e.g. "First Name" is requested, but your loyalty account with them has middle name, or the GDS supplies it as "FirstNameMiddleName" because it has come from another system. I've had issues getting points credited and just flat out denied (even at top tier), similarly with family and other people.

      I can't say enough good things about their air crew, and the ground crew - but their administration side is awful.

  • JimmyF on 20/03/2024 - 14:28
    +7

    but in this case they refused to help and directed us to Aunt Betty because we bought the tickets via Aunt Betty.

    Standard practice all airlines, cruises and basically anyone when you buy via a 3rd party. They are the ones who 'manage' your booking, not the airline.

    except that we filled out our first name and last name but left out our middle names (to be very clear, their booking website has fields specifically for first name and last name, but there was no field for middle name

    Seems like it might be a slight user error, the form you filled out, said Given Names(s). Which for them is first and middle name. They even have a link on the form you are filling out to show how to fill out the names field. But I agree, they should have a middle name field or be clear on the page aka Given Names(s) including middle name.

    https://www.auntbetty.com/en/answers/how-to-enter-names-corr…

    it has been 2.5 weeks and the name correction HAS NOT BEEN DONE. The extremely frustrating

    Agreed this would be extremely frustrating that it hasn't been fixed and pretty poor.

  • grimace3 on 20/03/2024 - 14:29
    +3

    To be very clear though, Aunt Betty does have a help link which tells you what to do if you have a middle name.

    https://imgur.com/a/j7IRSX5

    https://www.auntbetty.com/en/answers/how-to-enter-names-corr…

  • jv on 20/03/2024 - 14:32
    +7

    Member Since 29 min ago

    Ghost account.

  • PissLUR on 20/03/2024 - 14:33
    +13

    so how much did you save by using aunt betty site?

  • pharkurnell on 20/03/2024 - 14:38
    +10

    My passport has two or more given names. I have a middle name

    Enter both names into the “Given name(s)” box (see example). Use the same input field if you want the middle name to be on the ticket.

    A maximum of 27 characters only is permitted. Should the names exceed the limit: a. only enter up to the 27 characters b. do not enter the 2nd name, 3rd name or middle name.

    e.g Name on passport : Clueless Opee FLOG

    • jv on 20/03/2024 - 14:42
      +2

      We never enter our middle names on the ticket, but they are on the passport.

      Never had an issue with it.

      • pharkurnell on 20/03/2024 - 14:43
        +7

        Theres always next time… or Aunt Betty….

      • djkelly69 on 20/03/2024 - 15:45
        +4

        A quick google suggests it can often be an issue specifically with Vietnamese airlines due to the importance of a middle name in their naming conventions.

        • jv on 20/03/2024 - 15:47
          -2

          specifically with Vietnamese airlines

          I don't fly Vietnamese airlines.

          Over the last year have flown Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and AirNZ and it has not been an issue.

          • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 20/03/2024 - 18:04
            +5

            @jv: If anyone has a problem with any of those airlines, just send them to this comment, I guess

      • Baysew on 20/03/2024 - 16:09

        Fair enough Gabriel.

        • jv on 20/03/2024 - 16:10

          😲

      • Lunarboogie on 20/03/2024 - 17:31

        Same here. And I've travelled the world over.

    • HelpMeiCantSee on 21/03/2024 - 21:11
      +1

      Maybe, but the company should PROMPLTLY fix the mistake. It’s stuff like this why I always book direct. I avoid travel agents etc because these middle men just make a mess out of it all, and take any power away from the customer to fix anything.

  • 87percent on 20/03/2024 - 14:41

    TLDR: but did you contact the actual airline directly?

    • RNG on 20/03/2024 - 14:56

      Multiple times and they always pointed back to the agency.

    • jv on 20/03/2024 - 17:37
      +11

      airline won't change ticket issued by an agent.

  • pharkurnell on 20/03/2024 - 14:46
    +1

    My flight is in 3 days and I am totally screwed.

    You could stay home….

    Sounds awesome!!!!!!!
    https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/aunt-betty

  • RNG on 20/03/2024 - 14:47
    +3

    I just wanted to reply to a few comments above regarding the correct ways of entering names. Making mistakes in entering names happens, and name corrections happen all the times too. The experience that I've got with Aunt Betty's customer service is all I wanted to share here. When everything is correct, it is all well and good. When some errors happen, the money you save from transacting through them will not be worth the money you pay for your mental bill. It is extremely frustrating.

    • grimace3 on 20/03/2024 - 14:58
      +15

      But in this case, it's not Aunt Betty's fault.

      • Duckie2hh on 20/03/2024 - 15:01
        +1

        lol

      • dtc on 20/03/2024 - 16:40
        +13

        But in this case, it's not Aunt Betty's fault.

        The concept - wide spread, not just Aunt Betty - that you get charged a fortune to change the name on a ticket because you made minor mistake (which is understandable when the website doesnt have a middle name box unlike virtually every other website) is ridiculous. The purported reason is to prevent someone buying a cheap ticket (say 12 months out) and reselling at a higher price to someone 3 months out. However, it will be perfectly obvious when the ticket is resold to a totally different person. Rather than charge $XXX to change a name, it should just be 'you cannot transfer the ticket to a different person and we may ask for evidence to prove that you are not transferring the ticket to a new person'. Otherwise its a zero or minimal charge.

        • bkt on 24/03/2024 - 10:41

          What website has a middle name box? Is your middle name not under 'Given Names' on your passport?

      • Ashless on 21/03/2024 - 09:45
        +16

        Mistakes happen. OP's point is the the complete lack of customer service and the absurd solution offered to cancel and rebook the tickets when the airline can handle the change in 5 min. All troll comments saying 'tough luck OP' are not helpful.

        • Poor Ass on 21/03/2024 - 18:21

          well if you put it that way the event has occurred no comments are going to help anyway

    • drfuzzy on 21/03/2024 - 15:36
      +1

      Airlines do the same. There was a recent case of an airline charging thousands of dollars to change a letter z to a letter s in the passenger name.

      • pipboy on 21/03/2024 - 19:47

        Not all of them. I ran into a similar issue with ANA with a non refundable ticket.

        Ended up paying only about $40 or so in transaction fees (on a $2k ticket) and they sorted it out quickly over the phone. Fantastic to deal with.

  • Godric on 20/03/2024 - 14:54
    +4

    Welcome to Ozbargain

    • Yummy on 20/03/2024 - 15:07
      +8

      And good bye.

      • Godric on 20/03/2024 - 15:09
        +8

        Countdown to DisabledUser Begins!

        • donman92 on 21/03/2024 - 13:27

          Down down, posts are down!

  • djsweet on 20/03/2024 - 15:59
    +13

    I've never understood why airlines are so awful about typo correction. Any other service if you need to give a minor correction to a name or address it wouldn't be an issue, and they wouldn't suggest the way to resolve is to cancel and rebook at $1000s extra. Its all just a bizarre money making exercise I assume.

    • jv on 20/03/2024 - 16:01
      +7

      I've never understood why airlines are so awful about typo correction.

      Airlines are afraid of speculators buying out blocks of flights when they're cheap and reselling them at a higher price. It's the same as scalpers for concerts, sporting events, etc. The airlines wanted to ensure that didn't happen to them, so they made the rule that the names on the tickets can't be changed.

      https://simpleflying.com/why-airlines-dont-allow-name-change…

      • dtc on 20/03/2024 - 16:42
        +23

        If you change the name on a ticket from 'john smith' to 'pablo hernandez' then its pretty obvious and the airline can query it. If you change it from 'jonh smith' to 'john smith' or to 'john ronald smith' then its clearly not a resale. The only reason airlines impose a blanket rule and high fees is for revenue.

        • jv on 20/03/2024 - 17:23
          -6

          The only reason

          Not true.

        • Feeblely on 22/03/2024 - 15:45

          There are a few reasons, both fair and unfair.
          1. stops reselling
          2. burden of checking name - requires admin/human checking. Blanket rule removes cost of checking
          3. $$$ cost money for simple mistakes. They will charge for anything.

  • altomic on 20/03/2024 - 16:10
    +5

    "Hi OzBargain, let me tell you how I booked 4 tickets with Aunt Betty and (profanity) up when entering the details on their system." <— FTFY

  • Brian McGee on 20/03/2024 - 16:24
    +2

    (to be very clear, their booking website has fields specifically for first name and last name,…)

    To be very clear I read the field Given Name(s) as First Name and input the wrong information, didn't ask questions of the website before booking and paying or couldn't conceive of putting in every name other than my surname into the given names field, because anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows this.

    • Duckie2hh on 20/03/2024 - 16:29
      +1

      In Fahrenheit, Degrees or Kelvin?

      • Brian McGee on 20/03/2024 - 16:46

        Maybe it's a degree from Bovine University?

  • meong on 20/03/2024 - 16:28
    +6

    With all the comments stating that it's OPs fault, I have however avoided Aunt Betty all the time due to many horror stories about them.

    I have however great experience booking and resolving issues via Cheerstravel btw if you're looking for those "budget" travel agents…

    • Jake D on 20/03/2024 - 16:43
      +3

      I've avoided them by this being the first time I've ever heard of them.

      • recycledrevenge on 21/03/2024 - 08:21

        They're a budget brand of Flight Centre.

        I hadn't heard of them until they appeared in search results for flights I was wanting to take. They're not worth it.

  • bobbified on 20/03/2024 - 16:34
    +5

    When will people learn to not book through these third party sites?

    • pharkurnell on 20/03/2024 - 16:45
      +14

      but…. i saved $4

      • Ashless on 21/03/2024 - 09:51

        I've seen "Bargains" posted on this website for less savings getting +100 votes…..

        • Randolph Duke on 21/03/2024 - 11:30
          +2

          Buy $100 gift card, get 30cents bonus gift card credit. Amazeballs!!!

    • meong on 20/03/2024 - 21:43

      Some of the savings can be significant depending on the airlines as these sites, similar to travel agents may have different deals from different airlines

      • bobbified on 20/03/2024 - 21:52
        +2

        Some of the savings can be significant

        I've seen it myself. But those savings come at a price. It's good for someone that knows exactly what they're doing and definitely don't need any kind of customer service. (Even then, sometimes after booking, the flights don't get confirmed after a certain period and you can be left in limbo for a while).

        • meong on 21/03/2024 - 08:59

          for those who are buying multiple tickets for the whole family, they may be tempted as the savings per ticket can be as high as $100…

    • dtc on 20/03/2024 - 16:45

      Except they dont always have to be…. must be amusing when you call someone 'too stupid to understand something' when you dont understand it either

      https://www.pointhacks.com.au/missing-middle-name

      https://www.travelandleisure.com/middle-name-airline-ticket-…

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