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

  • bozaar on 20/03/2024 - 17:05
    +7

    This is why i didnt give middle names to my kids. its too frustrating.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 20/03/2024 - 17:58
    +3

    Check out Aunty Donna. Had many good experiences with them.

    • Randolph Duke on 21/03/2024 - 11:31
      +1

      Haven't you done well? Unlike the OP.

  • capslock on 20/03/2024 - 18:06
    +3

    Strange. I've never heard of an airline refusing boarding because of a missing middle name. Usually the check in agent just adds the middle name at check in.

    • trapper on 22/03/2024 - 01:11

      I've been at the airport with friend checking in who had their first and last name reversed, no major issues and they left on the flight.

  • Sweet3st on 20/03/2024 - 18:20
    +1

    I NEVER add my middle name to flight tickets but it's always been on my passport. Never had any issue…

    • hasher22 on 20/03/2024 - 18:35
      +5

      That's because middle name is optional on a plane ticket, it's company policy to be douchebags about it, not law.

  • hasher22 on 20/03/2024 - 18:34
    +3

    My last name has 3 'words' and on nearly everything, it's 3 words. Some places does NOT make it 3 words even though I input it with spaces, because their stupid system doesn't allow spaces in first or last names.

    Anyways, I remember a time where I had to prove myself to FaceBook business with a utility bill and ABN certificate and I forgot which bill I sent, but my last name was not 3 words, and FaceBook rejected it because it was 1 word. I then gave another bill with 3 words and they rejected that too because they have a suspicion my name isn't real…..

    So I gave them my drivers license and they wouldn't accept that because it's not part of their list of ID.

    WTF….

    Moral of the story: Have one word for first and last name and no middle name.

    • meong on 20/03/2024 - 21:31
      +1

      I come from a country that has only "name" on the passport. So, no separate first name, middle name and last name fields.

      When i applied for visa here, someone screwed up the entry on the visa and put my name as both the first name and last name. So for example if my name is John Doe Smith, I would appear as:

      First Name: John Doe Smith
      Last Name: John Doe Smith

      I once left the country for a holiday and when i returned the immigration officer (with their typical "attitude") yelled "You don't exist, mate!"

      So i simply asked them to not search for "Smith", but use my full name on the search box and he found it šŸ˜…

  • randomusername2017 on 20/03/2024 - 18:39
    +2

    I am so traumatised by this whole experience.

    Try Bettys' sister Mrs.Palmer for a bit of relief….

  • Bystander on 20/03/2024 - 19:50
    +21

    It's so often a tough crowd here.

    OP, I agree, it's a simple mistake that should be easy to fix. I hope you get a favourable resolution.

    • roddo on 20/03/2024 - 23:44
      +3

      I booked tickets with booking.com and they were 40% cheaper than direct with the airline. I don't think it gives the agent license to rip you off if you need to amend a name or something minor though.

      • hothed on 21/03/2024 - 13:16

        Agree, easy fix that should be completed within 5 minutes. Bad form Aunt Betty.

  • SpicyStew on 20/03/2024 - 22:54

    you can publish a novel on kindle

    tldr

  • wfh on 20/03/2024 - 23:07
    +3

    Yeah I usually steer clear of these third party sites. Prefer to book directly with the airline for peace of mind.

    It's not uncommon these days for flights to be cancelled or rescheduled, and it just becomes a nightmare to deal with the third party. Dealing with airline is already bad enough in these situations.

    • recycledrevenge on 21/03/2024 - 08:18
      +2

      I had Emirates cancellations on an Aunt Betty booking and it was a nightmare to resolve. Took about 4 months in the end and they were not even remotely helpful. I was about to threaten taking it further and the refund suddenly appeared in my account.

      Safe to say that was a lesson in only booking direct for airfares.

  • Edeena on 20/03/2024 - 23:38
    +3

    This is why when booking everything I always put first name + middle in the first name box when there is no middle name box available. Better be safe than sorry. You might get away with missing middle names for some airlines, but Asian airlines can be quite pedantic about middle names. Always book direct with airlines, using travel agents your tickets aren't actually yours, you can't make any changes yourself without the middle man.

  • tokyocalling on 20/03/2024 - 23:46
    +2

    I've never not booked a flight without putting in my middle name, domestic or international. It's no harm to put it in there plus it shows on both my passport and drivers licence anyway. Doesn't matter if the input form says "first name" or "given name" I'll always put the middle name together in that first name/given name box.

  • snapper17 on 21/03/2024 - 02:08

    did you compare with booking directly with the airline when you first purchased the tickets? Was it actually any cheaper? Ive booked tickets for friends using webjet ect and didnt find it any cheaper going through an agent.

  • Leem87 on 21/03/2024 - 03:23

    If you can never book through a 3rd party if it can be avoided. You pay a but extra for the customer service and peace of mind.

  • minniethemoocher on 21/03/2024 - 04:14

    I have heard similar situations where the booking agent ā€œreleasedā€ the ticket back to the airline and then the airline was able make the changes.

  • mrvaluepack on 21/03/2024 - 07:23

    For them to even respond to you and change your flight for a fee is considered a win imho lol. If you book through internet websites just be prepared not change any flight details and have zero customer service to save a few bucks.

  • recycledrevenge on 21/03/2024 - 08:17
    +2

    I made the error of booking with Aunt Betty in 2022. We were travelling to New Zealand and they were about $500 cheaper than booking direct with Emirates.

    A few months after booking, Emirates cancelled the flights and the route so we could not be rebooked on alternate Emirates flights. They advised a refund would be issued which would take 12 weeks. I'm lucky to be in a financial position where I could quickly rebook us on Air NZ flights which thankfully were at similar times and didn't cost much extra in the end. I am unsure if the refund timeframe is an Aunt Betty thing or if it's an Emirates thing.

    I set a calendar reminder for 12 weeks, and surprise surprise no refund. I called and emailed Aunt Betty weekly thereafter and received the same stock standard template and response about waiting on the airline. Emirates couldn't help me as I booked third party. After 16 weeks I was about to threaten further action, and the refund suddenly appeared in my bank account.

    Safe to say, I will never book third party for airfares after that experience. I will only book direct with an airline.

    • cbastien on 21/03/2024 - 17:15
      +3

      Flight centre took more than one year to refund us because of the pandemic. Friends on the same flight who booked directly with the airline got their refund in one week.

      • CocaKoala on 22/03/2024 - 21:56
        +1

        You could have filed a dispute with your card provider.

  • AlanJ on 21/03/2024 - 09:54
    +3

    "There is no phone/email contact point at Aunt Betty that I can reach out to."

    There isn't? Well, there used to be, back when I had my own major drama with an Aunt Betty booking (which, may I say, was — finally — resolved very satisfactorily by the then-manager of the company, Vu, who admitted his company had stuffed up, big time, and was at least eager to do the honest and decent thing). Aunt Betty was, then, the same company as Flight Centre and BYOJet… in fact, when I'd get an email from Vu, it invariably has the BYOJet logo on it, not the Aunt Betty one. Of course, I am talking six or seven years ago, and things may be different now…but here are a few contact details that at least were true then, and may possibly give you some satisfaction now. Level 3, 50 Appel St, Surfers Paradise, Qld 4217 T: +61 (7) 5631 5800 Toll Free: 1 300 BYO JET (1 300 296 538) F: +61 (7) 3801 4560 M: +61 413 581 228. If none of those bears fruit, get in touch with the chief of Flight Centre…. unless, of course, that company is no longer associated with Aunt Betty, which wouldn't surprise me! Good luck!

    • freekay on 21/03/2024 - 10:44

      There are phone numbers literally at the bottom of their contact page:
      https://www.auntbetty.com/en/contact-us

      • AlanJ on 21/03/2024 - 12:01

        I presume the OP has tried those and has received little satisfaction… perhaps they connect (as they did back then) to their overseas call centre — I think it was based in the Philippines — where I could have a lovely conversation with a sweet little Filipina voice that sounded like my granddaughter, but —as seems to be happening with the OP — was an exercise in futility (but she seemed too young to shout at; I don't shout at my granddaughter, either!). The numbers I gave are at least local (headquarters at the Gold Coast), and were answered by someone with authority… but I can't make any claims about their being current.

  • freekay on 21/03/2024 - 10:40

    Agree with what everyone says about avoiding 3rd party bookings. It's just a nightmare. Airlines can't help you out (because booked by 3rd party), and the 3rd party, unless a major player, is usually useless. It's like travel insurance—pay for it and hope you never need to use it.

  • sauce2k on 21/03/2024 - 12:46

    Thought no one uses them anymore after what they did to people during covid lol. Unlucky

  • Charybdia on 21/03/2024 - 12:50
    +1

    Yes some RNG involved with booking with Aunt Betty some would say.

  • Brianqpr on 21/03/2024 - 13:02

    Only ever used them once and it was fine, but you do have to be very careful entering details as any mistakes can cost you.

    Most of the time the savings to be had by using these sites are non existent or not enough to make it worthwhile.

  • Roe Jogan on 21/03/2024 - 15:40

    cringe post is cringe, i booked with flight network which is also low rating aus booking agent for an upcoming trip, i made sure to triple check the names coz i know that could make or break the trip, you get a better price than anywhere else, but you best triple check all the details and be sure that your travel dates wont change, you give up customizability for discount, if you are not prepared to give that up go book it directly with airline

  • Nitrollparty on 21/03/2024 - 16:50
    -3

    "I am so traumatised" why is the world so full of fairy's

  • skidexa on 21/03/2024 - 16:58
    +2

    Its OPs honest mistake, but it shouldn't take 2.5 weeks to amend a name…

    • dojomojo on 21/03/2024 - 18:32
      +1

      Agreed, not sure why everyone is so harsh on OP. I'd be pissed too if a simple mistake like that ended up costing me thousands of dollars.

  • bigbadboogieman on 21/03/2024 - 17:20
    +1

    Two rookie mistakes:
    - Not putting middle name in the first name field.
    - Not buying directly from the airline even if a little expensive.

    Unfortunately university of life teaches lessons and like any other University, these lessons can be expensive as hell.

    • Roe Jogan on 21/03/2024 - 18:19
      +1

      first mistake is their fault, second part is not true, for instance for me the difference was 800 per person, huge if you are travelling with family.

  • Poor Ass on 21/03/2024 - 18:23
    +1

    I've never heard of this company bam ba lam

  • smpantsonfire on 21/03/2024 - 19:17
    +1

    I donā€™t mind booking with booking.com.

    But generally if there is a significant difference in price, I will always go to the actual airlines webpage and ask live chat if they can price match.

    Sometimes they do, sometimes they donā€™t.

  • Poor Ass on 21/03/2024 - 21:26

    Everyone knows if you want the cheapest international flight you just have to go to a Chinese travel agent

  • quick-dry on 21/03/2024 - 21:59
    +1

    they're definitely not as easy as dealing direct with an airline, but we eventually got a good result out of them. Flights booked with a return leg of AKL-HBA (via MEL) and NZ cancelled a flight, so the result was AuntBetty putting onto an AKL-MEL th next day, but staying on the original day's MEL-HBA. Time travelling backwards by 20 hours wasn't possible unfortunately. Took a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, with AB saying they were hamstrung by NZ, and NZ saying (as expected) that they couldn't override at this point and to go through AB. Ultimately AB got it sorted, but I have a little annoyance reserved for NZ, as travel had begun on the ticket already they could override it, they were just forcing back to the TA even though it wasn't strictly necessary.

  • morebunnings on 21/03/2024 - 22:25
    +1

    Aunt Betty was made by / is owned by Flight center.

  • raiseyoursteaks on 21/03/2024 - 23:37
    -1

    They probably hung up because you are a rude customer. Your own mistake, own it. Hope the trip was worth it.

    Be keen to hear aunt Betty's side of the story…

    • Poor Ass on 22/03/2024 - 10:33
      -1

      the customer is always…….wrong?

  • icejester on 22/03/2024 - 00:48

    Middle names have always been said to be optional in IATA rules
    Vietnam Airlines is just being difficult to not allow boarding

    • Poor Ass on 22/03/2024 - 10:36

      Universal rule I believe it has to match what ever is on your passport or valid ID to enter and exit a country

      just think of all the non English speaking countries… they don't know what these given name, middle name, Christian name, surname, first name, last time rules are. Just too confusing for them. Match the passport and everyone is happy

      • quick-dry on 22/03/2024 - 12:22

        Passports and the various GDS need an overhaul to make sense. The passport name field should be a single text field and same in the GDS and "match name" would no longer be a question of things that the exprienced traveller has encoutnered vs the newbie who doesn't know that a GDS treats a first name middle name as all one string of text with no spaces so "Jimmy John" becomes GaryJohn, and the resultaing confusion that ensues when Jimmy John Smith sees his ticket name has a "mistake". If your name really is just Prince, no need to worry about first name last name BS, just enter the word.

        (That said, the whole garbage of names not being able to be fixed at check-in should be put in the bin, IMO the only valid justification from a carrier is if an entry visa e.g. ESTA is required before boaridng and the visa doesn't have the correct details. Same with the rules around the actual traveler not being able to make changes if a TA made the booking)

        • Poor Ass on 22/03/2024 - 12:31

          easier way is if they make it that you need to submit a copy of your passport to book the ticket…. agent, provider, airline etc

          no mistakes there as it will match the passport

  • nwa on 22/03/2024 - 09:49
    +1

    I had a similar experience with VietJet, Lucky I did book directly with the airline but its a typical sneaky Vietnamese trick according to a Viet friend of mine. What Vietjet did any maybe still does is, it specifically asks for First and Last name only on the form. But when you go into the fine print, they define First name as including any middle names.

    Because I did book directly it was a small fee to change at the customer service desk at check-in at places where they felt like they wanted the middle name too, that's another inconsistent thing, all depends on person behind the counter. I can imagine the hassles from TPP. Always book flight tickets directly with the airline.

  • AnyFurtherDiscount on 22/03/2024 - 11:10

    Seems like you and your poor family has not been travelling much. I have 2 passports, I can list an example how I use my name and passport and never has any issue.

    Let' say my name is: James WANG (Jones is my middle name).

    Australian Passport: James WANG/MR
    Asian Passport, I always put MIDDLE NAME on the booking: James Jones WANG/MR

    ** Vietnam Airlines has no hub in Australia so they have to "hire" the Airport Contractor to represent themselves and the Contractor is hopeless. They will send you to the agent where you book your ticket and brush you off because they have no authority to do anything on the airlines systems. In this case, you will see "AIRLINES REPRESENTATIVE" and If you travelling with the airlines has hub in Australia, they will have their own services team and you will see "SOMETHING AIRLINES SERVICES". They are from the airlines itself and they can access into the system and they can do ANYTHING.

    For your case, I may suggest you to call the call centre in Ha Noi and they might send you back to the online agent, but you need to keep trying. There will be someone who is happy to help. (Buy a cheap Boost sim card with cashback to call Vietnam for unlimited).

    All the best!

  • johnfuller on 22/03/2024 - 11:31
    +1

    when you post reviews, you must be 100% factual.

  • frugalftw on 22/03/2024 - 11:32

    What about the normal ozb things like accc and chargeback? You could argue they didnā€™t deliver the service that is attached to the product, which is pretty integral in this case. Messing up a ticket is not the same as having been sold a dead dish washer, the collateral damage can be rather sizeable in terms of missing work therefore affecting income. I hope you are able to sort this out šŸ™ The worst comes to worst is just an expensive lesson. Your wellbeing is ultimately far more important than $2k, itā€™s not great but the thing about money is, you can always make more of, but not time. A minute spent fuming on the experience is a minute you can never get back. Find a way to move on.

    Big hugs

  • yoquierotaco on 22/03/2024 - 13:10
    +1

    I had a bad experience with budgetAir, they wouldn't issue a ticket for my infant (<2). No mistake on my end. It took 2 months of weekly emails for them to finally find someone who ended up doing it. I called airlines multiple times and they told me I had to go to BudgetAir as they can't do anything. Never using third party again for any big flights.

    Extremely frustrating dealing with third party. Good luck OP

  • tikei on 22/03/2024 - 13:18
    +2

    2k is a lot to treat it as a lesson. It was an honest mistake and should've been able to be fixed easily. I suggest try threatening that you'll contact accc or do a cc charge back.

  • dontboopthesnoot on 22/03/2024 - 13:28

    wait until Aunt Suzie hears about this!

  • Feeblely on 22/03/2024 - 15:37
    +1

    Literally says on booking page:

    "My passport has two or more given names. I have a middle name
    Enter both names into the ā€œGiven name(s)ā€ box (see example). Use the same input field if you want the middle name to be on the ticket."

    https://www.auntbetty.com/en/answers/how-to-enter-names-corrā€¦

  • FlyingMiffy on 22/03/2024 - 16:14

    OP doesnt seem to be complaining about the initial mistake in the booking but the weeks afterwards trying to correct the names on the tickets… sounds like it should have been an easy job even if Aunt Betty charges a fee, it shouldnt be 2K…

  • drprox on 22/03/2024 - 18:50

    I booked flights with them a few months back and don't recall middle name issues, looking at my booking now and they're all there.

  • Wilson Wallace on 23/03/2024 - 09:57

    Never had an issue with aunt Betty, a flight centre off shoot. Since these booking sites are low cost (if you get it right the first time) itā€™s usually hard to contact them.

  • Doyen on 23/03/2024 - 10:20

    I have had a clash between Aunt Betty and Vietnam Air. Booked a Europe trip. Airline loved the second flight to before the first flight. Flights all on one ticket. Repeated chats with Aunt Betty no solution saying I needed to cancel the flight as they didn't change the flight and can't change it. Spoke to Vietnam Air they said flight booked with Aunt Betty so sort it with them. After about half a dozen more chats and giving up threatening credit card charge back Aunt Betty refunded ticket, but tickets had gone up in price by then. Something that could be a problem is a lot of Vietnam air flights are Air France metal, but a lot cheaper than Air France so it could be the airline flying the route being the problem for OP as well due to restrictions of the codeshare. Who knows. I know now more aunt Betty or Vietnam air for me. That reminds me know I have my money back I need to give them both one star reviews everywhere I can.

  • mind-bender on 23/03/2024 - 11:11
    +2

    I agree, Aunt Betty has the worst customer service.
    I had trouble with them during Covid time. I paid around $7,000 buying air tickets from ANA Japan. Covid hit and lockdown happened. Flights cancelled but they won't return my money. I contacted ANA and came to know that the air fares have already been returned to the ticket vendors. Aunt Betty denied that they received any money from the airlines.
    They tried to offer me vouchers that would expire in 6 months which I didn't accept. Went to my bank(CBA), they couldn't do anything. Went to my travel insurer (Budget Direct), they didn't even try. I was just not willing to let my hard earned $7K go just like that. I found out the CEO of Aunt Betty and harassed him on his linked-in page until they paid in full.
    I received my money and added these two companies to my personal black list.

    1. Aunt Betty + Flight Centre (Flight centre being the parent company)
    2. Budget Direct
    • chk on 23/03/2024 - 11:47

      that isnt a great customer experience but at least you got your money back albeit eventually.

      there's some ceos who dont even respond, Im referring to a particular mattress seller

    • meong on 23/03/2024 - 13:19

      FYI, I had similar issue with AirAsia during Covid.

      CBA was unable to help but I was eventually credited after pressure via AFCA.

      Months later, I received an official letter from CBA acknowledging that they were at fault for not acknowledging chargebacks due to travel restrictions.

  • rooon on 23/03/2024 - 12:04

    No change in customer service since Covid it seems. You have been Skrood over like many others.

  • wots on 23/03/2024 - 13:27

    I've left out (forgot to enter or unclear instructions) my husband's middle name in flight bookings many times times and it has never been an issue. Vietnam Airlines is being difficult here.

  • w37hsyea on 23/03/2024 - 14:46
    -3

    Cringe at using a travel agent. You guys boomers?

    • meong on 23/03/2024 - 15:45

      Not that complicated, flight search aggregators like Skyscanners will usually show results from 3rd party booking sites which are deemed as "Travel Agents" by the airlines.

    • quick-dry on 23/03/2024 - 20:15

      unless you''re booking directly with the carrier, the ticket is bought through a "travel agent" - whether that is a physical person sitting at a desk (a TA), or some faceless bot being run by Expedia, Aunt Betty, Kayak or Priceline (online travel agents or OTA).

    • plmko on 24/03/2024 - 11:13

      Lmao boomer is calling others "boomer".

  • eris on 23/03/2024 - 21:35

    When I had trouble with Aunt Betty last year I complained on their page on Trust Pilot and got the issue resolved (Dan from BYOJet who responds to complaints seems to have the power to make changes/refunds). Their call centre is useless, will try to pass the buck and hang up on you.

  • psj2019 on 04/04/2024 - 21:32

    Very strange, I was in the same exact situation with booking.com and Vietnam Airlines said they could help me once booking.com refused to help me.

    A bit late but if anyone else is in the same situation, ask Vietnam Airlines for help after you've been told that the agency can't help you.

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