Aunt Betty - Travel Nightmare

LPeter Phor on 09/07/2025 - 14:46
Last edited 09/07/2025 - 14:58 by 1 other user

I paid Aunt Betty $150 for seat selection on a flight to the UK—but months later, I found out they never passed the payment to Singapore Airlines.

I had to pay again just to secure my seat. Despite trying to resolve this for 3 months, I’ve received no response or refund. Very disappointing service. They encourage you to write in, but they never respond. Called and they mentioned that they will pass on the complaint to the relevant department. They never reply to your queries. After writing and calling more than 10 times, still get no reply to my claim for refund. This is probably their tactics - to wear you out and hoping you will not just leave it alone.

Better to pay Singapore airlines directly even though it is a bit more expensive.

Travel Aunt Betty's

Related Stores

Aunt Betty
Aunt Betty
Marketplace

Comments

  • robbyjones on 09/07/2025 - 14:47
    +29

    If you purchased your flight through Aunt Betty then wait until your flights are completed, in case they cancel your flight/s, then instigate a chargeback for the $150.

  • jv on 09/07/2025 - 14:48
    +17

    I paid Aunt Betty $150 for seat selection

    Never do busines with relatives…

  • jv on 09/07/2025 - 14:49
    -5

    This is probably their tactics - to wear you out and hoping you will not just leave it alone.

    Commbank do this too…

  • jjjaar on 09/07/2025 - 14:53
    +38

    Whoa aunt Betty
    Bam ba lam

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 09/07/2025 - 15:30
      +3

      You stole my thunder! LOL.

      • spackbace on 09/07/2025 - 16:59
        +2

        So you were… Thunderstruck?

        • BewareOfThe Dog on 09/07/2025 - 17:14
          +1

          I have a few friends that have been involved with ACDC at times. Here is a video of one of them in action.

          • jv on 10/07/2025 - 09:24

            @BewareOfThe Dog: Is that at the Broadmeadows RSL ?

            • BewareOfThe Dog on 10/07/2025 - 18:01

              @jv: I don't know.

              AC/DC were originally from Sydney, so I would have thought that in the Pre-Bon Scott days, that they would have stuck to Sydney, especially with promo stuff. Though, apparently ACDC did this song with Dave with Countdown, so it's a possibility?

              BTW Bon wore a dress when he 1st appeared on Countdown for 'Baby, Please Don't Go', as he heard Molly liked …….

              • jv on 10/07/2025 - 21:40

                @BewareOfThe Dog:

                AC/DC were originally from Sydney

                Maybe, but Bon Scott grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne, in Sunshine.

  • JMosk on 09/07/2025 - 15:14
    +3

    Leave a review on Google.
    I don't think there is an ombudsman that covers third party bookings (yet)

  • MELso on 09/07/2025 - 15:47
    +7

    Another day, another person screwed over by an online travel agent (if I may adapt the OzB acronym for gift cards - ADAOTAHS).

    For anyone who stumbles over this thread (hopefully before handing over any cash to Aunt Betty or others of their ilk), if you absolutely must go for an OTA, always check your booking with the airline to make sure it's both reserved (there's a six character alphanumeric PNR) and ticketed (i.e. there's a 13 digit number assigned), and that any extras you paid for like seats or baggage have been applied. Be prepared for a world of pain if they haven't or if anything needs to be changed.

    And book direct with the airline next time…

    • salmon123 on 09/07/2025 - 17:27
      +2

      another person screwed over by an online travel agent

      The problem isn't online travel agents.

      Aunt Betty is owned by the flight center group. Flight Center does this crap all the time too. Look at how many people finished up with unusual credit during covid.

    • DashCam AKA Rolts on 09/07/2025 - 18:19
      +1

      ADAOTAHS

      Not formated correctly I'm sorry.
      Waiting for confirmation..@mapax

      • mapax on 09/07/2025 - 21:46

        You are correct.
        Denied due to not adhering to 7 characters.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 09/07/2025 - 15:58
    +7

    AB is part of the flight centre group, along with BYOJet and others. They don't offer any real value when you can just book with the airline directly.

  • doperst on 09/07/2025 - 16:58
    +2

    I never got a refund (or even a response!) from Aunt Betty for my flight that was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID.

  • capslock on 09/07/2025 - 17:03
    +1

    $150 to select a seat. Ouch!

  • brendanm on 09/07/2025 - 18:46
    -5

    TIL having to pay $150 makes something a "nightmare".

  • ol mate on 09/07/2025 - 18:47
    -1

    Not sure why you paid Aunt Betty to select the seat.

    I would've thought it'd be easiest to book with them, then use the SQ PNR to log into MMB on SQ's website and pay from there.

    I'll only use OTAs where I know my plans are going to change, and there's a reasonable discount (for e.g. booked some flights 5 weeks out, knew the only reason I'd change/cancel would be due to insured events, so decided to save $150 and get $30 CB as well by booking through Aunt Betty. I wouldn't book through them if the plans were likely to change though)

  • JimmyF on 09/07/2025 - 19:33
    +1

    Aunt Betty - Travel Nightmare

    Checks out.

  • cashless on 09/07/2025 - 20:46
    +2

    I paid ……… $150 for seat selection

    Now that seems like a mistake to me

    • drewbytes on 10/07/2025 - 09:27
      +1

      Not at all. When I recently flew Singapore Air to the UK, I booked direct with S-Air to select exit row seats for the leg room and have no-one in front of me. The seat selection fees were about $80 to Singapore and $120 to Heathrow from memory. Normal seat selection is free, it's generally only 'special' seats that cost extra. I was very happy to pay that fee to get seats where I could stretch out and be comfortable.

  • Davo1111 on 09/07/2025 - 21:43
    +5

    ….look at the reviews.

    Who could have predicted this?

    • WhyAmICommenting on 11/07/2025 - 12:12

      Can’t trust positive reviews 100% anymore - too easy to buy them. But, yeah, in this case…

      • Davo1111 on 11/07/2025 - 14:50

        yeah, excessive positive reviews is just as suspicious.

  • parcus on 10/07/2025 - 01:23
    +1

    Wouldn't recommend paying for seats (or really any ancillary services like extra baggage etc) with the OTA themselves as they usually charge a markup vs direct with airline, and you get cases like this where it doesn't stick. Once ticketed with the OTA get the airline reference and do it yourself on the airline's website, often cheaper and guaranteed it actually goes through.

    Not the worst OTA story and at least this one they are at fault vs 95% of other cases where it's the traveller making a mistake or not understanding fees and expecting the OTAs to bend over for them

  • thestig on 10/07/2025 - 09:06
    +1

    You try to save a few dollars booking through dodgy third party online travel providers and then when it goes to crap you're surprised? After looking at the reviews I would thankful that it was only the seat selection messed up….

  • drewbytes on 10/07/2025 - 09:28
    +2

    I only ever book direct now after I had no end of issues with an online travel company during COVID. It's not worth the risk to save a few $$$.

  • peterw1 on 10/07/2025 - 17:57

    email/write to the ACCC and see if that helps

  • sauce2k on 11/07/2025 - 11:21

    I thought these guys are ded or at least people have been warned - they never refunded/took like 24 months to refund cancelled flights…

    Book direct is the way forward. It's all great until something happens and these agencies will take you for a ride lol

    • Muppet Detector on 13/07/2025 - 08:21

      these agencies will take you for a ride lol

      A ride on a plane?

  • Ciderfizz44 on 11/07/2025 - 11:27
    +2

    ALWAYS BOOK DIRECT

    • Seni0r El Cheapo on 11/07/2025 - 14:16

      This.

      enoughSaid

    • Kamsi on 11/07/2025 - 15:05
      -1

      NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.

    • Gaz1 on 11/07/2025 - 15:15

      Some airlines will price match other 3rd party sites too.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join