Opodo is using the Covid crisis as a reason for non-existent customer service. I spent £2,855 on flights for four passengers to my brother’s wedding, including a £135 premium for Opodo’s “Cancel For Any Reason Guarantee”. The wedding – and the flights – were later cancelled due to Covid and I tried to rebook for a later date, but Opodo was unreachable by phone and chatbot.
I eventually got through days later, after holding the line for three hours, and was told that rebooking would cost £150 per person – in amendment fees and the fare difference – to change the tickets. I pointed out that airlines have agreed to waive their amendment fees and he eventually accepted that, but insisted the dates I had requested were unavailable, even though I could see they were free on Opodo’s and the airline’s websites.
Since then, I have called repeatedly to ask for a refund or a credit note and each time been promised call backs within 48 hours that never came. The airlines have told me they are happy to refund me but I must claim through Opodo.
I am a consultant radiologist with the NHS and do not have time to keep chasing.
UC, Hereford
Opodo’s attitude to customer service has always kept my inbox portly. Now, in Covid times, the despair is deafening from passengers in the same situation. Those who do succeed in getting hold of an agent are reporting flat refusals to refund their money and indefinite waits for the vouchers promised instead.
Those persuaded to buy the “Cancel For Any Reason Guarantee” are no better off because it turns out that one reason why it won’t pass muster is … Covid-19. The excuse is near the bottom of the small print which says that unspecified force majeure events don’t count.
Opodo tells the Observer: “We appreciate the current, unprecedented environment is frustrating for our customers. Our teams across the business are working hard to alleviate this as much as possible.”
Although there are scores of others in the same boat, it admitted to me that it had let you down and promised a refund.
There are two points worth endlessly repeating: if you steer clear of third-party booking sites and buy direct from the airline whenever possible, it cuts out the middleman when things go wrong and can even work out cheaper. The second is this: your contract is with the airline, no matter what platform you book through, and under EU Denied Boarding Regulations it’s the airline that is responsible for refunding you if it’s an EU carrier, or flying from or to an EU airport. Unless the airline has already repaid the booking agent, don’t let it pass the buck back to the agent.
