Car Guru writes for DriveAway Holidays, DriveAway Holidays New Zealand and DriveAway Holidays Blog
You are not going to believe this. In fact I'm not sure I do.
An English lady booked a holiday with a travel agent to go to Costa Rica and ended up in Puerto Rico due to an error in the booking process (the flight booking codes for the 2 destinations are very similar apparently).
Mistakes happen but what you won't believe is that the lady did not realise the mistake until she was in a taxi in Puerto Rico, looking for her hotel booked in Costa Rico.
What?!
I am baffled. How did this happen?
OK, the travel agent puts in the wrong code when booking the flights - error on the agent's part.
But what about the customer?
Didn't she notice when she checked her itinerary? She signed a contract for it, did she not read it?
And the part that really gets me is the airport.
Surely she was looking for a flight to Costa Rica not a flight to airport code whatever! What did the display screens in the airport say? What did the crew say when they were boarding? What did the pilot say before and after take off?
There are just too many questions here. I am sceptical that this happened at all because it's just so unbelievable.
Travel agents have a responsibility in providing a good service and making such a basic mistake and not picking it up is pretty poor. But consumers have got to be on the ball too.
Regardless if you are planning a trip yourself or booking through a travel agent, you must read any documents/agreements/contracts carefully. Do not sign something if you haven't read it and ask if you have any questions.
And, as always, a little common sense goes a long way.
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