Item: Southall Travel
Rating: 1

Guest's review of Southall Travel

“Horrendous Service, Dishonest, Stressful”

★☆☆☆☆

written by on 29/06/2012

Horrendous service, dishonest people, requested a quote for flight and hotel on Saturday 09.06.2012, quote provided at £882.00 without breakfast however breakfast was offered complementary. Booking completed without breakfast, at the time of booking the price had increased to £890.00, advised deposit required would be £200.00, however £210.00 debited. Requested on Monday 11.06.2012 (the next day) complimentary breakfast be added, advised this was not offered and would be at a cost. Requested recorded conversations be listened to, not sure if this has happened but I am now offered breakfast at a cost of £50.00. Due to the inconvenience, staff dishonesty and lack of communication, breakfast should be free; however I finally agreed to pay the extra cost. Due to an urgent matter I needed to cancel my travel, email sent to Southall Travel, Southall Travel email back asking if I want to cancel my booking. I confirmed yes, soon after I receive a call requesting me to confirm my cancellation, I also receive and email again requesting my conformation of cancellation , confirmed agin. The agent advises as I paid a deposit, she will see what she can do about a refund; agent advises I can negotiate the amount paid against a future booking. Next day I receive the below email:

“As per your request we have cancelled your flight booking for XXXXX under the Invoice number 1277723 please note that the refund process will take at least 4-6 weeks to be processed.

It is further advised to all our customers to call us after 04 weeks, in order to check the
Status of Refund. “

The agent advises this email is incorrect, no refund is applicable and I do not have an option going forward, £210.00 lost.
I raised all these matters with 'Customer Care (Southall Travel)'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'. After numerous emails and calls I received one response, after I advised I will contact ATOL.

To date Southall Travel has been unable to confirm they have retrieved all calls with the agent, as clearly the agent was incorrect. I am now banging my head against a brick wall. Southall Travel are now ignoring my emails, I have a wall of silence.

Any ideas of what next steps should be, I have today contact ATOL. I will also be writing to Managing Director of Southall Travel's. Mistakes are made, but ownership should be accepted and resolved.

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Tigereyes's Comment

Written on: 09/07/2012

Following on from Part 1, I received 3 voicemail messages from Southall Travel advising my hotel is cancelled, but my flight remains in place for which I am required to pay in full if I am to travel on 1st July 2012, as planned. I call Southall Travel, who confirm flights are in place and payment is required. Eventually they agree to cancel the flight, when an email confirmation is requested, I am advised this will take 24 hours – totally unacceptable. Eventually I receive a confirmation. Still waiting for Southall Travel to confirm recorded telephone calls have been retrieved and listened to. Then the battle of the refund. On employee advised costs will be negotiated, then advises a refund, second employee advises a refund is not possible. Hey Southall Travel made £210.00 for chatting on the phone, being non responsive. Let’s all work for Southall Travel 

Part 3
Southall Travel has not responded to my email of 3rd July 2012, they promise a 24 hour response time. I have also contacted abta. What else can I do.

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Tigereyes's Comment

Written on: 18/10/2012

An agreed out come by means of a further booking.
My confidence is restored and will without a doubt use Southall Travel in future.

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Tigereyes's Comment

Written on: 10/07/2012

Part 4 - Southall Travel advises calls have not been recorded for this incident although I have communicated with 4 different supervisous through the month, each failed to advise. I have requested emails be checked, lets see what happens. I have XXXX names.

Let’s clear the misunderstandings you have:

• Please identity what measures have been taken – as to date I see no measures
• It was XXX who advised ALL calls are recorded. Are you advising from my initial email of 9th June 2012 to date and communications with XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and the group email addresses, you are advising on 10th July 2012, calls are not recorded for the period in question, conversations that took place over a number of days with different colleagues. I find this very strange and unacceptable
• The error regarding the cancellation was only advised as an error when I communicated the received information to XXXX, even then the cancellation did not take place as XXXX was demanding payment
• It was (name removed) who advised verbally and via an email that an adjustment would be made against a future booking – please review XXXX emails for this period of time

Clearly across the board all shortfalls sit within Southall Travel, an entity that is only interested in making a sale without due care and attention of their clients. It was (name removed) who provided inaccurate and incorrect information which the supervisors over the moth failed to address.

I ask how the client is responsible for such shortfalls. I believe due to the number of shortfalls I as the client should be compensated for the error and time taken to raise these issues

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Horrendous Service, Dishonest, Stressful

Guest's review of Southall Travel