How a Typo Almost Cost an Expedia Customer $1,500
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
It’s a mistake we’ve all made before: a typo. However, often innocuous (and sometimes hilarious), they are no laughing when it comes to air travel. Mo Shahin, of Burlington, Ontario, found this out the hard way when he left an ‘h’ out of his brother-in-law’s name, writing “Abdelgaffar” instead of “Abdelghaffar” when booking an Air Canada flight on Expedia.
Upon realization of the missing ‘h’, Shahin contacted Expedia immediately and was told by an agent that he would have to submit a formal name-correction request. “He said, ‘This is a minor mistake, it happens all the time,” Shahin said the Expedia agent told him, according to CBC. “‘There’s a procedure we have in place for that.'” Little did he know that this was just the beginning of a two-week back-and-forth saga between him, the airliner and the booking agency.
“Not getting enough sleep, worried about what I should be doing — it just has been putting a lot of pain on me and my family,” Shahin said to CBC. He had been using Expedia to buy plane tickets for five family members in Cairo and Houston to visit him in Ontario over the summer. Tickets were multi-city and included flights on Air Canada, Lufthansa and British Airways booked on Nov. 6.
A week after submitting the request, Shahin reached out to Expedia yet again. And this time, it was bad news. The name correction request had been rejected — his “best bet” now was to cancel the ticket he’d booked for his brother (which was non-refundable) rebook with the correct name. This would cost Shahin $1,560, minus a “partial tax refund” of a mere $50. “We apologize for the hassle, however, this is the best we are able to do,” Expedia told him in a Twitter message.
In the end, Shahin was able to fight this charge by persisting and contacting the media. Following CBC’s involvement, Expedia corrected and reissued the ticket to Shahin free of cost. While why Shahin’s original request was denied is still unclear, Expedia spokesperson Mary Zajac told apologized via email and said that the booking agency will “always advocate on behalf of our customers and do everything we can to help travelers find a resolution.”
Shahin, however, wonders what would’ve happened if he never got in contact with CBC. “I could have ended up paying for a new ticket for a minor, one-letter spelling mistake. It seems that something is not right here,” he said. To avoid making any costly mistakes when booking your travel, check out our list of top 10 trip ruining errors.
Featured image by Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants in the first three months of card membership.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Earn 50,000 Bonus Miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
- Plus, earn up to $100 back in statement credits for eligible purchases at U.S. restaurants with your card within the first 3 months of membership.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.