Customer Service Blunder: Wrongly Charged Phone Fee
Jun 29, 2016, 10:11 am
#31
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,379
That's about change fees.
Edit: sorry, meant to type service fees. It's when you choose to have BA provide you with an additional service on top of the product you're purchasing. For example you prefer to speak to an agent instead of booking online, which would be free.
Now if BA have advertised prices for a ticket from A to B but you cannot, for whatever reason, purchase them online so you have to use an agent, then BA can either not charge that fee or they have to change their advertised price to include the fee, as that is the actual consumer price.
Edit: sorry, meant to type service fees. It's when you choose to have BA provide you with an additional service on top of the product you're purchasing. For example you prefer to speak to an agent instead of booking online, which would be free.
Now if BA have advertised prices for a ticket from A to B but you cannot, for whatever reason, purchase them online so you have to use an agent, then BA can either not charge that fee or they have to change their advertised price to include the fee, as that is the actual consumer price.
It's rather obvious that if BA advertises something at £X you should be able to buy it at £X, but that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with this charge. I know you're now saying you're not referring to this example, but you did specifically say "I agree with the OP" - which implies you were!
Jun 29, 2016, 10:14 am
#32
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Now if BA have advertised prices for a ticket from A to B but you cannot, for whatever reason, purchase them online so you have to use an agent, then BA can either not charge that fee or they have to change their advertised price to include the fee, as that is the actual consumer price.
Jun 29, 2016, 10:14 am
#33
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I agree with the OP that I would also be surprised if I would be charged a fee and probably think it was an error. Doesn't mean I'm right, just that I can understand his line of reasoning.
Jun 29, 2016, 10:16 am
#34
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Have to look it up, but in the Netherlands you cannot have hidden fees, which would include service fees. They need to be included in the advertised price or clearly mentioned on the same 'page' (for lack of a better word). I'll have a look as soon as I have my new modem operational. 
Reason I know this is because I'm actually working in customer service, including sales and BoF. We have clear rules about single channels.
Reason I know this is because I'm actually working in customer service, including sales and BoF. We have clear rules about single channels.
Jun 29, 2016, 10:23 am
#35
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Have to look it up, but in the Netherlands you cannot have hidden fees, which would include service fees. They need to be included in the advertised price or clearly mentioned on the same 'page' (for lack of a better word). I'll have a look as soon as I have my new modem operational.
In most situations I can think of where the offline fee is chargeable (it isn't hidden) it is precisely because it is not possible to price and complete the booking online, so there is no advertised price to which a fee is added - as in this specific case.
Jun 29, 2016, 10:24 am
#36
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2,379
Have to look it up, but in the Netherlands you cannot have hidden fees, which would include service fees. They need to be included in the advertised price or clearly mentioned on the same 'page' (for lack of a better word). I'll have a look as soon as I have my new modem operational.
Reason I know this is because I'm actually working in customer service, including sales and BoF. We have clear rules about single channels.
Reason I know this is because I'm actually working in customer service, including sales and BoF. We have clear rules about single channels.
Jun 29, 2016, 10:51 am
#37
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Never mind. I was making a general supportive statement towards the OP. I am not in the mood for Internet Debating. 
Jun 29, 2016, 11:11 am
#39
Join Date: Oct 2012
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Posts: 300
I have made dozens of bookings with avios on AS metal over the phone. About half the time they try to apply the $25 phone fee per ticket. I politely ask them if there is anyway to remove the fee and they usually ask a supervisor and then it's taken care of.
Never have they said no. Once they said they will do it as a one time courtesy but they have continued to do it many times since.
If you didn't ask at the time of the booking, I feel you have no recourse. It's $25, a cheap lesson learned. I bet you saved some AS miles by using Avios.
Never have they said no. Once they said they will do it as a one time courtesy but they have continued to do it many times since.
If you didn't ask at the time of the booking, I feel you have no recourse. It's $25, a cheap lesson learned. I bet you saved some AS miles by using Avios.
Jun 29, 2016, 11:12 am
#40
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Jun 29, 2016, 11:59 am
#42
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BA is totally inconsistent on these fees, and seems to have no real official policy that is enforced. What crappy customer service.
Jun 29, 2016, 12:08 pm
#43
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However if you prefer consistency I am sure BA will be more than happy to take the fee every time.
Jun 29, 2016, 12:38 pm
#44
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Well if that were true, it would be collected every time without any questions. There is no consistency and you just proved my point.
Jun 29, 2016, 12:45 pm
#45
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