I've just booked flights home to London from Sydney direct with Emirates and been misled by the booking agent which has cost me £200.
My girlfriend chose Qantas codeshare flights as she is saving their points, and I phoned up Emirates to get the same flights. I would have booked online but I'm in Australia and paying in GBP with my Emirates American Express card (which I have thanks to a tip on FlyerTalk, and it's been great).
At the start of the call I was quoted AU$2134 which was the rate on the website at the time I called. Prior to payment I was informed the total price would be nearly $2500. I asked if the initial price was excluding taxes and fees and was clearly told that it was.
Once the booking was completed I checked the website and realised that the $2134 price in fact included all fees. Since then I've phoned back twice and been told that:
- The price was for different flights (it wasn't, I noted the numbers)
- The price had gone up whilst I was on the phone (the agent insisted I clicked through the website with him and confirmed the identical price of $2134, which we did)
I'm amazed that neither Emirates employee would refund my ticket (and allow me to re-purchase at the correct fee), or adjust the cost of my booking.
I went to Emirates directly to book my flights to avoid shady business practices like this. The agent at Emirates told me that the $2134 fare we had discussed did not include fees and taxes when in fact it did, presumably in order to convince me to purchase the fare (at a higher rate) over the phone.
The last person I spoke to claimed that they will call back regarding a final decision, and will report back should I get such a phone call.
I would caution other members to take extra care when booking tickets in another currency to that of your departing country, in case a similar thing happens to you.