Feeling scammed by Flying Blue
Dec 3, 2022, 8:07 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 3
Feeling scammed by Flying Blue
Not sure if anyone else has had this experience but beware!
This afternoon I tried booking an award ticket with miles via Air France's website. Found a date that worked - transferred AMEX points into my account so cover the flight. Went through all the confirmations before getting a message that says "Sorry, something went wrong.. Due to a technical issue, it is not possible to complete your booking online. Please call an agent and use this booking confirmation (gives 6 digit confirmation code). I never actually was able to pay for the taxes & other fees nor were my miles deducted from my account.
So I call flying FB support and wait on hold for 2 hours. Then get an automated message saying all their agents are busy and to try again later and get hung up on. Meanwhile I log in to my account and the flight is there under 'My bookings.' I'm able to select my seat, submit meal preferences etc, but not see that anything was actually ticketed. I try calling Flying Blue support back for another 2 hours - a total of 4(!) hours on hold with no support fielded at all.
I log back into my account and my reservation has been cancelled. To make matters worse, when I go back and search for the award flight the same flight is now 4x as many points as before.
Anyone else experience this type of thing? I've never flown Air France before but figured I'd give them a shot. Kicking myself now.
This afternoon I tried booking an award ticket with miles via Air France's website. Found a date that worked - transferred AMEX points into my account so cover the flight. Went through all the confirmations before getting a message that says "Sorry, something went wrong.. Due to a technical issue, it is not possible to complete your booking online. Please call an agent and use this booking confirmation (gives 6 digit confirmation code). I never actually was able to pay for the taxes & other fees nor were my miles deducted from my account.
So I call flying FB support and wait on hold for 2 hours. Then get an automated message saying all their agents are busy and to try again later and get hung up on. Meanwhile I log in to my account and the flight is there under 'My bookings.' I'm able to select my seat, submit meal preferences etc, but not see that anything was actually ticketed. I try calling Flying Blue support back for another 2 hours - a total of 4(!) hours on hold with no support fielded at all.
I log back into my account and my reservation has been cancelled. To make matters worse, when I go back and search for the award flight the same flight is now 4x as many points as before.
Anyone else experience this type of thing? I've never flown Air France before but figured I'd give them a shot. Kicking myself now.
Dec 4, 2022, 1:47 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: FB Gold, Accor Gold, IHG One Rewards Platinum, SNCF Grand Voyager le club, Hertz 5* Gold,
Posts: 327
I think this is a well known phenomenon. If you're not a frequent AFKL flyer and suddenly transfer in lots of points then it is judged as a fraudulent transaction or somesuch.
Have a search in this forum, there are lots of reports of it.
Have a search in this forum, there are lots of reports of it.
Dec 4, 2022, 5:09 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,730
Flying Blue accounts that never earned miles via flying, but which instead make bookings using miles transferred in from third parties, are seemingly subjected to greater scrutiny. Some people have reported being requested to.present themselves in person at an Air France ticket desk to prove their ID/bonafides, but that may have been when they were making bookings for third parties rather than for themselves - another apparent red flag.