We lost our ranking :eek:

FT link was number one a few months ago when I tried Google because I was wondering why we got so many first time posters. Don't use Yahoo for search anymore :p

EmailKid

Hasn't been much going on in this thread. If we can get a few more testimonials, might be able to bump it back up there.

I just responded to an airfare posted on asap website for $672
after giving details the flight quoted was $1160-which I can get (better than) elsewhere. nice russian girl in a big telemarketing office on skype

Bali Silver-

Welcome to FlyerTalk. :)

Were those additional charges for taxes or a fuel surcharge? Did they break them down?

Stumbled across the asap web site earlier today while shopping for J-class fares to LIS. Looked too good to be true, but called them before cross-checking their reputation against FT or any other forum despite noting the inconsistencies in their web site disclosures. Lost interest after speaking with a Russian-sounding agent who, for no ostensible reason, tried to counsel me against my desired travel dates (without checking availability first or doing any other diligence on my query), then tried to collect some of my personal information--also for no apparent reason. The "coup de grace" was when he told me that he'd need at least 30 minutes to perform the search and would call me back when he was finished. That was enough to send me running for the hills. End of story? Nope! After I had told the agent "No, thanks", he then attempted to call me back (evidently using his Caller ID, as I hadn't released my cell number to him) and left me a voicemail to try to get me to reconsider. Used car sales, anyone?

I have dealt with several reputable U.S.-based Internet consolidators over the years, and none of them have ever asked for any personal information and none of them have ever tried to steer me to different dates--all before searching for flights in the first place. They have all also had the capacity to do a quick and efficient on-the-spot search with me on the phone (similar to what the airlines themselves do if you call their reservations line). I didn't get far enough with asap to experience the bait-and-switch that they are reported to practice, and I am very glad that I didn't lose more than three minutes of my time on/with them.

I used them recently to book 2 tickets to Hong Kong, Thailand and Tokyo. Their website does not allow for multi-city itineraries, so you have to call their 1-866 number to get a quote. The agent takes down your information and flight details and calls you back with a price. I was quoted $200 less that what other web travel sites were offering. Once you book, you cannot cancel without suffering steep penalties (just like the other discount websites). I immediately called Air Canada after to confirm my flight and to aslo select my seats. I would definitely use them again! The service was great and so was the price.

lyonnequeen-

Welcome to FlyerTalk :)

I have used them a couple of times. The last time was in September for a trip LAX->PEK in business class. There was a transfer onto Air China at ICN but still code-share as Asiana. They booked me onto Asiana with connection in ICN onto Air China. The biggest disappointment was that I was not awarded any FF miles and this is nowhere disclosed on their web site or in their documentation. I suspect this may be a common practice with consolidators, but they should let you know in my opinion. FWIW, I really did like business class in Asiana. Very nice on the LAX->ICN leg.

oojo.com
 

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I used to be a frequent flyer, but now with three kids, the travel budget has tightened considerably. I'm American, living in the UK, and will have friends and family visit me 2-3 times a year, so I'm always looking for good flight deals.

Some on my expat forum recently recommended oojo.com and said they were able to get very good prices from there. Unfortunately, right now it appears to only be available from the US to other countries, so I can't buy tickets there, but friends coming to see me can. They do look to have some good deals, but I'm always sceptical of these sites offering great deals on flights as so many of these new sites seem to leave people stranded when concerns arise.

Does anyone have experience with oojo.com to help me?

Just looked a little closer, and looks like this site is part of International Travel Network, or ITN. They also own http://www.asaptickets.com which I know some have had okay experiences with, but a lot of what I've read makes me sceptical of them.

Why does a site need to keep opening other sites doing the same thing with a different name if they are reputable in the first place? I'm not feeling very comfortable with them--even if they seem to work for others.

I started digging a little closer and found that oojo is owned by International Travel Network, or ITN. They are the same ones who own asaptickets.com. I've seen pretty mixed reviews of them. This site doesn't seem overly thrilled with them.

I'm sad. It was sounding promising, but I'm sceptical about these companies that open up multiple websites under different names doing much the same thing. If they can do it reputably, why not build one brand rather than dividing yourself?

It certainly isn't a company I've felt comfortable with. If nothing else, it sounds as if asaptickets consistently gives you one price then refuses to honour it and will sell you a higher price. I do understand that there will be changes now and again in the processing time, but not to the extent it sounds like is there for asap. When I was growing up, I remember being taught that bait and switch techniques were breaking the law, but I guess they can get away with it.

I was also very wary of one post on here for ASAP with an Australian guy who was made to buy his tickets with a money order instead of credit card. I'd have run away.

I'm sure there are people who fly with no trouble, but I don't feel comfortable taking the risk yet.

jjcadenza,

as much as I hate to bump this thread, I moved your post into the asaptickets.com thread as well as combined your three posts on the same subject.

Since they are owned by the same company, we can keep the questions and answers in the same thread.

EmailKid

Wow, thank goodness I read this thread before dealing with ASAPtickets. So many red flags! I guess I'll just be biting the bullet for my upcoming Xmas holiday trip to Seoul :(

It's quite obvious that most of the user accounts that are replying to this thread and bumping it for Google search queries are employees of this company. Someone should just outright IP ban all these people

And yet, here you bumped the thread your own self with the last post over half year ago :eek:

If you feel that someone is shilling for ASAP, you should use the RBP button to notify the moderator @:-)

And what you don't see are the posts that your friendly neighborhood moderator already deleted ;)

EmailKid

After trying unsuccessfully to book my sister a flight to Africa, I was told about ASAP, and that she could get a ticket for $827. Then the agent called back and said oops, you have to book six months ahead of time for that rate. I went online and checked out the site, finding the specific offer, and saw nothing about six months.

Doesn't sound trustworthy to me.

Just sharing my experience with asap
 

Started lurking at flyertalk not too long ago but never occurred to me to search for reviews on asap before buying tickets through them. I'm flying home with my bf, and since we are on a tight budget, had to find as cheap tickets as possible. My mum sent me the link for a ridiculously low price advertised on asap (something like $700 rt from BOS). I immediately thought that this was impossible...and it was. However the price they quoted me was cheaper than what I found on ita matrix. So I took the plunge and got the tickets.

However, the next day, when the agent had to send me the link to pay for the tickets, the ticket prices "suddenly" went up by $150! I was doubtful but a brief search (and this is totally my fault) on google showed the the price did go up. I paid for it, and went to bed. My mum (in Singapore), started looking into the prices and readily found cheaper tickets. When I woke up I had a ton of emails from her telling me of my mistake (essentially not clicking through to the United site and seeing how much it actually costs...showed up as $15xx on google, but after clicking to United it showed up as low $1400s!)

So urgh, emailed the agent as soon as I got up with links to the cheaper tickets. They advertised a "low price guarantee" that includes not only the match to the cheaper tickets, but $50 credit with them in the future, as long as you get in touch with them within 24 hours. Agent kept apologizing (she was really nice), said she'll look into it to "see what they could do". Not long later she called and emailed saying that they will match the price. When I brought up the $50 credit, she claimed that they "couldn't give it to me since I'm already getting such a good deal". :confused:

After checking my credit card statement daily (almost hourly really), I noticed they charged me TWICE for the tickets! At the higher price! :mad: Many calls and emails later, it was just "oh we will look into it" and "let me check that with ticketing department" etc. But in the end, the second charge was refunded (rightly so!) and the difference between the tickets refunded. It took forever and really really put me off to this site! The agent was really nice and calm throughout the whole time, but the fact that I had to consistently hound them for a refund was very frustrating.

As a last note, they claimed that the cheap price (like the $700) I mentioned above, had to be booked SIX months in advance, and can travel for no more than 9 days. :eek: All in all not worth it I think...I rather save up and fly SQ round the world :)