Iberia manages new lows
Dec 25, 2017, 1:53 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: London
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 329
Iberia manages new lows
Been trying to purchase a ticket on IB today. Entered my Amex details. Get to secure payment redirect page 'Please wait..." Nothing happens. Try again. Same result.
Call Amex, they have no record of a transaction or an attempt to obtain authorisation. Naturally, there is no problem with my account.
Call IB, they locate the two attempts to purchase the ticket, but the agent tells me the tickets have not been issued because the process was not completed. To avoid the possibility of being charged twice, the agent advises me to wait 3 hours and call back to check with them if a transaction has gone through. She gives me the two PNRs.
I call back after three hours and another agent advises me that no ticket has been issued. 'Could we then complete one of the bookings on the telephone?' I ask. No these bookings have now been cancelled. I could make a phone booking if I want, but there will be a EUR30 fee. Can this fee be waived, given there is a problem on their website? No. "You can try again online." I do. Guess what? The secure payment page hungs again.
Called another time. The agent tells me that this is a frequent problem with their website and for that reason they recommend making booking by phone. Nonetheless he refuses to waive the charge.
Its bad enough having a terrible website, but to compound it with stupid policies and incompetently trained and managed call centre agents is shocking.
I would have bought a ticket on EZY already if it was not for their ungodly departure time out of STN!
Just had to vent
Call Amex, they have no record of a transaction or an attempt to obtain authorisation. Naturally, there is no problem with my account.
Call IB, they locate the two attempts to purchase the ticket, but the agent tells me the tickets have not been issued because the process was not completed. To avoid the possibility of being charged twice, the agent advises me to wait 3 hours and call back to check with them if a transaction has gone through. She gives me the two PNRs.
I call back after three hours and another agent advises me that no ticket has been issued. 'Could we then complete one of the bookings on the telephone?' I ask. No these bookings have now been cancelled. I could make a phone booking if I want, but there will be a EUR30 fee. Can this fee be waived, given there is a problem on their website? No. "You can try again online." I do. Guess what? The secure payment page hungs again.
Called another time. The agent tells me that this is a frequent problem with their website and for that reason they recommend making booking by phone. Nonetheless he refuses to waive the charge.
Its bad enough having a terrible website, but to compound it with stupid policies and incompetently trained and managed call centre agents is shocking.
I would have bought a ticket on EZY already if it was not for their ungodly departure time out of STN!
Just had to vent
Dec 26, 2017, 10:17 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: London
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 329
...Finally today someone bothered to reset the server, so that the purchase finally went through on the fourth attempt. Of-course, the website would not let me pick emergency exit row seats for free so had to call them back. It took a while to convince the agent that OW Sapphires should not be charged for seating preferences. I was put on hold and on a queue that played the French voicemail menu. I thought that was punishment for my impertinence but amazingly he returned and confirmed the seats...
BTW, whenever I ask, the agents insist they are located in Madrid. Nevertheless they all seem to have Andean (Peruvian/Ecuadorian) accents and often have trouble recognising Spanish towns.
BTW, whenever I ask, the agents insist they are located in Madrid. Nevertheless they all seem to have Andean (Peruvian/Ecuadorian) accents and often have trouble recognising Spanish towns.
Dec 26, 2017, 9:12 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: New York, Paris
Programs: AA ExPlat 4MM, AA Life Plat, Lufthansa FT, Delta Basic
Posts: 1,593
If you call that a new low, you haven't flown Iberia very much. I call it Business as Usual, and even on the positive side since they did not charge your card for each reservation, then cancel the booking, then charge you for the cancellations.
Dec 26, 2017, 9:40 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Catania, Sicily/South Jersey (PHL)/Houston, Texas/Red Stick/airborne in-between
Programs: United Global Svs, AA PlatPro, WN RR, AZ/ITA Freccia, Hilton Diam, Bonvoy Gold, Hertz Prez, IHG
Posts: 3,547
Similar thing happened to me whilst attempting to book Madrid to Sevilla flights earlier this year. I had to use a VPN reroute via the United States and book via that page. The Italian one did not work; I received similar errors.
The check-in desk agent actually raised a ruckus also because I checked in with my Italian ID card, when it was an American card I had used to purchase. I dug out my US passport and a supervisor ended up using my Italian passport but a unique experience nonetheless for me...along with the plane seats designed for midgets they used on the (thankfully) short flight but I digress. Maybe it is bad luck but IB always gives me issues. yet Alitalia doesn't LOL so YMMV as always.
The check-in desk agent actually raised a ruckus also because I checked in with my Italian ID card, when it was an American card I had used to purchase. I dug out my US passport and a supervisor ended up using my Italian passport but a unique experience nonetheless for me...along with the plane seats designed for midgets they used on the (thankfully) short flight but I digress. Maybe it is bad luck but IB always gives me issues. yet Alitalia doesn't LOL so YMMV as always.
Dec 27, 2017, 4:23 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,047
I guess we'd better cancel Christmas so that Iberia has a full set of IT and customer service agents in the office. I'm not sure the point of some prejudiced comments calling agents incompetent based on their accents.
I know that Iberia has its issues, but that's nothing new. And it most definitely is not unique to Iberia.
I know that Iberia has its issues, but that's nothing new. And it most definitely is not unique to Iberia.
