Comments on: Orbitz Price Assurance re-examined: Real savings or gimmick?

By: Tim S.

Tim S. — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:16:31 +0000

Kris P., well put….very good points made. You have no way of knowing, only Orbitz does. Further, if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is. It sounds like a big lie to me. “ziko” above shows the message s/he got back from Orbitz where they were shameless enough to actually renege. It’s absurd because they basically, in a very wordy way, say nothing other than “you’re screwed; prices fluctuate, deal with it”.

By: Kris P.

Kris P. — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:53:40 +0000

I’m about to discover this myself. My R/T flight is coming up in a month. I paid $1,022 and today the same itinerary dropped to $905, which means that if a soul booked the same cheaper flight, I would actually get over $100 in refund! Isn’t that sweet??? Well, they can kiss my ass! First, I would have no way to find out if somebody booked the same exact flight as I did and second, what are the chances that somebody would book those same exact flights??!!! This promotion is not really what it sounds like. Instead, try to think of it as a marketing strategy to lure you in. Well, I’m off for a month vacation and with or without the stupid refund, I will enjoy my ass. Screw Orbitz for giving false impression to people! I still would’ve paid more for other airlines and I’m not going to stress out for $100! I will share my experience if and when I get that refund.

PS. When I booked this flight, I knew about the price assurance thing, but I always believe that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No such thing as free lunch folks and let’s all learn how to live with that whether we like it or not.

By: Hell freezes over: In which I actually get an Orbitz Price Assurance refund | Upgrade: Travel Better

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:46:15 +0000

[...] – Check in the mail: Orbitz refunds airfare price drops, but is it worthwhile? – Orbitz Price Assurance re-examined: Real savings or gimmick? Categorized in: Orbitz No [...]

By: Jeremy Jacobson

Jeremy Jacobson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:31:20 +0000

We bought tickets through Orbitz, and the prices dropped by almost half on our exact tickets(everything matching). After waiting until only a few weeks before the departure after months had passed without any refund(flight was ORD to FRA roundtrip), we found out that since we were two travelers on one itinerary, to get a refund, another person would have to buy a two ticket matching itinerary. This was very unexpected, and not anywhere in the fine print. We too would like to join any class action law suit for such a misleading policy that wasted our money.(we never got a refund)

By: Scott Rosen

Scott Rosen — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:26:27 +0000

Orbitz changed my itinerary every time that it went down in price. I am willing to join any class-action suits being prepared against them. Please contact me at: philipperv@yahoo.com. Thank you.

By: ziko

ziko — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:11:19 +0000

OK guys this is my story on Orbitz Price Assurance……so I bought 2 r/t fares through Orbitz for 708 from SFO to Geneva on Apr/30 and two weeks later the same fare, same departure, same arrival, same everything is now 677…..i emailed Orbitz requesting the credit for the difference (for 2 tickets is about $60) and their response was

———————————————————————————————————–
Dear Orbitz Customer,

Thank you for contacting Orbitz.

I understand you would like to claim price guarantee for you flight reservation.

Airfares change throughout the day, based on demand for the flight and the airlines’ right to change them at any time.

We monitor these changes closely and make every effort to keep our fare displays as current as possible. At the time of your fare search and when you bought your ticket, our display showed the lowest fare available for purchase for the time and dates you requested.

If you should find a lower fare after purchasing a non-refundable ticket, we will not be able to issue a credit for the difference in price. If you wish to take advantage of a lower price you see on the website, you may cancel the ticket and re-book. You will be subject to the refundability policy associated with your current ticket and may be charged any fees listed in that policy.

Sincerely,

Peter Emanuel
OrbitzTLC Team

———————————————————————————————————–

So basically, they lie, mislead and do not stand behind their promise just so they can make a sale. BEWARE!!!!!!

By: Peer Pressure! Orbitz drops its flight booking fee | Upgrade: Travel Better

Peer Pressure! Orbitz drops its flight booking fee | Upgrade: Travel Better — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 01:40:34 +0000

[...] that the combination of the newly-deleted fees and the Price Assurance program (analyzed here and here) makes them the online agency of choice. Assuming that the fares are the same at, say, Orbitz and [...]

By: Escalation: Priceline answers the Travelocity and Orbitz fee-cutting | Upgrade: Travel Better

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:36:25 +0000

[...] I’ve expressed before, I don’t think that a price guarantee that relies on another customer booking exactly the [...]

By: So when will Orbitz drop its booking fee? | Upgrade: Travel Better

So when will Orbitz drop its booking fee? | Upgrade: Travel Better — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:54:28 +0000

[...] that they provide value-added with their price guarantee, but since that service is of relatively limited value, I wouldn’t pay a premium for it (though maybe it’s worth the $6.99+ gamble for someone [...]

By: Complete Savings

Complete Savings — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:47:57 +0000

A friend of mine, Jeff, got a successful refund.

- David.