Dial A Flight

...my world of terror with Dial - A - Flight.



*The first time*

Having used this company for a few years now (for reasons I wish to cover below), I still remain unsatisfied, and disheartened with the service they provide.

I first used them after receiving one of those packs through the post. You know, those glossy type things which boast beautiful pictures of places all around the world, with ...
...And so I avoided Dial - A - Flight completely. Unfortunately for me, I'd left booking rather too late and couldn't find a competitive price anywhere, and so I gave them another chance.

Sure enough when I phoned up they found me the best price for a ticket. At least £150 better than I'd tried to find anywhere else and I'd tried everywhere!! One thing I liked in particular, was that they put me through to the same operator as I'd had ... more

*Introduction*

Today I regail you with a tale of woe; of incorrect plane tickets, lost luggage and incomplete hotel bookings. Of long international phone calls, unnecessary tramau and repetitive mistakes.

Today I invite you to share my world of terror with Dial - A - Flight.

*The first time*

Having used this company for a few years now (for reasons I wish to cover below), I still remain unsatisfied, and disheartened with the service they provide.

I first used them after receiving one of those packs through the post. You know, those glossy type things which boast beautiful pictures of places all around the world, with a less than glossy price tag attatched to it? Well I thought I'd give them a chance, and as I flicked through the pages, I discovered an inexpensive flight to america, which I wanted to go to see my auntie. Fantastic I thought.

I called them up and was put through to an operator and he took me through every step of the holiday details. He told me the price of each thing I was inquiring for, and gave me other options to help me make the best available decisions. He was so good I even booked a villa in Orlando with him for a week! Afterwards, he both faxed and emailed me the confirmation and I thought I was all set.

The airport however, completely disagreed. Upon arriving to the airport, I found the correct desk and booked in, thinking at no point would I run into trouble. And here was where it all began. Through an error unknown to me they couldn't find my booking anywhere, depsite me having the copy of the receipt in my hands. They checked the copy I had, looked at their computer, and shook their heads so many times. It almost became a rhythmic dance. Glance, check, shake; now double time!

Shocked, I called up the travel agents and spoke to my operator. He assured me everything was fine and it was a fault at their end. Twenty minutes later, I was starting to disbelieve him. I called him again, passed the phone to the airport check in desk, and let them argue it out. By this time I was fuming; I had expected no run-ins and here I was arguing that I had a space on the place!

Finally, they found my booking. Don't ask how or why because I didn't. I just checked in my luggage and passed through security. I had already had enough that day without finding out the ins and outs of what had gone wrong. And so with a glass of wine on the plane, I slowly melted and forgot about my trouble at the airport.

*The Second Time*

The next summer I wanted to fly to Singapore to see my dad for a few weeks. It was the first time I was flying their alone, and so I didn't want any mistakes to happen. And so I avoided Dial - A - Flight completely. Unfortunately for me, I'd left booking rather too late and couldn't find a competitive price anywhere, and so I gave them another chance.

Sure enough when I phoned up they found me the best price for a ticket. At least £150 better than I'd tried to find anywhere else and I'd tried everywhere!! One thing I liked in particular, was that they put me through to the same operator as I'd had before, so I didn't have to go through the whole who I am etc. He knew what I liked and was quick to meet my needs. And so armed again with the confirmation, I was ready to go.

This time however when I received the confirmation fax, I noticed a slight error in my name. They had spelt it with two letters the wrong way round. Not a major problem I thought, so I called them up and they told me that the problem would be rectified and they sent me a new, correct, confirmation. So far, so good.

Again, the airport disagreed. Upon checking in, they informed me that the booking they had and the name in my passport didn't match. I told them I was aware of the problem and that my operator had rectified that. Even as I said it I felt stupid. If they'd recitified it, why was it still different? I was mad, again. I phoned up my operator and rather unpleasently, demanded to know what was going on. He told me that his company had changed it and it was the fault of the airline. The airline was telling me the exact opposite. Typical eh?

I finished on the phone and asked what I could do to sort it. They told me to go to a different desk where they would alter it for me, at a slight charge. The slight charge was £25!! I refused to pay the price, and told the operator he could pay for it as he'd messed up. He'd agreed, and so I got my stuff together and checked in. This time with a glass of red wine, I slowly melted and forgot about my trouble at the airport.

Until I got to Singapore airport.

Due to the mess at Heathrow side, they hadn't loaded my luggage onto the plane. And so I was left for two days with no clothes, curtousy of the airport. I debated kicking up a fuss, but knew it would do me no good. I was very tired after the flight, and no kicking or screaming would get me my things further. And so I waited until my suitcase and I were reunited.

*The Third Time*

Now I know what you're thinking 'how stupid can you get?' eh? But this time it was different. I called them up only to find out the prices of some places my mother and I could go for a weeks break; just so I had an idea. I'd previously had in mind a week in Italy; seeing Rome and the Vatican City, and then going to Venice for a while. I knew it would be pricey seeing as it is entering the Easter period, but I was shocked when they told me that a week in the Hilton in Cairo, Egypt would be significantly cheaper.

Having never been to Egypt and being totally in love with their rich culture and history, I admit, the idea was tempting. However, I knew their past hiccups and was not prepared to forgive so easily. And so i thought about it for a long while, contemplating other areas and places until finally the temptation became too much. I gave in and booked a weeks holiday with them one last time.

This time you'll be pleased to hear that there were no problems at the airport... instead at the hotel!! I arrived into Cairo Aiport at half 12pm, and reached the hotel at 1am. I then took out all the papers I had of the booking and gave them to reception. They checked their computers, looked at my papers, checked again, and shook their heads. The rhythmic dance was being repeated in the Middle East.

Two hours later (no exaggerations, I promise) I was fed up, and so just told them to book me a room and we'd wait until the morning to see what was going on. They were more than accomodating, and I am genuinely grateful to the staff. I passed out on my bed, and slept away the night like a baby, in my nile view room.

Hell hath no fury when the morning came, however. I spent a long time on the phone to my operator and explained the problem, insisting he fixed it at once. I'd already been badly embarassed the night before. My mobile phone bill will be huge, and so when I get it, they can expect to pay that too. It may sound like I'm being unfair, but I was losing my patience with the company and their inadequicies. I was frustrated, tired, and after I'd paid a lot of money, I didn't expect the problem to repeat itself.

Fortunately they did sort it quickly enough, and apologised for their mistake. We were making progress here. They were prepared to admit it was their fault after all! I came back yesterday from Cairo and had the most amazing holiday - no thanks to the operator however.

*Conclusion*

They are good with their prices. No one can dispute that. But the unnecessary problems they cause are unjust. 3 times is more than just coincedence. I'm sorry Dial - A - Flight, but you're time is up.... I won't be dialing you, anymore.

And so dear good reader, I leave you with one of my most treasured quotes:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

Tasha. xx

** Update **

For clarification purposes, Dial - A - Flight is a phoned based operating company that deals in, but is not limited to, providing flights and hotels. It also works with other companies in several different countries to provide users with a chance to book tour trips, and will organise car hire if needed. For example, when in Egypt, I was able to book a day trip to the pyramids.

The company have been around for about 25 years according to their website and work with multiple airlines and hotels. For example, when I flew to Singapore, I had the option of flying Quantas, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Quatar Airlines, and Gulf Air all on the same day, at roughly the same time. With regards to hotel, in Cairo I stayed in the Hilton, but when looking at Italy, I listed off a name of hotels I had found on the internet and through reccomendation, and the travel operator was able to find all of these hotels.

Their website can be found at http//www.dialaflight.com, however bookings aren't allowed through the website. Instead they need to be called on the reservation hotline which is 0870•3334488. Payments are made on the telephone with either debit or credit card, and they assure the customer that transactions are safe as they are a member of the ABTA and have to conform to laws.

Changes to the booking are acceptable, if enough notice is given in writing with the sum of £30 attatched, and if it is possible to carry out such a change. Cancellations and compensation are judged on each case, and so there is no way of guarenteeing that some, or all of your money will be returned to you in full.

I hope this has been more helpful to you now : o)  

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