Double internet booking dilemma

Aug 9 2009 by Mr Justice, Sunday Sun

And, contrary to what On The Beach thinks, Davison is his surname.

Jamie’s response continued as he tried to explain why the booking was confirmed in On The Beach’s eyes if not the customer’s.

He said: “I have looked at this in great detail and can confirm that Mr Neil’s holiday was indeed booked and confirmed as per his online request.

“Unfortunately, Mr Neil did not input his correct email address when prompted to do so during the booking process.

“Our automated booking system then sent the confirmation of the booking to Mr Neil’s incorrect email address.”

Neil can’t understand why email correspondence to an incorrect email address can be classed as confirmation of a booking. Jamie said: “It is the customer’s responsibility to input the correct details on the online form during the booking process.

“If Mr Neil did lose his internet service during the online transaction, and was unsure if the booking completed, he should have contacted On The Beach immediately before going on to book a further holiday with another online travel agent.”

There is still hope for Neil after I also asked card company Barclaycard to look into his complaint. A spokeswoman told me: “One of our customer relations advisors spoke with Mr Davison yesterday to explain our position here. The terms and conditions that Mr Davison agreed to clearly state that the company cannot be held responsible where an email does not arrive.

“Unfortunately, because of this, Mr Davison does not have a claim under Section 75 of the consumer credit act as no breach of contract has occurred.

“However, as a gesture of goodwill, we have attempted a ‘chargeback’ to the bank used by www.otbeach.com, explaining the situation in the hope that they will refund the amount.

“They have 60 days to reply, during which a temporary credit for £891.94 will be placed on his account. However, should the chargeback be unsuccessful, the amount will be re-debited.”