Philip W.

F:
Dream World Travel manager
Complaints / Customer Service Dept
Company Director Mr Mohammad Alvi

Dear Sir / Madam

On 16th January 2017 I booked flights for my wife and I through your company. We were due to depart Manchester for Fort Myers via Atlanta with Virgin / Delta Airlines (codeshare) departing on 2nd October 2017. I paid in full and received a booking confirmation / invoice the same day. I was not sent e-tickets.

On 28th June I attempted to book our seats on the flight. The booking number quoted by yourselves was not recognised by Virgin so I rang Virgin and who confirmed that they had no record of our booking using the reference number given by yourselves. I then checked on the Delta Airlines website. This showed that we were booked on the flight from Manchester to Atlanta but did not show either our connecting flight nor our return flights.

I e-mailed your office the same day to query this but did not receive a reply so the following day I rang and spoke to Jim. He informed me that according to the Virgin website there had been a flight change. He told me that I would have to contact Virgin direct to clarify this. He then supplied me with a new reference number. Jim subsequently sent me e-tickets which showed outward flights on both the 2nd and 3rd October but a connecting flight on 2nd. The e-ticket numbers were related to the flights on 2nd and not 3rd.

I used the new reference number to check the Virgin website and found that the Manchester to Atlanta flight had indeed been changed to the 3rd October. I then rang Virgin and was informed that our booking on 2nd October had been cancelled and we had been transferred to the flight the following day. They also stated that our connecting flight was still for the 2nd October but that any changes would have to be done through yourselves.

Virgin stated that the flight was booked with them on 18th February using Air France ticket stock, a full month after we had booked with yourselves and paid in full, that it was cancelled on 1st April and Dream World Travel were informed the same day, three months before we found out by accident.

The following day I again rang your office and spoke to Henry. I informed him of the problems and told him that we did not wish to fly on 3rd October and that we wished to cancel the booking as there was a significant change and requested a full refund. Henry stated that a full refund would take 6-8 weeks, if at all and that he would send me an e-mail confirming the cancellation.

I did not receive the e-mail and subsequently e-mailed Jim informing him of our cancellation and again requesting a full refund. He replied offering to change the flights but I again stated we wished to cancel.

I have now sent six e-mails to Jim and had one phone call with Henry informing them that we wish to cancel the booking but this does not yet appear to have happened.

My original booking for 2nd October was cancelled and subsequently changed without my consent and under current legislation, I am entitled to cancel the booking and have a full refund if there are significant changes. A change in departure date is classified as a significant change. As my contract with Dream World Travel has been frustrated and my statutory rights broken I am entitled to a full refund. I have forwarded an e-mail from Virgin confirming this.

I am also very disappointed with the service provided by Dream World Travel. This matter has resulted in numerous phone calls and e-mails and to date my booking has still not been cancelled let alone a refund given. The booking was totally muddled with wrong dates, wrong reference numbers and a complete lack of meaningful communication or assistance from your staff.

I hope for an acceptable and early resolution but should this not happen, I am prepared to take the matter further including an action in the small claims court. I am also considering writing to the Telegraph Travel section and notifying Ealing Trading Standards Dept as I feel that the trading practices of Dream World Travel may be if interest to them.

Last e-mail today stating they will send money if we delete our complaints on review sites. Nice.