We had a simple request: change our flight. Easy enough to do, we'd do it ourselves, but were unable because it was initially set up by Gate1 and so they were the only ones who could make the change. A fee would be required which was acceptable to us.
So, we cancelled the first leg of our two leg flight because we were going to drive to the connection point. In other words, we were cancelling the first leg and keeping the second. Unbelievably, the penalty was more than the cost of the first leg. So we not only lost the cost of the first leg, we had to pay almost double to cancel it.
Okay, then those arrangements were made and we paid the penalty. Gate1 then sent us our new itinerary. They had made a new flight at a different time (a few hours later). But this is the unbelievable part: they hadn't cancelled the original flight plans.
So we were still leaving from the original point (which we were no longer at and it was 500 miles away) and connecting at our present location and flying to Paris. But when we were half way to Paris they had us hopping on another plane for Paris. Does that makes sense in anyone's universe? Yet that is what was on the actual itinerary and no one picked up on it. How their computer even allowed it without some kind of manual override is inconceivable. It's like a joke a high school hacker would pull.
So we tried to phone Gate1. They aren't accepting phone calls because of Covid. They think they might get Covid talking to me on the phone. The only way to contact them is via their webpage. And they take days to get back to us. Our flight time is getting closer. We can't just not get on the first leg because the next is automatically cancelled if people try that stunt these days. So we really needed to get this sorted out.
We tried to call the airline but they couldn't help because we didn't make the reservation. But they had received notice that there was a change and they had an "open ticket" for us, but they had not been paid by Gate1 so we couldn't have our tickets (even if we could make a change to the itinerary). But they were very nice and would hold the tickets until payment was recieved, which we'd have to sort out with Gate1.
Gate1 is useless. We sent a few emails telling them of their keying entry error. They kept sending the same useless and conflicting itinerary that a kid could see wouldn't work. Finally they sent an email saying we should stop emailing them because covid wasn't allowing them to answer phones and was somehow interfering with the speed in which they could help customers online and by email.
Our appeals to have them pay for the changes to the airline, so the airline could process them, were ignored. They seemed to think there was another issue that they could ignore better. They never did understand that they could not expect to keep our payment themselves and the airline would be happy with that arrangement.
We made many calls to the airline and they were so kind, and finally allowed us to pay them directly for the flight changes with minimal extra fees ($76 US). They went so far out their way to bend the rules to allow us to keep our flight times. We love them. But Gate1 still has our money for the original flights (that part is fair), the cancelled first leg, and the fee to change the itinerary. And no refund in sight. We'll go through our credit card ampany for that.
But what a hassle. Endless stress, hours of extra work. At least I get to rant here and hopefully cause them some damage in lost clientele. But they're so incompetent it's likely they'd never notice. Gate1 sucks so bad a thousand aging toothless prostitutes couldn't compete.
But I suppose they'll never get Covid. Too bad, that. As Howard Stearn said (about someone else): "I pray for them. I pray they get cancer." Or at least go bankrupt. They could at least have the decency to do that.
Gate 1 Travel Reviews
We had a simple request: change our flight. Easy enough to do, we'd do it ourselves, but were unable because it was initially set up by Gate1 and so they were the only ones who could make the change. A fee would be required which was acceptable to us.
So, we cancelled the first leg of our two leg flight because we were going to drive to the connection point. In other words, we were cancelling the first leg and keeping the second. Unbelievably, the penalty was more than the cost of the first leg. So we not only lost the cost of the first leg, we had to pay almost double to cancel it.
Okay, then those arrangements were made and we paid the penalty. Gate1 then sent us our new itinerary. They had made a new flight at a different time (a few hours later). But this is the unbelievable part: they hadn't cancelled the original flight plans.
So we were still leaving from the original point (which we were no longer at and it was 500 miles away) and connecting at our present location and flying to Paris. But when we were half way to Paris they had us hopping on another plane for Paris. Does that makes sense in anyone's universe? Yet that is what was on the actual itinerary and no one picked up on it. How their computer even allowed it without some kind of manual override is inconceivable. It's like a joke a high school hacker would pull.
So we tried to phone Gate1. They aren't accepting phone calls because of Covid. They think they might get Covid talking to me on the phone. The only way to contact them is via their webpage. And they take days to get back to us. Our flight time is getting closer. We can't just not get on the first leg because the next is automatically cancelled if people try that stunt these days. So we really needed to get this sorted out.
We tried to call the airline but they couldn't help because we didn't make the reservation. But they had received notice that there was a change and they had an "open ticket" for us, but they had not been paid by Gate1 so we couldn't have our tickets (even if we could make a change to the itinerary). But they were very nice and would hold the tickets until payment was recieved, which we'd have to sort out with Gate1.
Gate1 is useless. We sent a few emails telling them of their keying entry error. They kept sending the same useless and conflicting itinerary that a kid could see wouldn't work. Finally they sent an email saying we should stop emailing them because covid wasn't allowing them to answer phones and was somehow interfering with the speed in which they could help customers online and by email.
Our appeals to have them pay for the changes to the airline, so the airline could process them, were ignored. They seemed to think there was another issue that they could ignore better. They never did understand that they could not expect to keep our payment themselves and the airline would be happy with that arrangement.
We made many calls to the airline and they were so kind, and finally allowed us to pay them directly for the flight changes with minimal extra fees ($76 US). They went so far out their way to bend the rules to allow us to keep our flight times. We love them. But Gate1 still has our money for the original flights (that part is fair), the cancelled first leg, and the fee to change the itinerary. And no refund in sight. We'll go through our credit card ampany for that.
But what a hassle. Endless stress, hours of extra work. At least I get to rant here and hopefully cause them some damage in lost clientele. But they're so incompetent it's likely they'd never notice. Gate1 sucks so bad a thousand aging toothless prostitutes couldn't compete.
But I suppose they'll never get Covid. Too bad, that. As Howard Stearn said (about someone else): "I pray for them. I pray they get cancer." Or at least go bankrupt. They could at least have the decency to do that.