Queens friends claim they're out tens of thousands because booking service won't refund their trip
NEW YORK -- A group of friends in Queens say they're out of tens of thousands of dollars because a third-party booking service called FlightsAssist won't give them their money back, even though the trip was supposed to be fully refundable.
They're not the only ones complaining. The Better Business Bureau says it has gotten 106 complaints about FlightsAssist in the last three years.
"I haven't gotten a dime back from anybody"
Tracey Jones planned a trip to Egypt with a few friends to celebrate her retirement. As the Israel-Hamas war ramped up, the group decided to cancel the trip late last year due to Egypt's border with Gaza.
"I didn't think it was going to be a problem because I know I purchased a refundable ticket and I purchased insurance," Jones said.
The "refundable amount" was $11,572 each for airfare, including $337 travel insurance charges, according to emails Jones and her friends say they received from a third-party booking service called FlightsAssist. They say it has been a year since they first told FlightsAssist they were cancelling.
"I haven't gotten a dime back from anybody," Jones said. "It just tears my stomach up every time I think about it to know they're actually taking this money from me, from us."
"They felt they were misled"
Claire Rosenzweig of the Better Business Bureau says some customers first encountered FlightsAssist after searching online for ways to change or confirm a trip.
"People were saying they booked things and then the carriers did not know what was being booked," Rosenzweig said.
Experts say holiday travelers trying to book a flight or make a change should take their time and ensure they're calling who they think they're calling.
"They felt they were misled, thinking that they were speaking to customer service reps form the actual carrier, but in actuality they'd be talking to FlightsAssist," Rosenzweig said.
One of Jones' friends, for example, says she even got a text from a man going by Marshal Watson saying "I am from Emirates reservation team." But the friends say Marshal also emailed them from a FlightsAssist.com email.
"They shouldn't go around taking peoples' money"
Jones is still hoping for a refund, while also sending a warning to potential customers.
"Basically, I just want them to be exposed, that they shouldn't go around taking peoples' money," Jones said.
FlightsAssist would not agree to an interview with us, or explain what happened in Jones' case, and the Better Business Bureau says most of those 107 complaints received no response. But FlightsAssist did reply to some of them, denying complaints that it misrepresented itself as an airline.
Experts say if you use a third-party booking site it's best to use a well-known, reputable service.
