Last week I pre booked 18 flight tickets, split into in two groups of 8 and 10 persons on the internet direct with BMi Baby. When I came to pay for the tickets I was given three options, debit card, credit card and switch. I sellected the debit card option incuring a charge of 7.50 for each of the two seperate transactions, or so I thought. When I checked my payment details I found that the airline had debited a credit fee of 7.50 for each passenger, not for the two individual transactions.
I have written to the airline but based upon comments I have read about the lack of customer services or care at BMi Baby, I doubt if I will even receive a reply. I would like to ask where do I go from here; are the 19 multiple charges for using my credit card just twice legal and can I challenge this unfair charging policy?
Sea Eagle
Yes it perfectly legal and it's not unfair ! Granted, it's not cheap but the airfare is. That's what some airlines charge, even BA charges a credit card fee. Booking in two groups makes no difference, than booking individually.
All bookings and changes made using a credit card are subject to a processing fee of 3.50 per passenger per one way flight. Bookings made using a debit card are subject to a processing fee of 2.50 per passenger per one way flight. There is no charge for payments made using a bmibaby Mastercard credit card.
HERE (http://www.bmibaby.com/bmibaby/en/index.aspx?p=18)
None of your figures add up ! 18 pax/19 charges ? 7.50 for each ?
If you had selected the debit card option you would have paid 37.00 for a one way flight/74.00 for a return flight, therefore 2.50 per flight per person.
If you had selected the credit card option you would have paid 63.00 for a one way flight/126.00 for a return, therefore 3.50 per flight per person.
Where do you get 7.50 for each as the max it could be is 7.00 ?
Your complaint will fall on deaf ears so don't waste your time and money contacting them.
Ryanair operate like this aswell.
Whilst it appears to be legal at present, it is also known that "admin" charges should be relative to the cost of processing that piece of administration.
Clearly charging per flight, per passenger when a single transaction is processed is not relative to the cost of processing the single transaction.
In my opinion it is sneaky and a ploy by the budget airlines recoup some of the losses they incurr by offering particularly cheap fairs.
I believe that in time these charges will be challenged and they will be forced to become more transparent in their advertising, such that the headline fares will have to increase and "admin" fees will have to become relative to the processing cost and not clear profitering as they are in this case.
In my opinion it is sneaky and a ploy by the budget airlines recoup some of the losses they incurr by offering particularly cheap fairs.
I believe that in time these charges will be challenged and they will be forced to become more transparent in their advertising, such that the headline fares will have to increase and "admin" fees will have to become relative to the processing cost and not clear profitering as they are in this case.
Not sneaky as you're clearly advised prior to purchase, but yes a ploy to recoup due to the lower airfrares.
Quite possible that in the future they maybe challenged and made to charge accordingly, but it still won't make the total cost any cheaper.
Not sneaky as you're clearly advised prior to purchase, but yes a ploy to recoup due to the lower airfrares.
LOL we have discussed this with regard to Ryanair in the past.
In my opinion it is sneaky, in yours it is not. Agree to differ and all that ;)
