ComplaintsforKayak.com

Online Travel Agency

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Initial Complaint
06/27/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I booked a flight using kayak last year. Without any prompts, my knowledge or consent apparently kayak allowed another website or someone other than myself facilitate a transaction that left me out of control of the flight being booked. Due to that my credit was used and not issued to myself so I was unable to benefit from this transaction. I was told that they could not speak to me nor fix anything because I wasn’t the person who purchased the ticket. Since then they’ve refused to re credit my account that was charged, hence violating consumer laws. Since my social security number was used, this alone is proof of fraudulent activity.
Business response
07/16/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is designed for travelers to search and book their own travel. It does appear the traveler searched on KAYAK but when they selected to book they did not book with a provider that allows them to remain on KAYAK. For further assistance with their booking the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with. If they are unsure what provider they booked with we suggest the traveler checks their email confirmation or credit card for details.
Initial Complaint
05/20/2024
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I purchased a plane ticket from *********** that is run by kayak.com and I got sick before my flight on May 8th. I cancelled my flight with a doctors note and ******** ******** said I would get a full refund within 3-5 business days. It has been 8 business days and no response, additionally the amount on ******** ******** website stated a refund for 214$ but I paid 600$ on ***********. Secondly, I purchased the same destination flight ticket with a different airlines (***) for 800$ for May 12th and *** airways would not let me board the plane without a doctors approval but did request this until before boarding not during check-in. I received the doctors approval because the between the time of the two scheduled flights I received medicine for my sickness. The issue is - I did not receive the approval within the 15 minutes allotment time I was given and the plane took off. I paid an additional 300$ to switch the ticket and the money has been taken and not confirmation has been given for tomorrows flight.
Business response
06/05/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. The traveler used KAYAK to search and selected to book with *********** which is an online travel agent that shows within KAYAK’s search results. As the traveler booked with *********** it will be ************* refund policy that will apply. For further assistance the traveler will need to continue to work with ***********.
Initial Complaint
03/15/2024
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Was booking rental car and specified airport as *** ***** and I selected a car which turned out to be located 20 miles away from the airport in a location not served by the shuttle of the airport which would have forced me to get a ride to pick up the car costing me more than the entire rental amount of the car. When I contacted the rental agency (Kayak-*********) they informed me that they could not resolve the dispute directly and they transferred me to ***** which left me on hold for 2 hours. I eventually hung up and tried back several times and was unable to get through to the company. I ended up renting a more expensive vehicle directly through the **** rental car company instead of Kayak. This is the second time that *********/Kayak has done this sort of thing. The first time was last year, when dollar rental car at the airport in **** **** **** when they mistakenly said that I could not rent from them because of an issue with my drivers licence (which turned out to be untrue) at 11:30 pm at night, even though I had reserved a car they subsequently ran out of cars and I was forced to rent from Avis at the airport for three times the price. My beleif is that the car rental industry is out of control and unregulated and set their own rules to suit them without any consequences.
Business response
04/02/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. It appears the traveler used KAYAK to search for a car rental. When travelers search specifically for an airport, KAYAK will only return rental agencies that service that airport. In this case it looks like the traveler ran a general search for the city, which returns both airport and non-airport locations. Non-airport locations tend to offer a lower rate and that is why they display higher on the results page. For assistance with the booking the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with. Thank you.
Customer response
04/08/2024

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
When I booked my rental car it was not for the *** ***** Area, rather it was specifically for the ***** **** International Airport in *** *****. So, the claim that I requested the *** ***** vicinity is simply incorrect. The car which was 20 miles away frrom the airport should not have shown up in my search criteria.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Business response
04/09/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this rejection. When searching for the airport only KAYAK will only display results for locations that service the airport. It will display in terminal or shuttle if a shuttle ride is required. Also there are icons to help travelers see if the location is an airport location or a city location. It does appear the traveler ran a general city search which returns both airport and non airport locations.
Customer response
04/10/2024

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
I have booked numerous trips through the KAYAK site, so I know what I am doing when I book travel. I searched for rental cars at the ***** **** Airport. I lived in *** ***** for 18 years and know the difference between ***** **** and the Rampart. That location should not have appeared in the search, plain and simple. That being said I have also spent a considerable amount of money on travel through KAYAK. The fact that you continue to maintain that I am to blame for booking a rental car with the wrong pick-up location simply tells me that you do not value me or my position as a customer. I no longer wish to communicate with KAYAK and will seek other options when I book my travel as your response and handling of this complaint are unacceptable to me as a consumer.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Business response
04/17/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this rejection. Upon further review when searching for the airport only only locations that service the airport show within the results. It does appear the traveler ran a general city search which does return both airport and non airport locations.
Initial Complaint
12/28/2023
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
We booked ******** Airline flight through kayak. It was scheduled as a round trip to *** **** from *** *********** for $1,795.60. We completed and arrived to *** When we went to check our flight back to *********, ******** Airlines is telling us Kayak booked it as a one way. Kayak also says they do not take phone calls or have a customer service option. So, we are stuck booking yet another flight. We had to pay for a flight back to ********* costing us another $1,252.56 in expenses due to Kayak’s technology issue. We would like this credit back to us and an apology for not having adequate customer support arranged. Huge inconvenience and definitely scamming customers out of money.
Business response
01/22/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is an online travel search site designed for users to search and book their own travel. Once the traveler leaves KAYAK's site KAYAK will have no insight into the booking. For further assistance the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with.
Initial Complaint
12/20/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Resolved
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
I purchased insurance for a car rental I was to have during a trip to ***** **** earlier this month (I purchased the insurance and reserved the car through ***** on Nov 5, 2023). I paid for the insurance in full (which ***** required). When I arrived at the airport car rental desk in *******, ***** **** (*******), they informed me that the insurance I had purchased was basically useless, and that I would have to buy their insurance, at a total cost for the rental of about CAN$700 (I was quoted ~CAN$250 by ***** for the rental and insurance together). Due to the high cost I did not rent the reserved car. I was hoping to get a refund for the insurance paid, as I did not rent the car, and the insurance I purchased through ***** was basically useless anyway.
Business response
01/05/2024
***** is in receipt of this complaint. It appears the traveler searched on ***** and selected to book with a provider directly on the providers site. Once the traveler leaves KAYAK, ***** will have no insight into the booking. For further assistance the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with. Thank you.
Business response
01/05/2024
***** is in receipt of this complaint. It appears the traveler searched on ***** and selected to book with a provider directly on the providers site. Once the traveler leaves KAYAK, ***** will have no insight into the booking. For further assistance the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with. Thank you.
Customer response
01/08/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Customer response
01/08/2024

Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Initial Complaint
12/18/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
A ********/Kayak rep who goes by “Brooklyn” called me and told me if I didn’t buy seat assignments from her that the airline was going to separate me from my baby/kids and that my kids were going to have to sit by themselves with strangers. She also lied and said the flight was completely booked and there was only a few seats left so it was urgent I purchased with her right away. She charged me about $600 for the seats. When I called ********* ***, they said seat assignments with them was free and there were plenty of seats available. Another lie she gave me was I wanted to add my nephew to the flight and that even though I saw on Kayak website that the flight plus fees was $770 she charged my $850. The phone call was 3 hours long as she tried ever fear tactic narrative and scam approach to finally I broke down and paid. We feel Kayak/******** completely scammed us. I have requested a refund and they refused.
Business response
01/05/2024
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. The booking was made with ********. It will be ********'s policies that will apply regarding seat selection. Upon review, ******** confirmed that the customer was assisted by our agent when it came to pre-seating based on availability. Fees were discussed and the customer was given a choice if they would like to proceed or not which customer opted to purchase the seats.
When it comes to the discrepancy in the price, the customer was informed that prices and availability are not guaranteed until the booking is made. For further assistance the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with for assistance.
Customer response
01/08/2024

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
the agent completely lied and gave fear tactics that my children would be sat next to strangers if I didn’t pay her. Also, the truth about my options were never given. The truth was I could have easily called the airline and booked my seats directly with them for free. Also, the airline explained to me never would they separate a family.
the misleading approach and salesman techniques was to trick me as the consumer to gain their agent commission. Very unethical. The agent lied about the additional ticket and the Kayak/******** provided me a fake scam number for a name change issue. It has been one scam after another.

Sincerely,

***** ****
Initial Complaint
12/15/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
We purchased ******* business class round-trip tickets for our family of 4 from ********* through KAYAK website on Nov 10, 2023 under two separate bookings (mom traveling with 2 young children together with ref # *******, and dad joining them later for vacation with ref # *******). The trip is from *** (****** ******) to *** (*****). During the booking KAYAK showed options on what kind of business tickets we could purchase (as there were different prices depending on options selected). We chose the business class ticket which included seat selection for free. We wanted seat selection because my wife will be traveling with kids aged 4 and 8, and wants to ensure that they are seated where she can keep a close eye on them and help them when needed. We paid for both the bookings ($13,472.56) as per the contract and later got the confirmation of the booking. Next day, we went to ******* site to finalize our meal plans and seats, and that's when we saw that seat selection was not included with our tickets. That was quite a surprise since we specifically paid for that and the screenshot from booking (attached here) shows that our option included seat selection for free. I contacted ********* for this and they said that KAYAK was the one who advertised free seats and not them, so they will not do anything and KAYAK needs to fix this issue.
Business response
12/19/2023
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is an online travel search site designed for users to search and book their own travel. When a traveler searches on KAYAK, KAYAK will display results from different providers. ********* is an online travel agent that shows within KAYAK’s results. Upon selecting the book the traveler would have been transferred to *********’s website to complete the booking according to *********s policies. For further assistance with the booking the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with.
Business response
12/19/2023
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is an online travel search site designed for users to search and book their own travel. When a traveler searches on KAYAK, KAYAK will display results from different providers. ********* is an online travel agent that shows within KAYAK’s results. Upon selecting the book the traveler would have been transferred to *********’s website to complete the booking according to *********s policies. For further assistance with the booking the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with.
Customer response
12/19/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: KAYAK and ********* are running a scam together. KAYAK advertises one thing and then we are asked to go to ********* to complete the booking. When later we find that neither of them honored what they advertised, they blame each other and ask the customer to talk to the other party. They both should be investigated.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Customer response
12/19/2023

Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because: KAYAK and ********* are running a scam together. KAYAK advertises one thing and then we are asked to go to ********* to complete the booking. When later we find that neither of them honored what they advertised, they blame each other and ask the customer to talk to the other party. They both should be investigated.

Sincerely,

***** ******
Initial Complaint
12/04/2023
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I booked a rental car through Kayak.com who led me to book on ****************** with a FREE CANCELLATION on booking number ********* for the amount of US$146.12, trusting that I could get my money back in the event that something unexpected happened. Once my travel plans changed and I tried to get cancellation, I discovered they would only give me store credit on an electronic wallet and not an actual refund. Once I called customer service, they told me not to worry because I could later withdraw the money from my e-wallet to my credit card. When I went ahead and cancelled, got e-wallet credit and tried to withdrawn, I discovered they charged a $60 FEE to transfer the funds, which is unacceptable. Even if these terms are on the T&C sheet, it is disloyal to customers and competition, since it is clearly a way to compete with other car rental companies offering free cancellations and full refunds WITHOUT actually offering any full refunds. I demand I get my full refund as the rest of trusted rental car companies offer.
Business response
12/19/2023
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is an online travel search site desgined for users to search and book their own travel. It appears the traveler searched on KAYAK and selected to book with ***************. Upon selecting to book with *************** the traveler left KAYAK's website and booked directly with ***************. For assistance with the policies they agreed to when booking with *************** the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with.
Initial Complaint
12/01/2023
Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
I reserved and paid for a hotel through *********, which was found via Kayak.Com and sourced through the link on Kayak.com. Through the site I paid for the hotel room with my credit card and my credit card was charged. When I arrived at the hotel, they said that *************'s credit card, which is the company name that showed up at the hotel reservation, was declined. I now have to pay for my room again and chase the credit card company for my money.
Business response
12/12/2023
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. KAYAK is an online travel search site designed for users to search and book their own travel. It appears the traveler searched on KAYAK and selected to book directly with *********. Once the Traveler selected to booked with ********* they left KAYAK's website and booked directly with *********. Once the traveler left KAYAK, KAYAK will have no insight into the booking. For further assistance the traveler will need to contact the provider they selected to book with.
Initial Complaint
10/11/2023
Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Answered
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
KAJAK/ **** ******/ ******* ***** CANCELLED MY TICKETS 6/23/23 PURCHASED FOR ******* Airlines via ****** loan They took the money from ****** loan immediately and did not reimburse ****** at all for the loan. Consequently I have been paying this. Kayak oddly denies any transactions at all, as does **** ******/ ******* *****. This is odd because I have a very elaborate email trail. I have cancer and I've just lost my father I do not need this added aggravation I have made MULTIPLE CALLS AND MADE MULTIPLE EMAILS SINCE MY TRIP TO ******. PLEASE HELP
Customer response
10/11/2023
**********/******* *****/Kayak:
My creditor, ******, indicates you have not refunded me.

**** ******/******* *****-you cancelled on me on 6/23/23-after I paid for my ******* Airline ticket-
You are legally obligated to reimburse me the full amount!
Please provide all evidence that indicates you have refunded me my FULL AMOUNT!

It has been 1month already.

I have copied ****** ON THIS AS WELL.
***** **** ***** **** ****** ** ******* ******** ** ***** ************

*******************

This is an ****** LOAN:
****** LOAN ID. Loan ID: *********

1158.00
202.10/ mthy
Here is the loan ****** payed to Kayak:
KAYAK has processed your order, and your ****** loan details are below.
If you didn't use all the funds on the virtual card, we'll issue you a refund for the unused amount on Jul 12. This is because it may take some merchants several weeks to process all the items in your order.
Your monthly payment amounts will remain the same and the refund will be applied to your final monthly payment(s).
You can make payments any time and access your loan details at ****************************.
Enable AutoPay
Note: AutoPay is the easiest way to pay, and it will help you build positive history with ****** through on-time payments.

Your ****** terms
$1,158.00
Loan amount
The amount of credit you borrowed through ******
$1,212.62
Total of payments
The amount you will have paid after making all scheduled payments $54.62
Finance charge
The amount this credit will cost you

Your payment schedule
Jul 22, 2023 $202.10
Principal: $186.93
Interest: $15.17

Aug 22, 2023 $202.10
Principal: $188.95
Interest: $13.15

Sep 22, 2023 $202.10
Principal: $191.51
Interest: $10.59

Oct 22, 2023 $202.10
Principal: $194.36
Interest: $7.74

Nov 22, 2023 $202.10
Principal: $196.74
Interest: $5.36

Dec 22, 2023 $202.12
Principal: $199.51
Interest: $2.61
Kayak/**** ****** and ******* ***** denies any transaction from me at all.

Business response
10/12/2023
KAYAK is in receipt of this complaint. As KAYAK is a travel search site we do not process booking. It appears the traveler may have used KAYAK to search and booked with a provider that allows them to remain on KAYAK. For assistance with matters pertaining to billing the traveler will need to contact the service provider of the booking. This information can be found in the email confirmation the traveler received.
Customer response
10/20/2023
I never heard back from BBB UNTIL.THIS MORNING.
I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM KAYAK.
HOW CAN YOU CLOSE A CASE THAT HASN'T BEEN WORKED ON BY THE *** *************
Business response
11/02/2023
It appears the traveler selected to book with ********** using the ****** payment option. For assistance with the booking they will need to contact their service provider. For questions regarding the payment option they selected they would need to contact ******.

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