Sta Travel

Hello ***,I apologize for any confusion regarding your exchange requestIt appears that you requested a change a few days before the original departure date, and unfortunately the flight availability for the Student and Youth contracted fare that you had purchased was extremely lowOne of our Travel Help Experts has emailed you with some information regarding how fares are filed by the airlines, as well as information regarding the $change penalty being just STA's penalty for searching for flights and processing the exchangeIn the Terms and Conditions that you agreed to, it states that any changes to the booking may incur airline penalties, fare and/or tax difference, and the STA penalty that will need to be collected at the timeI am sorry that you have had an unpleasant experience, and we assure you that we always search extensively for the most cost-effective option for the customerWe have contacted the airline and they have allowed us to refund unused taxes for the return portion of your daughter's flightsUnfortunately, many taxes are non-refundable per the airlines rules and restrictionsWe have processed this refund of $back to you

Hi [redacted] , We are sorry that you are not happy with our previous responsesAt the time of booking the full terms and conditions are agreed to and then sent through to you via emailI understand that these were confirmed by your friend however as you were both on the same booking she has agreed to these terms on behalf of everyone in the booking.The cancellation fees from the airline are $and therefore we are not able to offer you a refund and we would recommend that you contact your travel insurance to try and claim the funds back as you are cancelling due to a medical issueIf you need any further help or information please contact STA Travel again directly via your previous emailsRegardsNatalie

Hi [redacted], We are sorry that you are not happy with our previous responses. At the time of booking the full terms and conditions are agreed to and then sent through to you via email. I understand that these were confirmed by your friend however as you were both on the same booking...

she has agreed to these terms on behalf of everyone in the booking.The cancellation fees from the airline are $400 and therefore we are not able to offer you a refund and we would recommend that you contact your travel insurance to try and claim the funds back as you are cancelling due to a medical issue. If you need any further help or information please contact STA Travel again directly via your previous emails. RegardsNatalie

Hello [redacted],I apologize for any confusion regarding your exchange request. It appears that you requested a change a few days before the original departure date, and unfortunately the flight availability for the Student and Youth contracted fare that you had purchased was extremely low. One of our...

Travel Help Experts has emailed you with some information regarding how fares are filed by the airlines, as well as information regarding the $75 change penalty being just STA's penalty for searching for flights and processing the exchange. In the Terms and Conditions that you agreed to, it states that any changes to the booking may incur airline penalties, fare and/or tax difference, and the STA penalty that will need to be collected at the time. I am sorry that you have had an unpleasant experience, and we assure you that we always search extensively for the most cost-effective option for the customer. We have contacted the airline and they have allowed us to refund unused taxes for the return portion of your daughter's flights. Unfortunately, many taxes are non-refundable per the airlines rules and restrictions. We have processed this refund of $97.10 back to you.

This ticket was for my son, and he was not at home to make the purchase. The salesman did not want to lose the sale and provided me with a 'free hold' on the reservation AND the price...for 24 hours. We called back to pay well within the 24 hrs. We were told the fare went up.....double. The 'free hold' was only for the reservation...not the price, but that is not what the salesman said. Isn't it convenient that both businesses can point the finger at each other and the customer gets 'NO'service again. Well, I found a great deal for my son and not only will I never use STA I will continue to tell others of my unfortunate experience with them as well.

Our Sales Manager Max reached out to the customer again today with flight options that we had found that were closer in cost to what the customer had originally held. The customer stated that they had already found flights elsewhere and declined our option. We are offering the customer a $100 credit to be used towards activities or accommodation on their trip as a goodwill payment. Attached is the email from our Sales Manager to Mr. [redacted] offering the credit for future use.

My husband and I recently took our Dyson to Dale’s for repair and we were told it was going to cost around $300 or so to repair. They then sold us a Riccar Vacuum system for $700 less a $100 trade in because the Riccar was so much better than the Dyson. It was actually two because the carpet/ floor part only did carpets and floors. The second vacuum was a small portable vacuum with the tools that would be used for crevices, fan blades, and other vacuuming chores, it was carried around with a shoulder strap. I wasn’t real sure that this was what I wanted but my husband thought it was a great deal so we went home with the Riccar system. I immediately did not like it, the hose on the small vacuum was so stiff it knocked stuff off the tables and walls and constantly fell out and had to be reinserted. The tools were supposed to clip on the back but they kept falling off and I had to constantly search for them. The carpet/floor piece worked well but when I was thru with it I had to go back thru the house using the smaller one to complete the vacuuming chore. I went to Dale’s a few days after the purchase to complain about the ultra-stiff hose for the small vacuum and the other issues I had. It was explained to me how wrong I was and that the hose was supposed to be that stiff and my other concerns were summarily ignored. I left with bad feelings and totally unsatisfied but determined to give it another try because [redacted] said that ‘Consumer Reports rates it the best’.
I finally had had enough of the double work of having to use two vacuums and the other issues I had so I cleaned the system and took it back to Dales to return it, understanding I was going to lose money on the deal but I could not continue using a system that did not work for me at all. [redacted] informed me immediately he could not give me my money back because I had had it too long, just over 90 days, but he never gave me any type of offer or options. All I heard from [redacted] and the lady that had sold us the system, was; how wrong I was, Consumer Reports rates the Riccar the best, other vacuums don’t clean as well, “What you and other consumers don’t understand _ _ _ _ “. Everything was negative and never once was I told anything positive nor what they proposed do to for me – their customer.
We will never go to Dale’s again and plan on recommending the same to all persons that question us about their customer service and ability to help individuals with concerns or complaints. I did go purchase another Dyson, even before selling the other system that has only been used about 6 times. The Dyson is working well and I am now a completely dissatisfied customer of Dale’s Sales and Service.

Review: I was referred to STA Travel in order to set up my arrangements for a year studying abroad on exchange in Sydney, Australia. They claimed to be geared more towards students, offer flexible flights, and overall just be more understanding. I have found this to not only be completely untrue, but they are in fact a predatory company. I contacted them in June of 2014 looking for a flight to Sydney in mid to late July. I was scheduled to study abroad for an entire calendar year, so I did not need a return ticket until July or August of 2015. The multiple agents I spoke with in my time dealing with STA Travel all told me the exact same thing, in order to enter Australia you must have a return ticket showing that you will be leaving. This is entirely untrue, and seeing as they handle setting up visas as well they know this. When I arrived in Sydney I was shocked to realize everyone on exchange that had not booked with STA Travel did not have a return ticket booked as well. The company blatantly lied for numerous reasons:

-Obviously so they could guarantee my business on the return flight

-They could charge me more, knowing I would need to change my flight. They only book 6 months out in advance so in order to extend my time in Australia I would need to pay and change fee. In order for my change fee to be a lower price ($75), they set me up with an airline that was more expensive

-This way they could book me a "roundtrip ticket," another catch they failed to mention. Basically with all their catches it is virtually impossible to change the departure/arrival city, something they had advertised would be easy to do (a huge reason why people book with them)

STA Travel has been a nightmare to deal with ever since they received my money. They have lied and misrepresented themselves over and over again, and at this point without intervention I am looking at basically losing $1000 or more because of their poor business ethics and lies.Desired Settlement: STA Travel has been an absolute nightmare dealing with, and at this point I no longer wish to. At the very least I want my money back for the return flight (2092/2= $1046), though really it should be more around $1200 because I did not receive the convenience service they advertised yet was still charged for it. I also would like the "mandatory membership card" they forced upon me which was an additional $65. I also want their policy to be changed so they no longer blatantly lie to budget conscious students, claiming in order to enter Australia they MUST have a return ticket. I gave STA Travel my business because I thought I would perhaps pay a bit more for the convenience, but all I received was lies, misrepresentations, and hidden fees.