[SB69]

Hi,

Just read your post and I have had much the same experience with Emirates now demanding £400 for a name change.

My troubles started 3/4 weeks ago when I booked online and their website crashed. I called my credit card company to find that they had taken full payment for 5 passengers but when I called Emirates call centre no flights had been booked. The chap said one of their team would look at it and book the flights.

I didn't hear anything and called back a day later and found they had booked the outbound journey but not the inbound journey, so I would have been 8,000 miles away without a return flight.

I have had to make all the calls (they are unable to call back and I've lost count how many), they can never answer the query and leave you on hold, I've been told it was my fault, would have to pay additional flight charges because the orignal seats were now not available, and that I cancelled the original booking which is just not true. I've also had the phone put down on me twice!!

When finally they made the bookings I realised that my wife's name was incorrect. According to them this was how I booked it online but I am sure I didn't and I have never made such a mistake in years of travel. I know this is no gurantee but nor can they say that their system was not at fault as it took my money without booking the flights.

I've been through their customer complaints department and when I raise these issues they are just ignored and I am told I need to pay for the name change which has gone up from £80 (which I thought was steep) to £400 today.

It's shocking and the worst is that the reason I went with Emirates was because of their reputation. I'm now pulling my hair out as to what to do next.