[bagojunk]

Spirit, like any other airline, obviously does millions worth of business through ticket brokers like Kayak, Priceline, etc. As I am checking in to return home from a very expensive trip I am instructed to pay $40 for my CARRY ON bags - which I am now seeing they started in 2010 (I never flew spirit before) and as I am suppressing my rage I stood aside to go through my email and read every iota of text on my confirmations and the site of the ticket site I used (cheapoair) and only checked baggage is documented. NEVER said a word when I checked in each time online, never a charge on my way TO my destination (I found out later that cause I printed my own boarding pass I didnt get asked to pay) and they tried to collect at the gate also!

This was my return trip - one for which I may not have had any money left on my card in some cases - and I was already disgusted with the shameless adverprising they do trying to get you to apply for another credit card and even making you pay for the cokes and peanuts but this fee by itself is a disgrace, the bait and switch from a low fare site makes it criminal.

I am filing a report with the attorneys general consumer affairs division in Florida (my home state), Rhode Island (my state of work residence), Massachusetts (the state of my originating flight) and New Jersey (the state of my destination)

The fee is bad enough - acting in bad faith, hiding behind a ticket broker and trampling consumer rights is just a very very rotten thing to do. The customer service attendant stated that wasnt' her problem and I was quick to remind her that site is in business with Spirit - Spirit has the same obligation to ensure disclosure to its customers wherever they purchase their tickets as well.

Rotten. Just completely rotten.

[bagojunk]

If cheapoair doesnt refund $40 to me after having filed this complaint with them THEN I will file consumer complaints with those 4 states.

[cortney]

its right on the spirit website that they do charge for carryon bags.

[bagojunk]

I never went to their site. I bought my tickets at cheapoair dot com - take the poll if you think I need to check an airline's site every time I fly even if I do not purchase the tickets direct but if you have a second to correct me, take the second to hear me out at least. Man what a ****ty day.

[cortney]

I hear what your saying. i went onto their website and your right. On their site it says that the price includes all taxes and fees. I believe its cheapoairs problem and they need to show that carryon fees arent included in the final fare. I usually look at an airlines website to check for any additional fees (sodas, food, carry ons etc.) It doesnt hurt to keep trying to get your $40 back. overall its cheapoairs problem and they need to fix it. There have been lots of complaints on here about this website. I never book through a third party. usually costs a bit more plus sometimes you dont get the miles.
now that the day is over, go grab a drink and rewind...its the weekend! good luck
oh and PS...avoid spirit lol

[jimworcs]

Your poll doesn't give the option of Cheapoair being responsible. I think the state attorney general's office is the right place to go. I would screenshot the pages which say the price includes all fees and taxes. You have a clear claim against cheapoair, and I would consider suing them in small claims court. They clearly havn't adjusted their website to take account of some airlines charging for carry on.... they are liable for this .

[bagojunk]

Option 2 says:

Spirit is not responsible for 3rd party disclosure - that party should refund and update site



That would be the cheapoair option's fault

[stonecold_1981]

as much as i hate spirit, it's not spirit's fault. If Cheapoair said the price includes all taxes and fees, then they are at fault. You cannot expect spirit (airline) to monitor all these websites and ensure accuracy.
BTW, you said kayak is a ticket broker. In fact, it's just a search website. You cannot buy tickets through kayak. They will only tell you which websites/airlines have the cheapest fare and then you go to the link to the website to buy tickets.

[bagojunk]

WOOHOO! GO CHEAPOAIR!!

They did the RIGHT THING - they mostly refunded me and issued a coupon. I replied to this email saying OK PLEASE WARN THAT SPIRIT DOES THIS AND UPDATE YOUR BAGGAGE FEES TO INCLUDE CARRY ON but I am just glad that they were reasonable and hopefully will avoid future mistakes.

Youre right guys - Spirit is crummy for charging the fees but CheapoAir has to be the one to warn - remember, I would not have taken 2 bags if I knew.

Anyway - thanks for your support here - here is a feel-good letter we can all be proud of and I hope to talk to you all again soon!

________________________________________
Names censored (just in case someone forgot to disclose my responsibility to do that)
________________________________________

Dear *bagojunk*,

Thank you for contacting CheapOair.com

We certainly understand your concern and we regret the inconvenience this may have caused. We would like to inform you that, as a Travel agency, we do not charge the Baggage fee and neither we include them in our fare/s. We apologize if the Spirit Airlines have charged the fees for the Carry-on, however, each and every Airlines have their own policy for the Baggage and as a Travel agency, we are unable to interfere between their rules, policies and procedures.

As a goodwill gesture, we have refunded the amount of $31.95 to your account. It will reflect on your credit card statement within 48-72 hours. Apart for this, we have issued an inconvenience coupon of $25.00 for you. This coupon can be used in the next reservation which will be booked with CheapOair. The details of this coupon will soon be sent to your e-mail address.

Please get back to us for any further assistance. We would be glad to assist you further.

Regards,
***CheapoAir People***

[jimworcs]

It is great that Cheapoair have come through... you deserve credit for your persistence. I think they would lose in any case if this went to small claims. They cannot say that a fare includes all fees and taxes and then deny responsibility for the airline charging fees. I wonder how many people have booked through Spirit flights through cheapoair and simply paid up when Spirit demanded it? I still the the State Attorney's General's office should investigate travel agencies that fail to inform customers of these additional fees. I like that you replied and told cheapoair that... they need to change their website pronto.

[Ombudsman]

It looks like they have:

"Fares are round trip, incl. all taxes and all fees. Some airlines may charge baggage fees. All fares displayed are total after applying the booking bonus. Some flights maybe for alternate dates and airports."