A couple from Australia were left gutted when they made a tiny error while booking flights - which ended up costing them thousands.
Phil and Kate, from Queensland, were fuming when a simple error meant they had to buy a brand new ticket just three hours before their flight was set to depart.
Advert
The couple had made plans to travel around Europe before heading to the UK for a month to visit family.
But they didn't even make it past the gates before they were faced with a bill of over $4,000 (£2,111).
While the couple had booked their flights well in advance for $2,400 (£1,264) each using a third party website named StudentUniverse, a crucial mistake had been made when filling in their details.
When booking flights, it's important to double check that all of the information entered is correct, including names and passport details.
Advert
Instead of adding his wife's full name of Katherine, Phil accidentally booked her ticket under the name of Kate - a mistake that cost them the price of a new ticket.
The couple's first flight was with Virgin, whose customer assistant immediately spotted that Kate's name did not match her passport.
Generally speaking, many airlines will allow minor changes either for free or for a small charge.
Advert
For example, Virgin Atlantic will amend spelling mistakes free of charge.
However, due to the couple having booked via a third party, they contacted StudentUniverse to see what could be done.
According to Phil and Kate, the company told them to cancel Kate's ticket - for which they received a small refund - and book a new one.
"They didn't have time, that was their reasoning, to issue a name change on the ticket - but they had time to sell us a new ticket," Phil told A Current Affair.
Advert
Due to the couple having to buy a last-minute ticket, the price had almost doubled to $4,700 (£2,481).
"I begged them on the phone: 'Please, you can't do that - that's all our holiday money gone in a flash'," said Kate.
Meanwhile, Phil added: "They've just taken advantage of the entire situation, particularly peak travel season and time was of the essence."
Advert
In response to the issue the couple faced, a StudentUniverse spokesperson told LADbible: "As an agent, we are obligated to adhere to the change and cancellation policies as set by the airlines.
"In this instance, name changes were not permitted, meaning the only available option was to cancel and rebook the ticket.
"As we were only made aware by the customer of their error within 3 hours of the flight departure, after check in time, this led to further airline imposed charges which could have been avoided by acting earlier.
"We advise all customers that they should carefully review and advise us immediately of any errors in names and in most cases where an error is flagged on the same day as the booking is made, the customer would incur no penalties to cancel and rebook in line with standard airline policy."
Lucy Devine