Complaint Review: Orbitz

I bought a ticket to new Zealand in early November 2012 and when I went to the airport I was denied the flight.  They said I had to have a return ticket and an updated passport (mine expired three weeks later). 

I am a disabled person who is forced into poverty and suffers torture because of homelessness that our American government cares nothing about so I intended to go to new Zealand to apply for asylum to save my life and start a new life where I’m not tortured by criminal government economic policies that violate international humanitarian law.  I had no intention of coming back to the states so why would I have bought a return flight? 

When I bought the ticket I had no idea that I needed a return flight or an updated passport.  Because I had no intention of coming back to the states I didn’t need it.  For me to be able to afford the ticket ($832) I had to live in a homeless shelter to save disability benefits for months.  And then I left standing at the airport homeless and denied the flight.

I called up Orbitz and they said all they could do is cancel my flight and offer me credit to fly again.  I had no choice.  They said they can’t refund the money because its their cancelation policies.  I never canceled my flight.  I showed up three hours early to make sure everything went right and I was denied the flight. 

Basically, Orbitz sells tickets that customers can’t possibly use and keeps the money because of a “cancelation policy” when I never cancelled the flight.  That is called THEFT! 

I called Orbitz later to try to get my money back and I kept getting transferred to the department that would handle that and I would get hung up on every time before anyone answers!  That is terrible customer service. 

A few months later I tried calling them against explaining that I was denied the flight and that it wasn’t cancelled and wanted my money returned.  Again I got hung up on several times until I got someone who tried to help me, so they gave me the number to Air New Zealand because Orbitz said it is they who refunds the money.  So I called Air New Zealand and they said it is Orbitz position to refund my money.  So Orbitz lied to me and gave me the runaround wasting my time and stealing my money through crooked policy.

If I had known that I was going to be denied the flight I never would have bought the ticket in the first place!  Orbitz sells tickets to customers that can’t possibly go on the flight and then keeps their money unethically.

I am asking that Orbitz refund my money and for refusing to do so in the first place resulted in a lot of inconvenience for me, namely homelessness and the physical pain of homelessness.  I’m also asking for $8,000 compensation for the inconvenience and pain of being homeless that could have been avoided had you refunded my money.  And compensate me $2000 for lost property as I was homeless after being denied the flight. 

I’m asking for $10,832.00 total.  What say you?