Can't comment on your booking with a suspect third party who I assume you didn't research before booking as you saw a price that was cheaper than booking direct and went ahead and booked it. But did you not think to check your tickets/flights direct with the airline on their website before setting off to the airport?

Those cheap fares don't always work out cheaper in the long run.

so when we turned up at Heathrow to check in with our booking number and e tickets- there were no boarding passes for those e tickets.

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.... and yet people still ask here "why should I bother to check in online 24 hours before, why not wait until I get to the airport "?

Did you never go on the BA website to look at your booking?

Yes, Bravofly are culpable, but there has to be an element of buyer beware here, check the flights are booked and visible on the airline website, check in ahead of time so you have a day to sort out any snafus and you arent at th airport with added time pressure and lack of access to computer and phone.

This is aside the issue of 2 minutes on google looking to see what experiences people had with the company you are considering.

This is no use to you, but it may help the odd person who actually does do some research prior to booking.

What may be of use to you is, sue them.take them to the small claims court for the £1000. Start with a recorded delivery letter headed "notice of action" give them 14 days to pay up, stating you will start proceedings if they don't. And if they don't, do start proceedings. IMO most of these companies fob you off and ignore you and work on the basis people will eventually go away. Stick to your guns.

Unfortunately as we were flying direct from Australia we did not have the option of trying to check in online as we were mid air when they opened online check in. Originally the flights were with bmi but we received notification that they were changed to BA and we probably should have checked with BA then but didn't.

Thanks for advice -will look at credit card insurance and also letter regarding notice of action..... But where would you lodge a claim? The company is Switz I think?

Is there not a consumer body in UK/ Europe that regulates and prosecutes dodgy companies like this if there are so many complaints?

Hi

Maybe you couldn't check in online but you could have gone to 'Manage My Booking' to make sure they had actually done what they were supposed to.

But sadly this advice does you no good whatsoever, it just helps anyone else who researches the company before handing over their cash.

Good luck with your claim.

Jackie

<<But where would you lodge a claim? The company is Switz I think? >>

Ah, I was thinking of bravofly.co.uk and thinking they woudl be UK, but they would seem not to be.

Maybe you can sue in Switzerland?

<<is there not a consumer body in UK/ Europe that regulates and prosecutes dodgy companies like this if there are so many complaints?>>

So, to summarise, you, an Australian, book online with a Swiss company without doing any research, presumably on the basis of being dirt cheap, and want a UK or an EU organization to work on your behalf, even though the company is neither in the UK nor the EU?? Why should they?

(There is as it happens, an EU complaints center but thats no use to you)

So do I take it you also bought seperate flights from Oz to LHR,and then LHR to Belfast? This has its own issues as well. You like to live dangerously I see.

I'm sorry but that behaviour has come back to bite you in the posterior and there may be no way round it. Many people complaining here bought cheap flights and sometimes they discover it has its downsides.

All seats are not equal irrespective whoever you buy from, as you often only discover when things go amiss. Though they seem to go amiss more, the "cheaper" they were to start with.

Yes lots of assumptions about our "behaviour".Firstly, they weren't the cheapest flights. I wish they were. If we wanted cheap we would have gone easyjet or flown 12 hours later. Since when are any flights around Xmas cheap? The flights we booked using a travel search engine were the closest to the arrival time of our Australian flight into LHR that flew into George Best and not the international.

Secondly, I wasn't expecting to use your taxpayer funded EU/UK consumer body. I was simply asking whether anyone regulated companies that seem to have so many complaints. I can lodge a claim through the Australian civil court but the question is do I serve it to the Switz or Bravofly UK?

Julie

Thanks for the warning. I'll bear it in mind next time Bravofly appear on a price comparison website. Good luck with your claim.

Dont mind the attacks. I appreciate some people have lives to live rather than research everything ad infinitum on this forum.

Firstly, they weren't the cheapest flights. I wish they were.

======= Missed the point. Are you saying they weren't the cheapest way of booking >>that particular flight<< and that you actually booked with soemone that was more expensive than booking direct with the airline???? Or did you book with Bravofly because they were cheaper >>for this flight<< than booking direct?

I was simply asking whether anyone regulated companies that seem to have so many complaints.

====== You asked if an EU or UK body regulated it. But its not in either. Presumably some government body in Switzerland may.

I can lodge a claim through the Australian civil court but the question is do I serve it to the Switz or Bravofly UK?

======= Well if its just a website,and the company is in Switzerland, there is no one to serve it to in the UK. can you really make a claim in an Australian court against any company in the world? They dont have any jurisdiction. How can that work?

can you really make a claim in an Australian court against any company in the world? They dont have any jurisdiction. How can that work?>>>>>

Aust can ask the UK to extradite individuals back to Aust so we can take them to court and send them to jail so I don't see why that wouldn't apply to a company (directors) as well. The company operates with a .uk extension and travelling in UK hence the Ops question.

Many countries around the world have agreements of some sort, nothing is impossible. Just do a google search you will find heaps of information I'm surprised you didn't do that before asking the question on here.

Julie place a chargeback on the 2nd credit card transaction with your bank, they will get a refund for you, no need to go down the legal route unless they are unsuccessful, in which case you would go through Switzerland as that is where the company is registered.

Have you tried ringing or faxing Switzerland HQ? Corso San Gottardo 30 Chiasso, 6830 Switzerland Phone:+41 91 683 33 39 fax 41 91 683 33 39