Customers using fly.co.uk were extremely frustrated when they were charged a hidden fee after purchasing their plane tickets. The fees were hidden on an earlier page of the booking procedure. The customer said he thought he was booking a cheap flight with price-scraping website fly.co.uk and was stunned when he saw the final bill.
He said he expected a total of £65.40 for two return flights between London and Stockholm, but after he clicked the ‘Complete booking’ button it amounted to £146.65 due to a service fee that wasn’t clearly listed.
Websites should ensure that fees (especially substantial fees) are not hidden in a way that customers on websites will not be able to see them clearly. This includes fees hidden in long terms and conditions. Unfortunately, fly.co.uk did not reimburse the customer.
Takeaway:
- Websites should ensure that fees (especially substantial fees) are not hidden in a way that customers on websites will not be able to see them clearly. In this case a man who purchased an airline ticket had his ticket price doubled with a hidden fee.