A newlywed woman has slammed a travel company after they charged her £700 to update her surname on a holiday booking. Sharon Barrett, from Sunderland, was getting ready to fly out to New York with her new husband Paul when she was contacted by Hays Travel about the name change.
The incident came about less than two weeks before the couple were due to fly out to the states on December 9, the Mirror reports. Sharon said she thought she was 'hearing things' when the company informed her she would need to pay £689.50 to change her surname or she could risk losing 99% of the £2,200 they paid if they cancelled the trip.
The furious couple have been left 'skint' after the total fee was almost 50% of the £1,400 the couple had put aside for spending money. Sharon, 58, told Chronicle Live: "They've charged us this absolutely ridiculous price without an explanation of what the fee was for.
"I thought I was hearing things when they told me the price on the phone. I paid it just so I could go on holiday and I didn't lose the money I had already paid but obviously I'm skint now.
"They had me by the neck really, I either had to pay it or lose 99% of the £2,200." The problems arose after Sharon's airport which was issued in her maiden name was mislaid after being sent to HMRC to complete the VAT registration for her business.
She applied for a new one which stated her updated married name and immediately sent a copy to Hay's Travel. However, three days later she received a call from the travel agent asking that she paid a fee of £698.50 on top of the price of her trip to change her surname.
Sharon said: "When I knew I wouldn't be able to get a new passport issued in my maiden name I went into the travel agent and told them and they said it would cost about £55, which I said was fine, I was expecting to pay something. But then they rang me and said I would have to pay £698.50 or you'll lose 99% of your holiday so I had no choice but to pay it.
"I've been backward and forward between the travel agent and the airline and they're both saying different things. Hays Travel said they would send a breakdown of the cost but I still don't have the breakdown even though I've asked them several times so I don't understand what the charge is."
Hays Travel claimed the fee was applied after the information from airline, Air France. Information on the Air France website states: "The name indicated on your ticket cannot be modified. If it contains a typo or if you have changed names, please contact your point of sale or the sales department by phone."
Sharon claims the flight operator told her over the phone that there is no extra charge to change the name on her booking up to 72 hours before travel.
She added: "At first Hays Travel said the reason for charging that price was because my ticket had been printed. But Air France said the ticket was digital and you can change the surname, and even change a person on the booking, up to 72 hours before you travel.
"Then I was told it was the type of ticket I had and then I was told it was the type of contract they were in with the airline, but they didn't say that at first, they said it was the type of ticket." Sharon has now received a refund from Hays Travel.
A spokesperson for Hays Travel said: "We have already looked into this matter for Mrs Barrett and it has been resolved.
"At the time of changing the name, we were obliged to go with the information provided to us by the airline, and apply the fee they required for a name change.
"However we picked this up again on behalf of Mrs Barrett and, as ultimately the airline did not apply the charge, we have been able to fully refund the fee to Mrs Barrett."
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