Phoenix (AZ Family) —Judy Overmyer and her husband, Michael, live in a quiet little mobile home park in Santan Valley.
“There are so many activities here,” Judy told On Your Side. “They have a pool. Shuffleboard. They have golf.”
But the one activity they crave is spending time with their many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Many of them live out of state. So Judy and her husband contacted Southwest Airlines and booked a June trip to Salt Lake City to visit her family. Airfare was $719.
However, due to unforeseen circumstances, Judy and her husband had to reschedule their June flight to July. So they went online, searched for Southwest Airlines' phone number, and then called to change their flight.
Judy said there was no problem with the change, but she claims she was charged $851 on top of the original fare of $719, which she is not happy about.
“I can't express how I feel because I'm not allowed to say those words on air,” Judy said.
When On Your Side got involved, we discovered that the $851 purchase did not come from Southwest Airlines, but from a company called PCM Travels. As it turns out, when Judy and her husband typed Southwest Airlines into a search engine to look up reservation numbers, they accidentally landed on her PCM Travels.
In fact, some people online complain that PCM Travels pretends to be a major airline such as Southwest Airlines.
On Your Side came across an online consumer advocate who explains how consumers are being duped. He called his PCM Travels and during the conversation asked if he would call Southwest Airlines. The representative said she had called Southwest Airlines' integration desk.
Judy said she didn't know she was working with PCM Travels until On Your Side brought it to her attention.
On Your Side contacted PCM Travels. The company claimed to be a legitimate third-party travel company offering “convenience” to travelers who want to avoid airline wait times.
After On Your Side explained Judy's situation and how she felt deceived, PCM Travels refunded her $500 instead of the full $851, saying she had done nothing wrong. She also said there was no legal obligation to refund the money, but because Judy's husband was a veteran, she did so.
Judy and her husband said they would be more careful when searching for phone numbers online from now on, and thanked On Your Side for refunding at least $500.
“I think you all do a lot of useful work,” she said. “Because people are messed with enough in this world.”
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