Possible Skybus lawsuit?
Frank Ranelli wrote:
On November 2, 2007, I tried to purchase an airline ticket from Skybus
(www.skybus.com), using their website. After choosing my flight, I entered my
credit card information, carefully checked it for accuracy, and submitted my
credit card information to purchase an online-generated E-ticket. (Proper funds
were available on my card.)
After about 30 seconds, Skybus’ website informed me that there had been a
“critical error”, my purchase had not been approved, and no charges had been
levied against my credit card.
However, upon checking my credit card online, I discovered that, in fact, a
pending charge had been placed on my card. I attempted to call Skybus for help
only to discover in utter amazement that Skybus does not have ANY customer
service and no phone numbers to call. The only contact option is a form
submission page, which upon using it to seek help, returned this reply on my
computer screen: “Due to the volume of email we receive, Skybus cannot
guarantee we will get back to you in a timely fashion.”
Skybus Airlines has a strict “no customer service policy”, which makes it
impossible to contact them or to elicit help for a concerned and stricken
consumer. Any attempts to contact them are met with willful intent to avoid,
evade, and deceive consumer, and Skybus Airlines blatantly ignores ANY and ALL
customer concerns, inquiries, and/or complaints. Further, Skybus has done so in
order to mislead and trick consumers who are looking for value priced airline
services.
All efforts to make a robust, good faith and well beyond reasonable and prudent
attempt on my part, including, but not limited to, using the Internet to find an
actually working telephone number (which goes unanswered), using advanced search
methods to ascertain fax numbers and email addresses to write to or fax Skybus
Airlines, and appearing in person at Skybus’ last known address, which is a
vacant building, to contact Skybus has failed.
I have suffered sever emotional distress, immense loss of time, loss of access
to personal funds for a period of time, and have begun to again suffer anxiety
attacks (I am legally disabled with PTSD and Panic Disorder) directly due to
the unruly and “unconscionable stonewalling”, “deceptive and unfair trade
practices”, and “unscrupulous business dealings” with Skybus Airlines.
It is therefore my well-informed opinion that Skybus Airlines has “willfully
and intentionally engaged in deceptive and unfair trade practices with the
purposeful and malicious endeavoring of providing an inferior product
substantially one-sided in favor of the supplier”.
According to a spokesperson at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office; the Ohio
AG believes Skybus may be in violation of the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practice
Act and the Ohio Revised Code, Title 13, Chapter 1345.03(B)(5), and recommended
I seek legal council.
Thusly, Skybus’ failure to provide an effective, useable, or timely manner in
which to contact them, even in exigent circumstances, or failure to provide any
reasonable mechanism to communicate or resolve customer concerns may constitute
a direct violation of the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practice Act. Failure to
provide any reasonable method of contact, juxtaposed with willful stonewalling,
intentional concealment of telephone numbers and physical addresses,
demonstrates Skybus Airlines conspired to provide a product that is
“substantially one-side in favor of the supplier. In fact, Skybus and their
website claims, “Because of the large volume of messages we receive, we
can’t guarantee when you’ll receive a response”, and “
Additional documents and information, including a discussion I have had with
the FAA and the Columbus Dispatch Newspaper, involving Skybus Airlines are also
available for review.
Comment by eric
I am trying to get a refund from Skybus for $170, but Skybus has ignored my 3 attempts to contact them by email. Skybus’s website messed up, forcing me to pay $170 to change my flight back to the original schedule. Skybus told me in an email that it has no control over its bookings on its website.
Comment by Darla Flinn
My story is the same as many. They changed my flight to the following day without notice. I ended up paying $190.00 for the same seat I had originally bought because there were plenty on the plane. As usual no help to correct. My paperwork showed the 19th of Jan for departure and their computer showed the 20th. The attitude is sorry for your luck if you want to get home you need to book another ticket.
What can we do to stop them and to get justice for the pain, suffering, and mental anguish that we go throug just to get home. My blood pressure went up and stayed up all day. It is still up just thinking about getting ripped off. Is a class action law suit a possiblility?
Darla
Comment by shuggs
You always get what you paid for.
Skybus, good luck, I’ll drive.
Comment by Keith and Samantha
Our skybus story just happened Feb 8 2008. I bought a roundtrip ticket on Feb 7 2008 from Columbus Oh to Greensboro NC, leaving at 6:07 am, and paid with a credit card. Samantha bought a one way ticket leaving on the same flight. We arrived at the gate at 5:30 am, and was told that we were too late. We could not board. The plane was taking off in 37 minutes and we could not board. We asked to speak to a supervisor, waited 45 minutes, and spoke with the rudest man who told us that he had more important matters to deal with and that there was nothing he could do for us! He needs to work on his people skills. As for the credit card…it was charged twice for my roundtrip ticket. So now, we are at another hotel, trying to book a flight for Saturday for Samantha, put in the credit card information, computer tells us an error occurred, your credit card has not been charged, yet when Sam checked her online bank account, it was pending. What’s up with this company? I can see this fluke happening once…but twice! I’m scared to book mine now.
Sign us up for the class action lawsuit. We definitely have some issues that need resolved.
Comment by Anonymous
Just so ya’ know…Skybus does not employ any ground workers, so the rude guy doesn’t even work for Skybus and therefore doesn’t care about you in the least. I would suggest never, ever, ever, flying them again; even if it is free.
Comment by Skybus Flight Attendant
Then don’t fly ANY airline in Columbus!!!! Its all the same. Get a life people!!
Comment by Mark
Re: Skybus flight attendant. Yeah right! Your about as much of a FA as I am a rockette dancing at Radio City Music Hall. Talk about someone needing to get a life???
Comment by Anonymous
I beg to differ. It is not all the same. Other airlines employ real flight attendants, for example.
Comment by Anonymous
Excuse me, I beg to diffenderffer. Haw haw haw…
Comment by mad as hell!!!
I have a wedding in a week and all the attendees from NC was flying Skybus till they just went bust. Theses people are the devil they take your money and then you have to fight to get it back. These rich board of trustees in this company need to be sued and put in the poor house. They have no customer loyalty. People we should not let people do this to us!!
Comment by Anna Lee
On February 29, 2008, I booked three round-trip tickets for my husband, daughter and I through Skybus from Greensboro, NC to Gulfport-Biloxi for a trip to New Orleans in June for a wedding. We were going to book a rental car for the 168 mile round-trip from Biloxi to New Orleans. My son, his girlfriend and their friends (about 12 of us altogether) booked the same flights to attend the wedding and were going to share the cost of rental vehicles. I received an e-mail on March 19 stating that as of April 15 Skybus would no longer have service from Greensboro and that I would receive a full refund within 30-60 days. Now I learn Skybus is out of business and that I’ve essentially flushed $409 down the toilet because I didn’t pay for the tickets on a credit card, but on my bank card. I wound up having to book flights on Delta and American in order to get to the wedding as did the rest of our group. I feel badly for all of us, but even more so for the young adults taking this trip because they are the ones who are the least able to absorb the loss of funds created by Skybus going out of business. I dread the ordeal of trying to recoup our money. This was my first attempt at utilizing a discount airline and this will be my last. It’s hard enough dealing with the established airlines let alone a fly-by-night like Skybus. I have to admit I was nervous about booking our flights on Skybus because of all of their disclaimers, but I figured all would be well after talking with a friend who had just flown on Skybus and had a great experience. I should have just gone with my gut instinct and paid out the extra money, which wouldn’t have been as much as what I’ve lost. I really feel for the person who’s wedding attendees were short-shrifted a week before their wedding. We’re talking major life events that have been ruined because of an ill-conceived business model that was apparently doomed to failure from the get-go. From now on the old saying about if it sounds too good to be true it probably is will flash in my brain like a neon sign whenever I see supposed deals like those from Skybus or any other discount company that has numerous and suspect disclaimers.
Comment by G Smith
If there is a class action lawsuit sign me up. I was stranded in Greensboro, NC after Skybus went bust on April 4. I was given no warning or indication that my return flight was going to be cancelled. I found our reading the paper on Saturday morning. To add insult to injury there is no formal way to contact these people. You only have email, which was conviently shut down after they went bust. Sky bus’s conduct is unethical, dishonest, and frankly disgusting. This company should face legal action, and the upper level management should be prosecuted over this.
Comment by Aaron
There should be a lawsuit, especially after this weekend. There needs to be some accountability taken on part of the Board of Directors. They’ll get off with there big severance pays and pensions, but we now had our flights, reservations, and plans ruined. I had to pay double for a last minute ticket. Their Board needs to be held accountable!!!!! If they get a dollar from closing down then it should go to those who were affected not them!!!!
Comment by S.Chakraborty
There should be a lawsuit! Here goes my story. I was suppose to fly from Burbank (LosAngeles) to Columbus on Monday, the 31st of March. I was in the airport way ahead of time. The boarding pass issuing machine didn’t work, and I couldn’t get a boarding pass. I was stopped at the security check point. And there was nobody at the skybus counter who could help me out with this and got no reimbursement. I had to rebook my flight which cost me $245, not to mention the waste of energy and time.
Comment by Susan S.
After the recent bankruptcy, we are out 700.00 for 5 round trip tickets, purchased on my bank card. The cost to find a flight this late in the game is not an option finance wise. Is there going to be a “class action” law suit filed on behalf of all of the customers who are out time, energy and money?
Comment by nathaniel durst
i also was effected no warning nothing i purchased tickets the week of the “Skybus Airlines will cease all operations effective Saturday, April 5.” and went to get a refund like their website suggested and couldnt i want my money back who do i talk to it gave me a damn headache with the run around instead of flying 800 miles i drove and burned 500 dollars in fuel can some one help me thanks. nate durst
Comment by Stacey
I purchased tickets from skybus to fly columbus to burbank in july. I purchased them just a few days before they went bankrupt. I used my debit card to purchase 3 tickets for 948.00 Now I’m having a hard time getting my money back and I don’t even know if I will. I’ve read that one of the top exec. of skybus is thinking about reorganizing the company. I don’t think he should be allowed until every customer is returned the money they owe them. CROOKS!!!!!!!
Comment by Felicia
I was also a victim of Skybus. My husband and I were taking our son and my sister to New York in May. I purchased my tickets in late January. I received the email saying they processed me a full refund, which I never received. Now, I am being told I may not get my money. I think the emails they sent out to their customers about refunds were to pacify the customers until the time limit for requesting refunds from banks and credit card companies expired. I agree with the idea of a class action lawsuit. Too many people have been hurt from this.
Comment by Linda King
I booked a flight for me, my mom and my sister to go to Florida from Pease airport on skybus. We were suppose to leave on APril 10th and arrive home on the 18th. My mother called me on April 5th or 6th and told me we could not fly, that skybus went out of business. Me having 6 back surgeries could not belive it. We decided to drive and it took us 3 days to get there and 3 days back, My sister was in the hospital for 3 days in and out because of high blood presure and I could not walk for 2 days because of my back hurting so bad. What a vacation we had. My father booked it all on his credit card and they are giving him a hard time on giving him the $600.00 plus. I am not happy and think something should be done because it is not fair on what they did to people. They had to have known they were going to go out of business. They should have let everyone who already booked their flights go or pay for them to travel thru another air line. It is not fair what everyone is going thru. If there is any kind of lawsuit you can count us 3 in. We had a terrible trip and my sister had to take 3 more days off of work becuase of out troubles, so she lost money that way too. Please contact me anytime. Thanks Linda King
Comment by April Brand
So, is there a Class Action Lawsuit? We were robbed also, paid $736.00 by debit card, then charged an extra 180 because they changed our flights at the last minute causing us to only have 3 minutes between getting off one plane and getting on the other. My email address is limeriqbaby1@aol.com for anyone who may information concerning a CAS.