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STA Travel

Voorhees, New Jersey
4 posts
STA Travel
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Has anyone booked air travel to europe through STA Travel? If so, how was the experience?

Barbados
Destination Expert
for Barbados
Level Contributor
17,850 posts
444 reviews
738 helpful votes
1. Re: STA Travel
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lharts

I've used them to book an international trip before and it went without a hitch. I would them again if the price is right.

Regards

London, United...
1 post
2. Re: STA Travel
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Iharts,

Both my children have used them for flights during backpacking holidays in Australia & Thailand. STA seem to target this market and sell cheap flights.

My experience was that the tickets were cheap and inflexible, which is a problem for young people who's plans change.

However, I had to arrange a name change on a series of flights for my son, the help desk agent was exceptionally helpful and sorted it.

Regards,

Colin

Oxfordshire
Level Contributor
4 posts
3 reviews
1 helpful vote
3. Re: STA Travel
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Think carefully if you are considering a multiflex pass! The STA global travel help desk are a joke! All 24hr, 7 days a week promises are a lie! They cant even be bothered to responded unless hassled continuiously by myself and the in store agent! My advice would be to avoid at all cost!

London, England
Level Contributor
1 post
39 reviews
43 helpful votes
4. Re: STA Travel
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I was deceived by STA - the full charges were not broken down for me until after payment had been made. Despite my asking prior to parting with my cash that I wanted full disclosure as to what I would be paying, I was told only the flights and flex pass. After I had paid a £12 booking fee and £8.50 airline failure charge were part of what I had been charged for, despite my specifically asking, several times, for all charges to be broken down BEFORE payment. I find it depressing that you can be blatantly deceived by a company and can do absolutely nothing about it once payment has been taken. There is no way I will use a company again that lies to me. Disgusting behaviour.

Ringwood, United...
2 posts
5. Re: STA Travel
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My Boyfriend and I used STA Travel to go to Thailand just last month, we only booked flights and insurance with them and got persuaded by one of the staff members to get one of their cash cards as I was told its much safer and a better way of getting your money. I have to honestly say I would never use them to travel again and I would strongly recommend not getting a travel cash card (and shopping round for your flights!)

The first fact was that much of the information we were given (or not given) was incorrect when purchasing the cash card. We were firstly told that these cards make it free to withdraw money abroad, this is not true, there is nearly always a standard charge.

Secondly we were told its easier, safer and more reliable than bank cards, this was most definitely incorrect is too many ways! ie. you can only top up and check your balance in certain ways which is quite inconvenient at times and especially when there is a fault with the online system(which often there is), you then get a bit stuck! Also just generally found the cards really quite restricting!

Thirdly we were not informed that when adding new bank cards to top up with it takes 3 working days to upload the money (this is also not consistent, seemed to range between instantly, 2hrs, 24hrs, 2days and 3days?!)

We were also told you would get 2 cards each (1as a back up) but surprise surprise, we got 1 each. And many more reason I would love to warn you of but wont bore you more than I have to!

At several points on our holiday we had issues with our cash cards, either we couldn't withdraw money, top up our cards, check our balance or just simply had our money taken off of them altogether! When we called the helpline number for advise and assistance we would get very little help and information, had to repeat the same conversations several times, was never able to speak to supervisors as they were all 'busy' and often there was a very strong language barrier which made a stressful scary situation much worse. I think the worst response I received from them was 'try not to worry we will TRY to have the problem resolved as soon as possible' when we asked a time frame 'I don't know, SHOULD be within 24 hrs, we hope' This was after we had topped up our cards online using their website, instead of putting the money on they took all of our money and more off our cards leaving us in the minuses! So we were left stranded in Thailand, on the other side of the world with no money, no food or drink etc. and they were saying they could do NOTHING at all about it (which we later found out was a lie as after an acertive conversation it was magically fixed!) We had to make many many overseas phone calls until we finally got to speak to a supervisor after a good few hrs and the problem was then resolved a few more hrs later. Unfortunately though it was not the end of the problems we faced with this card. Take my advise stick with your bankcards!!

All in all I found liaising with staff at STA Travel very stressful, frustrating, misleading, uncooperative, tedious and repetitive.. I also now have a £320 due to all of the overseas phone calls I had to make to fix the problems they were creating.

All bad things said Thailand is amazing and with no help from STA Travel we had an amazing holiday and cant wait to go back !!

Ringwood, United...
2 posts
6. Re: STA Travel
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Totally agree with this !! The help desk are shocking !!

Edited: 11 years ago
Oxford
Level Contributor
4,500 posts
155 reviews
152 helpful votes
7. Re: STA Travel
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I haven't actually booked with them, but enquired for costs of trips. When I've got a quote, I've usually found it cheaper myself afterwards. Not perhaps the case for everyone, but has been for me.

I remember going in and asking for some info about a trip to the Philippines, so I picked up the Asia travel brochure, the girl told me I was looking in the wrong magazine and should be looking in the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Mag ...... hmmmm, ok whatever ............

Nannup, Australia
Level Contributor
3,652 posts
27 reviews
72 helpful votes
8. Re: STA Travel
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I have seen South Pacific travel brochures that have included the Philippines. They work on the basis that one Pacific Island group is pretty much the same as any other for the average punter......

Edited: 11 years ago
Oxford
Level Contributor
4,500 posts
155 reviews
152 helpful votes
9. Re: STA Travel
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Still odd though ..... Philippines in North Pacific if anything and personally I think better to include it in the Asia brochure.

Level Contributor
1 post
10 reviews
7 helpful votes
10. Re: STA Travel
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Me and my fiancée are currently in New Zealand. Beware of booking the flexipass ticket through STA as it is not as easy as you think in changing your flights. We booked flights in Sheffield and we're told to change flights in the STA in Auckland. When in the STA travel in Auckland they stated they could not do this and then gave us a no. To contact the global help team. We rang this no. And they told us we had to change the flight in the Sheffield branch even though we were at the other side of the world..... Geography is not their strongest point. Anyway we eventually managed to speak to someone in the Sheffield branch who begrudgingly changed our flights. First problem eventually solved.

Second problem. We wanted our return flight to stop via Asia. When booking the original flexi pass ticket we specifically asked for a return flight via Asia. We were told we could definitely do this with the flexi pass ticket we purchased. On contacting STA they had changed our return ticket to go via Los Angeles and then stated that the air line we booked with never stopped off in Asia anyway. In a nutshell we were sold the flexi pass ticket under false pretences.

Never use this company. Book it yourself.

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