Travelstart Reviews 

773
TrustScore 1 out of 5

1.2

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

worst place to book a flight, I booked a flight and got contradicting information about transit visa requirements. An agent told me I did not need any, however I did. No accommodation whatever, all my... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I booked through Travelstart and shortly afterwards realised I had selected the wrong return date. Trying to reach them was pointless. They simply do not respond, and when they do, it is wit... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Needed to change a flight - actually paid for and booked another flight as I had no response after 7 days of bots, emails etc. The original flight was never cancelled. No response from company. So p... See more

Company replied

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Flight changed. Phoned travelstart - got thru to India, "sorry offline, can't help, try again in an hour". Subsequent flight changes from airline (no details) said "contact booking agent" ie trave... See more

Company replied

Company details

  1. Flights Search Site
  2. Travel Agency

Written by the company

Based in Sunny Cape Town, Travelstart is your one-stop online travel shop. Forget trawling the web for the latest flight specials. We bring you the best international and domestic flights from all your favourite airlines. Book your hotel stay at properties on every continent. We offer you travel insurance too, for peace of mind. Select car hire from top car rental companies, book bus tickets to anywhere in southern Africa, and even book your next holiday activity. For custom holiday packages to anywhere in the world, contact our travel experts and let’s make it happen. For all your travel needs, go with the best and we’ll take care of the rest.


Contact info

1.2

Bad

TrustScore 1 out of 5

773 reviews

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1-star

No recent history of asking for reviews

This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative

Replied to 90% of negative reviews

Typically replies within 24 hours

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1.2

All reviews

(773)

22 reviews in the last 12 months

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Incompetence

I took this travel agency the first and also the last time. Incompetent employees at all levels. The airline had shifted forward the time of my first flight for some hours. To avoid waiting for 8 hours at the airport for my connecting flight, I asked for getting an earlier one. The airline told me that the travel agency is not allowed to charge me for that but they still did. Even after paying 15 Euro, travelstart was not able to rebook my flight. I made several calls and waited for hours in the hotline but the staff was not able to understand my problem or willing to fulfill my wishes. So I paid for nothing and have now to wait for a long time at the airport due to incompetence of the staff. Never again, hands off!

April 17, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Travelstart, maybe you should never start

I have booked a connected flight in the morning for the route Manila-Seoul- Tokyo through this website.

Less than 12 hours later, I could not get on board, due to missing COVID documentation, and therefore I missed both of my flights. So it has been less than 24 hours and I had a right to be refunded or at least rebooked to another flight.

I contacted travelstart via chat, and talked to two different agents. Weird thing is, they keep telling you that they are not able to change/ cancel or do anything about your booking, and ask you to talk to the airlines. Airlines explained me that, the ticket was booked through a third party agency and in those situations they cannot do anything. They can just leave a note on their system ( that shows I was denied on board by the airlines) and this note is visible by Travelstart. Travelstart agents also mislead you, first they say there is no cancellation fee, another agent tell you a fee. I feel like they are really playing with the customers.

Unfortunately I lost both of my flights and I could not get any refund or help with the cancellation process. SCAM

April 14, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I had contact with the customer service…

I had contact with the customer service several times and it’s just horrible. Talked to 6 people about the same issue and there were 6 different (not satisfactory) ways to “solve” the problem.

Changed my flight for a specific amount of money, ended up paying more after.

Just not a correct business.

April 7, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

You bunch of scams!you first steal my…

You bunch of scams!you first steal my money than put me on hold for half n hour waiting for your answers hence my bank wouldn't help since your stole my money through my card so it looks like I payed you.God forbid I wish people stop using your service,infact its about time I make you trend on socials

April 2, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Their prices are good but that is where…

Their prices are good but that is where it ends. Poor after sales outsourced to India, and agents give copy paste feedback. Average waiting time for feedback is around 24 - 48hrs.

Also be warned that all the 5 star reviews here are fake. The reviews are done by once off paid reviewers

April 1, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Booked a flight on Qatar

Booked a flight on Qatar , received an e ticket , 2 minutes later a cancellation of the flight, called the customer service to be told I could not pay on the phone as flight already cancelled , the flight was for that night , I had onward connections / Hotel bookings I had made based on this confirmed ticket , I decided to cancel my entire trip , only to find my card had been debited the full amount on the same day I was supposed to travel. No apology from Travel Start just the usual automated BS response , I would not recommend using this booking agent even if prices are good , not ethical business.

March 27, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

stay away they used to be good back in…

stay away they used to be good back in the day but horrible now. Book directly with airlines and car hire companies.

Hired a bmw part of my travel package. Paid a deposit....could not pick the vehicle up as they said I needed a credit card. Lost deposit ....ended up buying a car to use while I was down.

they dont confirm online that if you have a credit card to collect the vehicle....its in the fine print...

Airlines also chosen were crap.... wont use them again

March 24, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do not use this agency!!

Really bad experience. I bought an insurance for a possible change but be attentive it ONLY APPLIES FOR THE WHOLE FLIGHT. It means it DOES NOT apply only on your return flight.
You also have to take in account the endless waiting time to get in touch with a personell from customer service.
Additionally, their website does not work properly and many functions as refund or rebooking are not available (it means staying on the line for hours to get any info related to your problem).

March 24, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Travelstart buyer beware - go direct to airline rather

booked 2 tickets and the flight was cancelled by airline
R6000 and my total refund will be R1800 in 6 to 12 weeks - this company is a scam with zero customer service, go direct, avoid this company

After taking to social media and contacting the airline directly Travelstart are refunding me - it shouldn't have to be like this and their story is non truthful. I am however being refunded in full

March 21, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Bad taste joke? No, the worst travel agent!

This company is ridiculous. I needed to change my ticket and I had to call their call center for 3 days until they could do it. I paid A LOT more because of it. Ultimately, although I paid for luggage, the new ticket didn't have it, so I had to pay for it again. When contacting them, at the airline check-in, they informed me they could not add the luggage (which by now I had already paid for) and asked me to call again later!! The whole thing sounds like a bad taste joke. Unfortunately, it was real.

January 28, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stay away from Travelstart

Stay away from Travelstart, this is the most unreliable & useless ticketing company I've ever engaged, avoid them like plague if you really wish to get value for your money. Their customer service is nothing to write home about, they are only interested in taking your money.

March 17, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

DO NOT USE TRAVELSTART!!!

DO NOT USE TRAVELSTART!!!! I have been 'warned' against using them, but against my better judgment, I still used them. Initially, everything went well with my international booking. But lo and behold, when I wanted to change my return flight - it was pure hell. You cannot get in touch with a live agent at all, despite the number given on the website. Write an email and the answer you get is from a person who cannot even spell properly and who didn't even answer all my questions. I had to coordinate flights, so I couldn't use the WhatsApp function... I can carry on and on.... Just to confirm: DO NOT USE TRAVELSTART!!!!

March 15, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY.

THEY STEAL YOUR MONEY.

my flight was refunded on a corporate card from their company. So basically, they stole my money. Do not use this company whatsoever.

March 15, 2023
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Got charged and booked twice for same flight

Their system booked and charged me twice for the same exact flight. I tried to make them cancel one of the bookings, which was one of the most infuriating experiences I ever had. It was clearly an issue within their system. Staff is rude and not at all helpful.
Ended up paying their 40€ cancellation fee in order to finally have peace and get at least some of the money back. Never again!

March 11, 2023
Unprompted review

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