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I have bought an e-ticket from kiwi.com flying from Dallas to Seoul. This e-ticket has three stops and requires me to pick up all my checked in luggage only at the San Francisco airport. However, when I asked the check in airline officers, they said that I would have to recheck in all the three bags every time I have entered a new airport. All three stops I would need to claim my bags and check in.
I had paid one checked in baggage with kiwi.com when I was buying the ticket, and this allows me to bring 20kg of check in luggage on top of what is free with the airlines. However, when I was entering Virgin America, the airline officer could not find the free luggage in the system and could not give me the third bag that I have already paid for with KIWI.com for free. However, he waived the third bag. I paid $50USD at the front check in desk of Virgin America. They charge $25USD for every 23kg bags.
When I reached San Francisco, I thought this would most definitely happen again with China eastern airline. While I was waiting at the airport gate in Dallas, I called a customer representative of kiwi.com. She said that if the airline officers ask me to pay extra for this luggage, just pay them and later I will be able to get a full refund of the amount I have paid. So, I did this and paid USD 165 at San Francisco with China eastern airline to head to Qing Dao. Now I am asking kiwi.com to return this USD 165 and Kiwi.com agency is telling me that they can only do a refund on the amount of extra luggage I have paid for with Virgin America.
“On Wed, Sep 6, 2017 at 5:56 PM, support.[protected]@kiwi.com wrote:
Dear Ms. Lee,
I am writing you regarding your Kiwi.com Reservation.
First I would like to apologize for any inconvenience and stress this might have caused you. We reviewed the history of your reservation and we found out that we can only refund the amount of 23 EUR for luggage on your flight from Dallas to San Francisco. Unfortunately, we were not able to add the 1 checked baggage on the said flight and you need to send us the receipt for us to continue with the refund. On the other hand, we are unable to process any refund for the third luggage on your flight from San Francisco to Seoul. The amount of $165 that you paid is for the third luggage which is on top of the free allowable luggage based on the policy of China Eastern Airlines. We also check the possible refund on the flight from Shanghai to Seoul, unfortunately, the flights were non-refundable. Moreover, we are unable to reimburse the ticket that you purchased at the airport and the transportation because it is not covered by our Kiwi.com Guarantee.
Thank you for understanding and cooperation.
If you have any questions, try our Help Centre or contact our 24/7 Customer Support Team.
Kind regards,
Edralyn R.
Team Manager | Customer Support Specialist
Kiwi.com”
I have missed the plane from Qing Dao to Shanghai due to several reasons. Airline officers whom I check in with told me that I would need to recheck in all my three-heavy baggage every single time I enter a new airport. So, I had to claim baggage at San Francisco, this one I was expecting, but then they told me that I would also have to claim the baggage in Qing Dao. At Qing Dao, they told me that I would have to claim it again in Shanghai. On the e ticket that Kiwi has sent me, it is written to pick up and recheck bags from San Francisco only. However, this was not true. Reclaiming baggage at Qing Dao has influenced me from taking that plane from Qing Dao to Shanghai. Other reasons were the change of gate number that I did not know. I was also feeling sick in Qing Dao because of the previous flight from San Francisco was making me feel like I need to vomit and Qing Dao airport was very dirty. I could not use the bathroom there.
What happened after I have missed the plane from Qing Dao to Shanghai Hong Qiao airport was that I had purchased a new ticket from Qing Dao Airport to Shanghai Pu Dong. They said that was the only ticket left for them to Shanghai. I immediately bought that ticket for 490RMB which they have failed to give me a receipt. What I did not know was the baggage was also not heading to Shanghai, since I was not on that plane. Later, the flight from Qing Dao to Shanghai Pu Dong got delayed, and so I asked, and they told me that my baggage is still in Qing Dao and they would not be delivered to Shanghai Hong Qiao without me on the plane. Then I immediately went down stairs to take my luggage and recheck them at the airport counter with paying them extra for the overweight; the baggage policy was different with this Qingdao International Airport Group Co., Ltd. They allowed me to check in 2 bags 20kg each and if my bags were more than that then fee occurs, the fee I paid was 432RMB. I flew from Qingdao to Shanghai Pudong airport. It was 12 am at midnight, and we landed at around 2 am at Shanghai Pudong airport. I was worried that I was heading to Pudong Airport because the next plane was from Shanghai Hong Qiao airport. I thought I would take a cab from Pudong airport to Hong Qiao airport which I did. I found out that there were two airports T1 and T2. I did not know which airport to go to, and I remembered the conversation I had with China eastern airline customer representative when I was in Dallas, she has told me that my flight from Shanghai Hong Qiao to Seoul is a domestic one. So this personal cab driver took me all the way to T2 Shanghai Hong Qiao airport. I paid him 40 USD and 100 RMB it was 2 to 3 am and 60 km to get there. I have arrived at the airport gate just to find out that I was at the wrong airport. Because Kiwi e ticket has not mentioned whether this is a T1 or T2 and Chinese people they did not know it well too.
I had to take another cab from T2 to T1 16km by high way. I paid 100RMB to get there.
I have arrived at Shanghai Hong Qiao airport T1 airport finally. Okay, I can now take the plane that I have bought with kiwi.com is what I thought. They told me that because I have already missed the plane from Qing Dao to Shanghai, I cannot take this next plane. I told them that I have already paid for the flight but I did not have a printed copy of the invoice tax document with kiwi.com and I did not have it saved on my phone. I could not access this in the Shanghai Hong Qiao T1 airport. The wifi signal was weak there. However, they assured me that just because I have missed the plane from Qing Dao to Shanghai, the system would still think that I am at Qing Dao, so I cannot use the next plane from Shanghai to Seoul. I had to repurchase the plane ticket from Shanghai Hong Qiao T1 airport to Seoul for 1867RMB; this ticket has the same flight number as the one I have previously bought with KIWI.Com and pay 1000RMB for excess luggage.
I know that the e ticket is nonrefundable, but with all the trouble I have gone through, the claiming baggage at Qing Dao airport which kiwi e ticket has only mentioned it necessary once in San Francisco and gate changes. I am sure that a financial reimbursement is necessary for me.
![Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation [IRCTC]](/images/business/48-48/128080/indian-railway-catering-and-tourism-corporation-irctc.png){kind=small}
I agree fully with your comment
Kiwi is fraud, They give you half information and make you struggle to get back your money if changed flight with them. I had booked a flight to India from Taiwan transiting in Singapore. I found that i may have to apply for visa for Singapore, which was not possible. Hence, i contacted Kiwi to resolve the problem. Kiwi advised me to opt "change of flight " - and also promised me of refund. All these happened a month before the schedule time and the flight booking for canceled flight was not even confirmed. After 17 days of travel, i enquirer Kiwi for refund. There was no reply for 4 days. When contacted the cancelled flight carrier, i was told that the seat was not cancelled- it went of no use, hence cannot be refunded. Kiwi says they would have cancelled the flight only if i apply for refund. I was surprised to hear this, but their terms and conditions indirectly states the same. Now i am getting it legally, spending equal amount that i should have been refunded.
I agree that this is a gambling. Do not trust kiwi.
" I am sorry if there was a misunderstanding by my previous colleague when she told you that you did a request to cancel your flights on January 21 but this is not true as you only did the flight change on this date", This is the line taken from their mail! A customer care personal cooked up a story to hide something. But once she realized she will have to refund my money she didn't respond to my mail. Then a new customer care adviser appeared saying she wasn't true.
If i cannot believe her how can i believe you. How can i trust your system ?
This company is dangerous to book with. Depends very much on luck, if one connection is delayed you had it. No help at all from the company and dont expect refunds. Best to avoid.
S. Viswanath, UK
kiwi.com is huge SCAM. Just DO NOT deal with them ever
I had a very similar experience.
Kiwi is the worst, i purchased a travel insurance with a two ways ticket from Boston to Bordeaux, France and a stop between them in London, primera air (😂man this airline, you think you’re in a bus in the middle of nowhere in the savana in the republic of Congo) i had a feeling to throw up 🤢 because I was so scared and so my wife and my kids I had a feeling that we’re not gonna make it, the plane was going up and down, the way the pilot talk to passengers, he was yelling at them, I think he was drunken) because of a Mecanic problem we had to wait two hours in Boston so the flight was delayed so we missed our flight London - Bordeaux and and lost our car reservation in Bordeaux it was $150/week not bad I purchased it 5 months previous the flight, when we were in London we called kiwi customer service, we had hard time getting help, we spent more than four hours at the London airport just to get a room at the hotel located 45 minutes outside London, they couldn’t find us a flight to Bordeaux though Air France and others go every hour to Bordeaux, in Bordeaux the next day we lost the car reservation and must purchase a new one for one week the price was was € 600 equivalent of $700 in US dollar we had no other choice it was no train at that time, we had big suitcases we were also exhausted. Now we back home in the US kiwi rejected the refund of $600. It was costly, dangerous experience if you book with kiwi.com and you have a delay in connection flight expect no help from the company or a refunds.
I have a mistake in passenger details, they charged me 150 for correction. Very hard to deal with them, if you do, they will come as a winers.
I booked a flight for the wrong date accidentally and I called immediately to cancel. Not only did kiwi.com want to charge me 20 euros, but when I received a partial refund I called the airline directly to verify the amount and it turns our kiwi.com lied about how much they got back from the airline so they wouldn't need to give me a full refund. I understand that I made the initial mistake, but people make mistakes - it's not unreasonable to expect a refund if you call immediately. Not having a grace period to make these changes is ludicrous and a terrible way to treat customers.
I am writing to complain about the kiwi customer relations who caused lots of stress and as a result, my second part of the journey was cancelled because of the misconducting by the kiwi customer service. I was on the hold for more than 2 hours and talked to 5 representatives to fix the issue but only ended the calls in distress. I am seeking legal advice if this issue is not resolved ASAP.
I bought a ticket from TLV to Kathmandu in KIWI website .
The ticket concluded two tickets one from TLV to new Delhi and the second from new Delhi to Kathmandu .
At New Delhi I was told that I couldn’t use the ticket to Kathmandu and I need to buy a new ticket.
I got stuck at the airport for 4 hours .
In the end i bought a new ticket from New Delhi to Kathmandu at the cost of 360 $.
I asked kiwi for a refund
They refused.