SmartFaresReviews 7,680

"How much are you willing to pay?" This is what our SmartFare agent (Nixon) asked us when we called, stranded at the Perth airport after Air New Zealand informed us our flight home to Canada had been cancelled. My answer...$5000 CAD each. So when quoted $4740 each, we said yes, economy seated together. The final price became $13,885 CAD, economy seated apart. We felt desperate, took the seats, got home.
We feel we have been lied to, robbed, and taken advantage of in our desperate situation to get home.

UPDATE TO REVIEW...
After writing this review on SmartFare, San Diego, California, I submitted a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. They were super helpful and effective. They submitted my complaint to SmartFares, and I got a phone call from SmartFares the next day. They granted my request to reimburse the over charged fees based on my price-gouging complaint. I agreed to their terms requested of me: to remove my complaint with the BBB. I did so, and my extra charges were reimbursed.
I did not request some of the high fees charged for our initial tickets; I thought that, in light of the over-charging by ALL the airlines because of the number of people trying to fly home, it was worth the high inflated rate to get home. Also, I thought if I limited my complaint request to the last inflated fee, it would be more likely to get a settlement. I was correct. Good luck with your complaints to the Better Business Bureau.

Horrible! Talked to 3 agents all different answers. One hung up on me. I tried to get a refund due to cancellations because of COVID-19 and they were making that difficult. They kept blaming the Airline, when on the website it states that they are issuing refunds. One agent said I could get a refund of $220 out off of a $566.17 ticket. Last guy I spoke with gave $399, I decided to settle with that amount because I ran out of energy. 0 stars if possible but definitely would not recommend, this business needs to be shut down.

If any on Can Help me on thia Well Really appreciate.
I book My Ticket On Eithad airline by Smartfare through. Smartfare Playing with me Regard My Refund. Due to Carona Covid-19 All Flight has Been Cancle, Etihad send me Mail That all Flight cancel, when i speck with Smartfare they said Flight on time. Now they playing with me to Not To Refund. After Long fighting Smartfare Smartfare agery to Refund some Amount not all. You all Guys tell me Where is my Fault. Why Should i not get full Refund. Last time My friend also Book In Smartfare he also Face Flight problems he Told Me Now When The seen Happen... So i thought to inform all Not to Make your Money waste.

I purchased tickets from smartfares because it was about $75.00 cheaper per tickets. With the Coronavirus issue we decided to rebook our reservations into late fall. The airlines we were using decided to cancel their re-booking penalty for every destination they serviced, which is fair. However, smartfares charged be $250.00 for the same flights 8 months later. I am a former travel agent, so I looked at the calculations of the fare ladder. Long story short, the ticket was $2.00 more than the original ticket. Smartfares makes up their own service fees. I believe each agent works on commission as my first quote was $367.00 additional per ticket and the agent went as far as to email me his contact information so I dealt with him. If you make no changes, and bottom line price is your goal, then fine, smartfares will be ok. However, if you need them to make a change, beware they will charge you way more than what you should pay. They rip you off!

Booking a flight online and when I hit the book button after I had entered all my payment info the site froze up. I then called and was told to wait 15-30 minutes if I had not received an email and then re-book if I had not. I did not receive their email so my wife re-booked through another site. 2 hours later I received an email saying my original booking was successful. When I called to cancel, they said it would cost 200.00 to cancel even though their website CLEARLY said I had 24 hours to cancel with no charge. I said cancel it and then was left on hold for 30 minutes while waiting for the cancellation email which never came. TOTAL SCAM! I'm going to try and block my card before we leave.

I booked a business class ticket with them and when I called to change the flight they told me they found a cheaper fair, changed my flight and then told me I had to pay $700 in fees. If I didn't agree they would forfeit my ticket because they had already canceled the old flight.

Today I called to postpone my flight because of the Corona Virus they are saying that I must pay $2000 for the price difference. My friend who works at the Airlines is saying that they are scamming me and that flights are actually cheaper now.

My husband needed to change the flight due to coronavirus outbreak threat. We called them and they told us they won't change as it's their rule. Hello~~~ they don't even try. We told them they won't accept change even in this chaotic situation? They say NO and told us to call the airline. Then the airline (Hawaiian airlines) told us to call the travel agent. Basically they just keep their hands off each other. OMG, what a joker. We called Smartfares 2nd time and this time the agent was trying to help a bit. But he needed to call Hawaiian air. He said, " you need to pay $570 to change the flight'. Are you kidding me? We will just buy a new ticket then. We will never book through Smartfares.

I booked an air ticket for myself and my infant from feb15 to 24. On February 15, we went to the checkin desk at the airport, the checkin lady found my baby's last name spelled wrong () on the system. The counter manager refused to board us unless the agency who booked us the tickets corrected the name. My husband contacted smartfares customer services at 10:26 am eastern time. Both my husband and the counter manager spoke to the agent but he said he couldn't change the name from his end. The representative we spoke with advised us that all what we could do at that time so as not to miss our flight was to buy a new ticket for my baby and then contact smartfares in order to refund us.
My husband tried to contact them while I was away to avoid waiting at the counter for two hours especially when I was by mySelf. Smartfares after giving him hard times booked a return ticket for the baby. On my way back I had another problem. When they booked the return ticket they somehow voided it and couldn't be found on the system. But seems the ticket number was updated and I was not informed with this update with any means.
I talked to them after my return to ask for a refund and the customer services rep were very rude claiming it's our mistake that we bought a one way ticket not a return ticket. They think I didn't have enough frustration at the checkin desks.
After tens of phone calls and hundreds of minutes of waiting listening to such an annoying disturbing loud music they sent me an email with a refund and said it'll take 7-10 business days to get refunded. Let's wait and see if I'll have to talk to the credit card company to dispute this transaction or what

I have booked with Smartfares on two occasions and I have had no issue with my booking. I was able to book a round trip for 5 people from Toronto to London England and another from Toronto to Grenada and both times I have had a great experience. The sales agent emailed me my tickets and I double-checked it with the assigned airline and all was legit. I am surprised by what I read on some of the reviews because I had no problem, and the customer service was excellent, they really tried to help and give you a great price.

Smartfares is a SCAM. DO not use Smartfares! They will offer a deeply discounted airfare and send you a confirmation number to your email. The next day you will receive call them immediately because they were unable to confirm your flight. Air China offer full refund for cancellation or change for free since the wuhan coronavirus but smart fares Charge me 286 for cancellation fee, I asked everyone I know or I don't know, the most the travel agent charge was 50 dollars, and most of them are totally free. I will never book a ticket from smart fares again.

I spoke with an agent who gave me a unbelievable price on airfare. I told her that I needed to confur with my husband! She said that she would call me back in 30 minutes. 30 minutes came and went so I called her back! I got a totally different person whom I could barely understand what she was saying. She then said the price had doubled. So they're whole plan is to bait you in then change the price.
The Better Business Bureau really need to investigate this business and shut them down...