Cannot fathom a worse experience from SOUTHALL TRAVELS
I had an urgent travel requirement and had booked flight tickets through Southall Travels (Flysharp). After receiving the booking reference number and having the amount deducted from our company's debit card, I was contacted by one of their agents, Pearl. Initially, she claimed that they had not received the payment and requested me to transfer the amount via bank transfer, providing a link for the transaction. Upon checking my bank account, I found that the amount had indeed been deducted. I immediately contacted my bank to confirm, and they affirmed that the deduction had occurred and could not be reversed.
Subsequently, I attempted to make another transaction using my credit card, yet Southall Travels insisted that the payment had not been fully authenticated from their end.
I find it perplexing that despite their initial verification process and the use of the payment link sent to my registered email address, they still could not authenticate the payment. After spending nearly two hours on the phone, they informed me that I would need to pay an additional £600 to proceed with the booking, citing the airline's cancellation of the reservation. It became evident that their motive was to secure extra last-minute booking fees. Their incompetence forced me to rearrange my travel plans and miss an important meeting.
As a result of this experience, I have no intention of ever engaging with this company again, nor will I recommend them to others. As an international recruiter, I used to endorse Southall Travel to my clients, but their incompetence has not only lost them a customer but also tarnished their reputation.
