Expedia conveniently finds excuses not to address concerns of customers by always saying that it is not in their control to do so and so one should contact the airlines/hotels directly as the airlines/hotels have direct control over the tickets/reservations. While it may hold true in some cases but not all.
In my case, I checked with the airlines several times since last year till date and they confirmed to me every time that it was up to Expedia to consider my request regarding extension of the validity of that particular credit that was issued by Expedia in their name when flights got cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdown since it seemed to be under the control of Expedia.
The concerned airlines took the time to explain that credits associated with their airlines started with a certain digit which was not the case with the itinerary number that this credit was issued for by Expedia. Also, if a credit is issued by an airline, it can be used not only to buy a ticket but also pay for extra baggage etc. while this credit did not allow that on checking with Expedia. Therefore, it was obvious that this was an internal credit given by Expedia and not the airlines since the ticket was booked through Expedia. It was a credit issued by Expedia itself and could be altered by them only. But Expedia refuses to accept that. The credit is reflecting in the Expedia account and is only valid till next month, but Expedia is just delaying addressing the issue effectively.
Whatever the reason may be for the refusal, the airline agreed with me that Expedia should take the time to give factual reasons and explanations for the refusal to extend the validity of this credit instead of passing on the responsibility to the airline. This particular airline is always very helpful and works closely with its customers to effectively resolve issues but here they are not able to do anything because this is a credit that was issued directly by Expedia.
I feel that Expedia runs away from taking responsibility for any reservations made through them and are not even willing to cooperate with the customer to resolve issues or address queries. They have support desks to coordinate with different airlines and hotels they partner with but instead they leave it to the customers to find answers and resolve issues on their own. In fact, in the past while working as Manager at a hotel I often encountered challenges in dealing with Expedia to resolve issues pertaining to their reservations of guests at the hotel since they would often create so much of confusion and then just would leave it entirely to the hotel to resolve the mess that they would create.
I feel Expedia is not equipped to handle escalated complaints and is not equipped to co-ordinate well with their partner airlines or partner hotels to create a smooth experience for most of its customers. This is their deficiency, and they are not doing anything over the years to change that. In times of pandemic, I feel it is much better to book directly with airlines and hotels instead of Expedia.
