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      Country
          Country

          Find a Location

          Smartfares has 3 locations, listed below.

          *This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

            Country
            Please enter a valid location.
            • Smartfares

              4545 Murphy Canyon Rd Ste 210 San Diego, CA 92123-4363

              BBB Accredited Business
            • Smartfares

              Arlington, VA 22201

            • Smartfares

              PO Box 13 Vernon Hill, VA 24597-0013

            Business ProfileforSmartfares

            Travel Agency
            Multi Location Business
            BBB accredited business

            Current Alerts For This Business

            Pattern of Complaint:
            BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints. Specifically, consumers allege in their complaints to BBB that the business is not honoring the “free 24 hour cancellation policy”. In addition, the consumers also allege that there's a lack of attention addressing consumer concerns, business representatives are denying refunds however, refunds are ultimately being dispersed after a complaint is submitted. Consumers also report that their calls are disconnected after asking for a refund. Lastly, consumers allege business is not providing a breakdown of costs and deducting “processing” fees from consumer refunds. On January 17th, 2023, BBB submitted a written request to the business encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints.

            On February 16th, 2023, the business responded to BBB's letter outlining the pattern of complaints with their plans to eliminate the pattern by updating all banners to clearly state cancellations within 24 hours will have a fee, and updating all verbiage on website to state tickets are non refundable. In addition, the business also initiated a new training course for agents, and established an escalations desk to promptly provide resolutions. BBB continues to closely monitor the complaints concerning this business and their effort to improve and reduce future customer complaints.

            At-a-glance

            Customer Reviews

            1.37/5stars

            Average of 276 Customer Reviews

            Customer Complaints

            818 complaints closed in last 3 years

            100 complaints closed in last 12 months

            BBB Rating & Accreditation

            Accredited Since: 9/6/2011

            Years in Business: 13

            Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating

            Reasons for BBB Rating

            Related Categories

            Overview

            This business offers domestic and global online-travel reservation services for airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals and cruises. 

            Business Details

            This is a multi-location business.

            Find a Location

            Smartfares has 3 locations, listed below.

            *This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

              Country
              Please enter a valid location.
              • Smartfares

                4545 Murphy Canyon Rd Ste 210 San Diego, CA 92123-4363

                BBB Accredited Business
              • Smartfares

                Arlington, VA 22201

              • Smartfares

                PO Box 13 Vernon Hill, VA 24597-0013

              BBB File Opened:
              7/18/2011
              Years in Business:
              13
              Business Started:
              10/28/2010
              Business Incorporated:
              10/28/2010
              Accredited Since:
              9/6/2011
              Licensing Information:
              This business is in an industry that may require professional licensing, bonding or registration. BBB encourages you to check with the appropriate agency to be certain any requirements are currently being met.
              Type of Entity:
              Corporation
              Alternate Business Name
              • Cheap Flights Now
              • LBF Travel Inc
              • Booking Bargains
              • CheapFaresNow
              • Traveler Help Desk
              • Travelation
              • Traveler Help Desk
              • HotelWiz
              • Smart Fares
              • Low Cost Airlines
              Business Management
              • Mr. Michael Thomas, CEO
              • Mr. Bobb Hinkle, Corporate Controller
              • Ms. Linda Taylor, Operations Manager
              Contact Information

              Principal

              • Mr. Michael Thomas, CEO

              Customer Contact

              • Ms. Linda Taylor, Operations Manager
              Additional Contact Information

              Fax Numbers

              • (858) 408-3061
                Primary Fax
              • (858) 429-7676
                Other Fax

              Phone Numbers

              Email Addresses

              Industry Tip

              BBB Tip: Need help planning a trip? How to find a good travel agent

              Customer Complaints

              821 Customer Complaints

              Need to file a complaint? BBB is here to help. We'll guide you through the process. How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews

              File a Complaint

              Most Recent Customer Complaint

              03/12/2024

              Complaint Type:
              Problems with Product/Service
              Status:
              Resolved
              I purchased round trip tickets to *************. I was to leave ********************** in ******* on December 15, 2023 and return on December 23, 2023. I was waiting for a reminder email, so I followed up by phone on Dec 6. SmartFares said it was Air Transat's issue, when I called them they didn't have my name or contact information on file, I was never a customer of Air Transat. I had to book another round trip flight with a different airline. I've since called SmartFares six times with them promising a refund. I also received a confirmation email, on Mar 5, from a supervisor/manager at SmartFares saying I'd be getting my refund within four days. I called today, Mar 12, asking for the contact name I was given and was told they'd call me back in two hours. There was no call at 5:30 so I called back at 9pm and told he wasn't working today but it was guaranteed I'd get a call back. I was supposed to, according to my Dec 5 call, to get my refund by the beginning of February and a month and a half later I still don't have my money.
              Read More

              Customer Reviews

              276 Customer Reviews

              What do you think? Share your review.

              How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews

              Start a Review

              Most Recent Customer Review

              Be C

              1 star

              03/22/2024

              I will never use SmartFares again. I don't care what savings they offer.The online booking process was as straight forward as any other site, but the costumer service was awful. I had made a typo in the reservation and called to change it (within 1.5 hours of making the booking) and was told there would be a $90 to correct the typo, was kept on hold for a long time and then was laughed at when I asked about the astronomical fee being able to be waived since I was within 24 hours of booking and could just cancel the tickets without a charge. I was lied to, the agent tried to convince me that I'd have to pay a fee to cancel and wouldn't get all of my money back - not true when it's within 24 hours. Additionally, the agent told me the $90 fee was set by the airline. The agent also told me they would call me back later that day to follow up and help me when I got so frustrated I said I'd call back later if I wanted to make the change. The agent waited until the 24 hours had passed and then finally called me, texted me, and emailed me to see if they could help me make the change to my reservation - conveniently after I could no longer cancel the reservation without penalty. Crazy thing, I called the airline directly and they were able to fix the typo immediately without any fee at all because I had made the booking within the past 24 hours.I'm appalled by the poor service and trying to implement false fees and false threats. What a scam.

              Local BBB

              Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest

              BBB Reports On

              BBB reports on known marketplace practices.

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