An Air Berlin nightmare

I would like to know if any other TT members have had a similar experience...

On 4/25/2008, I booked round-trip tickets for me & my wife from Düsseldorf to Los Angeles using the airberlin.com website. I provided my Bank of America Visa card which has no restrictions and more than enough balance to pay for the flight. After providing all of the trip details and completing checkout with my Visa Platinum card, I was provided with a booking number and received an email indicating a deposit of €506.00 would be made and the balance of €1856,00 would be charged shortly thereafter.

Approximately 1 hour later, I called Air Berlin customer service to inquire about reserving particular seats since the option was not available on the website. After providing the booking number, I was told that there was a problem with my payment and that my credit card was "not accepted" and "Declined". I then provided the card number details again and the customer service agent indicated the card was still not accepted. I then said I would contact Bank of America directly to find out what the problem was and call back.

I then spoke with Bank of America Customer Service and asked them to review my account. After almost 45 minutes on hold, I was told that there were no attempts to run the credit card and absolutely no problem whatsoever with the card. I then called Air Berlin back and explained that Bank of America had said there was no problem with the card. The customer service representative attempted to run the card again and I was again told the card was "Declined". Out of frustration, I agreed to provide other cards one Visa card and a MasterCard from different banks and these were also declined. The customer service representative then offered that, "sometimes we have problems with credit cards from the United States." And that he could not offer any solution other than to pay in cash or use a German Visa card or call back in several days because they were working to fix the problem.

I called back later and was told that the initial deposit amount had cleared and the rest would be charged before the flight. Later, I checked my account with Bank of America and could see the amount was temporarily authorized and assumed there would be no further problems.

I was very upset to receive an email today wrongly stating again that my card was "refused". Again I contacted Air Berlin customer service to clarify what the problem was and was told I must go to the Düsseldorf airport and pay for everything in cash. This greatly angered me and I contacted Visa Authorization department and issued a complaint detailing everything. While on the phone, they were able to conference call with Air Berlin customer service and another attempt was made to run the charge which was again declined. Visa customer service then asked to speak with a supervisor and after 25 minutes was told they were working to correct the problem which they only have with U.S. credit cards. After an additional 15 minutes, Air Berlin customer service agent indicated the full amount was collected and my booking finally confirmed. Also, Visa customer service agent was able to verify that my card had been charged 9 separate times in the amount of $385.54 and once for $172.72 which is the full amount of the flight. Visa Customer Service also indicated that this is not a normal practice for a merchant and would investigate and document the entire case for further review of Air Berlin's Visa acceptance policies.

In conclusion, I would like to state that I have wasted a great deal of time and telephone expenses to correct this problem. It is clear that Air Berlin has some problem processing U.S. credit cards which are not detailed anywhere on the website or during the check-out procedure. Furthermore, I was repeatedly told that my card was "Refused" or "Declined" which was never the case. I have requested that Air Berlin reimburse all of my expenses incurred in the hours of phone calls and time necessary to fix this problem.

I have flown in the past with LTU and have never had any problem using my U.S. credit cards. In over 20 years of flying, I have never had such a bad experience or been told that paying cash was my only option. I will never fly Air Berlin again and will detail my experience to friends, family and business colleagues.

Sincerely,
Eric Fehrenbach
General Manager
1DigitalWeb.com

Easy - Don't fly Air Berlin.

Many European Companies and websites don't except US credit cards. The same is true in the US with Non-US Credit cards.
Your choices are simple. Either get a credit card from an EU bank for use in Europe, Pay with another form of payment be
it cash, bank xfer, or travels checks (if accepted) and your last choice being, find a different company to do business with.

i've never had a problem using a US credit card or debit card anywhere and i've been using them in different countries for at least the past 8 years if not the past 10 or so.

I had problems with British Airways on my visa card. I made the booking and received an email confirmation. Supposedly a month later they sent me an email saying the card had been refused but I never received the email. I only found out that it had been refused when I got to the airport and on runnning the card again it was refused. Had to pay for the flight with my German EC card. On complaining at Heathrow as I entered the UK I was told that my visa card with a UK bank had a German address and that airlines were prevented from accepting cards for bank accounts held in a different country of residence. On further enquiries I found out that this and a whole raft of absurd regulations that international airlines now have to follow was the result of US initiated counter-terrorism rules.

I should also note that this has only been a problem for the last few months and does not appear to affect my business credit card, which is registered with the BA and Lufthansa websites.

I use my US credit cards all the time. I have never come across anyone anywhere in the world that would not accept it. From the way it was withdrawn, it looks as if they were trying to scam the system with lower amounts on purpose. Not sure what deal they have with VISA, but I am sure that it contributed to the problem. My suggestion, go with MasterCard like I have! It's accepted the World over.

I have the same kind of Bank of America Visa card as the OP and I've never had a problem using it anywhere in the world Visa cards are accepted. I use it the grocery stores, Douglas, hotels, at the mechanic and many other places here in Europe. This may have been a glitch in the computer system for Air Berlin.

I use my UK visa everywhere in Germany too. It is only when booking flights that I have encountered any problem with it as stated above.

I doubt you were charging 2k to it at one time. Credit cards are subscription things by the merchant and they may not have subscribed to the terms of VISA for higher amounts to be accepted. I have heard this story before and it came down to what the merchant was willing to pay for the privilege of accepting cards. The merchant we were dealing with said that they had a limit with VISA, but not with MC. The MC was used to purchase the items.

Don't get me started on American companies who won't accept European credit cards, never mind actually deliver their products to the big, wide world that's out there.

I had (maybe still have) trouble with Lufthansa when I tried to book tickets online using direct debit from my German bank account & got a mysterious error claiming my credit card info was incorrect. Their hotline was no help. The bank balance was factor ten higher than ticket costs. Bank claimed everything was OK (I had booked tickets this way 6 mths before). I wrote a detailed FAX with screen shots & after some time got a phone call from LH saying that my bank account was blacklisted by my bank. In 2 personal meetings our bank say nothing of the sort has happened & we are nothing other than "highly valued customers". And so one is stuck...

It is the cost of doing business, insurance and liability. It all goes into the subscriber package and has little to do with what they want you to think is the problem. My sister is a specialist in this business and it is a nightmare of accounting because so many entities are involved. You have everything from daily limits to weekly limits and they all apply not just to the customer, but to the issuer as well. In the world-wide scheme, you also have to include the transaction fees and exchange rates. It is a job/business that I would never go into.

I can't find the article now (from www.ireland.com) but there was a recent dispute with aerlingus for selling amazingly cheap flights from ireland to the US online which it turned out was a mistake and they tried to cancel the bookings. In the end they had to honour the bookings as the customers had been sent a confirmation number. Once the customer has been sent a confirmation number the company was told it was obliged to maintain its side of the contract (after intervention by consumer rights agency).
Whether this is just specific to Irish law, I don't know, but the fact that you were sent a confirmation number in the first place would make me think that air berlin had no right to then say they couldn't accept your booking.

in bthe example I gave above, BA honoured my right to be on the flight because I had a confirmation number so I don't think it is just Irish law, daisydaisy

I'm amazed that you kept at it that long. I would have given up right after the first "decline" and written a sharp but short little letter about all the business they just lost through my company and all my business contacts, all because it was so important for them to tell stories. Seriously, if someone doesn't want my money, I won't try to make them take it.

But... have you ever considered opening a German credit card? It does make life MUCH easier.

I could be completely wrong, but I thought credit cards operated differently in Germany than in the US.

happened to me at least a couple of times that my cc (mastercard) "doesn't work" or was "refused", both in the US and in Germany. Shit happens, sometimes you have to accept stuff ... simply use something else (cash, bank transfer, different company)

Never use cash or bank transfer to purchase travel tickets - airfare or otherwise (Cruise, Train).

If the Airline goes bankrupt prior to travel (as 5 US Airlines have gone bankrupt in the past few weeks) you are F***ed. They have your cash and now it is frozen in the bankruptcy process and you are in line with all the other creditors.

With a credit card the credit card company must refund your money do to services not rendered and then they will go after the airline.

I have a similar question (two, actually). Could the problem be that American credit card companies charge a higher fee that a Air Berlin doesn't want to pay? Or could it be an IT problem at Air Berlin?

German credit cards are actually debit cards with a credit card name. You are not allowed (Generally) to keep a balance.
The entire CC bill must be paid in full at the end of the month, and is normally taken directly out of your bank account.
US cards allow you to carry a balance forward to the next month, and to pay it off as you like, with only min. monthly payments.

The biggest issue here is not the costs of doing the transaction to the company, it has to do with security/fraud and all the new anti-terrorism laws
many countries have put into place. Almost all companies in the US will only ship orders to the confirmed/registered address of the card holder
and nowhere else.

wrong!
DK where do you get some of your info?
My CC adderss is different from where I live. Since in the US you don't have to register yourself or anthing else they haven't an address is connected to me or not. I order stuff and have it shipped to where i live, work, and sometimes to friends. So not only do i order stuff and have it shipped to different places, but also to other people and my name isn't on the shipping at all.
Your statement that "almost all" companies in the US will only ship to a specific/known address of the cardholder is severely incorrect since i don't have things shipped to the address that my credit card, bank card, etc. are linked to. This goes for some of my friends too so I know I am not some odd exception.

It depends on the company, the items purchased and the total price. If you haven't had problems great.
But it doesn't mean thats the norm.

If I followed that advice about every airline I've had problems with my boss would be swimming the Atlantic twice a month (Iberia, Spanair, Lufthansa, BA, United ...)

DK- please be quiet. you don't live here and haven't for a long time so you don't know what's up. Things have evolved since the mid-90s, even since 2000!

in the US you can order stuff and have it shipped to a different address than the bill to address. THAT is the norm. I do it all the time. I have to since my bill to and ship to address are different since my credit card address is not where i live. At least in the past 8 years this has proved to be be true since for the majority of that time my bill to and ship to addresses have been different from each other and i've yet to have a problem.

Yes, often you can't have the bill to address be outside of the US, but within the US there isn't anything wrong with different addresses.
No, this isn't specific to me and i don't have some special privilege, this is the same for my friends, even ones in different areas of the countries.

On two of my credit cards, I have set up my German address as an alternate authorized ship-to address. I've found that solves a lot of the address mismatch rejections. It was really easy to set up with Amex, while my MasterCard issuer had to transfer me around a few times before connecting me to someone who knew how to do it.

**UPDATE**
Thanks to all for the input and experiences!
Just a note, I have been contacted by AirBerlin claims department and they are now reviewing the case. Visa advised that they are also reviewing AirBerlin's Visa acceptance policies as they wrongly said my card was declined and they are not allowed to increment charges in this way. They clearly do not want to accept U.S. Visa cards.

Although I do have a personal German Visa card, I chose not to use it for this case because I am reimbursed for travel expenses from my company.
Today, I checked my visa statement online and find that I have also been charged $110.06 in "Foreign Transaction Fees". I was billed 10 times and received 9 charges of $11.65 plus 1 charge of $5.21 because of the multiple small charges Air Berlin made for the fare. This fee was never disclosed at the time of purchase and I never agreed to it.

If I had any other possibility to fly direct from Düsseldorf to Los Angeles, I would have cancelled the flight and disputed the charges with Visa.
At this point I am waiting for the response from AirBerlin before taking further action.

Best,
Eric Fehrenbach

good reporting people lot of good info here...i will remember air berlin and avoid them. strange way of doing business they make a point of not wanting repeat business.
i wonder if you pay cash if they still charge all those extra fees any one have an answer to that???

The Foreign Transaction Fee is a fee charged by YOUR bank, not Air Berlin. I am currently converting to a Capital One credit card because they don't charge this fee.

However, depending on the terms of your deal with your bank, the incremental manner that Air Berlin charged you may have caused you to have to pay an increased fee. Call your bank and sort that out and then call Capital One and get a new card.

Foreign Transaction Fees are actually charged by your credit card company for converting the amount of dollars to Euros. According to this page it is 3%:
Terms and Conditions of Secured Visa Credit Card (Bank of America)

I have had several problems in the past year using my NatWest UK credit card for purchases in the UK - card has a German registered address. I was unable to buy a Heathrow Express ticket or a Christmas gift for my parents (www.theatretokens.com) online.

In case of the Heathrow Express case I gave up trying to book the ticket online and thought I would do actually buy the ticket at Heathrow. But then the hotel called me the next day to say my credit card was declined. So had to call NatWest to get it unblocked.

In both cases NatWest said multiple debits had been made but they would be reversed. They said that probably there was a problem with the said companies payment systems.

Ummm my German credit card works exactly that way (the way you say US cards work). Weird, huh? Seeing as you say that in Germany you are generally not allowed to keep a balance? Please do not generalize what some banks may ask to all banks in Germany because it is simply not true. (Mine does, all I have to pay is €25 a month.)

Why didn't you just go to another airline? You don't seem to have got a cheap flight there - you can find many specials with other airlines for around 500 euros!

EDIT: I see you want to fly direct and your company is paying - fair enough.

Darknight is quite wrong.
Germans do not understand the US / UK credit card mentality
and assume the balance HAS to be paid off completely at the end
of each billing period.
I had to explain the concept to my partner (Gelernte Bankkauffrau).
Most Germans (and I) fill out the credit card application so that the
balance is taken off by the German equivalent of Direct Debit every month.
But it does not need to be so...
The credit card issuers are delighted to charge incredible rates of interest
on the unpaid parts of the balance.
The banks in the UK/US make huge profits on Credit card transactions -
from the merchants' fee and particularly from interest on those who are
?? enough not to pay off their monthly balances.
German banks are waking up and trying to get in on the act.

It's the credit card mentality that is sending the ecnomies of the USA and UK to gell in a handcart.

ie I've no money but lets buy these tacky consumer baubles on the never never.
And the price of housing is so mental I have to buy food on credit.
And until a couple of months ago it was getting praised to high heaven.

This though all sounds like a Visa (Germany/US) and not an Air Berlin problem.

I would ask the OP if:

1. He has succesfully bought something with this credit card in Germany of significant value. If not there are automated fraud checks on the card that look for unusual transactions (eg large transaction in a foreign country or the card has not been used for a long time.). My UK card got blocked once after I took out a cash advance in a foreign country, which was inconvenient when I tried to checkout and pay for the hotel. Luckily I had a second card with me. A week later (when I got home) I received a letter from the credit card company to say that the card had been blocked and I had to call them to get unblocked.
2. His credit limit has been changed. I know some banks in the US have been lowering limits due to the credit crunch and informing by email.
3. The registered address of the card is in the US. Perhaps buying a return flight from Germany with a US registered card would break some fare rules.

It does not sound feasible that Air Berlin can have a list of all valid credit cards unless they decline a certain range based on country (as in 3).

I am looking at applying for a Miles & More card. In this you can specify how much of the bill you want to pay per month.
I must admit I have never seen the logic in paying credit card interest. Although I would not be surprised if the UK bank cancelled my card because they make no money out of me (as happened to Egg customers).

Jay, thanks for your post and sugestions...
FYI, I have used this card, Bank of America Platinum Visa with no problem all over the world including Germany for years.
I travel international and have informed customer service to remove all blocks for each country that I visit. This card has over $10K credit limit. I have registered my address here in Germany with Visa and regularly receive deliveries for purchases worldwide.

As I detailed in my original post, I tried several different cards, all U.S Visa or MC all of which I was told were "Declined". Air Berlin admitted on several instances that they were having problems accepting US Credit Cards, but did not have any time-frame when the problem would be fixed. Nevertheless, they said they were able to charge the card for $525.00 and the rest would be charged approx 2 weeks before the flight. I confirmed this online and my account showed a temp authorization for this amount so I assumed everything was fine.

A week later I got an email from them saying the card was "refused". This is when I called the Visa 911 and the rep was able to conference call to Air Berlin to find out the problem. While on the phone, they ran the card again for the full amount and Air Berlin rep said it was Declined, however the Visa rep informed her that no attempt for authorization was even received. She then requested to speak with management and during a lengthy hold informed me that numerous charges for $385.54 were coming in. Then Air Berlin rep came back on the line and said everything went through and the flight was paid in full and provided confirmation number. It was only after she released the Air Berlin call that the Visa rep indicated that an investigation would be inititated because of the incremental charges and providing false indications of decline/refused status both of which are apparantly against Visa's acceptance policies.

At this point I have been contacted by Air Berlin's claim department and they are reviewing my complaint and say I can expect an answer soon.
My feeling is this is probably some issue between Air Berlin and their merchant processor for U.S. cards. I never had any problem with LTU.
I cannot fathom that this is a standard proceedure for Air Berlin as I am sure they would lose many customers, even if they are all non-european.
In any event, they have permanantly lost my business. Delta offers a lower fare. Although I cannot go non-stop, it is a non-issue for much of the year because Air Berlin doees not even fly Düsseldorf - LAX from Nov 1st thru May 1st

On another note, my complaint regarding the Foreign Transaction Fee had nothing to do with Air Berlin. I was unaware that Bank of America and others charge 3% for the currency exchange. Thanks to Dolfan and other helpful TT users, I am now aware that I should use my Capital One card instead as they do not charge this fee.

All I can say, in this day and age...shameful on Air Berlin. Bank of America is a direct partner of Deutsche Bank and CitiCorp is represented world wide. I have never had a problem using German Credit Cards in the USA, but in sometimes "50 yrs behind Germany" one might experience many problems involving any type of credit card from any country. Im sure in about 5 years time, Germany will finally be onboard with the 21st century.

You should try using a foreign credit card on some American websites, they often don't allow them. I've tried to buy stuff for presents off American websites for people in America and they simply don't allow for the card to come from anywhere outside of the US. I suppose we could hope that backwards America may acknowledge that there is a world outside of their borders inside the next 5 years, but I doubt it.

odd, i have never encountered such a problem, even online. Perhaps the bank or the requisition of certain smaller banks are black balled due to security reasons or until you authorise them. As the USA's banking standards are somewhat global and have been adopted by most countries, and that the greedy capitalist want your money, they usually find a way and more customer friendly than anywhere else in the world.

Also, there are certain books, media and merchandise that could be prohibited when purchased from certain European nations like National Socialist memorabilia, certain banned literature, etc.

No I was trying to buy a wedding present, something for a bathroom, it had nothing to do with the goods or the bank, the website simply didn't acknowledge the existance of anywhere outside the US, but they'll probably catch up soon.

Do me a favour CC; American retailers have absolutely no clue there is a whole world out there. The vast majority won't even deliver outside the USA, never mind do anything as internationally-minded as accept a non-US credit card.

what is the favor?

again, depending on what you are buying, etc and what market (like pharmaceuticals and medications) they comply with internatinal trade and tarrif agreements, just like other countries. If you come thru german customs with 12 pair of Levi's freshly bought, you are going to pay a customs toll.

with companies that do not do business outside their domestic region or avoid any shipping, VAT, tarrif, etc., they most likely will not even accept a bank that comes up on radar as "foreign".

as with the net, one has to shop around.

However, you are right, retailers have no clue about the broad world, hence why so many are represented on every continent.

Oh those Germans!!! How dare they not to take my American CC??? It is AMERICAN after all!!!

Try to buy something from Newegg out of the USA.

Well, being very young, wild and irresponsible in my late teens and early 20's...I hope no one in Germany, America or anywhere else in the world ever accepts my credit cards ever again...for the exception of a few booking agents, they arent needed.

However, that isnt the point of the entire debacle the thread's author was complaining about...the Air Berlin website, did accept the card, then didnt, then partially accepted, then didnt...it seems that due to whatever incompetence and/or unprofessionalism on the customer service side of Air Berlin is what is in question. All this cliché, tired country bashing has nothing to do with it. Dont avoid the topic at hand and lash out, be objective and to the point.