Warning

If you are travelling anywhere in the world and you go on to a comparison web site such as Skyscanner which is a very useful comparison site for flights as we have found, beware of this company Netflights.

As some of you know, I am making a very important trip over the Christmas period. I cannot tell you where I am going as it would endanger the people I will meet, except I am going to east Asia. My experience of this company has been their internal policy is not very professional when booking a flight. I found myself losing £552 which is now to be recovered by the credit card company. I cannot give a recommendation to this company as I have found they are a company lacking in grace. When I first booked my ticket with this company we went on their web site, we followed their procedures, but their web site did not work. We were then given a number to contact which cost 10.5p per minute which unfortunately they take so long to answer this will cost you money. When they do answer on the first trip was quite smooth. My problem came when I had to change the dates owing to events beyond my control. I then contacted the company again which took me a considerable amount of time. I ended up paying £4.50 for the privilege and when I did finally get through they charged me £137.50 for the change of the ticket which is normal practice. I felt everything at that point was OK but here is the rub. The minute you book with this company you have no recourse. It is like playing Russian roulette. On arriving home to see the confirmation the same day I found out they had booked me not for December but November. On seeing the mistake I contacted the company and was told they believed I had asked for November and not December. The problem with this, as many of you know who travel, most reputable companies give you 24 hours to check your paperwork.

This company I believe is a bucket shop. Their only interest is to extend their bank account and not look after their customers as they have no procedure for you to check your confirmation, which is a common practice with reputable companies. On seeing the mistake I contacted the company by two emails, asked them to contact me and they did not even bother. I gave them reasonable time to respond and then contacted them. I was then told there was nothing they could do and my flight was booked for November and a dispute ensued. To say their attitude was aggressive would be an understatement and it seems that once they had my money they were not interested. So I found myself with a ticket to a land that I need to go to on the wrong dates and then they told me if I wanted to change the flight again it would cost me another £137 to change the tickets, but to add insult to injury I would lose the first flight and I would have to pay another £152 to change my flight again. That would be the price of the flight and the £137 admin charge.

I think a few hundred years ago there was man called Dick Turpin and he was a highway robbery man, as some of you know from history. So I would say this company Netflights (remember their name) are bandits. And therefore like Vodafone, TalkTalk, Tesco, I am afraid they go into God’s hall of shame. We may not be watchdog but we serve one who is more powerful than any human organisation, the Almighty God, and He says, ‘Vengeance is mine, says the Lord’.

So, my brothers and sisters, please share this with your friends and family and your Facebook, Twitter, etc, as we need to be aware of these companies and their underhand tactics.

We have also found this company was first owned by Thomas Cook. In February 2014 the company was acquired by Dubai-based air service provider dnata, whose CEO is Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. So if you do have any disputes with this company I cannot see you getting much redress, as there seems to be nowhere to write to except the London office, which, as I have already said, I believe is just a bucket shop.

So beware. The Bible says we have to be as crafty as serpents and as gentle as doves; therefore I have left this matter in the hands of the Lord. Yes, I have lost £552 but, as many of you know, I live by faith and have done for many years. They have not stolen from me; they have stolen from the Almighty God. If this company Netflights had behaved in a respectable manner and looked at some way of recompense they would not find themselves in God’s hall of shame.

So if you know of other companies such as these please let me know, as we live in perilous times, and I will be pleased to publish it if is supported by evidence and truth.

God bless you

Rev Ross Rennie

In this article I share with you some bad experiences with companies I have dealt with in personal and business life. I recommend that you and your family, friends and colleagues do not trade with these companies.

Vodafone

I used to be a satisfied customer of Vodafone. Then in 2011 their representative persuaded me to sign up to a contract that he promised would cost me no more than £50 per month.

In March 2012 I received a bill for £380. I had exceeded my monthly inclusive voice call allowance and Vodafone had charged me at an exorbitant rate for the excess. They had no system for alerting me to the fact that I was nearing or exceeding the inclusive allowance. I complained, but received no satisfactory answer.

Then in June 2013 I received another astronomical bill, this time for more than £430. I could not afford to pay the whole amount in one sum, so I offered to pay so much per month. Vodafone refused and said they would hand over my debt to a debt collection agency.

Update, early August 2013:

The final bill at the end of my contract was £527. Vodafone have admitted that they have no way for a customer to pay a debt by instalments. Either it is paid in full or they sell it on to a debt collection agency. I find this astonishing. The company is greedy, dishonourable, inflexible and completely lacking in compassion for the victims of its aggressive charging regime. If you are considering using Vodafone’s services, think again. If you are locked into a contract with them, beware, and get out as soon as you can.

Update, late August 2013:

Having been threatened by Vodafone with court action I reluctantly paid the bill. Imagine my astonishment when I then received a further bill for £3.52! A very rude call centre employee in India again threatened me with legal action if I did not pay, but a much more polite and helpful employee, this time in Egypt, resolved the matter to my satisfaction.

Steer clear of this company.

TalkTalk

Some years ago I was trying to resolve a dispute with TalkTalk. Whenever I telephoned I spoke to someone in South Asia who seemed to have no authority to do anything to resolve the problem.

Steer clear of this company.

Tesco

We have written elsewhere about Tesco’s support for the London Gay Pride festival. Tesco have never repented of this action, so, if you disagree with their policy, our recommendation is to do your shopping at another store.

Steer clear of this company.