Have I been scammed

[Charltonstrek]

Sorry guys I'm currently worked up into a frenzy been awake all night worrying.
I booked airline tickets through a website called cheapflyshop at a cost of £800.
Ive recieved a booking confirmation email but on reading the details within the email it says e tickets to be issued within 48hrs and states ticket number pending.
It also says they are working with their suppliers to secure my reservation and places are in high demand.
I have since gone on this companies reviews and found that customers are been called and been asked to pay more money for different flights and for extras etc and when the customer has refused they will not refund money etc.
I am so worried now I can't afford to lose this money and cannot pay more.
Help what I do.

I'll give them the 48 hrs then if no contact I will raise a dispute with my credit card company.

I fly around 5 times a year and use Skyscanner or Google flights and go with the cheapest option- often this is a 3rd party operator. Sometimes the flight isn’t actually available at the price Skyscanner quoted, but when it is, the ticket confirmation has always come through in 24 hours or less. Once that comes, it has a reference number that lets me check directly with the airline website and use that to keep track of the flight, check in and so on.

The company OP has used might be sketchy- it seems that way. But OP, it might be OK and if it isn’t and you can’t get a refund, you are protected by your credit card. The money is not lost.

Stop being stupid lol. Do you want to be scammed?

If you call the bank quickly enough they can put a stop on the payment. They will be able to pull the money back to your account. If you leave it they may not be able to.

Call them, as every other poster has told you to, or accept that you will lose 800 quid.

It's not that simple they won't do anything as the payment is still in pending stage

If you call the bank quickly enough they can put a stop on the payment.

This is a myth, banks cannot stop payments pending. I work for a bank. Payments go out then you dispute with evidence of the issue.

Relax OP. Either you'll get your tickets for the price you booked or you can get a refund either from the company or your credit card company.

Of course they will, when it's pending it's very easy to reverse as it hasn't tryly left your account yet.

I'm starting to think you want to risk losing this money lol

Sorry op but I wonder have gone near that website, I've just had a look at the website, the about us is littered with mistakes.

It's not a myth I've stopped a ton of payments.

If you’ve booked by credit card, you’re fine

I've called my credit card company and like I suspected they can't do anything until the transaction has moved out of pending.

I've just looked yes your right I can't believe what I've done.

Don’t worry about it and stop beating yourself up. The most important thing is that you’ve booked by credit card. That was smart and you’re fully protected. Wait until it’s moved out of pending. If you don’t get the tickets, or receive a call asking for more money, call the credit card company and they’ll refund you. Then book again directly with the airline!

Thank you

No, you haven't. You're either mistaken or lying.

Once a transaction is authorised on a Debit or Credit Card, no bank has the ability to prevent that transaction from being claimed. It is physically impossible, the infrastructure required to do so does not exist.

Not sure why you would hand over money to a company so easily without research. I always book flights direct with the airline.

Well done you. You realise the people most at risk of being scammed are people who don't believe they could be scammed?

I'm really careful with all this stuff, do my research etc, but I got caught with one that passed all the smell tests for being a scam. Scammers are smart these days and they are going after people like you.

Google quickly reveals that it's entirely possible so I can only assume your job at the bank is a cleaner.

Don't be silly.

It's a credit card, amount is pending (which cannot be challenged until it's gone through) and buyer's remorse is not a reason for cancelling. As some others have said on this thread, OP needs to wait 48 hours

Exactly. Always pay by credit card, if you can - even if there's a small admin fee

You can usually cancel a flight within 24 hours of booking with no charge.

So whether it's a scam site or not i would have a look at what their cancel process is and do that.

If that doesn't work or they come back to you and say it's too late to cancel (it isn't) then do the charge back.

But you must try and cancel first.

😂

Google reveals no such thing.

However, as you've unwittingly shown, AI summaries are unreliable.

The Google AI summary for 'reversing a pending card transaction' has pulled and conflated info from articles about:

• Stopping future CAT transactions (possible)
• Reversing a long term pending amount for an unclaimed card transaction to restore your available balance (possible but will not stop the transaction debiting should the merchant post it)
• Preventing a pending payment from debiting by reversing it (not possible)

What you get is a muddled mishmash of AI info which incorrectly suggests you can stop a merchant claiming an authorised payment - you cannot.

Seeing as you're doubling down and now having to Google to try and find the correct answer @Anotherparkingthread , it seems pretty clear you weren't mistaken and were just flat out lying.

Silly and you look an utter fool. Hth 😂

I have literally called my bank and had them reverse all kinds of things. On multiple occasions. I'm not lying.

Trying searching something like 'cancel pending payment lloyds' and you can find information from the actual bank, like instructions on how to do it in aoo. I always call them because so I can't speak for cancelling in app. I've done it on at least 5 or 6 occasions. It's never been an issue and they have never said no.

Maybe I get better banking service than some of you do.

You're STILL lying and quoting AI summary mash ups 😂 Plus, you're confusing information you've then read on Lloyds as you have no understanding of it.

You have never called your bank and got them to just reverse a debit or credit card transaction. You're lying. Why is beyond me 😂

For 'Cancel pending payment lloyds' the Google AI result is pulling from Lloyd's articles on card payments AND Direct Debits...and the result is wrong information, suggesting you can even do it on an app. You cannot.

Stop relying on AI. You clearly have zero understanding of it and no critical thinking skills.

A quick check on Lloyds' actual website shows 'You can't dispute a pending transaction'.

The information lower down on Lloyd's' website that you also appear to have read, about getting an authorisation code from the retailer for them to cancel it - this is available balance restoration, one of the things I mentioned previously.

It is VERY rarely used because:

1. Most merchants wouldn't even understand this request for a code to give the bank.
2. As far as I'm aware, Lloyd's is one of few banks to follow this process. Most available balance restoration requests are simply agreed by banks at their discretion, with appropriate disclaimers that they cannot prevent the transaction from debiting.
3. Merchants are clearly unlikely to agree to not claim a transaction and give you the required code for the bank confirming this when you're in dispute with them.

You cannot, under any circumstances, for ANY UK bank, ever simply call them and stop a pending card transaction from debiting.

You have never done this.

Every post makes you look more foolish. Find a subject you have even a basic understanding of before you try next time to convince others you've experienced something you haven't 😂

I wasn't relying on ai, I ignored that the first time you suggested it because I thought it was too stupid to address. I have in fact reversed payments, so I don't need to rely on ai. Why you think I'm lying is beyond me. I have done this, so yes it very very much is possible. I won't be the only person in the world who has done this either.

Just because you haven't and don't believe in it doesn't make you right, no matter how in a twist your knickers get. Though I'm finding it quite funny how worked up you have managed to get yourself over this.

Perhaps one of my previous comments struck a nerve.

I promise you there's no nerves struck here @Anotherparkingthread.

You were right earlier, I do work in banking...although no, I'm not the cleaner. I specialise in payment and transaction management analytics for both retail and corporate 😂. I spend 35 hours a week absolutely immersed in this shit and project managing pinch points in banking transaction systems.

That's why I know you're lying (not think...know). I'm still baffled why you'd bother. Slow day?

You crack on though with your fantasy experiences. I can only imagine how hard work you must be in real life, with your works of easily disprovable fiction, followed by a determination to double down on the nonsense and not back down at any cost. Thoughts and prayers to anyone that has to manage that in RL.

I am telling you I have called my bank and they have stopped payments. I have done it several times. You can believe anything you like, frankly, but my bank have stopped payments leaving my account for me. Repeatedly

You seem utterly triggered by this fact lol