DO NOT BOOK FLIGHTS OR HOTELS THROUGH…
DO NOT BOOK FLIGHTS OR HOTELS THROUGH TRAVELOKA – MY REFUND EXPERIENCE I strongly recommend that Australian consumers think very carefully before booking flights or hotels through Traveloka. I purchased a flight ticket through Traveloka for approximately AUD 1,301.53 and separately paid approximately AUD 130 for exit-row seat selection, bringing my total payment to approximately AUD 1,431.53. Due to an unexpected serious medical situation involving my mother, I submitted a refund request well before my scheduled departure and provided the medical certificate and supporting documentation requested by Traveloka. Traveloka initially told me: “The airline found that your refund reason was not valid.” I repeatedly asked Traveloka to provide the airline’s written decision, the specific rejection reason or code, the applicable Batik Air Malaysia fare rule, and a complete calculation showing which parts of my payment were refundable and which were non-refundable. They did not provide these documents. Instead, after repeatedly telling me that the airline had rejected my request, Traveloka eventually showed a refund amount of only AUD 2.91 from approximately AUD 1,431.53 that I had paid. This is extremely concerning. I repeatedly asked Traveloka to simply provide the airline’s written decision showing: 1. That Batik Air Malaysia actually made this decision; 2. Which specific policy or fare rule was applied; 3. How the airline calculated a refund of only AUD 2.91; 4. What happened to my airport/government taxes and other refundable charges; and 5. Why my separately purchased exit-row seat fees were not refundable. Traveloka has repeatedly ignored these specific requests. If this really is the airline’s decision, it should be very simple for Traveloka to provide the airline’s written decision and the calculation behind the AUD 2.91 amount. Because Traveloka has refused to provide that evidence, I now have serious concerns that the AUD 2.91 decision was not actually made by the airline and may instead have been determined by Traveloka itself. What makes this experience particularly disturbing is that I have repeatedly asked Traveloka for a straightforward explanation and supporting documentation, yet my specific questions continue to be ignored. Being offered AUD 2.91 after paying approximately AUD 1,431.53, without a transparent calculation or the airline’s written decision, feels extremely disrespectful and, frankly, insulting. Based on my experience and the way this refund has been handled, I have serious concerns that I may have been subjected to scam and fraudulent conduct. I am therefore documenting my experience publicly so that other consumers can make an informed decision. I do not recommend Traveloka for flights or hotels. I do not want another customer to experience what I have experienced: paying a substantial amount of money, providing all requested documentation, repeatedly asking for evidence, and then being given an unexplained AUD 2.91 refund while being told that this was supposedly the airline’s decision. I have retained the emails, booking documents, refund correspondence, payment records and supporting documentation and will provide them to the relevant authorities if required. My recommendation: Before booking a flight or hotel through Traveloka, consider booking directly with the airline or hotel instead.