Couple book Las Vegas holiday from the 'wrong' Birmingham and lose £1200
It was booked for a 30th birthday surprise.
Richella Heekin a 26-year-old carer from Sutton Coldfield thought she had the perfect surprise for her boyfriend's 30th birthday, but sadly it wasn't to be.
Richella had inadvertently booked flights from Birmingham Alabama, not Birmingham England and they only realised at the airport.
"We looked at the departures board and there was no connecting flight," Richella told the Daily Mail.
When they called the website they had booked through they found they were unable to get a refund on their £1200 holiday, so ended up having to swap Las Vegas for Amsterdam.
Amsterdam | © iStock
Richella had been saving for this holiday for two years and kept it a secret for months, before revealing the surprise to her boyfriend at a party with all the friends and family.
Boyfriend Ben Marlow said, "It’s a common mistake apparently – but if that’s the case the company’s website should make it more clear."
However Lastminute.com said while they do feel sorry for the couple, the drop down menu on the website made a clear distinction between the two airports, listing them as Birmingham, Alabama, US and Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Ben told the Daily Mail "in hindsight I will be booking the holidays from now on".
Top: Birmingham Alabama/Bottom: Birmingham UK | © iStock
In 2008 Birmingham City Council admitted sending out hundreds of thousands of leaflets with the US city's skyline at a cost of around £15,000.