SOUNDING OFF: Back in January this year, Leonie Corcoran researched a few honeymoon options for her sister and her fiance. The couple decided to go to a Dreams resort in the Dominican Republic and booked through Sunway. When they booked, Corcoran "specifically priced a first/business class option", but it was well out of the couple's budget. "However, I made a point of ringing Sunway and checking that I could upgrade their flights at a later time. I was told that this would be no problem and that there was no time limit on this."

Not long before the big day the couple's friends decided to club together to make their honeymoon flight a little more special, so she phoned Sunway to upgrade. "I was told there were no outgoing higher-class seats - they were only available on the return leg. I priced the tickets as €1,785 per person for both legs and €893 per person one way. I said I would call back before the end of the week and was told again that was 'no problem, we would be happy to upgrade them'."

When she rang back, however, she was told they could not upgrade the flight as the tickets had already been issued. "This condition was never explained to me. Sunway also claimed they had called their rep in Air France and been told that all I could do was book completely new tickets and forfeit the €800 per person already spent on flights. I was told that it was Air France who was preventing the change from taking place."

She contacted Air France and was told the opposite, and that legally the flight was no longer theirs as they sold it to the travel agent. "The Air France agent reiterated that my contract was with Sunway and even if they were wrong to both advise and imply that my tickets could be upgraded, it was their responsibility to upgrade them, even if it meant them re-booking seats at their own cost," she said.

"When I asked if the tickets could be upgraded, I was told they could and I was never given a time limit. I further enquired if these changes could be made by someone who was not a passenger so as to keep the surprise. I was told yes."

In a statement, Sunway told Pricewatch that its priority was to book "economical" flights for its customers. It said that "airline rules on the ticket purchased" stated that no changes were allowed once the ticket had been issued. "In this case the request was made after the tickets had been issued and ticket rules apply. Sunway accepts that the rules of this fare may not have been clearly explained to the client."

Baggage handled well

Normally readers give airlines a hard time for their poor customer service, but not this week. One reader contacted us last week with a story of commendable efficiency.

"We recently flew from Belfast to Malaga," he writes. "On arrival we found that a carrier bag for golf bags was badly ripped and we reported this to EasyJet's baggage agent. Not long after arriving home we received a brand new bag. Would any of the Irish airlines have provided such a hassle-free service?" he asks. We really don't think so.

Cheques in the past

Last week, we carried an item from a reader bemoaning the time it takes to cash a cheque in Ireland. Another reader, Michael O'Malley, contacted us to say that contrary to what last week's reader said, cashing a cheque was not faster 20 years ago.

"It has always taken about five working days to clear a cheque," he writes. "A cheque is an absurdly old-fashioned way to move money, like using a quill to write. Hardly anyone in Europe uses cheques - they use cards and electronic banking. However, the Irish and British waste billions every year by forcing banks to process large numbers of cheques. The banks would love to stop this absurdity, but their customers refuse to move forward."

Tea and symphony

Sean Ryan from Dundrum was prompted to get in touch after being shocked by the price of tea, coffee and scones in the National Concert Hall. After a lunchtime concert in the NCH, his wife ordered a mug of tea, a mug of black coffee and a scone.

"It came with jam and cream. Price? €9.20. By my reckoning, this is either the most expensive tea or coffee in Dublin, or the most expensive scone. Either way, it's a rip-off. NCH patrons beware."