[pinky/javea]

My daughter was due to fly out with KLM, but due to Australian closing their borders the flight was cancelled by KLK.

I have sent several WhatsApp messages to them and they are not getting back to me. Their online ticket refund option directs you to a page where there is only one alternative and that is Travel Voucher.

I am trying to obtain a refund under an EU ruling which came into effect on 18th March 2020 and I quote:

“Flights departing from, arriving into, or transiting through the European Union also qualify for refunds. Rule EC 261 was clarified on March 18, 2020 to reiterate that travelers have the right to request reimbursement for canceled flights instead of accepting vouchers, re-routes or alternate travel dates.”

This information may be of use to some of you on this forum in the same situation.

Has anyone on this forum had any luck with receiving their money back when paying by debit card?

[SimonS1]

Have you asked your bank to do a chargeback?

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pinky/javea

[pinky/javea]

Simon.S1

Thank you for your reply. I have thought of that, but cannot get through to the bank as yet.

[Swissdiver]

KLM tend to be very responsive when you contact them on Twitter (@klm).

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pinky/javea

[PegasusAir]

It is obvious that BA are making it as difficult as possible by offering only a rebooking or a voucher on their website after advising a flight is cancelled in order to get in effect an interest free loan. They are then warning of long delays to any calls to their call center and only for flights within 72 hours but they are adding to the problem by forcing passengers requiring a refund to call the center thereby adding to the problem when they are legally bound to offer a full refund. Why does BA treat its passengers so badly and yet expect us to then return to them after this is hopefully over? Apologies if this is slightly off theme.

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pinky/javea

[openfly]

@PegasusAir…be patient when you call BA! It will take a long time to get answered. But when you do, you will find some very hard working, friendly folks. They will service your refund request so that it is completed in just a few days.

When we were all applauding the brilliant NHS staff a couple of days ago….every other one of my claps was for the BA call-centre staff!!

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pinky/javea

[PegasusAir]

Thanks Openfly.
Yes I am sure the staff are doing their best and being as helpful as possible. I am just disappointed that BA management are adding to their workload when their system allows for online cancellation and refund. For just a few hours their cancellation page gave an additional option to cancel and refund but when I looked again after just a few hours this option had disappeared. The staff have always been most helpful to me. Let’s hope the management appreciate them but why do they add to their workload?

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pinky/javea

[BackOfThePlane]

[postquote quote=994882][/postquote]

It’s not really a new ruling, just a clarification of the existing regulations.

Unfortunately – and I do have a great deal of sympathy for airlines in what are truly exceptional circumstances – it seems that most airlines are doing their level best to make it as difficult as possible to claim a refund.

Still, the law is the law so, if your daughter wants her money refunded then the airline have no legal get-out.

I’m not sure where your daughter was departing from in Europe, and whether she paid for the tickets or you did (if she booked / paid for them then it is important that she makes the cancellation) but it’s worth using multiple channels (Messenger, Facebook, Twitter) to cancel the booking (giving her booking reference or ticket number) and taking a screenshot of each one as ‘evidence’.

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pinky/javea

[Edski777]

Try contacting KLM via Whatsapp. I did this last week and they were quite responsive. I requested a voucher as I anticipate that I will be travelling with them within 12 months. If not, I still retain the right to get a refund. But under the current circumstances I don’t believe that we should be selfish and add to the problems of the airlines by all going for a refund.
Apart from that I received a message that AF/KL is relaxing the rules on their FFP Flying Blue.
All in all a decent performance so far under the given circumstances.
Let’s hope this episode of our life will soon be over and we will go back to travelling.
Stay safe, stay healthy!

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pinky/javea

[SimonS1]

Indeed, but everyone will be in a different position.

Not everyone travels regularly and will be able to make use of a voucher.

And not everyone would be bold enough to trust the airlines right now…if failures happen then you could lose your money.

And as I’ve said before my sympathy is quite limited. In better times the airlines were quite happy to deny genuine EC261 claims with bogus excuses, or just conveniently forget to advise people their rights. In fact EC261 would not have been needed if the likes of Ryanair hadn’t treated people so shoddily.

So when the boot is on the other foot it’s best not to be complaining too loudly.

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[LuganoPirate]

[postquote quote=994889][/postquote]

I may be wrong, but I don’t think you can do a chargeback on a debit card, only on a credit card.

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pinky/javea

[pinky/javea]

Hi Lugano Pirate

Thank you for your reply. I have checked the rules regarding chargeback. You can claim chargeback if you have used a credit or a debit card, however you have more rights if you use a credit card.

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LuganoPirate

[SimonS1]

[postquote quote=995098][/postquote]

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/visa-mastercard-chargeback/

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pinky/javea

[pinky/javea]

SimonS1

Thank you so much for the link. I have managed to contact my bank and has asked for chargeback to my debit card. I am waiting to hear back from them.
Once again, thank you.

[EasternPedlar]

@pinky/javea I hope that your bank is responsive!

I’ve just had a long online chat, and then a conversation, with American Express in the UK about a refund on an air ticket that was cancelled. The airline concerned cancelled its flight and agreed to make a refund, but the refund will obviously take time. In the meanwhile I’m not too keen on paying Amex, only to claim a refund a few weeks later – Amex is very slow and difficult when it comes to refunding credit balances. I asked Amex to post a temporary credit so that my account does not go into default. That’s normal practice for most card companies.

The Amex chat line was terrible. They were clearly cutting and pasting standard text that had been given to them, kept on saying that they couldn’t help, and that I should pay for the ticket and then claim a refund. The tone changed when I quoted section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. Even then they tried to tell me that I wasn’t eligible for relief. When I asked if they were formally refusing my claim under the Act, they backed off and asked me to file a claim online on their website, and told me how to do it. That was after 30 minutes of chatting with long pauses at their end. I’ve concluded that chat lines are best avoided; they are staffed by lower level employees who follow scripts and aren’t very knowledgeable. Mostly they try and fob you off.

I then phoned Amex in Brighton, and the response was more helpful. I was asked to wait 10 business days after my refund was approved by the airline, and then call again to request a temporary credit in case it hadn’t come through. There were still some anomalies in the information I got, and the sense is that Amex have told their staff to discourage claims. That is disappointing.

I also have a US credit card with Chase, and the experience with them couldn’t be better. Temporary credits are applied immediately without quibble, and then the matter is investigated and resolved. Does anyone know why that is ? Is the US regulatory regime better, or are their service standards higher ?

These are trying days, but they are telling us a lot about the businesses we deal with!

[Author]

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