[FaroFlyer]

An interesting article about credit card charge backs and Air Berlin

Air Berlin Administrator Is Sending Invoices To Some Customers Who Received Refunds Through Credit Card Chargebacks

[Montysaurus]

Has anyone else had experience of BA chat lines? I use chat lines quite happily as a person types back in response to specific queries. BA’s chat doesn’t appear to do this. I got standard responses to my specific question none of which even got near to answering the issue. One even said it didn’t know what my point was. I was clearly not dealing with a person. Did I miss something?
The actual query was that my next booked flight is to Madeira in September booked last October and BA corona guidelines say that flights booked from 3rd March this year are cancellable/changeable without charge suggesting that anything booked before that incurs penalties. I suppose I’ll just have to set aside some time for a lengthy wait on the phone.

[ASK1945]

[quote quote=1003285]BA corona guidelines say that flights booked from 3rd March this year are cancellable/changeable without charge suggesting that anything booked before that incurs penalties. I suppose I’ll just have to set aside some time for a lengthy wait on the phone.[/quote]

Montysaurus: I was due to fly BA to TLV next Sunday, booked in January. I was able to cancel this online and re-schedule for April 2021, a couple of weeks ago without any additional charges for the re-booking (I did pay for an upgrade at a much reduced price for this).

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Montysaurus

[capetonianm]

If anyone has vouchers or refunds due from SAA, you can say tot siens, adieu, Abschied fur immer, hasta nunca, la revedere pentru totdeauna, sayonara, do widzenia, addio per sempre … to it. I don’t imagine this will come as a great surprise to anyone.

SAA Refunds and SA Airlink

SAA have distributed the attached notice to the trade regarding their “refund” policy. You will note that there is no provision for any refund, either through the GDS or BSPLink, and, I quote: “SAA would like to inform you of the following important changes and conditions which is not as per our standard SAA Conditions of Carriage pertaining to Refunds, Validity of tickets and Names on travel documents.“As you are aware that refunds will not be processed on any 083 document as the GDS and BSPLink Refunds have been de-activated.”

This action is in direct contravention of the South African consumer protection laws, which provides consumers with the right to a cash refund in the even that a service can no longer be rendered due tocircumstances beyond the control of the service provider. Our Consumer Goods and Services Ombud has stated emphatically that blanket no-refunds policies are illegal in terms of South African law.

For more information, see ASATA’s Guideline on Cancellations, Refunds and Customer Relationship Management. It isfurther in contravention of Resolution 824r. As a result of the decision made by SAA, SA Airlink immediately terminated the acceptance of any tickets that had been booked on 083 SAA paper. Agents now need to book directly with Airlink on its new 4Z code and they need to pay for these new tickets.

So, the offer of the credit extended by SAA is null and void. Since they are not processing any refunds, that agents and their customers have effectively lost the money paid to SAA for their Airlink tickets booked before26 March 2020 and now need to book and pay for new tickets.The travel industry and its customers need to understand what steps IATA are taking to address this with SAA,including how you will now make available the monies you hold as a guarantee from SAA to accommodate the monies due back to travel agents and their customers

[ASK1945]

capetonianm

Isn’t this just what most consumers suffer when any comapny goes into administration? At least if you have paid by credit card you can claim from the cc company under S75 (in the UK) or by “chargeback” for Amex or bank cards.

[Author]

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