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james
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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The e-mails alone seem to be a valid basis for going back to the bank and getting a chargeback. If they said in writing that they would pay, and haven't, that's very compelling evidence.

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sicknick
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Not saying it's right, but they could very well have tried to send a payment. At the internet based retailer I work at this sometimes happens. Basically we make one invoice (or a refund invoice) and then it gets screwed up in the process going to the credit card processor. Ours is called Paymentech. In fact, I just did a call with a customer who got one charge actually invoiced to her, but somehow it showed up as three pending transactions on the way to our credit card company. Now, I got the 6 digit authorization code from the processor, gave it to the customer, and she gave the auth codes to her bank. Some banks will do this over the phone, other ones require us to fax in something requesting the charges to be processed quickly as pending transactions that need to drop off. Some banks won't let anybody rush the process.


This isn't saying Virgin is right, here, I'm just explaining the process.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@sicknick: But where did they send the payment? It would be apparent if Priya did receive the payment, was being dishonest, and ended up cashing two checks (if Virgin Atlantic sent a second one) - but there has to be some reason as to why Virgin Atlantic claims it sent one, and Priya never received one. The first thing I do when I don't get something I'm expecting is to check the address it was sent to.

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pecan 3.14159265
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Holy crap, this is why I'm glad I don't have to fly for emergencies. Since Priya doesn't have the payment, and Virgin Atlantic has record of sending payment, she can appeal to the bank and they can send a request to the airline.


Has she tried the Twitter accounts? I mean, e-mail and phone obviously aren't working. She said so herself that Virgin Atlantic seems to be abdicating its role in regular customer service in exchange for Twitter. Maybe that would work?

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GrandizerGo
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Why would you not have to fly for emergencies???
Don't care about loved ones on death beds???
:raised eyebrows:

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FatLynn
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I am not sure the OP has any kind of case with her bank. She did agree to pay the 220 at the ticket counter.

I suspect the 220 was the difference in price between her new ticket and the original ticket, so when the phone rep quoted her 100, she meant that was the change fee, not the total cost. This is crappy customer service, no doubt, but if the OP was told she had to pay more for her new flight, and agreed to it, she has little recourse for a chargeback.

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ben
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@FatLynn: Of course she has a case. Regardless of what she initially agreed to, they said they would refund the money. In fact, they claimed they did refund the money, which the OP hasn't received. If they had said \"tough luck, you agreed to pay, so there's nothing we can do,\" then it would be a different story.

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FatLynn
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@ben: I think she should continue to push this with VA; I just wouldn't expect her bank to do much.

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Blueskylaw
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@FatLynn:


\"I am not sure the OP has any kind of case with her bank. She did agree to pay the 220 at the ticket counter.\"


I will also agree not to call the cops on someone pointing a gun at me while demanding my money.


But guess what happens when the crisis is over?

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RedwoodFlyer
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@Blueskylaw: It's a little different when violence isn't involved and someone initiates/voluntarily hands over their credit card to be charged the extra amount.

The $220 was most certainly the difference in fare - but it amazes me that they even thought about charging her that, since the ticket agents are usually flexible when things like family emergencies are involved.

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Blueskylaw
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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@RedwoodFlyer:


This was an emergency, she had no choice but to take the flight and Virgin Atlantic knew that. Therefore she had no choice but to pay the fare and dispute it later which makes the gun to the head analogy appropriate.


In the good old days of flying when gas was cheap there was such a thing as compassion fare, now a compassion fare to them is the same as a last minute ticket meant to be exploited for every penny they can. That is by design, not by accident.

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bfibear
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Sure sounds like she didn't understand the basics of how most airline tickets work. When you buy tickets, you typically buy them for a specific flight, date, and time; if you change the tickets, you'll probably have to pay a change fee as well as the difference between the two fares.

As it says on the VA Web site: \"Should you wish to change any aspect of your transportation you must contact us in advance. The fare for your new transportation will be calculated and you will be given the option of accepting the new price or maintaining your original transportation as ticketed.\"

If you were to go to the VA Web site right now and book a ticket, you'll see a \"Fare Conditions\" link on the booking screen. If you click that link, you'll then see the following information: \"Changes are permitted at any time for a charge of USD275\" if you chose the least expensive fare for a VA flight.

My guess is that last year's change fee was $220 and that the fare difference for the new ticket was £100. Yes, it's annoying to have to pay $385 to change your ticket, but that's still cheaper than it likely would have been to have bought a fully flexible ticket.

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nstonep
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Yeah...if it's not in writing then pretty much you're stuck with what you got/what you pay. Steep fee but it is an international super-long distance flight that can be a logistical nightmare for the customer as well as the airline (especially baggage!).

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angelman
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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I always fly virgin atlantic when going home to the UK from LA. They always have great customer service (with the exception of the last flight my wife took which was terrible). I have actually found their phone support to be superlative, it is the airport staff (at LAX at least who are contracted and not virgin employees) who are rude and generally terrible.
We had a flight booked and my wife had to leave the UK early to go to a funeral and was unable to use the return portion of the ticket (she had to fly to a different country).
We explained the situation to the virgin people, they asked for a death certificate copy which we sent. A few weeks later we received a full refund credit to our credit card no more questions asked.

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headhot
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Small Claims Court.

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Moosenogger
November 13, 2009 4:36 PM
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Something similar happened to me when a magazine company overcharged me for a subscription. For 2-3 months it was back and forth emails - \"We'll send you your refund in the mail, expect it in a week. \" No refund. \"We'll refund it back to your account.\" No refund.

Finally, after not hearing from them for several weeks, I wrote one more email saying very explicitly to stop giving me the run-around and give me my refund, since it was their junky website that caused the double-charge in the first place.

I got my refund within 5 days after that. Still never going to do business with them again, though.

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