Advice needed.

[Mrs sun]

We got the phone call Saturday from dial a flight to say our flights are cancelled however they will not give us a refund of our deposit and are offering a credit note ( basically) , was then told that if we pay the full amount and the flights remain cancelled we can claim for a full refund 14 days before we are due to fly!
I explained that virgin flights have been cancelled until October but the guy said they had a contract to full fill and there is no other way around it!
I really don’t want to pay all of this money out knowing we are not going! Any suggestions?

[amy56]

Originally Posted by Mrs sun

We got the phone call Saturday from dial a flight to say our flights are cancelled however they will not give us a refund of our deposit and are offering a credit note ( basically) , was then told that if we pay the full amount and the flights remain cancelled we can claim for a full refund 14 days before we are due to fly!
I explained that virgin flights have been cancelled until October but the guy said they had a contract to full fill and there is no other way around it!
I really don’t want to pay all of this money out knowing we are not going! Any suggestions?

See more...

How much is your deposit? I haven’t been in this situation so can’t give accurate advice, all I know is that no way would I be parting with more money for something I knew was already cancelled. I’m trying desperately to claim back money for my cancelled trip, but I’d paid everything in full at the time of booking, so different scenario, but it’s so stressful trying to get the money back from some places - it’s been like a full time job for me this week!

[lorr05]

That’s awful. My understanding was that in the event of cancellation then they had to provide a refund, not just a credit note. I can’t see why on Earth they would require you to pay the balance knowing that the flight will be cancelled.

Martin Lewis from money saving expert has been speaking a lot about this and said that under EU rules for any flight leaving within the UK or EU that has been cancelled, you are entitled to a refund or alternative flight. google/amp/s/m...ur-rights/amp/

I’d maybe read up on it and throw in some of the legal jargon during your correspondence with them. Know your rights and tell them you will accept nothing less.
If they are still refusing a refund I would contact your insurance or credit card company and explain that the flight has been cancelled but the company is refusing a refund. Hopefully they should help you get money back.

[Mrs sun]

Originally Posted by lorr05

That’s awful. My understanding was that in the event of cancellation then they had to provide a refund, not just a credit note. I can’t see why on Earth they would require you to pay the balance knowing that the flight will be cancelled.

Martin Lewis from money saving expert has been speaking a lot about this and said that under EU rules for any flight leaving within the UK or EU that has been cancelled, you are entitled to a refund or alternative flight. google/amp/s/m...ur-rights/amp/

I’d maybe read up on it and throw in some of the legal jargon during your correspondence with them. Know your rights and tell them you will accept nothing less.
If they are still refusing a refund I would contact your insurance or credit card company and explain that the flight has been cancelled but the company is refusing a refund. Hopefully they should help you get money back.

See more...

Thank you for replying, I have tried with the legal jargon etc I think I am fighting a loosing battle with them And winding myself up into a frenzy!

[lorr05]

Originally Posted by Mrs sun

Thank you for replying, I have tried with the legal jargon etc I think I am fighting a loosing battle with them And winding myself up into a frenzy!

See more...

I would contact your insurance company and see if they have any advice or your credit card company should be able to help if the flight has been cancelled but they haven’t offered a refund. It’s worth a try to see if there’s another option. I know companies are struggling just now but people will remember which companies aren’t treating their customers well and won’t be trusted or used in the future. I hope you get it all sorted.

[Mrs sun]

Originally Posted by lorr05

I would contact your insurance company and see if they have any advice or your credit card company should be able to help if the flight has been cancelled but they haven’t offered a refund. It’s worth a try to se me if there’s another option. I know companies are struggling just now but people will remember which companies aren’t treating their customers well and won’t be trusted or used in the future. I hope you get it all sorted.

See more...

Thank you, I think I may try my credit card, I definitely wound be using them again after this.

[lizzie145]

They know the flight has been cancelled therefore they should automatically refund your deposit. If dial a flight had booked the flight with virgin and gave them the money they need to get that back before they can refund you - this may mean you have to wait a bit.

Just email them and say that as the flight is cancelled then you are entitled to a full refund under EU legislation and that this should be paid

[Thorpy]

Just a small psychological point which we kind of stumbled upon and helped us massively.
Our first thoughts (around lockdown time) were that we'd lose the money we'd paid out so far. Lots at that time was still very uncertain, not that it's all sorted now mind! but with people losing jobs and passing away all over the place we figured that if we lost a few quid and missed out on a holiday as our worst case scenario, we weren't doing too badly.

After that chasing them wasn't about our money, it was about keeping the companies honest. That subtle change makes for more enthusiasm for the fight. It also means it's less personal when they try and take the mickey. It's far better chasing out of determination than desperation.

[Mrs sun]

Originally Posted by Thorpy

Just a small psychological point which we kind of stumbled upon and helped us massively.
Our first thoughts (around lockdown time) were that we'd lose the money we'd paid out so far. Lots at that time was still very uncertain, not that it's all sorted now mind! but with people losing jobs and passing away all over the place we figured that if we lost a few quid and missed out on a holiday as our worst case scenario, we weren't doing too badly.

After that chasing them wasn't about our money, it was about keeping the companies honest. That subtle change makes for more enthusiasm for the fight. It also means it's less personal when they try and take the mickey. It's far better chasing out of determination than desperation.

See more...

Thorpe, you are absolutely correct here and I think that’s why I’m so annoyed with them ! It’s not the fact about us getting money back it’s more about the fact they have our money and are not being fair to us.They know virgin flights are cancelled and we will not be going therefore they should be fair And return our deposit to us and not keep it themselves!

[Mickie]

Is it flight only or part of a package, it does make a bit of a difference as to your options. I believe (but haven’t looked into it) that if it’s flight only the airline is still responsible for your refund (whatever they say!) However as you’ve only paid a deposit they probably have fully booked the ticket which I expect complicates things.

I’d certainly send them a formal written communication (email will do) explaining the flight has been cancelled and you expect and are entitled to a refund, and that a credit note or rebooking is not acceptable in the circumstances. State for the record you will not be paying further payments on a flight that has already been cancelled. Tell the they have seven days to acknowledge and confirm they will refund (may take longer to actually get it) and if they don’t you will claim the money back through credit card/debit card/legal action