India-based Airlines - Sneaky Spice

I had made a spate of SpiceJet bookings last month, more than a couple of which got cancelled because of scheduling issues. After the cancellation process on their website, I gave them no further thought, assuming that they would be credited automatically to my CC.

Well, apparently not.

I was going through my CC statement and saw no credit anywhere. Opening up the Spicejet cancellation shows (in small print) that they DO NOT refund the money automatically but hold it in a "credit shell" which can be used by the customer for future bookings. If I want the money back in my account (where it rightfully belongs in the first place as one would assume under a cancellation), I have to call up their CS department, and ask them for a refund.

Anyways, saw no point in taking off on the minions about this sneakiness, and the refund should hit my account in 5-7 working days according to them. Unfortunately, this has left a bad taste in my mouth about Spice - I've no desire to give them an interest-free working capital loan, no matter how small the amount and it just shows how precarious the finances in Indian aviation is - if people have to resort to these tactics to stay afloat

Indigo also follows the same loot tactics....no wonder it is crisis times for these useless airlines!:td:

Reading the thread title, I was wondering if this was a fifth Spice Girl, I had never heard of before! :o

Reading the thread title, I was wondering if this was a fifth Spice Girl, I had never heard of before! :o

hilarious....:D

Opening up the Spicejet cancellation shows (in small print) that they DO NOT refund the money automatically but hold it in a "credit shell" which can be used by the customer for future bookings. If I want the money back in my account (where it rightfully belongs in the first place as one would assume under a cancellation), I have to call up their CS department, and ask them for a refund.

this is pretty much how every lcc works....cancellations go into a credit shell & if you want the refund then you have to call & get it....i wouldn't call it sneaky since they have it in the fare t&c when you buy the ticket....

Indigo also follows the same loot tactics....no wonder it is crisis times for these useless airlines!:td:
Haven't flown Indigo in a year plus, last time I did a cancellation with them, the money did come through is what I remember. Must be a new policy?

this is pretty much how every lcc works....cancellations go into a credit shell & if you want the refund then you have to call & get it....i wouldn't call it sneaky since they have it in the fare t&c when you buy the ticket....
When was the last time anybody actually read through the T&C of a ticket? If this wasn't sneaky, then they should have no qualms about

Printing it on the cancellation email in text that approaches readability
Followup with reminders to the passenger that there is a pile of money lying in some credit account that they need to use



Ah well, let's not get into caveat emptor

Haven't flown Indigo in a year plus, last time I did a cancellation with them, the money did come through is what I remember. Must be a new policy?


When was the last time anybody actually read through the T&C of a ticket? If this wasn't sneaky, then they should have no qualms about

Printing it on the cancellation email in text that approaches readability
Followup with reminders to the passenger that there is a pile of money lying in some credit account that they need to use



Ah well, let's not get into caveat emptor

But this is a clear case of Caveat Emptor !

YOu know your airlines, you know how things operate there, you should have immediately asked for refund due to cancellation on their part.

I do this all the time, no matter who the vendor is. I also document who I spoke to and what was committed, preferably with their file / case number.

When was the last time anybody actually read through the T&C of a ticket?

doesn't matter....you can't complain about something when its readily available in their t&c....it up to you to read it....i agree they can make it easier but they don't have to....

But this is a clear case of Caveat Emptor !

I know, I know, which is why I said lets not get into that discussion. Anyways, am going to spend the next weekend digging up past cancellations on spicejet/indigo to see if everything's kosher. sigh, what a timesink...