louie-m

Oh come on. No-one in their right mind would cancel a non-cancellable/non-refundable flight in normal circumstances. The number of times something similar to this happens must be tiny.

Littlegirl

Poor you but I thought you said they only cancelled your seat not their own, how are they hoping to be a +1 without you?

moonbeam

I have no idea what they will be doing my tickets were not on same booking!

They will not be welcome at either event for sure!

paul4040

You've obviously not worked for a Virgin company then - I have, and the continuous "Virgin ethos" of just doing whatever the customer wants whether it's warranted or not is a giant boiling frog.

If I ever did travel VS and needed some goodwill off them, I'd expect it more, and what's more, I'd be armed with lots of examples where Virgin have torn up their terms and conditions on a whim. Passnger-friendly in the short term, I agree. Not so much in the long term.

The net effect of all of this is a much lower level of dissatisfaction that a customer has before they file a complaint (in essence they tolerate less) - which comes with its own costs to handle. Additionally, when a complaint does arrive, the customer relations team has less firepower to uphold the company's bottom line.

The Virgin company I worked for is in a regulated industry with around 20 competitors, and is widely considered by many to be a market leader in its field. The Virgin company received by some distance the most complaints per 100,000 customer interactions, 30% more than the nearest other competitor. Each complaint cost an average of £24 just to handle. That does not include the cost of any compensation given to the complainant.

The regulator's report is publicly available and I'm happy to supply a link by DM.

HIDDY

BA won't give a hoot what Virgin allegedly did. I think it's unfair on Jeni to be expected to sort out a situation caused by a domestic tiff unless there has been some foul play involved with the cancellation.

Cymro

This.

If you were in this position and thought you couldn't travel, you'd just no-show in case the position changed.

So on that basis, once paid for, these tickets *could* be reinstated on a whim except for the wholly artificial step of cancelling them (i.e., waiving rights under the contract for carriage).

irishguy28

You'd probably be surprised how often similar "mishaps" occur:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/lufth...cant-make.html

CCayley

I don't think asking what Judge Judy would do advances this thread much because I strongly suspect she would rule:

a. in favour of OP if OP was suing the ex;
b. in favour of BA if OP was suing them.

It seems clear BA has acted in accordance with its terms and conditions, and aside from any 'goodwill gesture' points I can't see they have any liability to OP. The ex, on the other hand, could be sued for the cost of any replacement ticket...

angatol

.....

Tobias-UK

The most likely outcome of a county court (based on what has been disclosed so far):

OP v BA - Judgment for BA
OP v Ex - Judgment for OP

Personally I think BA are being very unfair with the OP in the reported circumstances, this is a situation where a little consideration could afforded.

The suggestion to connect Jeni is a good one, clearly those at the end of BA's phone lines are unwilling to assist.

MickV

Ha. Only if the OP can prove they paid the bitter ex.

I am sorry that you've been so roundly shafted by your ex but expecting BA to do anything about it. Cancelling a non refundable ticket does sound the hight of childishness but you have no proof that you paid for these tickets.

HIDDY

If we all send in queries in the hope that they ''might'' generate a gesture of goodwill then her inbox will take even longer to work through. We've been advised before the BA lurker presence on FT is to solve problems relating to the BAEC.

uk1

I would have thought it perfectly reasonable to ask whether BA might "uncancel" this ticket in these circumstances. They are unusual.

moonbeam

If asked for proof I have email of him sending me bank details and also bank statement confirming said funds!

Loyalty is a two way street I have been a loyal Ba flyer for many years! It would have been nice if they had been a little more flexible!

TravellerFrequently

moonbeam - sorry to hear of your problem, which was the last thing you needed after the end of a relationship.

Some lessons here for others to learn from.