Xandrios

I had tweeted something about a KLM screwup, and I noticed somebody retweeting all tweets regarding KLM delays. A little more digging showed that these were basically shameless spam tweets for a company called refund.me:

http://www.refund.me/en/intro-flight-refunds.php

Their offer looks a lot like that of euclaim. They take 25% plus vat in case of a successful case, which I believe is more than what euclaim takes.

Has anybody tried them? I get the feeling that all they do is send out a template letter, but I am not sure. I wonder if they would go as far as taking the airline to court to get their right. Euclaim seems to do this every now and then, though that by itself might be an attempt to get publicity of course..

biggjeff

Can't vouch for either of them, however both sites seem based on the same concept of enforcing EU regulations as it relates to screwed up flights in the EU.

EUclaim: http://www.euclaim.co.uk/our-products

"EUclaim works on a No Win No Fee basis. This means you only pay us a fee when we are successful. You will receive 73% of the claim amount, minus 25 euros administration costs per passenger. When we are not able to solve your claim, you do not pay us anything."

Refund.me: http://www.refund.me/en/help/

"How much does the service cost?
refund.me keeps 15 per cent of any compensation paid as a commission (plus the statutory VAT). If the claim is rejected, you are not charged anything.
We make every effort to assert your claim promptly by means of precise verification processes and our collaboration with experienced passenger rights experts."

It is interesting that the EU has dedicated legislation for delayed and cancelled flights altogether, and I suppose it would be nice if we adopted this back in North America, as I am sure I had a flights or 2 I could claim for

brunos

My understanding is that they mostly provide the OP with a procedure and a template. It could be useful for some pax, but a little research on FT shows how to proceed.
Personally, I would never go through them.

biggjeff

I see what you mean.

I suppose if the passenger just didn't want the hassle of dealing with the airline it would be easier to outsource the body of work involved.

brunos

But they do not provide "outsourcing". It is a do-it-yourself approach where they simply send you some basic letter templates.
Given the low amounts to be indemnified, it is not surprising that these websites do not provide more legal service.

flyertalker00143

i just noticed that i was possible to make your own claim on KLM.com

i went to my flight history (i didn't know i had one / i could see it on the website, as i usually use airfrance.com instead)

and for each flight or trip, there are links available for making claim, asking for refund, claiming lost/undelivered luggage

that's pretty cool

wondering why AF is not doing the same

ajs123

Thanks for pointing this out. I was not aware of these options even though I use the KL website very often!

flyertalker00143

i never saw this until i was browsing the klm website last night just before making my booking

it was surprisingly good to find out

allergictocoach

I used EUclaim once in 2009 for a cancelled KLM flight to DXB. They did all the work. No template letters or anything. In about 30 days they were in touch saying they had my cash. Wired it to my bank immediately minus the 27%. A fair trade if you don't want to do the chasing.

I think BA and KL now make it easier than it was a few years back with the ability to submit a claim online.

biggjeff

Are you speaking from personal experienced with using either of these guys, or mere speculation?

It is hard to believe that a company would take 15 to 25 percent of the claim, and basically hand you a do-it-yourself kit.

biggjeff

My point exactly!

brunos

This was my personal experience, which was bit different from the one posted above.
They basically suggested me to do things that I could easily do myself. My understanding (at the time I thoroughly researched) is that they provide administrative assistance not legal assistance.

biggjeff

I see what you are saying. Now you got me curious as to the veracity of the service these guys are actually offering.

Will do some research and report...

bskuared

They recruited me from a thread here on flyertalk. Wanted to use my case against Iberia as a test case. That was in 2008. They sent a few letters, did a tiny bit of work, then stopped answering my emails. I just found out that the case went past the statute of limitations and in early 2013 they closed my case. No notice. Nothing. They obviously only do the easy fix. Beware.

KLflyerRalph

Well, at least it did not cost you anything did it?
I think EUClaim must have a solid/large case before they really go to court.