DesperateTraveller

File a DOT complaint, and dispute the charge with your credit card company. It worked for us! CC company just sent us a notice informing us of a full refund on our CC.

lkar

Thanks. I sent a letter in to Amex to dispute. The ticket was purchased a while ago so it was too late to dispute online.

The flights don't touch the USA so I think a DOT complaint is not going to work at this point.

natemoore12

Hi Everyone,

Have been looking through the forum but can't find any posts for my exact situation so hope someone can help! Living in London; I have upcoming flights on TAP and KLM that have been cancelled. Booked with a US credit card but both roundtrips don't touch US soil. Both airlines are pulling the usual voucher offer and I know with EU261 I am due a refund, but they're refusing to budge like with so many. Have filed formal complaints with both airlines via email, and filed a chargeback with Chase who have my CC in the US. Chase has just come back saying the charges are too old (June and December 2019) so can't do a chargeback...I have asked them to reconsider but doubt that will go anywhere. Do I have any other recourse other than to wait the 8 week period before filing a complaint with the Alternate Disputes guys here in the UK? I can't get the DOT involved, right?

I am slightly concerned as the TAP flights were due to depart on Thursday (7 May) and I don't want to risk losing all the money if I don't choose the voucher before departure...but I also don't want to lose my right to a refund if I do choose the voucher.

Thanks so much in advance.

mfkne

If you're based in the UK you might start a small claims procedure.

bostontraveler

exactly how mine read.

The other thing about these vouchers which I just learned today is that you cannot buys DL ticket, for example. You can buy an AF-coded ticket but Delta-coded operates one.

natemoore12

thanks, may try that eventually. I’m more annoyed with Chase at the moment since there are ways to code the chargeback for cancelled services that do not have the typical 120 day limit as far as I am aware.

LH757

Thanks

maxvor

A UK law firm is about to start class action against AF-KLM and Ryanair for not providing refunds according to EU law. Open to UK residents only for now.
https://www.theairlineclaim.com

mlin32

That would make sense, because AF/KLM sold you the ticket in the first place, so when they give you a voucher, it's on their books. Not Delta's- they don't owe you anything

Didymis

Just got off the phone with PSL and received two voucher (one for each ticket). It took a mere three minutes.
This was after waiting for a response for eight weeks and multiple contact requests through phone, Twitter and Facebook. All giving very conflicting information or no information at all.

The very helpful lady on the phone explained some things to me: it seems that if you have an outstanding refund (not voucher) request it will go on a big pile and get rejected automatically in 90% of the cases. Then it will go on another (huge) pile of refund requests a special team has to go through manually. That's why some requests take longer than others, which can - indeed - take up to one year to proces. Another thing that has changed is the validity of the voucher(s): she explained that the vouchers are now valid through December 31st, 2021.

I understand that is again just one PSL phone operator and that everyone's mileage (pun intended) may vary and that sometimes not the most correct information is given. I'm just glad I finally got my vouchers after waiting so long and getting all kinds of conflicting information.

mfkne

That's a homemade problem. This is largely automatable, but of course it's convenient to have this delay.

SanderM

Just went through this. Four bookings, and on the phone discussed that I can accept vouchers for three, and want a refund for the fourth. Request for refund submitted, and a few days later I get a message that they're not going to process the refund request. Instead I would get a voucher in a couple of weeks. Objected on WhatsApp (mentioning EC 261 and US DOT, since it was a flight to the US) and got a canned response about (paraphrasing) the rules not applying at the moment and I should be understanding. Replied with the question if doing a chargeback would be my only recourse now, or if they're going to take my refund request seriously. Within minutes got a snide reply, saying that US DOT doesn't apply since I made the booking on the NL site, and that my voucher had been issued. No mention or acknowledgments of my rights under EC 261. And indeed, two minutes later I got the voucher in my mail, obviously triggered by my question about CC chargeback. Not sure how to proceed now, I still want my money back for this booking .

Carpacchio

And why is this ? Because they ignore the EU regulation - i.e. they willfully do something illegal.

mikem004

I have been issued a couple of vouchers that expire in twelve months: March 2021 (AF) and April 2021 (KLM).
Maybe I should have waited a few weeks longer before I phoned up to ask about the progress of my voucher.
The best strategy may be to leave your voucher request "in the system" until you are ready to fly again!

toonomadic

Despite my flight being canceled by Air France, my voucher also has the NON REF restriction on the voucher. I called Air France to have it removed and they checked with POS Italy, responding to me that indeed the voucher is refundable after one year *despite* the restriction listed.
He mentioned that the voucher numbers are attached to old reservations so the details are available in their system whenever I should make the refund request 12 months later.

Given that I've already spent 1 hour on the phone with Air France (called the US number x2), is it worth HUCA to try and get another agent to remove that restriction for peace of mind while memory is fresh?