BA's predatory cancellation policy
May 20, 2017, 6:40 pm
#77
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: DL, Marriott & IHG Platty; HH Diamonte
Posts: 861
With all the negative press about dastardly deeds committed by US domestic carriers, I thought it might be an appropriate time to relate my experiences over the past year with British Airways.
BA began servicing Austin, TX in 2016 with direct flights from Austin to London. Since I and some friends had a European trip planned for June of this year, we agreed to seek a flight on BA out of Austin to avoid flying through DFW, Chicago or New York. I purchased a non-refundable round trip flight for about $2000 US and paid with a credit card. This took place approximately eleven months before the scheduled flight, which, by the way has not occurred yet: it was scheduled for June 9, 2017.
I say “was” because this is where the story gets testy and incredulous. My friends wanted to upgrade to business class with AAdvantage points. It seemed like a good idea since BA and AA are codeshare partners. With this in mind, I called AA. They told me they couldn’t do it because the reservation was locked in their system. I then called BA and was told they couldn’t do it either because I couldn’t spend AA miles on a BA flight. I later found out this was false. Nevertheless, I asked the agent how I could accomplish my goal. She said I would need to rebook on the AA version of the same flight and then they could upgrade me. Just so I understood correctly, I stated, “so what you are saying is that I should cancel my BA flight and rebook on AA?” Her reply was, “yes, you could do that.”
So that’s what I did! I got a disclaimer when I was ready to finalize the transaction—something about not disputing the amount that I was to be refunded. “Hmmm,” I said to myself, “surely they wouldn’t keep my money AND cancel my flight.” I asked one of the friends with whom I was traveling for his opinion. “Oh, I think that just has to do with the exchange rate of pound to dollar.” That sounded reasonable so I completed the transaction. I figured the worst I would end up with would be credit for a future flight, which is what domestic carriers do when you cancel a non-refundable flight. So, I completed the transaction. Here begins my nightmare.
Long story short, they refunded approximately $200 for the tax and that was it. I immediately called their customer service and explained my situation, so the first thing the agent did was ask about my conversation with the customer service agent who had advised me to cancel the flight. I had the exact time and date on my cell phone so I provided that information and they said that they would look into it.
Two weeks later, I hadn’t heard back so I called again with my case number. After being on hold for quite a while, the agent came back on the line and said, “I’m sorry Mr. Oliver, we were unable to locate the tape of your conversation so there is nothing we can do.” I replied, well you have $1800 of my money and I have nothing. Please reinstate my reservation and I’ll pay you back the amount of the tax.” Her reply was, “I’m sorry we can’t do that. Once you cancel, we can’t restore a reservation. You should have known what you were doing was final.”
HUH? This is starting to sound like fraud! One of your employees advises me to cancel a flight and then you disavow it and keep my money?!
I have tried every form of recourse. I disputed the credit card charge. I escalated through their customer service hierarchy. I even went through a British dispute resolution web site, all to no avail.
The current status is that BA has $1800 of my money and they had offered to provide absolutely nothing. I appealed to their sense of right and wrong, their sense of shame and their greediness for revenue. All I’m asking them is to give me back what I paid for. They are not budging. I have had to purchase another flight (obviously on another airline!) and will not be able to travel to Europe and back along with my friends—remember the flight hasn’t taken place yet and there are likely empty seats on it. Thoughts?
BA began servicing Austin, TX in 2016 with direct flights from Austin to London. Since I and some friends had a European trip planned for June of this year, we agreed to seek a flight on BA out of Austin to avoid flying through DFW, Chicago or New York. I purchased a non-refundable round trip flight for about $2000 US and paid with a credit card. This took place approximately eleven months before the scheduled flight, which, by the way has not occurred yet: it was scheduled for June 9, 2017.
I say “was” because this is where the story gets testy and incredulous. My friends wanted to upgrade to business class with AAdvantage points. It seemed like a good idea since BA and AA are codeshare partners. With this in mind, I called AA. They told me they couldn’t do it because the reservation was locked in their system. I then called BA and was told they couldn’t do it either because I couldn’t spend AA miles on a BA flight. I later found out this was false. Nevertheless, I asked the agent how I could accomplish my goal. She said I would need to rebook on the AA version of the same flight and then they could upgrade me. Just so I understood correctly, I stated, “so what you are saying is that I should cancel my BA flight and rebook on AA?” Her reply was, “yes, you could do that.”
So that’s what I did! I got a disclaimer when I was ready to finalize the transaction—something about not disputing the amount that I was to be refunded. “Hmmm,” I said to myself, “surely they wouldn’t keep my money AND cancel my flight.” I asked one of the friends with whom I was traveling for his opinion. “Oh, I think that just has to do with the exchange rate of pound to dollar.” That sounded reasonable so I completed the transaction. I figured the worst I would end up with would be credit for a future flight, which is what domestic carriers do when you cancel a non-refundable flight. So, I completed the transaction. Here begins my nightmare.
Long story short, they refunded approximately $200 for the tax and that was it. I immediately called their customer service and explained my situation, so the first thing the agent did was ask about my conversation with the customer service agent who had advised me to cancel the flight. I had the exact time and date on my cell phone so I provided that information and they said that they would look into it.
Two weeks later, I hadn’t heard back so I called again with my case number. After being on hold for quite a while, the agent came back on the line and said, “I’m sorry Mr. Oliver, we were unable to locate the tape of your conversation so there is nothing we can do.” I replied, well you have $1800 of my money and I have nothing. Please reinstate my reservation and I’ll pay you back the amount of the tax.” Her reply was, “I’m sorry we can’t do that. Once you cancel, we can’t restore a reservation. You should have known what you were doing was final.”
HUH? This is starting to sound like fraud! One of your employees advises me to cancel a flight and then you disavow it and keep my money?!
I have tried every form of recourse. I disputed the credit card charge. I escalated through their customer service hierarchy. I even went through a British dispute resolution web site, all to no avail.
The current status is that BA has $1800 of my money and they had offered to provide absolutely nothing. I appealed to their sense of right and wrong, their sense of shame and their greediness for revenue. All I’m asking them is to give me back what I paid for. They are not budging. I have had to purchase another flight (obviously on another airline!) and will not be able to travel to Europe and back along with my friends—remember the flight hasn’t taken place yet and there are likely empty seats on it. Thoughts?
With that being said, BA does seem to be acting like an anus given the explanation given...sorry for your trouble.
Last edited by pharmawalk; May 20, 2017 at 6:46 pm
May 20, 2017, 7:19 pm
#78
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: DUB/ORD/SIN/PVG
Programs: EI AerClub Concierge, EK Gold, BA Gold, BD Gold (Retired), HHonors Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Gold
Posts: 2,923
Caveat emptor.
BA is not AA.
It is sometimes a struggle to get BA to honor basic T&Cs and regulators that operate in the customer's favor.
The chances of BA overriding T&Cs that are clearly in BA's favor (canceling non-refundable ticket) are slim to none.
BA is not AA.
It is sometimes a struggle to get BA to honor basic T&Cs and regulators that operate in the customer's favor.
The chances of BA overriding T&Cs that are clearly in BA's favor (canceling non-refundable ticket) are slim to none.
May 20, 2017, 7:39 pm
#80
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 279
Instead of having generic warnings above the cancel ticket button, BA should list the original amount the passenger paid and the amount that will be refunded to the credit card. I'd imagine such a set up would have saved the OP. It would also be unambiguous, preventing the sort of semantic debate being had in this thread. It's also how most online retail works ie if I return something to Amazon, it's crystal clear as to what my refund will be vs the shipping charges they will retain.
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
Last edited by NeedstoFly; May 20, 2017 at 7:59 pm
May 20, 2017, 8:01 pm
#81
Join Date: Nov 2015
Programs: DL, Marriott & IHG Platty; HH Diamonte
Posts: 861
Instead of having generic warnings above the cancel ticket button, BA should list the original amount the passenger paid and the amount that will be refunded to the credit card. I'd imagine such a set up would have saved the OP. It would also be unambiguous, preventing the sort of semantic debate being had in this thread. It's also how most online retail works ie if I return something to Amazon, it's crystal clear as to what my refund will be vs the shipping charges they will retain.
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
There must be a subset of people out there that just say, "ok, i lost 1800...damn" and try again.
May 20, 2017, 8:10 pm
#82
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 279
From BAs short term standpoint, the situation has worked out great. They have the $1800 and can resell the seat. Not sure how much in advance this has happened but OP mentioned his original booking was 11 months in advance.
May 20, 2017, 8:20 pm
#83
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
Because a BA agent had just told him that this was how he could accomplish his mission to upgrade his ticket using AA miles. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think that, in this case, BA were making an exception.
May 20, 2017, 8:22 pm
#84
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
Instead of having generic warnings above the cancel ticket button, BA should list the original amount the passenger paid and the amount that will be refunded to the credit card. I'd imagine such a set up would have saved the OP. It would also be unambiguous, preventing the sort of semantic debate being had in this thread. It's also how most online retail works ie if I return something to Amazon, it's crystal clear as to what my refund will be vs the shipping charges they will retain.
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
also imho simply wrong that when the OP calls BA and asks to upgrade using AA miles, the agent says you can cancel your BA reservation and book via AA without mentioning the all important YOU'LL LOSE ALMOST ALL THE MONEY YOU'VE PAID FOR THE TICKET. Any non-experienced buyer would construe that advice as the money paid to BA will simply carry over to the AA reservation (which is after all foe the same seat on the same plane).
May 20, 2017, 8:42 pm
#85
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
No one except the OP knows exactly what was said. As has been pointed out above, the statement "you could cancel and rebook with AA" without checking the OP's fare rules is a correct but not comprehensive response to the question posed. Whatever was said, the very clear warning on the website would have been the 'dead giveaway'.
May 20, 2017, 9:15 pm
#86
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,588
If he had then gone ahead and done this with the agent, then could perhaps see how might have such a belief. Given that he went online and just went through the normal cancellation process and indeed noted that there was a warning about the lack of refund - but just assumed that BA wouldn't just keep money and a friend suggesting maybe it was to do with currency exchange, hard to see an argument that the person thought that he had a special exception in regards to the booking
May 20, 2017, 9:19 pm
#87
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NY State
Posts: 212
Nevertheless, I asked the agent how I could accomplish my goal. She said I would need to rebook on the AA version of the same flight and then they could upgrade me. Just so I understood correctly, I stated, “so what you are saying is that I should cancel my BA flight and rebook on AA?” Her reply was, “yes, you could do that.”
May 20, 2017, 9:23 pm
#88
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Programs: Mucci, BA Gold, TK Elite, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 7,691
But BA does that! Before you click 'cancel' you get to see what the refund would be. There are multiple warnings before you actually cancel. The OP thought the difference was due to the foreign exchange rate, but BA did advise what the refund would be.
May 20, 2017, 10:19 pm
#89
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cumbria
Programs: BAEC GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond, Starbucks Gold
Posts: 4,510
Perhaps the OP should consider suing the friend who provided incorrect advice, after all they were fully aware of the disclaimer but acted on the friend's incorrect assumption. Perhaps they would have been better advised to phone again to double check.
As for the agent, the OP is very clear that they said 'you could' this does not mean you should. I have colleagues I could happily slap but it doesn't mean I should.
As for the agent, the OP is very clear that they said 'you could' this does not mean you should. I have colleagues I could happily slap but it doesn't mean I should.
May 20, 2017, 11:59 pm
#90
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
In my long experience with both airlines I have generally found that AA are much more accommodating with the endless number of problems that arise from time to time but are far from perfect. BA on the other hand have what I find to be the worst customer experience in all my consumer transactions in or outside travel. It's hard enough to get them to do what they are obliged to but it's always a waste of time asking them to go in favour of their customers when they don't feel that they have to.