yvrcnx

We are flying from Milan to Zurich on June 28 and I pre-paid for seats about 4 months ago when we purchased the tickets.
Today I received an automated e-mail that our seats had been changed and the prepaid seats cancelled.
We had window and aisle seat (I am traveling with my minor son) and were now given 2 aisle seats much further in the back across from each other.
When I called Swiss to request a refund since the service I paid for is no longer offered, I was told that they couldn't do anything and I would have to send a request by e-mail.
I haven't flown Swiss for many years and this is quite unacceptable customer service. Does this happen frequently with them?
I understand that seats might change but if I pay for it in advance, I expect them to be honored or the airline to at least refund the money the took for a service which now is no longer offered by them.

Has anyone else had an experience like this with Swiss and is there anything else can do to receive a refund for the amount paid for the seat selection?

daumueller

if the seats were rather to the front, this can always happen if they need more space for Business class. Seats are not guaranteed (even if paid for).

you should be able to get a refund easily though by emailing them.

s0ssos

But they should automatically refund you, because they didn't provide the service. They didn't ask the customer for permission to change the seats. Why should the customer have to request a refund?

yvrcnx

We had seats in row 7 A & C on a C100, now we were moved to the back. The rep I talked to said because of change in aircraft which is not true at all, it's been a C100 ever since we made the booking quite a few months ago.

Honestly, he didn't seem to care and just told me to contact customer service. When I asked him, very nicely if he could connect me with them and I'd be happy to explain to them, he said he couldn't because they don't have a phone number and the only way to reach them is by sending an e-mail through their website.
It is what it is and there isn't much I can do but I am not impressed at all with Swiss' customer service.
I used to fly them a lot and always thought they were a great airline but this just reminded me of how low cost carries would deal with a situation, they simply couldn't care less, which is to bad but again, nothing we can do except to maybe make a different choice next time.

This is just a 1 hour flight, so not really a big deal but I don't think I would be happy if I had booked specific seats on a long haul, which I always do and don't mind paying for it, and was told 2 days before that I was moved to middle seats instead.

swiss_global

LX short haul is particularly bad in this respect. Even as a SEN my (in this case complementary ) seat reservation is usually disregarded.

Just be forewarned: Most likely they want to give you a voucher instead real money ... but you can insist on a credit card charge back.

jerry305

OP paid for the seat upgrade on the same purchase as the tickets.
So, OP would have to dispute the transaction including the value of the flight.

Does disputing a credit card charge (rightly or wrongly) ever affect one's "file" with an airline?

Often1

You are entitled to a full refund of the seat fees if you wish. But, seat assignments are not guaranteed, so nothing beyond that. I don't think that there will be any argument about a refund as opposed to a voucher or that OP will experience a parade of horribles. I also don't think that any LX "file" is affected if a chargeback dispute is initiated, but some card issuers do frown on those who make excessive use of the device when not even an attempt at a refund has been made.

Most -- although not all -- carriers require a request for a refund because many passengers, I am one of them, do not want a refund immediately as seats often open up again and it is nice to have paid for them and simply be able to hop into them without waiting out a transaction.

I suppose that the answer to your question is yes, this is fairly standard practice, at least pre-flight.

daumueller

because that's how works...

on most airlines you even have to request a refund if they cancel your flight

s0ssos

But that's not right ...

Maybe a class action lawsuit for all the people with unclaimed refunded cancelled tickets would get them to change their attitude?

jerry305

I think the OP is interested in what will work.
How the system should work isn't going to be of much help.

s0ssos

Yes, and if David Dao just got up like asked, then we would have been continued to have been treated like cattle. Or worse.

BostonRobin

Something similar happened to me on AA last month. I'd paid for "main cabin extra" so I could have my carryon and my choice of window seats. The priority boarding is nice too... but I was a bit annoyed to find myself in this long line waiting to board. Why did I pay extra for this? And everyone had carryons anyway!

Turns out that AA had downgraded my ticket without letting me know! Amex emailed me that afternoon with the notification of a credit for the upgrade cost. I got my beer and snacks on board too, along with the seat I'd originally selected.

chris12345

The same happened to me as OP, and I emailed them but did not get a refund. Instead I got this reply: "We have reviewed your query and would like to inform you that payment for advance seat reservations non refundable. Thus, our record shows that you were rebooked onto the same seat type even though the seat numbers may have changed. We hope that the above information we have provided have been of great assistance."

Key8

Not sure you will get a refund. I constantly get reseated. Usually my family stays together (when on one single PNR). Where things go south is if we are on different PNRs.
I never managed to get a refund though - they put themselves on the point that a set is a seat - within any of the three "zones" (preferred, leg-room, rest of of the plane). What particularly annoys me is that in this logic the consider a middle seat "equal" to aisle or window seats... which no one will agree to...
This is one of the things where the Easyjet and the like are really ahead of Swiss - I never had any of this Mickey Mouse with them. There you pay for a seat - you sit there.

swiss_global

Swiss does not refund seat reservations, even if you are re-seated to another "zone". It's clearly a breach of contract, but they get away with it since there is no small claims court in Switzerland.