CAB persistence secures full refund.
Our client Jennifer* paid a travel agent £1100 for flights to South Africa for her 2 sons. Soon afterwards she was told the flight was overbooked but could transfer to South African Airways (SAA) for a £100 price supplement.
When the e-tickets arrived one of her son’s names was spelt incorrectly. The agent assured her this wouldn’t matter but at the airport the airline refused the ticket. Her son wouldn’t travel that day unless she bought another ticket. A further £640 changed hands.
When Jennifer couldn’t contact the agent to seek a refund she asked us for help.
We identified addresses for the agent in London and Glasgow. With our support, Jennifer soon spoke to the agent but her request was dismissed.
We had conversations with SAA and Jennifer took advice from CA Consumer Helpline. We helped her write letters (ignored) and advised her on requirements for taking her case to a small claims court. We also spoke to the agent and eventually heard a refund would be made the following day. It wasn’t. A month later SAA let us know the agent was being investigated for fraud.
Staying on the case paid off however.
After another month, Jennifer told us she had received a full refund. SAA told us the National Fraud Investigation Bureau was prosecuting the agent. They also said Jennifer was the only customer to be refunded and they thought that was due to CAB persistence.
*Name changed. The events described took place between September and December 2016.