WizzAir Wizz Account - Advice please

Nick_MK

Hello All,

Sorry to start a new thread with my first post, but I need alittle help/advice. It's a bit long winded, but I'm sure someone can help.

I'm a regular traveller with budget airlines and normally have 4-6 flights a year through a varitiy of companies. Of late WizzAir have become my prefered carrier, as they have great deals to interesting places. The only bad thing is their ridiculous card charges.

Anyway, recently I was tasked by some friends to arrange flights for 13 of us to Poland for a friends wedding. I was pleased to see Wizz's prices, but obviously aware that the card charges (Credit Cards are £7 per person per flight) would be adding additonal £££ to the cost. But was pleased to see the offer of having a "Wizz Account" avoiding booking fees. or as they put it on the site:

"The WIZZ Account is a flexible and efficient vehicle for customers to keep a money balance with Wizz Air and use the balance on their account for booking services on Wizz Air. For the bookings done from the WIZZ Account the customer does not need a credit card or a bank transfer, and 0 booking fee applies, therefore immediate saving can be achieved. Customers using the WIZZ Account can always track their money loading (payments) to the account, the booking of services made, keep up-to-date their personal information and benefits from other features. Wizz Air is continuously working on developing new customer benefits for the registered customers with WIZZ Account"

Brilliant I thought, I read though the other details on the main page and saw you get discounts too, even better! The only catch is that you have to call up their call center at £0.77 pm and load up the account with a minimum of 500 euros. Doing some quick maths I decided this wouldnt be an issue and called up, loading £600 on from my credit card (my friends are paying me back for this). And the funds were made immediately available.

Now the trouble begins, I select the option to book using my account and select my flights. But I can only book for 5 passengers? I was confused, but thought maybe it was just a site issue, not a problem I'll book in 3 blocks. So I booked the first 4 passengers including myself. Easy! I then go back to book my next block, when selecting the dates I tick the box to say that I wont be flying in this group. This then removes my discount...again confused. I continued anyway and got to the passenger details page and found my name was still the default name in the first passanger section. Even though I selected that I wasn't in this group? AND I cant delete my name? Why have the option to say I'm not flying if I can't book a flight that I'm not on? I tried a number of differnt variations but with no joy and 9 passengers still to be booked. So I sent Wizz an email (dated Dec 22nd).

As of today I had no reply, so I caved in and called their call center again to query why I could only book 5 people and why I couldnt book for other people bar those in my party of up to 5. I was advised that it was in the terms and conditions, so I queried where. It took the assistant on the phone around 4/5 minutes on the site to find the section. And fair enough it does say in the T's&C's that you can only book yourself and 4 others. So I asked if I could have the remaining funds in my account refunded back on to my CreditCard. I was advised "No!" as the payment is no refundable. I argued that as this was an account and they were holding credit on my behalf I should have the option of a refund, but was clearly told that I couldnt get this.

So finally to where I need help: Is it legal for Wizz to hold my credit and not provide it as a refund? Do I have grounds for a more serious complaint as I'm being penialized for using that payment method by it's restrictions? If I use any other payment method I could have booked the full party but had to pay for the privlidge. :mad: And if I can't book for other people why have the option to say I'm not flying?

Tojo_Ralph

Terms and conditions.

6.8. Money paid into the WIZZ Account is non-refundable and non-transferable.

6.7. The balance in the WIZZ Account is available for 365 days after payment into the account is made. If there had been several payments these have separate expiry dates. Any balance left in the account upon expiry will be lost.

6.3. In reservations paid from WIZZ Account, the account holder has to be one of the passengers travelling.

http://wizzair.com/useful_information/wizzplus_conditions/

Nick_MK

Thank you Tojo, I can see your the king of T's & C's from your sig. I'm not saying it's not covered in them, but as we all know T's & C's can still be incorrect.

I feel that it's unfair that it's not made clearer that this payment method is the only one they have that restricts the number of passengers you can book with. And that this isn't made clear anywhere but in the deepest darkest T's and C's. If I'd had the ability to book for all 13 passengers in one wack, as you can do with any other payment method, this wouldnt have been an issue.

Tojo_Ralph

Nick_MK wrote: »

I feel that it's unfair that it's not made clearer that this payment method is the only one they have that restricts the number of passengers you can book with. And that this isn't made clear anywhere but in the deepest darkest T's and C's.

To be fair to Wizz Air, the restriction on passenger numbers when using the Wizz account is item one in the "Using the balance on the WIZZ Account" section.


6. Using the balance on the WIZZ Account.

6.1. The balance available in the WIZZ Account may be used for paying reservations made for the Passenger and up-to 4 other people travelling together with the Passenger (family, friends, etc.).

Nick_MK wrote: »

If I'd had the ability to book for all 13 passengers in one wack, as you can do with any other payment method, this wouldnt have been an issue.

Given that the WIZZ Account is a "free" account that negates the need for booking fees, it would be a tad obvious that the account would appeal to folk signing up for one off group bookings, which is why I assume Wizz Air saw fit to add the restriction.

pseeker_2

the 365 days limit has been removed now:

6.7. The balance in the WIZZ Account which has been paid using WIZZ account refill is available for unlimited period. Any balance of a WIZZ Account attributable to the conversion of points is available as set out by the terms and conditions concerning the points.

they promise somewhere down the page it will be possible to refill via the website "soon".... aehm