(Merged) Help!: Paid for visas but now they’re free!

Takmon

Pollycat said:

Takmon said:

Pollycat said:

Takmon said:

cubegame said:

misspenny321 said:

Well we’ve called up our credit card company again because we thought we still needed the visas but we don’t. We might as well chuck them away. They agree with us and they’ve sent it to the disputes team. Wait and see. 

Surely instigating a charge back will be s very quick way to get yourself excluded from entering Turkey at all!

I really can't believe the OP is trying to get the credit card company to refund the money after the ministry of foreign affairs have chosen not to refund them when they messaged them. If the OP does get their money back i think they will regret it when they find they are not allowed into the country when they arrive. 

I think some people don't understand what chargeback covers.

I'm not sure why the OP would be refused entry though.

Visas are not required from March. The OP is travelling in May.

Well if the OP got an unauthorised refund from the ministry of foreign affairs then they may decide to not let them in so easily if they were not happy about the situation. 

How would they get an unauthorised refund?
If the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't agree to the chargeback there would be no refund.
If they did agree, the refund wouldn't be unauthorised.

From what i have read on here when a chargeback is initiated by the bank the person usually gets the money back right away and then it is taken again if it is disputed. 
The very fact that the OP has attempted to contact them for a refund and they have not offered one and is now trying to get one with a chargeback instead is likely to get their backs up. 

Pollycat

doubleglos said:

I get it. I think they’ve been very cheeky to put the price up in October to £27 and then make it free in March. I like to make sure all my visas etc are sorted months in advance, it’s not a quick jobby especially when you have a big family. 

People have paid a lot of money for something that is essentially void. Literally not worth the paper it’s written on, because the UK is one of the countries that is exempt, they won’t need to show a thing. What would have been better all round and make more sense, is for them to have done it in Jan 2021!

I think you’re all being a bit harsh, anyone would feel bitter about paying out £100’s of pounds for something they thought was essential but now isn’t. Money down the drain. 

Good luck with getting any money back, the Turkish customer service are poor from my experience, very slippery. I doubt they’ll give it back. I wouldn’t be worried about them not allowing you into the country as someone else suggested, if they did that they’d shoot themselves in the foot. 

I don't think people are being harsh.
I understand that people would be annoyed at spending money that they didn't need to.
A lot of the comments are about chargeback not being applicable in these circumstances.
That's not being harsh. It's being realistic.
I think it's something that Simon Calder may pick up.
Worth keeping an eye on.

doubleglos

I’ve heard they’re going to start charging taxes at the hotels now. 18tl pppn for 5*, 12tl pppn for 4*, 9tl pppn for 3*, 6tl pppn for 2*... just to make people aware who have paid for the visa, you may well have to pay for this tax too. 

PompeyPete

doubleglos said:

I’ve heard they’re going to start charging taxes at the hotels now. 18tl pppn for 5*, 12tl pppn for 4*, 9tl pppn for 3*, 6tl pppn for 2*... just to make people aware who have paid for the visa, you may well have to pay for this tax too. 

That wouldn't surprise me.  A heck of a lot of revenue will be lost by abolishing Tourist Visas.  I would imagine that if an environment/sanitation/hotel tax is brought in then it'll be collected locally by hotels and not included in with the price of a holiday.  Just had to do that in Mexico, only difference being the tax was per room and NOT per person.  Other countries do similar.  Not a bad thing providing the Tax is spent properly.

Pollycat

Takmon said:

Pollycat said:

Takmon said:

Pollycat said:

Takmon said:

cubegame said:

misspenny321 said:

Well we’ve called up our credit card company again because we thought we still needed the visas but we don’t. We might as well chuck them away. They agree with us and they’ve sent it to the disputes team. Wait and see. 

Surely instigating a charge back will be s very quick way to get yourself excluded from entering Turkey at all!

I really can't believe the OP is trying to get the credit card company to refund the money after the ministry of foreign affairs have chosen not to refund them when they messaged them. If the OP does get their money back i think they will regret it when they find they are not allowed into the country when they arrive. 

I think some people don't understand what chargeback covers.

I'm not sure why the OP would be refused entry though.

Visas are not required from March. The OP is travelling in May.

Well if the OP got an unauthorised refund from the ministry of foreign affairs then they may decide to not let them in so easily if they were not happy about the situation. 

How would they get an unauthorised refund?
If the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't agree to the chargeback there would be no refund.
If they did agree, the refund wouldn't be unauthorised.

From what i have read on here when a chargeback is initiated by the bank the person usually gets the money back right away and then it is taken again if it is disputed. 
The very fact that the OP has attempted to contact them for a refund and they have not offered one and is now trying to get one with a chargeback instead is likely to get their backs up. 

I doubt the system will be that linked up to match a denied refund with a chargeback request.
I think they'll just dispute the chargeback and the c/c company will give the money back and the OP will find out they've lost their money.

JGB1955

Just consider it a donation to the Turkish government - they need it!

MATTR5

My Customer tried for a Chargeback and the Bank refused. There is no refund possibility

Hadleybobbob1

misspenny321 said:

Well we’ve called up our credit card company again because we thought we still needed the visas but we don’t. We might as well chuck them away. They agree with us and they’ve sent it to the disputes team. Wait and see. 

Hadleybobbob1

I've purchased evisa literally the day before they abolished them times 4 and over 100 pounds out of pocket and I'm super organised that has bit me in the back. Says in my reply email to there website they can't refund me my money because they are now valid but how can that be the case when I've put the date to start when I go on holiday on the 10 th of March. I am also annoyed with direct. Gov which has safe email links and advice on things so how did they not warn people before they purchased them and now have been ripped off, not very professional on their behalf. And it has come to the conclusion to abolish them to promote tourism in Turkey but how can that be fair play if they rip people off and how can they reply back and say its valid when it is from 10 of April. Its one of those cases they got your money and now they don't care. Tell you one thing for sure when I barter with them in shops and they get their calculators out to compare exchange rates I'll tell them your country owes me 116 pound so you either give it me for a super price or don't bother me. 

Pollycat

Hadleybobbob1 said:

I've purchased evisa literally the day before they abolished them times 4 and over 100 pounds out of pocket and I'm super organised that has bit me in the back. Says in my reply email to there website they can't refund me my money because they are now valid but how can that be the case when I've put the date to start when I go on holiday on the 10 th of March. I am also annoyed with direct. Gov which has safe email links and advice on things so how did they not warn people before they purchased them and now have been ripped off, not very professional on their behalf. And it has come to the conclusion to abolish them to promote tourism in Turkey but how can that be fair play if they rip people off and how can they reply back and say its valid when it is from 10 of April. Its one of those cases they got your money and now they don't care. Tell you one thing for sure when I barter with them in shops and they get their calculators out to compare exchange rates I'll tell them your country owes me 116 pound so you either give it me for a super price or don't bother me. 

Re the bits in bold:

When was the announcement that Turkey were abolishing visitor visas made?

Google seems to indicate that all the major newspapers carried this story 1 or 2 days ago - even The Independant whose travel correspondent Simon Calder is problably one of the most clued up guys.

Are you saying that the information that GOV.UK had on their website was incorrect - but they knew about this change? Is that why you are saying they are unprofessional?

Or are you expecting their website to have information that is not yet in the public domain?

If you purchased your visa 'literally the day before they abolished them', the information on GOV.UK would probably have been valid and correct.

So totally professional.

As for your plans for bartering - really?