Last minute refund of cancelled flights

Westin

The LM terms and conditions can be found under a click thru link titles "Terms and Conditions" when you go through the booking flow.   The user needs to "Check this box to confirm you have read, understood and accepted the terms and conditions".

I can not post a url as the T&C appear as a pop up but the relevant information is - 

Under section 4.2
In case the airline issues you a refund, you expressly authorise the Company to subtract the corresponding handling fees. The Company’s handling fees do not include surcharges imposed directly by the airlines in accordance with their particular terms and conditions.

4.4. BOOKING CANCELLATION OR MODIFICATION BY THE AIRLINE OR FLIGHT PROVIDER

In case the airline or flight provider cancels or modifies the flight you have booked (for example, they change the schedule), you have the right to a refund of the price of your plane ticket and/or some other type of economic compensation in accordance with European Commission Regulation no. 261/2004. For more information on your rights, you can consult http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm. We inform you that the application of a refund or economic compensation is the exclusive responsibility of the airline and that the Company is not responsible for such under any circumstance.

In these cases, the Company will assist you in getting the amount of your plane ticket back (not any subsequent compensation, which you would have to directly ask of the airline) by acting in your name and on your behalf with the airline.

Keep in mind that the Company’s agency fees are independent of the price of your plane ticket, and for this reason you do not have the right to a refund of the amount paid for such services from the moment in which you make your request. This is because our agency fees cover the Booking Service supplied by the Company, which have been successfully carried out after having assisted the Customer in making his/her booking via the Web Application.

The Company can apply an agency fee for the reasons stated in the preceding paragraph.

The Company will charge handling fees (per booking) for the services carried out in obtaining this refund, the amount of which can be seen in clause 6.4 of the Terms & Conditions

Finally, we inform you that airlines may take up to 12 months to refund your money or provide the corresponding economic compensation.

and within 6.4 -

-   If you do not have an Assistance Package: 30 GBP per refund request applies.

-  Receive a voucher: no handling fee applies.

I think that covers LM to make a handling/administrative fee to carry out the extra work in obtaining and providing a cash refund.

Life__Goes__On

Personally I think that will be new, as T&C are a legal rules not just a pop up on a website (why haven't they updated either their T&Cs on website or PDF that you can download)

The fact you couldn't save them as it was just a pop up, it would be classed as unfair as how could you reference them for use in the future?

Westin

Life__Goes__On said:

Personally I think that will be new, as T&C are a legal rules not just a pop up on a website (why haven't they updated either their T&Cs on website or PDF that you can download)

The fact you couldn't save them as it was just a pop up, it would be classed as unfair as how could you reference them for use in the future?

The T&C at time of booking would apply. Not sure they are necessarily "new".   I think it fair enough that they are available to a potential customer and that the customer is confirming they have read and understood them.  I don't think that they need to necessarily publicly published them - only provide them to someone before they agree to use their service (which they have).

Also not sure that the inability to have them on a separate URL is against any rules.  I found them fairly easily but only as a pop-up when I clicked on "Terms & Conditions" - I didn't hunt further.    I was able to read them and I actually copied and pasted then into a Word document - which I guess anyone could do if they wanted a copy.    I also suspect the T&C are provided in the flight confirmation documents.

In a way I can understand why they might suggest a fee for the work.  They are a business after all.    If such service fees are to be avoided it would be best to initially book direct with the airline and facilitate the work yourself. That's an option open to all.  If you appoint a 3rd party then they perhaps understandable wish to be paid for providing a service and working on the customer's behalf.  Seems the Poster decided to use and appoint LM so in a way the service fee costs comes with that option.

Life__Goes__On

I don't disagree a fee would be fair, I disagree what they are doing is unfair
T&Cs that they choose to publish on their website (they legally don't have too) are different to what pops up.
Also they still have older T&Cs on their website giving the impression that the ones links too are the current ones.
With just a pop up how can anyone prove what dates the T&Cs changed (that's why there is a date in the link T&Cs)

I would download the ones on their website and  it would be up to LM to show you accepted the newer T&Cs and a pop up is enough.

bagand96

The thing is, the older LM T&C's we referred to earlier do say to refer to the T&C's detailed in your confirmation email. 

I suspect that the relevant T&C's, agreed to at the time of booking, are either included as an attachment to the confirmation email or there is a link to them. I have asked the OP so maybe they will update. 

Life__Goes__On

bagand96 said:

The thing is, the older LM T&C's we referred to earlier do say to refer to the T&C's detailed in your confirmation email. 

I suspect that the relevant T&C's, agreed to at the time of booking, are either included as an attachment to the confirmation email or there is a link to them. I have asked the OP so maybe they will update. 

Hopefully they will, or anyone else will post with an updated T&Cs be it e-mail,  pdf or new link