SOUTHALL TRAVEL DISGRACEFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE AND REFUND- VIRGIN FLIGHTS

[Deleted User]

SOUTHALL TRAVEL SHOULD BE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU NOW SPEND YOUR MONEY WITH IS THE WARNING ALWAYS NOW!

we had booked flights through this agent, they are the worst we have come across, we booked to travel in October 2020, on 08 October we contacted them about the flight status we were going to fly out on 14/10, they advised no information waiting for airline but if we do not show up then no Refund, but we can get a Voucher and open ticket and travel later, we chose this option as no Refund was to be given and as we were told we need to make a decision we opted for, on 12 October the Flight was cancelled due to Covid in any event we contacted them and informed them that we would instead like a Refund as the Covid situation was not getting worse.

This is their response:

This is in reference to our recent telephonic conversation regarding refund for the cancelled flight. Please note that as per our records, the reservation was cancelled on 06/08/2020 on your request and it was advised to you that only credit note option is available as flight was confirmed at that time. If flights get cancelled after the Credit Note is issued, we do not have an option to apply for full refund.

Therefore, credit note is the only option available for the reservations under aforesaid Invoice.

Virgin has stated that is a Flight is cancelled then a Full refund must be issued but the agent is using its own policy to deny the refund, please can we be advised as I am already in the process of contacting Virgin and they have issued the following response, Virgin have been very helpful 

Thank you for speaking with me this morning.I'm sorry for the trouble you are having when trying to obtain a refund from your travel agency.As discussed, as you booked through a travel agency, any refund requests, or changes to the booking has to be submitted/made through them as your contract is with the agency. I can confirm that you currently have an open ticket. Usually, if we have cancelled a flight due to Covid-19, we would allow the customer to obtain a full refund. Your travel agency will need to contact our sales support team for any assistance regarding this.Mr Singh, I'm sorry that we are unable to process this for you, but I do hope that this is resolved for you soon and that we get the opportunity to welcome you onboard in future.

Kind regards
VIRGIN CUSTOMER CARE

I WILL NEVER USE SOUTHALL TRAVEL AND ADVISE CUSTOMERS TO BE WARNED OF THESE AGENTS ACTIONS DO NOT SAVE THE 50 POUNDS TO GET MORE HASSLE DOWN THE ROAD, ITS NOT WORTH IT - THIS EXPERIENCE TELLS ME AND OTHERS TO BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY.

bagand96

When a flight is cancelled then it's correct you are entitled to a full refund.  But you must wait for the airline to cancel the flight.

Many airlines, including Virgin, have changed their policies this year to allow customers either free flight changes or to cancel for a credit note.  If the customer chooses this option, then they get the credit note voucher and the original booking is cancelled.  If the airline later cancel the flight, it's irrelevant, there's no entitlement to a retrospective refund, as the passenger has the voucher.

If Southall Travel had actioned your request for an open ticket, then it may well be that Virgin will not refund it.  This would likely be the same if you booked directly with them.  Virgin are saying that if a flight is cancelled then a refund is owed, that's correct.  But they're not explicitly stating you are due a refund in these circumstances.  You cancelled your ticket on the flight.

[Deleted User]

so how do we now deal with this if the Voucher can not be used at all?

Westin

The OP posted this on Trip Advisor. It seems he has come here as he did not like the replies pointing out that he made an error in judgement and process.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g1-i10702-k13428436-Virgin_Atlantic_and_Southall_Travel_not_giving_refund-Air_Travel.html

[Deleted User]

The Flights were not cancelled we were advised that the option available at that time was a Voucher, however the flights were cancelled 4 days later, we also now can not travel die to covid 19 at the future date which would have been up to 31 March 2021, so what options do we now have, as the situation is not clear at all, and Southall travel have been most unhelpful and have not offered us alternative dates or price reductions even though the flights are now £300 cheaper for the same seat and location if we were to keep the Vouchers, but as stated we are not able to travel due to the restrictions.

Caz3121

runner2001 said:

The Flights were not cancelled we were advised that the option available at that time was a Voucher, however the flights were cancelled 4 days later, we also now can not travel die to covid 19 at the future date which would have been up to 31 March 2021, so what options do we now have, as the situation is not clear at all, and Southall travel have been most unhelpful and have not offered us alternative dates or price reductions even though the flights are now £300 cheaper for the same seat and location if we were to keep the Vouchers, but as stated we are not able to travel due to the restrictions.

the voucher option available at time you chose to cancel is correct. There would have been no refund entitlement as the flight was still scheduled to operate at that point. The fact that Virgin cancelled the flight after you cancelled is not relevant to you as you no longer had a booking on the flight at the point it was cancelled.
It sounds like Virgins response to you was based on the rules for passengers booked to travel on a cancelled flight rather than a booking that was previously cancelled by the passenger.  Do you believe that when you chose to cancel and were given a voucher you were still booked on the flight?
Your Virgin credit should be valid until 31st December 2022, I expect restrictions will relax prior to then

[Deleted User]

Thank you for your response as the wiseguy WESTIN incorrectly above stated I had been misusing websites for advice I was given, even though he has no idea.
I have now been advised the Voucher can be used at multiple destinations and also up to the date you stated, this was never made clear by Southall Travel, I am in the process of Rebooking as can be confirmed in the link here thank you for your response, i have also learned that if I rebook before 30 November there are no further increase in fares or charges, again something Southall Travel failed to pass on, they are a Joke I will never use them again, for the sake of saving £50 I thought give them a try - wow, opened my eyes as to how much legalised scamming is going on for the average consumer.

bagand96

runner2001 said:

again something Southall Travel failed to pass on, they are a Joke I will never use them again, for the sake of saving £50 I thought give them a try - wow, opened my eyes as to how much legalised scamming is going on for the average consumer.

There's no scam. It's just they are an agent with little customer support resource. 

Most online agents rely on the business being 95% automated and only have small customer service teams to deal with a small number of enquiries. 2020 has thrown that into disarray with nearly every customer needing support, and they simply can't cope and are snowed under.

Unfortunately you've learned that the hard way, but plenty of people will choose the cheapest option from a comparison site without giving it a second thought. When they find they need support its already too late!

Westin

No accusations of misusing websites. Just that you asked elsewhere and received the appropriate answers given your situation and actions.  If you subsequently wanted to fact check it then I think it would be nice to explain what you have been told and seek opinions rather than potentially waste time and led people up the garden path.  

DCFC79

The advice wont change by posting on different forums.

NottinghamKnight

DCFC79 said:

The advice wont change by posting on different forums.

Mumsnet?