Easyjet have refused to refund my flights

firebox6024

Please can anyone help? I booked return flights for Nov 2020 from Bristol to Venice, and subsequently accepted a voucher due to Covid. I re-booked in January 2021 the same flights from Bristol using the voucher. Then I had an email informing me that flights were opening for the summer onwards. I had a look and saw return flights from Gatwick which were much better for us, so I tried several times for lengthy periods to get through to Easyjet to change my flights over by phone without any success, so rather than lose the Gatwick flights I booked and paid for them, chose our seats etc etc. I then contacted Easyjet via their email customer services, explained the circumstances to them and I eventually had an email back saying they would refund my Bristol flights to a voucher. I emailed back to say I needed a refund as I am certainly not a regular flyer and would not be able to utilise a voucher. (My last flight was 5 years ago!) They have flatly refused to issue a refund despite my escalating it up to the CEO, who fobbed me off with his 'executive support'. I am now in the position that I have 2 return Bristol-Venice flights that I wont be using, and 2 Gatwick-Venice ones, both booked for the same dates of 1st-5th November. It says in their emails I am constantly sent that: Question:My flight is still operating but I want to cancel my travel, what should I do?

Switch to an alternative easyJet flight without paying a change fee more than 14 days before departure.

This is what I would have done had I been able to get through on the phone. I couldnt even do this through my online Easyjet account as the Bristol flights were not on there! HELP!

bagand96

The problem here is booking the Gatwick flights in the first place, on the assumption that they would just refund the Bristol flights.  They are two separate bookings and easyJet will treat them as such.  Did you try changing the flights on their website?

I'm not really sure what else to suggest other than taking their offer of a voucher.

firebox6024

That is just it. I couldnt change the flights on their website as the Bristol ones were not on there, so I tried several times and held on the phone for some time each time to get them changed but there was no reply. I had no option but to book the Gatwick flights or I would have lost them. The ridiculous thing is that had I anaged to get through on the phone, I could have changed the flights over, no problem.

bagand96

Are you saying you couldn't access your booking on easyJet.com?  That seems a little odd, you should have been able to log into it using the booking code or by following the links in your confirmation email.  If there was a web error logging into your existing Bristol booking you could mention this, but to be honest I still don't think you'll get far.

Making a duplicate booking was unfortunately a risk, easyJet have no requirement to refund you for the Bristol flights.  The voucher offer is a fair one and available given the Covid Flexibility policy, if it wasn't for that you'd would be unlikely to get anything.

firebox6024

No the Bristol booking was definitely not on the website. I tried using both links. I appreciate what you are saying and that they have no requirement to refund but as It would have been changed over had I been able to get through on their phone line, I cant see the problem.

bagand96

firebox6024 said:

No the Bristol booking was definitely not on the website. I tried using both links. I appreciate what you are saying and that they have no requirement to refund but as It would have been changed over had I been able to get through on their phone line, I cant see the problem.

They have their policies in place and they will want to follow them.  Yes they could obviously decide to make an exception, but that is at their discretion and as you've escalated it without success then I'm not sure what else you can do.

This will be to stop people booking non-refundable flights, then seeing a better price or more suitable flight and booking that then claiming a refund for the original non-refundable flight.

Do you have any friends or family who may book an easyJet flight?  You may be able to book it on their behalf using your voucher? (I make this suggestion, although I don't know for sure if the name on the voucher has to travel to be able to book with it)

firebox6024

Yes may daughter has said she can use a voucher as she flies much more often than I do. I am just awaiting confirmation that she can use it in my place. If not then its back to figting with them again. I can do without this. The hassle caused when if I had just been able to get through and change the booking over is crazy.

[Deleted User]

Were your November 20 flights cancelled?  If so that would have been your opportunity to request a refund.  As it stands most airlines will not exchange vouchers for cash.  Some may issue cash refunds for rearranged cancelled flights but if easy jet aren’t then they aren’t.  Has this Bristol flight actually been cancelled (when are you due to travel).  If it is going/gone ahead then a voucher is probably as good as it gets for you

As has been said the Gatwick flight is immaterial.  But if it happens that this flight is cancelled then be sure to request a refund.  

firebox6024

No the Nov 2020 fights werent cancelled but the government were advising against anyone travelling so we decided to knock our weeks holiday on the head and accept a voucher. We subsequently decided to re-book for Nov this year using the voucher in the hope that we could finally go.

Then after this I had a couple of emails saying they had opened up some flights. On looking I found that one of the Gatwick flights they had opened was going to be more sensible for us, and so I rang and rang several times, hanging on for a long period of time each time but couldnt get through. I was literally watching the flight fill and didnt want to lose the tickets so I paid for the Gatwick ones, and thought that due to my not being able to get through and exchange the flights over the phone, they would just refund the Bristol ones as they could see I had re-booked the same dates in November this year for Gatwick as the Bristol ones. This is of their making entirely as had I been able to get through I would have been able to change the flights without a problem and just pay the difference.

eskbanker

firebox6024 said:

I was literally watching the flight fill and didnt want to lose the tickets so I paid for the Gatwick ones, and thought that due to my not being able to get through and exchange the flights over the phone, they would just refund the Bristol ones as they could see I had re-booked the same dates in November this year for Gatwick as the Bristol ones. This is of their making entirely as had I been able to get through I would have been able to change the flights without a problem and just pay the difference.

You seem to have misunderstood liability here - the fact that you were unable to get through to them on the phone doesn't in any way make them liable to refund you as a result of you choosing to make a second booking rather than changing the original one.

firebox6024 said:

I had no option but to book the Gatwick flights or I would have lost them.

firebox6024 said:

I was literally watching the flight fill and didnt want to lose the tickets so I paid for the Gatwick ones

I don't know how long ago this was but right now there are plenty of cheap fares available for the four flights each way between Gatwick and Venice on those dates - did you perhaps fall for the "only x seats left at this price" marketing?

firebox6024

IF I had managed to get through then I would have just changed the flights and paid the difference. The fact that i couldnt is not my fault but theirs. I would love to have just phoned up, said I want to change my Bristol flights with you in November to Gatwick, and I will pay the difference. That should have been the case but it wasnt. I booked Gatwick on 23rd Feb and no I didnt fall for that Marketing ploy. I was actually watching the seat take up on the flights I wanted to change to and they were filling right in front of me. It was either book them or lose them.