SAS refusing refund

peter_333

While not strictly related to a flight delay or cancellation, I'd love some advice on a claim that SAS are refusing to help me on.

Background:

• Had a flight booked with SAS in March 2022.
• I had to cancel my travel due to Covid.
• Flight was non-refundable, but I called SAS who cancelled the ticket and issued a Travel Voucher for the value of the original booking.
• Voucher had 12-month validity.
• After 10 months I realised I might not be able to use it and contacted SAS Customer Service to find out my options.
• SAS customer service agent looked up the specific voucher code and advised that the voucher was eligible for refund after it expired.
• After the expiry date, having not been able to use the voucher, I tried to claim the refund and was told that the voucher was not refundable and that the previous agent had gotten it wrong.

I've now gone multiple rounds with SAS customer service trying to claim the refund, but they will not budge.  I am simply told, repeatedly, that their T&Cs do not allow for this particular voucher to be refunded.  They are full of apologies, even admitting that they have reviewed my previous CS chat and the agent had indeed misinformed me.  But they are simply unwilling to budge.

Does anyone have any advice on how to pursue this claim?  Is there any specific advice on how to handle situations when a customer service agent informs me of something that I only find out is wrong once it is too late?

Caz3121

SAS appear to have two different types of vouchers, one refundable after a year and the other not. As it sounds like the flight you were booked on operated (although you could not travel) there was no refund rights as your fare was non-refundable.

What would you have done if they had confirmed the correct information at the time of your call? would you have booked a flight to use it? - if so, although it is against the terms but given SAS have confirmed they gave incorrect information, I would ask SAS to extend the validity of the voucher to enable you to book travel with it....maybe request a 2 month extension as that is the booking time you 'lost'
If they had given correct information and you were still unable to use the voucher then it would have been lost. Would your travel insurance have covered you for your loss?

peter_333

Caz3121 said:

What would you have done if they had confirmed the correct information at the time of your call? would you have booked a flight to use it?

Yes, I would have tried to find a way to use the voucher. It only needed to be spent prior to expiration (booked travel can be after expiration). But given that I was informed it was refundable, I didn't stress about it.

Unfortunately, I believe my travel insurance won't cover it.  But, if I make no progress with SAS, that may be one path to re-explore.  Right now I'm waiting for SAS to raise a formal complaint to see if we can progress past the current CS refusal to offer anything beyond an apology.

DullGreyGuy

Can you be clearer on why you didnt travel as originally planned? It sounds like you were ill rather than it being covid restrictions etc? 

Assuming that is the case then it sounds like they already went beyond what they had to do by offering you a voucher in the first place. Normally ill health would be reason for claiming on your insurance not the carrier giving you a goodwill gesture. 

I can fully get your point on the erroneous advice given by the member of staff and thats really the bit to focus on but that may be tempered with anything you were told in advance or what it said in the email with the voucher. Have you emailed their complaints team?

Ultimately if they stick by their guns it sounds like you dont have many grounds on the basis they already went further than they needed to and you made a choice regards appropriate insurance to cover ill health on the flight.

peter_333

DullGreyGuy said:

Ultimately if they stick by their guns it sounds like you dont have many grounds on the basis they already went further than they needed to and you made a choice regards appropriate insurance to cover ill health on the flight.

Yes, it was due to illness rather than restrictions.  When I originally called to cancel I was anticipating only getting taxes refunded, however the CS rep explained that they had a policy of providing vouchers if cancellation was due to covid illness.

So as far as I can see, I have been provided information regarding their policies both at the time of cancellation (policy was to provide a voucher) and again when enquiring about validity period and refunds (advised that voucher was refundable) and at no point have I gotten the impression that anyone was going out of their way to provide more than policy allowed for.