Vueling declined payments is this a new airline scam?

Rydingonthewaves

Thanks for trying to help. Just to be clear I understand your answers Vueling should not have taken the payments after Halifax declined the card. and it is my right to put the payments into dispute with Halifax. If Halifax repay me the disputed money and later Vueling say they have two flights booked in my same name we want  Halifax to re-debit the money halifax should not re-debit the money from my account. to Vueling. Why does Halifax decline to maek a payment and then allow Vueling to make one at a latter stage?

Kim_13

If I understand correctly Vueling have told them you booked two flights, whether they are being underhand or because a system failure has made them think that. I would be trying to get someone more senior to take a look and understand the logic - if you wanted two flights then you would have booked two seats on one booking. That you have made three payments for what even Vueling only contend was two flights has probably led to the advice that you had that you should have disputed with Santander (as that would be the easiest way to resolve what they have understood the problem to be.) As you only booked one flight, then disputing with Santander would not have solved the problem, as you’d still be one payment down.

While disputing with Halifax was the easiest way to resolve the actual issue, since they were the ones that paid for a phantom booking and a booking that had already been paid for, the banks do expect customers to make all reasonable efforts to resolve the issue with the merchant first. Have you tried asking Vueling to refund the flight that must have been duplicated by a system glitch (the same logic applies to show them that two flights were not booked intentionally) and also to refund the duplicate payment taken for the flight you actually booked?

They may not be very co-operative at this point if not as you have essentially gone nuclear on them without giving them the chance to resolve the issue first, but you had not come here then and to panic when you are presumably hundreds of pounds out of pocket is human nature. You’ll be able to show whoever you need to complain to in future that you’ve tried (which might well be the Financial Ombudsman, but you can’t go there until 8 weeks from complaint to Halifax or them issuing a deadlock letter.) If you cannot get Vueling to refund, you’ll need to complain to Halifax about the incorrect redebit of your chargeback (emphasise that you booked one flight and have been charged for three, so had you disputed with Santander instead, you’d still have been out of pocket.)

A card being declined should be the end of the matter, as no funds are ‘pending’, but if Vueling charge it again then Halifax may believe that you authorised them to do that - when of course you didn’t because you had already made payment for the valid booking via alternative means. It does seem to be more Vueling’s fault than Halifax’s (but they should have seen through the ‘evidence’ that Vueling presented them with.)

Other posters - can an airline be referred to an ombudsman for matters such as these? I don’t know as I don’t have a passport.

Rydingonthewaves

Hoenir said:

How did you end up purchasing seats on the same flight on different cards?  The card providers wouldn't have sent payment unless you requested them to do so. 

My Halifax card was declined and as the Vueling website said it was the last available seat |I paid with my Santander card and 3 days later Vueling took payments from my Halifax account.

Rydingonthewaves

thanks kim_13

Rydingonthewaves

Under 2017 Payment Service Regulations can any one point me to the definition of payment? And the definition of instigation and the implementation of a payment?

Rydingonthewaves

they mention execution but no definition  of what this means