Being ignored by travel agent re refund

DullGreyGuy

400ixl said:

I read the OP's post as they are trying to claim back the full £2805 and not accepting just the £900 APD refund.

APD won't be anything close to £900 for 2 people, the £900 was the charge to change the date of the flight which they decided not to do.

pain10suffering10

mr_stripey said:

I guess the obvious question is - did your travel insurance cover you for this? I think death of a close family member is usually covered. Did you take this up with them at the time?

No, we didn’t get travel insurance as it wa a last minute booking and it wasn’t a holiday as such, just to see Mum 😔

pain10suffering10

pain10suffering10 said:

mr_stripey said:

I guess the obvious question is - did your travel insurance cover you for this? I think death of a close family member is usually covered. Did you take this up with them at the time?

No, we didn’t get travel insurance as it wa a last minute booking and it wasn’t a holiday as such, just to see Mum 😔

I am not trying to get the full £2805 back, just the taxes ( APD ) which I was told would be refunded to me within 6 weeks. I never received this and this is what I have been chasing up! And regarding the extra £100, it was for flight/date change, we were told it would only cost this amount ( £100 ) if we needed to change the dates, but when we tried, they said it was going to be £900 pp to change dates…. We didn’t have that money so couldn’t change! Nearly 3K is a lot of money, and I understand I won’t be able to get it back, all I am trying to get is the ADP ( taxes ) that the agent told me I would get back! I never did, and now they are ignoring me, won’t respond to emails and phone number doesn’t work….. and as I stated before, I paid with my debit card, not a credit card as the limit on my cc is only £1500 so I had to use debit card! Also we didn’t get travel insurance as was last minute, emergency booking and we were going to spend time at the hospital with our mother, at the time, it wasn’t a top priority for us, we just needed to be there!
Thanks for the comments, but I am having no luck with the company at all, I’ve tried the agent I was dealing with, customer services and even head office…. And once again, for those that didn’t understand my initial message…. I am
only wanting the APD ! Not a full refund! 

pain10suffering10

la531983 said:

Well unless the OP returns and actually clarifies what he or she is expecting a refund of, nether or us are any the wiser. I still think he is only wanting a refund of taxes though, which is now being ignored.

And maybe the OP didnt realise the credit card was an option, he or she hasnt even mentioned travel insurance, so is likely uneducated in how to deal with stuff like this.

la531983 said:

Well unless the OP returns and actually clarifies what he or she is expecting a refund of, nether or us are any the wiser. I still think he is only wanting a refund of taxes though, which is now being ignored.

And maybe the OP didnt realise the credit card was an option, he or she hasnt even mentioned travel insurance, so is likely uneducated in how to deal with stuff like this.

la531983 said:

Well unless the OP returns and actually clarifies what he or she is expecting a refund of, nether or us are any the wiser. I still think he is only wanting a refund of taxes though, which is now being ignored.

And maybe the OP didnt realise the credit card was an option, he or she hasnt even mentioned travel insurance, so is likely uneducated in how to deal with stuff like this.

la531983 said:

Well unless the OP returns and actually clarifies what he or she is expecting a refund of, nether or us are any the wiser. I still think he is only wanting a refund of taxes though, which is now being ignored.

And maybe the OP didnt realise the credit card was an option, he or she hasnt even mentioned travel insurance, so is likely uneducated in how to deal with stuff like this.

Mark_d said:

la531983 said:

Mark_d said:

 If you cancel a non-refundable flight then all you get back is the APD.  Travel decorum are not at fault and you were wrong to be battling them.

If you re-read the opening post thats exactly what he is trying to claim back from them, and nothing more.

I have re-read the opening post.  The OP was offered a refund of APD but wanted to battle for a full refund.  Why don't you try re-reading the text?
If the issue is about getting APD back then the best practice would be to claim the refund via credit card rather than spend 2 years battling with a company who are not cooperating.

Also, just to clarify, I was not offered a refund of £900, I was told it would cost £900pp to change the dates of the flight…. 

I was told I would receive APD and other taxes back on the flights after 6 weeks but never did! Also, I am a she, not a he… not that it matters, just clarifying that too 

400ixl

Send them a letter before action for the amount you are claiming. If they don't respond then take them to the small claims court.

Provided they are a UK registered company of course.

eskbanker

Pursue your claim via MCOL, as they're a UK-based company - send a Letter Before Action first and be prepared to follow it through to court.

Note that paying by debit card still should have given you chargeback rights had you used these earlier on, but if this was nearly two years ago then that's no longer an option for this claim....

pain10suffering10

400ixl said:

Send them a letter before action for the amount you are claiming. If they don't respond then take them to the small claims court.

Provided they are a UK registered company of course.

I did send a letter that citizens advice bureau helped me with but had no response, I wa told taking them to court would cost me more money, which I don’t have…. Thanks for your advice though 

la531983

Mark_d said:

la531983 said:

He then says "some money back" and "being ignored regarding a refund". 

How have you read that OP that he is battling for a full refund? He wants the taxes and nothing more.

"They said we couldn’t be refunded for flights but could claim back the taxes ( APD ) and other fees…. I have been battling THIS ever since"

It appears the OP does not agree with the position taken by the travel agent.

The OP does not say he wants taxes and nothing more.  If you were correct then the OP would have claimed the refund of taxes from credit card company after failing to make progress with the travel agent.  Have you ever considered the possibility that maybe you are the one who has misunderstood?

Ahem..... 

la531983

eskbanker said:

Pursue your claim via MCOL, as they're a UK-based company - send a Letter Before Action first and be prepared to follow it through to court.

Note that paying by debit card still should have given you chargeback rights had you used these earlier on, but if this was nearly two years ago then that's no longer an option for this claim....

Likely pointless if the figures earlier in the thread are anything to go by. The OP is likely due a refund of around seventeen quid per ticket if that was accurate. 

eskbanker

la531983 said:

eskbanker said:

Pursue your claim via MCOL, as they're a UK-based company - send a Letter Before Action first and be prepared to follow it through to court.

Note that paying by debit card still should have given you chargeback rights had you used these earlier on, but if this was nearly two years ago then that's no longer an option for this claim....

Likely pointless if the figures earlier in the thread are anything to go by. The OP is likely due a refund of around seventeen quid per ticket if that was accurate. 

Where do you get that figure from?  Economy flights to Australia, during 2022/23, would incur APD of £84 each in band B:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-allowances-for-air-passenger-duty-historic-rates

I stand by my comment that OP needs to be prepared to go through with a claim rather than simply bluffing with a LBA, it's only £35 and this would be reimbursed assuming OP wins....