EasyJet reimbursement shortfall

Docsaibal

My girlfriend and I were due to travel back from Milan to Gatwick and the flight was cancelled a few minutes before we were due to board due to diversion of the incoming flight from a lightning storm (therefore crew changeover could not take place). The ground staff simply asked us to make our own arrangements and left us stranded, hastily promising reimbursement for expenses if we kept all the receipts. 

We were literally retracing our steps back through security and towards the exit while I was frantically looking for flights back. Predictably, everything was booking fast and the priority was to get home rather than look at costs. We ended up booking the next available flight out which was on Sunday morning (our cancelled flight was for Friday night). We made our way to the Malpensa  airport hotel, decided to stay for a night and relocate to the Linate airport hotel where our new return was from, and kept all food, beverage and taxi receipts meticulously, being careful to keep expenses reasonable. 

Having submitted the claim, I have just had a reply saying they would offer reimbursement only for the ‘day of disruption’ as we had accepted a voucher/refund. This was despite the fact we took the first available EasyJet flight back which would keep us back in Milan for two more nights. My girlfriend who had booked the original travel was given the website option of refund/voucher or alternative flight. As EasyJet left us to our own devices there was only one option we could take, (and I had advised her to not ask for a voucher)

Here’s how much out of pocket we now are:

Meals and refreshments £267.53, offered £60;
Accommodation (2 nights) £372.89, offered £200;
Airport transfers £145.15, offered full amount.
Return flight £537.23, refund on original flight offered £464.60.

Total not honoured = £453.05.

What are our rights and what should we do?

MattMattMattUK

Docsaibal said:

My girlfriend and I were due to travel back from Milan to Gatwick and the flight was cancelled a few minutes before we were due to board due to diversion of the incoming flight from a lightning storm (therefore crew changeover could not take place). The ground staff simply asked us to make our own arrangements and left us stranded, hastily promising reimbursement for expenses if we kept all the receipts. 

We were literally retracing our steps back through security and towards the exit while I was frantically looking for flights back. Predictably, everything was booking fast and the priority was to get home rather than look at costs. We ended up booking the next available flight out which was on Sunday morning (our cancelled flight was for Friday night). We made our way to the Malpensa  airport hotel, decided to stay for a night and relocate to the Linate airport hotel where our new return was from, and kept all food, beverage and taxi receipts meticulously, being careful to keep expenses reasonable. 

Having submitted the claim, I have just had a reply saying they would offer reimbursement only for the ‘day of disruption’ as we had accepted a voucher/refund. This was despite the fact we took the first available EasyJet flight back which would keep us back in Milan for two more nights. My girlfriend who had booked the original travel was given the website option of refund/voucher or alternative flight. As EasyJet left us to our own devices there was only one option we could take, (and I had advised her to not ask for a voucher)

Here’s how much out of pocket we now are:

Meals and refreshments £267.53, offered £60;
Accommodation (2 nights) £372.89, offered £200;
Airport transfers £145.15, offered full amount.
Return flight £537.23, refund on original flight offered £464.60.

Total not honoured = £453.05.

What are our rights and what should we do?

Meal and refreshment costs, these seem hugely excessive, their offer is reasonable.
Accommodation, it depends what else was available, you may or may not be able to argue this. If there were hotels available for £100 a night but you picked an expensive hotel then your costs could be deemed excessive, I know Milan is not cheap overall, but having had a look at the airport hotels there are last minute deals now for less than £80 per night.

Westin

The two issues I see are, what you claim needs to be deemed “reasonable” and secondly, you accepted a refund, plus now want travel costs back. 

Your costs do seem high and it appears EasyJet think so too. They are offering what they consider “reasonable”. You would need to counter otherwise if you disagree.

You probably should not have been so quick to claim a refund. In many cases once you do this, that’s the end of the matter.   

It seems you have claimed a refund of the original air fare, plus now want EasyJet to pay for a new set of airfares. This would be a free flight back from Italy.  Not reasonable.

Docsaibal

The only options at that time of night with a female companion were the airport hotel and the following day the departure airport hotel, there was no scope to shop around and we were actually directed by the airlines staff to the airport hotel where other passengers stayed too. Bear in mind we had to stay two nights not one. We weren’t after a refund of the flight plus a free flight back but this was something I did not realise until after my girlfriend told me she had claimed the refund; in retrospect, not claiming for the latter at all would have been better but there was no way of doing these calculations in my head when I was frantically booking a fresh return literally on my feet. Meals and refreshments may be excessive as they included two dinners (breakfasts were part of the hotel package) but we did not eat anything else.

If EasyJet had told us they would pay a flat capped rate then we could have been mindful of that, but they did not, nor is there anything in the regulations saying so. Two whole extra days spent involuntarily in Milan will cost no matter what, and it would be good to have some tips as to how to argue our case.

swingaloo

Docsaibal said:

The only options at that time of night with a female companion were the airport hotel and the following day the departure airport hotel, there was no scope to shop around and we were actually directed by the airlines staff to the airport hotel where other passengers stayed too. Bear in mind we had to stay two nights not one. We weren’t after a refund of the flight plus a free flight back but this was something I did not realise until after my girlfriend told me she had claimed the refund; in retrospect, not claiming for the latter at all would have been better but there was no way of doing these calculations in my head when I was frantically booking a fresh return literally on my feet. Meals and refreshments may be excessive as they included two dinners (breakfasts were part of the hotel package) but we did not eat anything else.

If EasyJet had told us they would pay a flat capped rate then we could have been mindful of that, but they did not, nor is there anything in the regulations saying so. Two whole extra days spent involuntarily in Milan will cost no matter what, and it would be good to have some tips as to how to argue our case.

But you didnt have 2 whole extra days in Milan. If you were flying out Friday night but then just left Sunday morning it was just one day.

la531983

Docsaibal said:

Return flight £537.23, refund on original flight offered £464.60.

Am I reading this right? Easyjet refunded you BOTH the original flight, and approx. 80% of the one you had to book yourself?

Isthisforreal99

Docsaibal said:

The only options at that time of night with a female companion were the airport hotel and the following day the departure airport hotel

Was it really the only option.....or your preferred option. Playing the 'female companion' card  adds zero weight btw.

NoodleDoodleMan

Docsaibal said:

The only options at that time of night with a female companion were the airport hotel and the following day the departure airport hotel, there was no scope to shop around and we were actually directed by the airlines staff to the airport hotel where other passengers stayed too. Bear in mind we had to stay two nights not one. We weren’t after a refund of the flight plus a free flight back but this was something I did not realise until after my girlfriend told me she had claimed the refund; in retrospect, not claiming for the latter at all would have been better but there was no way of doing these calculations in my head when I was frantically booking a fresh return literally on my feet. Meals and refreshments may be excessive as they included two dinners (breakfasts were part of the hotel package) but we did not eat anything else.

If EasyJet had told us they would pay a flat capped rate then we could have been mindful of that, but they did not, nor is there anything in the regulations saying so. Two whole extra days spent involuntarily in Milan will cost no matter what, and it would be good to have some tips as to how to argue our case.

There has clearly been a lack of communication between you and your friend over the refund/free return flight. Once the latter has been accepted the former is obviously no longer valid. You can't retrospectively undo that. 

As I read your meals and refreshments scenario you claimed for 4 dinners/drinks overall @ £267.53, or £66 odds per person per dinner - that does strike me as excessive. Did you not claim for one lunch each ? 

I sympathise with your predicament - we had a similar(ish) nightmare experience with EasyJet last year at Amsterdam and we were also stranded and abandoned with zero meaningful assistance.

Docsaibal

Just to clarify, we had two night stays in the hotel to pay for but essentially one who day yes. EasyJet refunded my girlfriend for the return flight and therefore declined the cost of the one I booked. Receipts were itemised and the single dinner we did have cost about 122 Euros, which I accept may be a bit excessive, however, there does not seem to be any reasoning behind not recognising we had to stay for two nights at the hotel of their recommendation. Malpensa airport is far away from the city and there could not have been any viable alternatives to go and look for late at night other than getting in a taxi and driving 80 odd miles back to the city. The second night we stayed at our departure airport which was the sister hotel (Moxy)—both were 3 star which they said they would pay for and there should not have been an issue about that. Last minute deals do exist I’m sure but when you’re struggling with luggage and want to sleep after a long delay followed by cancellation there really isn’t any other choice than to accept the quoted room rate. 

Would be interested in knowing if we could argue the cost of accommodation and let the meals and refreshments offer stand?

eskbanker

Docsaibal said:

there does not seem to be any reasoning behind not recognising we had to stay for two nights at the hotel of their recommendation.

Surely they explained their rationale, i.e. they're only prepared to cough up for the first night because of accepting the refund:

Docsaibal said:

I have just had a reply saying they would offer reimbursement only for the ‘day of disruption’ as we had accepted a voucher/refund. This was despite the fact we took the first available EasyJet flight back which would keep us back in Milan for two more nights.

In other words, you're looking at it as a claim for two days worth of expenses but they're asserting that they're only on the hook for the first one, hence the substantial variance in values.

Docsaibal said:

My girlfriend who had booked the original travel was given the website option of refund/voucher or alternative flight.

If she'd rebooked directly onto that second EasyJet flight (i.e. amending the existing booking via web/app or call centre) then they'd have been liable for your reasonable expenses for both nights but because you didn't, they have a defensible position of not being obliged to fund both.

Docsaibal

From memory I think there had been a technical problem with amending the original booking, which is why my girlfriend handed it over to me to open a new account in my name and book a fresh flight from scratch. There was no agreement as far as I’m aware that they would only pay for the one night despite it not being physically possible to have flown the following day. I’m not sure what link there is with accepting a refund there, we would still only be able to get the next available flight which happened to be on the day after.

I’m genuinely struggling here, and unlike what some may be thinking, not on the make, just a straight reimbursement of costs and the difference in return flight costs.

This is my draft reply to EasyJet:

I write to ask for your reconsideration of the costs you have agreed to reimburse. 

Our understanding from the airlines ground staff upon cancellation of our flight was that reasonable costs would be reimbursed, upto and including a 3 star hotel. We were also directed to lodge at the Moxy airport hotel opposite the terminal, where we stayed for the first night and then relocated to the Linate airport hotel, also a Moxy (where we were due to depart from) on the second night. Therefore we do not think it fair to not agree to pay the cost of even a single—let alone the two—nights we were obliged to stay behind before the next available flight back—on your own Airlines. These were fixed costs that were not negotiable and we had no scope to shop around for cheaper rates at any other hotel in the middle of the night accompanied by a female passenger which would still have incurred an expensive taxi transfer back to the city. 

Secondly, you have had itemised receipts for meals and beverages as you had asked for, and as directed by the ground staff at the time. The regulations state these should be reimbursed as long as they are reasonable, rather than impose an arbitrary cap on them retrospectively. I would therefore be grateful for you to justify why you have only agreed to pay a fixed £60 reimbursement unless you can demonstrate any item(s) that you deem excessive. 

Finally, you had offered on your website either a refund or a voucher for the cancelled leg of the flight, but there was no option provided by the ground staff to rebook us on another flight--rather, we were left to our own devices and left effectively stranded to make our own arrangements. This too goes against regulations. We would therefore request you either withdraw your refund offer and reimburse us the cost of the new return journey we had to book, at considerably more expense, or to pay the difference in fare.

Kindly do not credit anything into my bank account until we have reached an agreement following our exchange.