EasyJet reimbursement shortfall

eskbanker

Docsaibal said:

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.

When cancelling flights, the regulations oblige airlines to offer passengers the choice between rerouting or a refund, and it's only if the rerouting option is chosen that the airline must pay for accommodation and food while waiting for the flight, per article 5.1(b):

[passengers shall] be offered assistance by the operating air carrier in accordance with Article 9(1)(a) [meals] and 9(2) [phone calls], as well as, in event of re-routing when the reasonably expected time of departure of the new flight is at least the day after the departure as it was planned for the cancelled flight, the assistance specified in Article 9(1)(b) [hotel] and 9(1)(c) [transport];

In other words, when your girlfriend "was given the website option of refund/voucher or alternative flight", your choices were effectively:

• get EasyJet to rebook you onto the first available flight, by amending the existing booking, which would have included reasonable accommodation and subsistence expenses up to the new departure time; or
• take the refund, essentially in full and final settlement with no further reimbursement

I appreciate that it's unlikely to have been spelt out in those terms but that's basically what it boils down to.  The advice given by ground staff will have been based on the fact that most will take the first option rather than a commitment that the airline would reimburse expenses as well as a refund.

Docsaibal

It’s true the ground staff did not tell us what you have just said. In the chaos that ensued and everybody was trying to rebook on their phones EasyJet did not offer any assistance and simply asked us to make our own arrangements, emphasising they would reimburse reasonable expenses as long as we kept our receipts. I appreciate my girlfriend’s actions made us inadvertently fall foul of the regulations. But what are my options now? Is it worth sending that draft email?

NoodleDoodleMan

There are a few EasyJet complaints groups on Facebook, this for example.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/easyjet.complaints.group.easy.jet.complaints

Might be worth joining - there may also be unhappy passengers from your cancelled flight ? 

Grumpy_chap

Docsaibal said:

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. 

In what way is that relevant to anything?

Docsaibal

It’s not if you don’t want it to be. It may be slightly less irrelevant if I were to have been a lone female passenger perhaps. It’s a matter of opinion and my argument stands even if this were left out entirely.

eskbanker

Docsaibal said:

It’s true the ground staff did not tell us what you have just said. In the chaos that ensued and everybody was trying to rebook on their phones EasyJet did not offer any assistance and simply asked us to make our own arrangements, emphasising they would reimburse reasonable expenses as long as we kept our receipts. I appreciate my girlfriend’s actions made us inadvertently fall foul of the regulations. But what are my options now? Is it worth sending that draft email?

There's no harm in trying to persuade them, but I think I'd major on (a) the technical problem with the website that hindered an attempt to amend the booking and (b) the fact that the new booking was on the same EasyJet flight that would have been chosen from the website if working correctly, so the net effect was essentially a rebooking, still with EasyJet, and so the fare difference should be reimbursed accordingly as if it had been rebooked in the intended way.

Following on from that, if accepting that it was effectively a rebooking, then EasyJet should stump up for the second night's hotel and associated meals.  You're still likely to find that they'll only reimburse a capped amount for food (and no alcohol) though, so pick your battles!

NoodleDoodleMan

EasyJet again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd72gpel8ezo

saajan_12

The central issue is whether you accepted a refund, meaning the contract is un-done and they owe you nothing or whether you requested a rebooking, meaning reasonable expenses + replacement flight.

That's what you need to argue - that clicking a few buttons was not you making a specific choice on the above but their mechanism for rebooking wasn't working.

IF you succeed in that argument (a big if) then yes reasonable costs for the 2 days accommodation, transfers, meals would be claimable.

Docsaibal said:

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.

Docsaibal said:

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..

Docsaibal said:

Receipts were itemised and the single dinner we did have cost about 122 Euros, which I accept may be a bit excessive

Bit confused by this - you had Saturday lunch + dinner to cover, since the breakfasts were part of the hotel cost. If one dinner was EUR 122 ~=£106, what was the rest of the £267? I thought you didn't eat anything else? 

The expenses are meant to be whats needed for normal sustenance, not a continuation of your holiday and living it up. Think a main and a soft drink at a reasonably priced place.

The other items don't seem excessive to me - if they've offered £200 based on 1 night, they presumably don't think the nightly rate is excessive and its just a question of whether you can argue the intended rebooking rather than refund. 

NoodleDoodleMan

"Bit confused by this - you had Saturday lunch + dinner to cover, since the breakfasts were part of the hotel cost. If one dinner was EUR 122 ~=£106, what was the rest of the £267? I thought you didn't eat anything else"

As I read the storyline it's 4 dinners overall.

fifeken

Despite the usual refund or reimbursement dialogue, the OP in this thread appears to have successfully obtained reimbursement after falling into the refund trap.  Could be worth following his approach.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6629871/took-on-easyjet-and-won