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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

British Airways: Part Deux

NOTE: One month after I sent my letter to British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh, (Open Letter to Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways), I got a response from their Head of Refunds for North America. They offered me two options. Option 1: a refund “in accordance with standard industry procedures and British Airways policy” for reimbursement to the original form of payment used to purchase the tickets (of course both of the credit cards I used are no longer valid). Option 2: a voucher for the same value to be used for future travel on British Airways.

Below is my response dated 10th May. I have received no refund from BA at the time of posting this blog.

Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for your correspondence.

Please note that the credit card you refer to, ending XXX, for Passenger: ONE. & Ticket number: xxx-xxxx is incorrect. The ticket was purchased on card ending XXX.

As there is no legal requirement for a company to only provide credit back to a customer via the original form of payment used to make the purchase, I fail to see why it is a problem to simply issue me a 100% refund by cheque, and especially since it is now more than five years late. And I am sure you will understand when I say that I am not in a hurry to fly BA again, so a BA travel voucher is not really acceptable. However, given my arduous journey to seek closure on this matter, I am sure you will make an adjustment to your policy in this matter and fulfill my request for full reimbursement/refund for both tickets: xxxx-xxx/xxxx-xxx to my above credit card ending XXX, where one of the two tickets was originally purchased. This seems to me a good and fair compromise given my request for a cheque and your airline’s seemingly inflexible policy.

I look forward to your confirmation of the above, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require any further details in order to provide this refund ASAP.

I appreciate your help in this matter.

Sincerely,

Mr. Vaish



BA RESPONSE:

Dear Mr. Vaish,

We are in receipt of your refund request in our refunds department regarding the above mentioned tickets.


Option 1:
In accordance with standard industry procedures and British Airways policy, reimbursement can be made only to the original form of payment used to purchase the tickets; hence a refund would be processed to your credit credit card ending in XXX for ticket xxx-xxxx and to Visa card ending in XXX for ticket xxx-xxxx.

Option 2:
The value of this ticket can be applied towards future travel on British Airways. Subject to the rules and conditions of the fare, additional charges may apply. A voucher would be issued which could be used as a partial payment towards future travel on British Airways only.

Please forward a written confirmation of the option you would like to utilize at the address mentioned below. Upon receipt we will reopen our case and take further action.

British Airways assures you of our best attention at all times.

Sincerely yours,
Mr. X