WC
William C
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2013
02 Jun 2021, 09:38
Questionable Trading Practices
Good day,
Virgin Atlantic has refunded my B-class air ticket (R44,000), and much quicker than the 10-15 weeks indicated by you (they did so within a week!). Given that Virgin Atlantic provided me a full refund for their canceled flight, I'd like to understand the basis of you indicating that my R3,937.56 is non-refundable. This amount was paid to you as a "change of date" add-on option attached to the flight that was canceled. Given that Travelstart is also unable to provide this service (due to the canceled flight), on what basis are you withholding my money? You haven't provided a service (or incurred a non-refundable cost related to the air ticket that I purchased), so I'd like to understand the basis of you designating monies paid to you by me as non-refundable?
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Replies (4)0
Replies (4)
Travelstart's replyOfficial
02 Jun 2021, 15:27Hi William,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I have checked the booking and can see that the service fees have been refunded.
Please note this was a gesture of goodwill as per our T&Cs we do not refund product and service fees.
https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/terms-and-conditions
Service Fee
These fees cover the costs incurred by Travelstart in booking and servicing your travel reservation. We also reserve the right to charge an additional service fee for any additional services rendered, such as cancellation requests or changes to your booking.
Please be advised that service fees and products are non-refundable in case of a cancellation. Service fees vary depending on the number of Passengers in a booking, the service provider or the destination and the service being provided. Should you book online these fees will be clearly displayed on the payments page before your booking is confirmed. Should you book with a live agent these will appear on your quotation.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I have checked the booking and can see that the service fees have been refunded.
Please note this was a gesture of goodwill as per our T&Cs we do not refund product and service fees.
https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/terms-and-conditions
Service Fee
These fees cover the costs incurred by Travelstart in booking and servicing your travel reservation. We also reserve the right to charge an additional service fee for any additional services rendered, such as cancellation requests or changes to your booking.
Please be advised that service fees and products are non-refundable in case of a cancellation. Service fees vary depending on the number of Passengers in a booking, the service provider or the destination and the service being provided. Should you book online these fees will be clearly displayed on the payments page before your booking is confirmed. Should you book with a live agent these will appear on your quotation.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
Best regards,
Travelstart's reply02 Jun 2021, 15:27
Official
Hi William,
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I have checked the booking and can see that the service fees have been refunded.
Please note this was a gesture of goodwill as per our T&Cs we do not refund product and service fees.
https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/terms-and-conditions
Service Fee
These fees cover the costs incurred by Travelstart in booking and servicing your travel reservation. We also reserve the right to charge an additional service fee for any additional services rendered, such as cancellation requests or changes to your booking.
Please be advised that service fees and products are non-refundable in case of a cancellation. Service fees vary depending on the number of Passengers in a booking, the service provider or the destination and the service being provided. Should you book online these fees will be clearly displayed on the payments page before your booking is confirmed. Should you book with a live agent these will appear on your quotation.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I have checked the booking and can see that the service fees have been refunded.
Please note this was a gesture of goodwill as per our T&Cs we do not refund product and service fees.
https://www.travelstart.co.za/lp/terms-and-conditions
Service Fee
These fees cover the costs incurred by Travelstart in booking and servicing your travel reservation. We also reserve the right to charge an additional service fee for any additional services rendered, such as cancellation requests or changes to your booking.
Please be advised that service fees and products are non-refundable in case of a cancellation. Service fees vary depending on the number of Passengers in a booking, the service provider or the destination and the service being provided. Should you book online these fees will be clearly displayed on the payments page before your booking is confirmed. Should you book with a live agent these will appear on your quotation.
Kind Regards,
Melissa
Best regards,
WC
William C's updateReviewer Update
02 Jun 2021, 15:42Thank you very much, as I also received a WhatsApp message today (pasted below) in this regard. image.png 104.33 KB
WC
William C's update02 Jun 2021, 15:42
Reviewer Update
Thank you very much, as I also received a WhatsApp message today (pasted below) in this regard. image.png 104.33 KB
WC
William C's updateReviewer Update
05 Jun 2021, 09:40I have just received the Travelstart refund this morning and am very much appreciative. But let's be clear Melissa, I should not have had to request it in the first instance because if the flight was canceled and Virgin refunded me, it goes without saying that Travelstart would not have been able to fulfill its service of providing me a "change of date" option. A couple of suggestions are offered below:
1) Telling customers that it will take 10-15 weeks to get refunded is misleading and dissuades them from requesting a refund. Virgin refunded me in 1 week, and your communications to customers should reflect this possibility.
2) Selling customers products like a "Change of Date" option, may not be something that they actually need. I later learned that due to Covid, airlines are actually providing this service for free. Once a customer discovers that they were almost taken advantage of, you lose trust, which is the fundamental currency of trading. No one will repeatedly trade with a company that they do not trust. It takes a long-time to build and can be lost in an instant.
3) Lastly, while I appreciate you refunding me, I should not have had to request it. These products that you are selling that are contingent on an airline delivering its service should be automatically refundable in the event that an airline cannot deliver its service. Otherwise, you're getting free money from customers, and that's simply not fair, particularly if you have not incurred a non-refundable cost yourself. That's called arbitrage or a "riskless profit" = "Free money", and once a customer discovers that s/he has been bilked, they won't do business with you again. I hope that this feedback helps you build a better business. Warm regards, WC.
1) Telling customers that it will take 10-15 weeks to get refunded is misleading and dissuades them from requesting a refund. Virgin refunded me in 1 week, and your communications to customers should reflect this possibility.
2) Selling customers products like a "Change of Date" option, may not be something that they actually need. I later learned that due to Covid, airlines are actually providing this service for free. Once a customer discovers that they were almost taken advantage of, you lose trust, which is the fundamental currency of trading. No one will repeatedly trade with a company that they do not trust. It takes a long-time to build and can be lost in an instant.
3) Lastly, while I appreciate you refunding me, I should not have had to request it. These products that you are selling that are contingent on an airline delivering its service should be automatically refundable in the event that an airline cannot deliver its service. Otherwise, you're getting free money from customers, and that's simply not fair, particularly if you have not incurred a non-refundable cost yourself. That's called arbitrage or a "riskless profit" = "Free money", and once a customer discovers that s/he has been bilked, they won't do business with you again. I hope that this feedback helps you build a better business. Warm regards, WC.
WC
William C's update05 Jun 2021, 09:40
Reviewer Update
I have just received the Travelstart refund this morning and am very much appreciative. But let's be clear Melissa, I should not have had to request it in the first instance because if the flight was canceled and Virgin refunded me, it goes without saying that Travelstart would not have been able to fulfill its service of providing me a "change of date" option. A couple of suggestions are offered below:
1) Telling customers that it will take 10-15 weeks to get refunded is misleading and dissuades them from requesting a refund. Virgin refunded me in 1 week, and your communications to customers should reflect this possibility.
2) Selling customers products like a "Change of Date" option, may not be something that they actually need. I later learned that due to Covid, airlines are actually providing this service for free. Once a customer discovers that they were almost taken advantage of, you lose trust, which is the fundamental currency of trading. No one will repeatedly trade with a company that they do not trust. It takes a long-time to build and can be lost in an instant.
3) Lastly, while I appreciate you refunding me, I should not have had to request it. These products that you are selling that are contingent on an airline delivering its service should be automatically refundable in the event that an airline cannot deliver its service. Otherwise, you're getting free money from customers, and that's simply not fair, particularly if you have not incurred a non-refundable cost yourself. That's called arbitrage or a "riskless profit" = "Free money", and once a customer discovers that s/he has been bilked, they won't do business with you again. I hope that this feedback helps you build a better business. Warm regards, WC.
1) Telling customers that it will take 10-15 weeks to get refunded is misleading and dissuades them from requesting a refund. Virgin refunded me in 1 week, and your communications to customers should reflect this possibility.
2) Selling customers products like a "Change of Date" option, may not be something that they actually need. I later learned that due to Covid, airlines are actually providing this service for free. Once a customer discovers that they were almost taken advantage of, you lose trust, which is the fundamental currency of trading. No one will repeatedly trade with a company that they do not trust. It takes a long-time to build and can be lost in an instant.
3) Lastly, while I appreciate you refunding me, I should not have had to request it. These products that you are selling that are contingent on an airline delivering its service should be automatically refundable in the event that an airline cannot deliver its service. Otherwise, you're getting free money from customers, and that's simply not fair, particularly if you have not incurred a non-refundable cost yourself. That's called arbitrage or a "riskless profit" = "Free money", and once a customer discovers that s/he has been bilked, they won't do business with you again. I hope that this feedback helps you build a better business. Warm regards, WC.
WC
William C's updateReviewer Update
05 Jun 2021, 09:50I can understand that your Service Fees are non-refundable, but your Product Fees ought to be refundable if they are tied to an airline's canceled flight because the product can't be of use in a canceled flight scenario--that's just common sense (and fair trading); I'd encourage the company to review this policy because it may lead to a loss of repeat business, which undermines your business model in the long-run. Good luck in building a better business that customers trust.
WC
William C's update05 Jun 2021, 09:50
Reviewer Update
I can understand that your Service Fees are non-refundable, but your Product Fees ought to be refundable if they are tied to an airline's canceled flight because the product can't be of use in a canceled flight scenario--that's just common sense (and fair trading); I'd encourage the company to review this policy because it may lead to a loss of repeat business, which undermines your business model in the long-run. Good luck in building a better business that customers trust.