No refund after dishonoured Neighbour-Free Seats

[Ausbt]

time and time again we see people getting stuffed around when the airline has clearly made a mistake ,

Totally minor issue by about six weeks ago I paid $20 for an exit row and was given a standard seat on an EDI-LHR. I wrote to BA and they just responded over the weekend: "I've checked our records and can see that you've received the seat you'd paid for, I'm afraid there is no refund due." Ok then. Yeah, I don't care at all, but no idea why they think this standard seat was an exit, unless of course they are looking at the wrong aircraft map.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If there was a premium for the exit row, that should be refunded.

 

[Ausbt]

You know, I would do a charge-back, but I know for such a small amount Amex would just give me the benefit of the doubt without actually forcing the charge back on BA. And I don't want Amex paying it back, I want BA to cop it. So - no chargeback. I'd rather 'save' any chargeback for when they are significant and really needed.

 

[p--and--t]

Totally minor issue by about six weeks ago I paid $20 for an exit row and was given a standard seat on an EDI-LHR. I wrote to BA and they just responded over the weekend: "I've checked our records and can see that you've received the seat you'd paid for, I'm afraid there is no refund due." Ok then. Yeah, I don't care at all, but no idea why they think this standard seat was an exit, unless of course they are looking at the wrong aircraft map.

BA did the similar to me.

Short form - paid for 2 x exit row seats, didn't get them, lodged a claim with BA, they sent me bullsh.. response that I don't understand what legroom is, I lodged a complaint, they refused to respond to emails, I claimed through PayPal and got 2 x refunds.

Apparently BA notorious for fobbing complaints off or ignoring emails.

I spoke to a BA rep at LHR and she said "staff are powerless to do anything, don't bother trying to ring customer service, all claims and complaints have to go via the website and pot luck something might happen".

 

[bernardblack]

You know, I would do a charge-back, but I know for such a small amount Amex would just give me the benefit of the doubt without actually forcing the charge back on BA. And I don't want Amex paying it back, I want BA to cop it. So - no chargeback. I'd rather 'save' any chargeback for when they are significant and really needed.

I've done this before, and actually had the issuer agent (it may have been Citi, when I had the Prestige, or Amex, but Amex's customer service is in general miles better than anyone else's) tell me they don't bother chasing the merchant for small amounts, and just pay them.

However, I think it's worth doing, because maybe if there are enough of them to constitute a pattern, they'll deal more harshly with (in this instance) BA.