SIA data loss. No refund for credit after 6 months.

[Tom Spring-Hill]

In 2020, I opted for a credit with Singapore Airlines rather than a refund. I did not anticipate an extended period of no service. In December 2021, SIA began advising customers that unused credits would be forfeited at some time during 2022. In December 2021, therefore, I applied for a refund. SIA pleaded heavy work loads, etc and indicated that a refund would be available in about 8 weeks. It is now July and no refund has been forthcoming but two further inquiries have elicited "heavy work load/refund in 6 weeks" responses.

But the story grew more interesting. I had frequent flyer points that were now threatened with "evaporation ". I decided to use them. A small additional payment was required for the first of these. I attempted to pay with my Westpac Black CC, the card always used for SIA purposes. SIA regretted it could not be accepted and asked that I use another. I contacted my bank and our examination of the card revealed no problem with any trader except with SIA. The problem was obviously one within the SIA system.

I tried to access the information SIA held about my card via my Krisflyer account but got nowhere. However, I had occasion to make a further booking that required a further payment. I decided to try my Westpac Black card again. And then all was revealed. SIA has apparently had an unadvertised data loss. I found SIA has all my card info EXCEPT the card number. That field has become "Null" in their terms.

Hence, it has been impossible for SIA to process any refund to my card because their corrupted system no longer knows the card number. Have I been the only customer for whom SIA has suffered a data loss? Maybe I am unique. Maybe not.

I am constantly told my refund application is with SIA's Finance Department. Given that we are now over 6 months into this business, I would have thought SIA might have attempted payment to me and been foiled by lack of knowledge of the card number to which payment should be made. Yet from SIA to me not a word. Their data loss apparently dares not speak its name.

I have now provided SIA with the info. their system has lost. But, sadly, no response has been forthcoming so far. I now fear another "heavy work load/ payment in 6 weeks" letter. I doubt I am alone in this. How many others have been promised refunds within 6/8 weeks but 6 months later have received nothing. (There is no one to speak to, by the way. It's all email interaction these days.)

They used to have such a good reputation..

 

[SOPOOR]

Sounds like they're trying to be qanats

 

[UP4014]

Sounds like they're trying to be qanats

QF are presently refunding within 48 hours, so this way worse. Extracting a refund out of a foreign company is going to be tiresome but at Least SIA are a half decent business.

Keep persisting or get some legal advice, while we don't know how much in involved it doesn't take much in the way or a couple of first class tickets to rack up the dollars.

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to AFF @Tom Spring-Hill ; sorry about the circumstances that brings you here.

Yes, SQ can be bloody frustrating in respect of customer service. I don't think there's any airline where the on-board and at-airport product differs so much from the customer phone/e-mail service (at let for this lowest-tier member of KF).

Perhaps @Cruiser Elite can offer some insight?

 

[drron]

Yes I was "affected" but fortunately in my case they had just automatically did a credit entry. It was only early this year when I got an email saying I had to use the credit by the end of April that I looked for it. turned out it was $S8.40 in extra taxes when we changed an awrd. I decided it would be more trouble than it was worth so made a donation to SQ.

 

[Tom Spring-Hill]

Yes I was "affected" but fortunately in my case they had just automatically did a credit entry. It was only early this year when I got an email saying I had to use the credit by the end of April that I looked for it. turned out it was $S8.40 in extra taxes when we changed an awrd. I decided it would be more trouble than it was worth so made a donation to SQ.

I'm waiting on $1800. I've checked with data specialists. They say the data loss in my account is likely to have been part of a more substantial loss. I would certainly not have been alone. Of course, unless a customer has chosen to make a further booking with their usual card, they would be none the wiser that no refund will ever come because SIA doesn't now know to which card to send it. And they're admitting nothing and saying nothing - except providing an endless stream of "heavy work load/ refund coming in six weeks" in response to inquiries.

 

[JohnK]

I've never heard of a data loss when a company is owed money.

An airline has taken money and not provided a service and it's up to each individual to chase up. Sad.

 

[odysseus]

Just based on what's written above, it's not clear that there's a "data loss." Especially that it's described as "unadvertised" and that you appear to have assumed it because you didn't see your card number saved. For example, without saying where this detail is missing, it could be to do with an intentional clearing by the provider, a bug of some other form (as distinct from a data loss), or even something client side like cookies or saved details in your browser. It also doesn't mean they aren't able to refund to the original card.

Further, even if only your card number was actually lost by the provider (and you say it's only that that's missing), that doesn't suggest it's wider - in fact the opposite, as it's slightly more likely if more details were missing that more would be impacted. But still far from conclusive or evident.

None of that alters the original issue which is of course the delayed refund. That's just something that you unfortunately have to keep chasing up... which unfortunately isn't unique to SIA.

 

[Tom Spring-Hill]

Just based on what's written above, it's not clear that there's a "data loss." Especially that it's described as "unadvertised" and that you appear to have assumed it because you didn't see your card number saved. For example, without saying where this detail is missing, it could be to do with an intentional clearing by the provider, a bug of some other form (as distinct from a data loss), or even something client side like cookies or saved details in your browser. It also doesn't mean they aren't able to refund to the original card.

Further, even if only your card number was actually lost by the provider (and you say it's only that that's missing), that doesn't suggest it's wider - in fact the opposite, as it's slightly more likely if more details were missing that more would be impacted. But still far from conclusive or evident.

None of that alters the original issue whic of course the delayed refund. That's just something that you unfortunately have to keep chasing up... which unfortunately isn't unique to SIA.

When I attempted to make the most recent payment to them, again it was impossible to use my card. It was impossible because the card number was missing from my file in the SIA system. I decided to try the "Add new card" . I entered the details of the allegedly-defective card as if it was indeed a new card and, hey presto, it worked perfectly well and was immediately accepted.
I have alerted them to the fact that the full details of the card are now in their system - but still neither response nor refund.

 

[cgichard]

I requested a refund to my credit card a couple of months after the end of June cut off, and was very pleased to receive it in full - after a few days delay for updating the card's expiry date. Much better outcome than I had anticipated.
I've now booked for next year using points + pay on the same card.