ComplaintsforVirgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd.

• Initial Complaint

  08/08/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 1/9/24, I purchased four one way tickets from ******* to ****** (CY66ER). On 1/19/24, I purchased four one way tickets from ********** to ******* (E4GV82). On 6/24/24, I realized I needed to reverse the trip and fly into ****** and out of **********. I called Virgin Atlantic to make the change since the tickets were refundable/changeable. I was told that they could not change them, that I would have to cancel the flights and re-book them instead. I re-booked the flights that day and was told I would be refunded for the cancelled flights. On 7/1/2024, I received an email for each order stating that I would receive a refund within 14 working days. On 7/2/2024, I received a refund for E4GV82. I have still not received the refund for CY66ER ($931.20). I have called numerous times and have been told different things. The first call, I was told that the refund was processed and to wait. I waited a couple weeks and called again. This time I was told that the refund was not submitted and they would do an emergency refund. I got nothing. I called again and was told that they would put in a request for them to look into it. That was on 7/31/24. I have still not received the refund or any follow up from Virgin Atlantic.

  

  Business response

  08/09/2024

  Hello *******.

  I trust you are keeping well.
  
  Im truly sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced with the receipt of your refund. I can appreciate how frustrating this must be for you.
  
  Having checked our records I can see that the refund for the tickets you purchased under booking reference CY66ER were refunded back to your payment card ending 5306 on the 02nd of July 2024.
  
  The amount of time it takes to show in your account balance however, would depend on you banks internal processes.
  Please see the attached copy of the transaction receipt for this refund.
  
  As the ticket purchased was a full reward booking, you would also be entitled to a refund of the *********** points used to make the booking.
  
  These were refunded back to your account on the 24th of June 2024. This is indicated in the attached screenshot of your *********** account. 

  I hope this helps.
  
  If you have any further questions or queries regarding this refund, please no not hesitate to contact us we will be more than happy to help in any way we can. 

  Kind regards

  *******************?
  Customer Care 
  ********************************************* 
  www.virginatlantic.com
  

  Customer response

  08/09/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a round trip airline ticket on virgin atlantic. My confirmation # is EEILK2. My original return flight was departing from DEL on 26th July 2024 at 11:20 am. The connecting flight to *** was from *** after a 3.5 hours layover on VS025 at 8:05pm landing in *** on 26th July 2024 at 10:50 pm.I got an email that my LHR to JFK connection has been cancelled due to operational issues. I was then automatically rebooked on a different airline, in this case Air France and going out of ***** instead of LHR with only a 2 hour layover. This new flight is now over 12 hours later. I also have had to sit at the ************* till this new connection. I will also miss my early morning meeting for work in *********I would like compensation for all this. I would like a upgrade for both new sectors to business class and a voucher for a round trip ticket from *** to DEL for a future booking.

  

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  Hello *****

  I hope you're doing well and thank you for reaching out to us at Virgin Atlantic. 

  I'm sorry to hear you have been affected by a flight cancellation from ****** to ***. I appreciate how frustrating it is when these instances arise, I'm so sorry this happened. 

  I appreciate the request for a free upgrade on your flights and a free round trip voucher, but this isn't something we can offer. I'm sorry for any further disappointment caused. 

  To make a claim for compensation, please click the link below and submit a form. A member of our specialist team will be in touch with you regarding any compensation applicable as soon as possible. Contact forms | Virgin Atlantic help centre

  To claim out of pocket expenses, please click the following link, or paste it into your browser, and submit a form with relevant receipts. Contact forms | Virgin Atlantic help centre

  Once again, I'm so sorry for any inconveniences caused following your flight disruption. 

  I hope we can continue to welcome you onboard for your future flights.

  Kind Regards

  Ffion 

   

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22047030
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have wasted more than 12 hours at the airport for this next flight and I havent not even been offered any other better options nor any way to ease my travel. I should be upgraded due to such a long delay. 
  

  There is no link to apply for compensation in your response. I should not have to jump through hoops to get a meaning for compensation. This was clearly a fault of the airline and it wasnt something that wasnt in your hands. I would like to get upgraded so I can at least ease the stress of waiting on the airport for more than 12 hours so I can travel a bit more relaxed. And you should offer a voucher for my next flight.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  Good afternoon *****

  I'm sorry if my previous response has left you further disappointed. I hope you know this wasn't my intentions. 

  I'm truly sorry for any further inconvenience caused to you, but we do not offer free upgrades. 

  When thing's unfortunately go wrong with our operational schedule, you're required to fill out the necessary forms to claim for compensation or for out of pocket expenses as this is handled by a specialist team. I apologise the links didn't show in my previous response. In order to tackle this issue, I have set up a case for you in our systems under VSCR-00618863 and pasted this email to you with the applicable links, they should work as I'm sending them through our systems. 

  Form for claiming expenses: Contact forms | Virgin Atlantic help centre

  Form for claiming compensation: Contact forms | Virgin Atlantic help centre

  I hope you enjoy your upcoming weekend. 

  Kind Regards 

  Ffion

   

• Initial Complaint

  07/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I transferred 110,00 reward miles from *********** credit card to Virgin Atlantic Airlines to use for air travel. Virgin Atlantic subsequently ended their operations out of the ************** which is my home airport so I requested Virgin Atlantic return my miles to ***********. I initially called Virgin Atlantic and was told I had to contact Virgin Red who manages their rewards program so i submitted an online request to them. They replied that *********** usually doesn't allow them to return miles. I contacted *********** and they said they always allow them to return miles and told me to call Virgin Atlantic. I called Virgin Atlantic at # *********** gave me and they said yes they could but I had to email Virgin Red. I emailed Virgin Red with all this info and again they said they couldn't return the miles.

  

  Business response

  07/26/2024

  I trust you are keeping well.
  
  Im truly sorry for the difficulties you have experienced in trying to have the miles you transferred to your *********** account back to your *********** credit card. I can appreciate how frustrating this must be for you.
  
  Our loyalty operations team are currently doing all they can to have these points transferred back to your credit card provider, as this would be the desired outcome for both parties.
  
  If I could kindly ask for your patience for a short while,whilst we look into how we can do this with ************
  
  I will be back in touch shortly to advise you when I have more information regarding this. 

  Kind regards. 

  *******************?
  Customer Care 
  ********************************************* 
  www.virginatlantic.com
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  i was traveling with virgin atlantic airline booking reference is D66T9C i left a very expensive garment bag on the flight it was not checked in just took with me on flight and gave them to hang it in the closet and we forgot it, now they say they don't find it, it's a very expensive dress witch my wife borrowed from a friend we can't afford to loose this for any price, i don't think any worker would find this and just throw it away without sending it to lost and found, i would like the bbb to make sure that this is being handled honestly and they should make sure to find it and return it, they can check the cameras they have the resources to find this super important item for me, really appreciate it and waiting to hear back ASAP THANKS SO MUCH

  

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  Good Afternoon.

  Thanks for contacting the Better Business Bureau regarding your expensive garment bag that was left onboard.
  
  I was sorry to hear that your item was left onboard. I can completely understand how stressful this must be for you, especially as your Wife borrowed the dress from a friend.
  
  We do have processes in place when customers leave items onboard, however, Its not clear which flight you left the garment bag on so I will give you both options.If you left the item on the flight where you landed into **********, you would need to reach out to ****************** directly via their website, www.manchesterairport.co.uk, or you can email them on ********************************.
  
  If you left the item on the flight landing into ********, you would need to complete the form on our website: Baggage claim forms | Contact forms | Virgin Atlantic help centre.
  
  Once again, Im sorry for what happened. I hope youre reunited with the dress soon. 

  Kind regards,

  *****

  Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 25th, I was advised that my father in law was in critical condition in an ICU in *******, *****. I quickly booked a last minute ticket on Virgin Atlantic (Confirmation Code GYE2WB) via the *** Website and made arrangements to get to the airport for that evening's flight. This confirmation would take me to ************** in *****, where I would then catch a domestic flight to ******* on a separate confirmation number.I arrived 3 hours before the flight, checked in suitcases, received my boarding passes for both flights and waited in the lounge for boarding to be called. After waiting at the gate for a good 30 minutes past the scheduled boarding time, we were finally told by the crew that due to a mechanical issue with the plane, we would not be taking off that evening.I was told that at some point, I would be rebooked on another flight - no idea which flight or when that would happen. I tried to work with ground staff to get a rebooking on one of the flights leaving the same night, but no one was able to help me. I tried called through to your customer care line, and the wait was over two hours. There was another sequence of flights that would get me to ***** to arrive on the same day as I would have originally, and when I told the ground staff supervisor about this option, she advised me to book it and submit the receipts to Virgin Atlantic for reimbursement.I successfully made it to ***** and contacted Virgin Atlantic while on a layover to discuss how I could get the receipts to the right team. She told me to email ********************************************* I emailed the receipts and the explanation on 27 June, and I have not yet received a reply, except from some ECCare email telling me that ************* has taken care of it, but no idea what "taken care of" means. It's been 3 weeks and I've not yet received a proper response.

  

  Business response

  07/18/2024

  Good morning 

  I hope you're having a great day today. 

  I'm so sorry to hear you were subject to flight disruption from ************* with us, I appreciate how frustrating this must have been for you. 

  I have checked your case today and I can see there has been some miscommunication with our EC Care teams and the ************************* I apologise for any further inconvenience caused to you. 

  Regarding your claim for out of pocket expenses, I can see you have claimed for your flights with Air India and Cathay Specific Airways. I'm sorry, but we wouldn't cover these flight expenses. The reason for this is because we rebooked you onto a Delta Air Lines flight leaving the 26th of June 2024 going to ***, then the VS 142 from LAX to *** and lastly, the VS 354 from LHR to BOM, landing the 27th of June. We rebooked you on the 25th of June, the same day of your cancelled flight.

  While we aren't going to cover your new flight costs, I have raised a refund request for your Virgin Atlantic booking reference. Any refund owed to you will be processed within the next 14 working days. 

  I apologise for any further inconvenience caused to you regarding the claim. I do hope we can continue to welcome you onboard for your future trips. 

  Kind Regards 

  Ffion 

  Customer Care 

   

   

  Customer response

  07/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 22002422
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The information provided about rebooking by Virgin Atlantic was false. I have attached the confirmation email sent to me at 12:48 AM on 26 June (following calendar day - not same day). I was rebooked on a flight leaving 26 June in the afternoon, connecting through ****** on 27 June, and finally arriving in ****** on 28 June - a full 24 hours late.

  Since you stated the reason for denying my refund request was due to Virgin rebooking me same day (false) and arriving on the same day as my original booking (also false), please reimburse my alternate flight request. I was told by your ground staff supervisor that you would reimburse me because no one was able to respond to me in a timely fashion.

  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  07/25/2024

  Hello *************, 
  
  I hope that you are well. 
  
  I want to advise you that I am reviewing your case under reference VSCR-00607587
  
  We are awaiting the refunds team to complete the refund process for you and then we will be in touch directly with you via our systems. 
  
  Many ***************************************************************** ************* & Claims

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Recently I have found a few flights on Virgin Atlantic flying with KLM or AF from *** to ******. I found a few flights I liked and I transferred the points from AMEX to Virgin Atlantic to book my flights. When I tried to check out my flights on the checkout page, an error showed up stating that the flights were no longer available. I then called Virgin Atlantic customer service and I was informed that ********************************************* had been aware of the issue for weeks and there was nothing they could do. I feel like I was being duped out of my AMEX point and I demand a transfer of all my points back into my AMEX account. And here are some of my grievances with their systems:1. Regardless of who the system is having an issue, why are they advertising unbookable tickets on your website? This is misleading and causes customers to transfer points into an account that can only be used through their services 2. If they have been aware of the issue for weeks, why didn't they put a disclaimer for all AF or KLM flights?3. There have been 0 attempts to make things right after my points have been transferred. I was told multiple times that there is nothing they can do and all I can do is leave the points in their account and book other flights with them. To be honest, I have zero interest in using their service after this major inconvenience in my travels.Virgin Atlantic is fully aware of the issues on hand and has no interest or attempted to fix any of these issues. And you fully expect the customer to foot the bill. This is unacceptable.

  

  Business response

  07/11/2024

  Hello ***
  
  Thank you for getting in touch with us. 
  
  Firstly, I am very sorry to hear that you were unable to make a Reward booking using your points online. I am sure this is very frustrating and upsetting for you. Whilst you were unable to complete your booking online, this may not be the issue for everyone however, please be assured that this has been reported internally to the relevant team.
  
  I appreciate your request for a refund however, once **************** reward points are transferred to your *********** account, the points become irreversible. **************** will not accept the points back once they have left the rewards account, regardless of any circumstances,
  
  I am truly sorry that we are unable to refund your points. However, should you wish to attempt to book using your points, you can do so by contacting the customer centre. You can reach them at ******************* from the ** or *************** from the **. If you are calling from somewhere else in the world, you can find the best contact number on our website.
  
  I hope you are able to make great use of your points and we can welcome you onboard in the future!
  
  Kind regards,
  
  Sadya
  Customer Care
  *********************************************

  Customer response

  07/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21972113
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The statement that  ***************** will not accept the points back once they have left the rewards account, regardless of any circumstances" is simply not true. I have spoken with AMEX reward agent on the phone and they informed me that Virgin Atlantic has the 'full control' those points and AMEX will accept them if they choose to return those points.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

  

  Business response

  07/13/2024

  Hello ***, 
  
  Thank you kindly for getting back to ***
  I am so very sorry for any further disappointment caused to you by my colleagues previous response. I also want to assure you that I completely appreciate your frustrations and I do apologise if our understanding was not reflected in our previous email. 
  
  I also want to echo my colleagues apology for the upset caused to you following transferring points to make a Reward Booking which you then discovered was not available. I have taken some time to look in to this for you and can see that Due to a system issue, customers are currently unable to book Air France/KLM seats with their Virgin Points. 
  
  I can not apologise enough for any inconvenience caused however please be assured the relevant teams are working hard to fix this issue. We expect bookings to be available again at the start of August. 
  
  
  I do however recognise how upsetting this whole ordeal must be for you and want to make this right. If I may explain, any points transferred to your *********** account from AMEX is usually a one way transaction and can not be reversed. 
  
  Given the circumstances, I have reached out to our Virgin Red Team and have asked on this occasion if it would be possible for the transaction to be reversed. Please allow up to 14 working days for this process to be completed.
  
  I do however have to advise you that this is sadly not something we are able to guarantee as it is at the discretion of the Virgin Red team. 
  
  I again apologise for the disappointment caused. 
  
  Kind regards, 
  
  Rhian
  Customer Care. 
  
  

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

   
  Complaint: 21972113
  
  I will wait until Virgin Red teams response. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************

  

  Business response

  07/29/2024

  Hello ***,

  Thanks for your reply. 

  We received a response from Virgin Red on 15th July advising that AMEX have confirmed that the points transfers are not reversible. However, we did release a company wide update on 26th July which states that we have made an agreement with AMEX to accept the points back if the customer transferred points to make a reward booking with Air France/ KLM due to the system issues that we've been having. 

  Therefore, I have reached out to Virgin Red to arrange the points refund for you. Please allow up to to 7 days working days for the points to be transferred. 

  Once again, I'm sorry for what happened. I hope you have a great week. 

  Kind regards,

  *****

  Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I, ***************************, am filing on behalf of my parents. They booked Virgin Atlantic flight from ********** to ******. Passenger's Names:1) ************************* 2) Sumedhabahen *********************************** Original Flight: VS24 - *********** to ******, Schedule departure 10:55pm on May 30, Arrival 5:15pm on May 31 Actual departure: 12:04am on May 31 - delay 1 hour 9 mins before departure, arrival 6:25pm on May 31, delay 1 hour 10 mins Original Flight: VS354 - ****** to ****** schedule departure: 7pm May 31, schedule arrival - 8:55am June 1 Due to delay caused by Virgin Atlantic for flight VS24, I missed my original flight to *******New flights given: 1) ******** EK4 - ****** To ***** - schedule departure 8:40pm, schedule arrival 6:35am.Actual departure - 8:38pm actual arrival - 7:03am. total delay - 28mins 2) Air India AI910 - ***** to ****** - schedule departure - 11:30am schdule arrival - 4:10pm Actual departure- 3:02pm, actual arrival - 7:12pm total ***** - 2 hours 58 mins Total ***** for the trip: 10 hours 17mins Original schedule arrival at ****** 8:55am June 1, 2024 Actual arrival at ****** 7:12pm June 1, 2024 Due to more than 10 hours of delay in reaching ******, I missed my flight AI0655 from ****** to ****** which departed at 4:05pm on June 1, 2024.Amount lost for flight AI0655: INR ************************************* filing baggage lost form I missed my newly booked flight 6E5283 which departed at 9:25pm.Amount lost for flight 6E5283: INR 7084 New flight is booked: Air India flight AI0659 from ****** to ****** which departed at 6:35 am on June 2, 2024 and reached ****** at 7:55am.Flight booking charges for AI0659: INR 9400 My parents reached destination 16 hours late, they lost luggage and spent an extra ***** INR to reach ******. They could not attend thier son's marriage reception planned for the evening of June 1, 2024. They needed to buy clothes worth INR ****** for daily use.When I asked for refund they refund. Reply is attached.

  

  Business response

  07/01/2024

  Good Morning,

  Thanks for contacting the Better Business Bureau. 

  I'm sorry to hear that you've been left disappointed with how your claim has been handled. I can appreciate how frustrating this must be for you as this has been ongoing for quite some time now, I hope you can accept my sincere apologies for the time taken to get this resolved.

  I've taken the time to read through the correspondence in your case and it looks like we are still waiting for receipts to confirm the amount paid to Air India for the flights between ***** and ******. We also need to see proof of the amount received as a refund from your Travel Agent. As soon as we receive this information, we will review your claim as a whole.

  With regards to your lost luggage, your claim is being handled by Air India as confirmed by your reference BOMAI62902. I would suggest reaching out to them for any questions regarding your baggage. 

  Once again, I'm sorry for what happened. I look forward to hearing from you. 

  Kind regards

  *****

  Customer Care

  Customer response

  07/01/2024

   
  Complaint: 21918608
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The final response from Virgin mentioned that Virgin can refund any expense incurred between LAX and BOM. My additional expense is due to 10 hours delay in reaching ******. The original Virgin Atlantic flight was supposed to reach ****** at 8:55 on Jun 1, 2024. However, AI910, Air India flight from ***** to ****** reached ****** at 7:12pm, almost 10 hours after the original arrival time. I was given alternate flight from ****** to ***** and from ***** to ****** by Virgin Atlantic. I did not pay for those two flights. However due to delay in reaching ****** and baggage lost, I needed to spend INR ****** for new flights and INR ****** for clothes for me and my wife and daily essentials. 

  I already sent in email the refund amount from *********** on June 26, 2024.

  Air India customer service is impossible to reach. They do not pick the phone on lost baggage receipt. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  07/02/2024

  Good Morning,

   

  Thanks for your reply. I hope youre keeping well.
  
  Im sorry for any confusion caused by my previous response, I can appreciate that there was a lot of disruption on this ticket and Im sorry you remain disappointed.
  
  Ive taken a look at the disruption report for the VS 24 from *********** to *************** and I can see that this was delayed due to a slot delay imposed by Air Traffic Control authorities on the previous sector, which caused a reactionary delay to your flight. This meant you would have missed your connecting flight from ****** to ******, therefore, you were rebooked on to the next best available flight.
  
  Unfortunately, EC 261/2004 compensation isnt payable in this case as the cause was beyond the control of Virgin Atlantic.
  
  As previously advised, under EC regulation, we are liable to reimburse you for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred during the disruption. The reasonable costs include:
  Accommodation -In a 'no-frills' express type hotel, sharing rooms wherever possible.
  Meals and refreshments - This includes breakfast (if not included) a snack, a main meal and around six regular sized non-alcoholic drinks per person per day.
  Transport between the airport and hotel - Please use public transport if available.
  Two short phone calls - No longer than 10 minutes each.
  
  As your ticket was booked to travel from *********** to ******, we wouldnt be liable for the new flight purchased to travel from ****** to ****** as this was purchased on a separate ticket. You may be able to claim this back from your travel insurance provider.
  Whilst I appreciate that youre having some difficulty reaching out to Air India to discuss your baggage claim, we work in line with the 1999 Montreal Convention. Where a passenger travels with two separate airlines on one itinerary, it can be difficult to establish where or when luggage is mishandled.  So, its been agreed by all airlines that the final carrier will assume responsibility for all baggage claims.
  I respectfully suggest that you contact Air India in order to pursue your claim with them directly as they have taken ownership of your claim as shown in the reference, BOMAI62902.
  
  Im sorry I couldnt assist further this time. I hope youre able to come to a resolution with Air India promptly. 

   

  Kind regards,

  *****

  Customer Care

  Customer response

  07/02/2024

   
  Complaint: 21918608
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Why should I bear additional cost when the delay in reaching ****** was due to alternate flights given to me? I did not book Air India flight from ***** to ******, Virgin forced me to accept that option. I can't plan my connecting flight if Virgin failed to transport me to my destination within reasonable time window. In my case, I reached my destination more than 10hrs late.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear Better Business Bureau,I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Virgin Atlantic regarding a significant issue with delayed luggage and subsequent lack of compensation.On May 21, 2024, my flight with Virgin Atlantic was delayed. Upon arrival at my destination, my luggage was delayed. I was initially told I should expect it to be delivered to my temporary Dublin address within 1 day. Three days later.. I received an email from Airport baggage stuff stating that they were unable to deliver my luggage to my address, compelling me to incur taxi fares to retrieve it. The receipt times for the taxi confirm this correlation. If I had not taken the initiative to pick it up myself, the delay would have been even longer. Prior to picking up my luggage at the airport, I communicated with Virgin Atlantic customer service that I would pick up in person and will later submit taxi fee for reimbursement and received approval to proceed. This entire process caused significant inconvenience, taking over three hours to retrieve my luggage and leading to the cancellation of all my travel plans. Furthermore, I am currently at a temporary address and will no longer be able to collect my luggage after this day, which cause significant stress.Despite these challenges, Virgin Atlantic has refused to compensate me for the expenses incurred. This is particularly frustrating given that the delay and the significant inconvenience caused to my trip from the entirely due to the airlines fault.I am seeking intervention from the Better Business Bureau to address this matter. I request that Virgin Atlantic reconsider their position and provide appropriate compensation for the inconvenience and costs I have incurred due to their service failures.Thank you for your assistance.Sincerely,

  

  Business response

  05/26/2024

  I hope youre well and having a great weekend.
  
  We have received your query through Better Business Bureaux. Im so sorry you remain unhappy with the response from our baggage team. I do appreciate your frustrations and disappointment.
  
  I have taken your query and handled this from a customer care point of view. I would be happy to cover the expenses for transport to and from the airport when collecting your luggage. I have raised a payment link for the sum of $169.97.  This has been sent to you via email through case reference VSCR-00595615.

  
  Again, Im so sorry for any inconvenience or stress caused. I do hope we can welcome you onboard again soon where Im certain we can redeem your faith in Virgin Atlantic.

  Kindest Regards

  Customer Care

  Virgin Atlantic.

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to file a complaint against Virgin Atlantic concerning the suspension of my *********** account (Member Number: **********) due to alleged fraudulent activity, which I believe to be a misunderstanding or an error in their fraud detection systems.Details:Notification of Suspension: I was initially notified by the Loyalty Fraud Team that my account was suspended following investigations by their fraud protection team, suggesting a breach of the *********** Terms and Conditions. However, specific details of the alleged fraudulent activity were never disclosed to me.Response to Inquiries: Upon receiving the suspension notice, I promptly contacted the Loyalty Fraud Team to seek clarification and express my position that I have not violated any terms and conditions. Unfortunately, my requests for detailed information about the alleged breaches and my subsequent appeals for a review of my account were met with generic responses, and no specific evidence of wrongdoing was provided.Final Communication: The most recent communication from the Loyalty Fraud Team informed me that after an enhanced review, my account would not be reinstated and that they would not respond to further correspondence regarding this case. This decision was made without any transparency or substantial justification provided to me.Impact:This suspension has prevented me from accessing significant accrued miles and benefits. The inability to use these benefits, coupled with the lack of a clear explanation or evidence of my alleged violations, is distressing and feels highly unjust.Resolution Sought:I am seeking the BBBs assistance to:- Obtain a detailed explanation of the alleged fraudulent activity associated with my account.- Have my case re-evaluated fairly, with transparency.- Reinstate my *********** account with the full mile balance I had.Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am looking forward to your support in resolving this issue.

  

  Business response

  05/18/2024

  Hope you are well.

  
  Firstly, I would like to start by apologising regarding your issues that you have had with your *********** Account being suspended.
  Unfortunately, sorry to say the fraud team are the only people who have the ability to reinstate and re-evaluate the case and I can only refer you back to the email that you have been leasing with.

  
  Email address that you will have to discuss your issues with: **************************************************** 

  
  The fraud team are the only team that can look in to your case of fraud and they essentially make the judgment on suspending accounts.

  
  I am sincerely sorry that I cant directly help with this as it due to fraud.

  
  Wishing you all the best for the future and I hope the fraud team have a resolution that you are happy with.
  King Regards 

  *************************

  Customer Care

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased airline tickets with Virgin Atlantic points for two one-way tickets from ***** to the ** and from the ** to ***** for two passengers on 6/5/2023. I paid the base fare, surcharge, tax, and all other fees with my credit card, ending in 9188, and the points. The payment was successful, and Virgin Atlantic confirmed the payment status. I then selected seats for each passenger for each trip. Everything seemed normal, and the passengers, my mother and sister, were able to arrive in *******, **, without any problems. Their departing journey went smoothly as we had booked.However, on the date they were supposed to depart from **, **, to *******, *****, at the ***********, a staff member told me that Virgin Atlantic had changed a few things and not processed everything completely, so they couldn't complete the boarding process. Both one-way flights are operated by Korean Air. The staff with Korean Air was not able to do anything more from there. We, the staff and I, contacted Virgin Atlantic, but they did not provide us any solution, apology, or compensation.I had to find a substitute flight for the passengers and found one that was going to depart the next morning. I had to book a hotel room for them. The next morning, they flew to ***** without issues.I contacted Virgin Atlantic about what happened at the airport and their failure to inform me about the changes (I don't know exactly what happened or how it happened). However, they still haven't responded to my emails.

  

  Business response

  05/18/2024

  I can see that we havent received an email from Mr **** at customer care hence why we havent responded. My apologises for the lack of contact.
  I can see that the tickets were suspended due to the cardholder submitting a chargeback with their bank which is why they were not able to be flown on.
  Once a chargeback has been raised, the card issuer had control, unfortunately, once the dispute has started at this point, we are unable to intervene. Some chargebacks can take up to 45 days possibly longer to be processed.  During this time the tickets will automatically be suspended as per the conditions of your card issuer. This then means that you would have need to make a new booking.
  Unfortunately, this is completely out of our hands, if you wish to discuss your chargeback further or, please contact your card issuer.
  I have contacted our loyalty department to check the terms and conditions of the ticket and if any points are refundable. If there are any points that are refundable, they shall be put back into the *********** account.
  I am sorry to hear of the inconvenience and disruption caused to those travelling. I would kindly suggest that the cost of the hotel is recouped by your travel agent provider. If we can be of any assistance confirming events please get in touch with us at customer care. 

  Customer response

  05/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21725649
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. They responded saying they confirmed my refund request, but I have still not seen any refunded points on my Virgin Atlantic account.

  
  2. When I booked the flight, I changed the departure airport from *******, ** to ***********, **. I can see they processed the points correctly, but for the credit card charges, it seems they did not process them right. However, since I used a credit card, not a debit card, they should have been able to process the payment as they did for the points. Additionally, the process did not notify me of any issues at the time, and the booking was successfully transferred to Korean Air, where I was able to select seats for the trip. It appears that someone at Virgin Atlantic made an error during processing and failed to notify me about it, causing us to incur extra time and expenses!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Junghwan Bang

  

  Business response

  05/19/2024

  Dear Mr **************** you for your response. I hope you are well.

  I have gone ahead and cancelled the redemption of *********** points to your account today, for reference number DQPG5T.  You should be able to view this within the next few days. I do apologise this had not been actioned when the refund of funds were processed. 

  I can confirm an online booking had been made under reference DFVYIN where the departure point had been from *******. This booking had been cancelled upon your request with our **************** where the refund on points and money had been actioned. On the same day, of 5th June 2023, a new booking was made with a departure point from ***********, under reference DQPG5T. As previously advised, as there was a chargeback placed for this booking, we were unable to finalise the booking. 

  Please do accept our sincere apologies for the experience your mum and sister had, as well as yourself. Please be assured your feedback on this will be raised with our *************** for an internal review.

  We do apologise for any inconvenience caused. 

  Customer response

  05/19/2024

   
  Complaint: 21725649
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. The chargeback was placed for the booking reference DFVYIN from *******, which I canceled. However, there was no chargeback order for the booking reference DQPG5T as Virgin Atlantic processed the booking. If there was an issue during processing, either digitally or manually, Virgin Atlantic should have informed me prior to the boarding date.
  

  2. The extra hotel stay is just a fraction of what we endured, considering the frustration, embarrassment, and impact on the passengers' preplanned schedule. I have attached the fare for the alternate airline they had to take.
  

  3. I still don't understand what happened to us. If it was a technical error, Virgin Atlantic should have informed us at some point before the departure date. I understand this may be an unusual mishap, but please compensate us a reasonable amount if Virgin Atlantic respects its passengers.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Junghwan Bang

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