Virgin bumped us off flight to the U.S. and promised to refund 75% – but it’s never paid up: SALLY SORTS IT

Virgin Atlantic promised to reimburse us 75 per cent of the price of our tickets to the US after we agreed to modify flights. 

However though the journey was final Might we’ve got but to obtain it. 

We’ve additionally not been given a refund for 2 bottles of vodka that we paid for on board in a particular duty-free deal, however which by no means arrived. Are you able to assist?

C.M., Richmond, London.

Sally Hamilton replies: You defined that you simply booked return business-class seats from Heathrow to Atlanta, Georgia, through Delta Air Traces by means of the Flight Centre journey company at a value of £4,919. The service on the day was Delta’s accomplice airline Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic is but to repay a reader a promised 75% value of their ticket after they agreed to modify flights 

On the flight to Atlanta, you took benefit of a two-bottle deal on vodka – solely to then be advised there was none on board. Workers reassured you the bottles could be ready for you in your return flight.

In your return, the flight was overbooked and also you had been denied boarding, which upset you significantly. 

A Virgin desk clerk stated when you took a flight six hours later with Delta there could be a 75 per cent refund in your tickets. 

Though you needed to cancel a enterprise assembly for the subsequent day, the promise of compensation softened the blow and also you agreed.

The clerk took your e-mail handle and stated it could be confirmed later.

You by no means acquired any affirmation and the vodka was not in your flight dwelling due to the change of service.

In your return to the UK, Virgin appeared useful at first if you chased up the promised compensation for being got rid of your booked flight however later recommended you divert your grievance to the Flight Centre. 

The Flight Centre pointed the finger again at Virgin, as did Delta. You contacted Airline Dispute Decision, a service utilized by Virgin and different airways to settle passenger gripes, however you bought no reply. You then noticed me as your final hope.

I do know from expertise that airways flash the money to get volunteers to surrender their seats when planes are overbooked.

If nobody steps ahead and passengers are randomly got rid of the flight as a substitute, statutory compensation of as much as €600 must be paid on high of offering a flight if the vacation spot is the UK or an EU airport with a British airline.

On my intervention, Virgin reopened your case. I’m happy to say the response was immediately full throttle and the airline modified course.

It recommended the recommendation you got about reimbursement was deceptive and that you’d solely have gotten the promised three quarters of your ticket worth again when you had been pressured to journey in economic system somewhat than enterprise class in your different flight, which wasn’t the case.

It stated you weren’t entitled to the statutory fee of €600 every as you had taken the choice flight voluntarily. 

However they got here up with an give you had been completely satisfied to just accept as it’s value greater than the fee.

A spokesman says: ‘The excellent news is that the couple are entitled to an enhanced compensation bundle of both two complimentary upper-class return tickets to anyplace that Virgin Atlantic travels to or they’ll go for 100,000 Virgin Factors every.’ You accepted the free flights and say you might be possible to make use of them to go to mates in America.

I couldn’t assist with the lacking vodka, I’m afraid, as Virgin stated this was the accountability of its third-party supplier, 3Sixty Obligation Free. I attempted them however bought no response. 

However now you will have your Virgin Atlantic compensation, you say you might be completely satisfied to pursue this refund by yourself.

Cannot hint lacking L&G pension

I’m writing on behalf of my spouse who’s blind. She is making an attempt to withdraw the rest of a pension she held with Authorized & Common which was later handed to ReAssure. 

We’ve stuffed in numerous kinds, despatched identification within the type of a financial institution assertion a number of instances however both nothing occurs or we get an e-mail saying they’re coping with our enquiry and in the event that they want every other info, they may contact us, however they by no means do. 

Please are you able to assist?

M.H., Bedford.

Sally Hamilton replies: You had been getting mightily annoyed by the glacial tempo proven by pension supplier ReAssure, a part of the Phoenix Group. 

The appliance to money within the pot was made in November and also you anticipated your spouse to obtain the cash inside just a few weeks, however you had been so fed up you got here to me for assist.

I stepped in to ask what had gone fallacious and shortly ReAssure stepped up its efforts. Inside a few weeks her account was credited with £10,947.98.

You had been perplexed by this because the supplier had initially quoted a cash-in worth of £13,917 and also you feared the delays had left your spouse about £3,000 out of pocket. 

After I queried this with Phoenix in your behalf, it agreed that the unique worth was quoted at £13,917.09 however once they got here to do the ultimate calculation, the pension was discovered to have elevated to £14,143.

The delay had in truth meant the fund had risen in worth. The rationale she acquired simply £10,947 was as a result of tax had been deducted.

Though 1 / 4 of the pot was not taxed as a result of present pension guidelines say savers can take 25 per cent of their fund tax-free, the remainder incurred a cost of 20 per cent basic-rate tax.

A Phoenix spokesman says: ‘We’re very sorry for the difficulty and upset prompted to Mr & Mrs H. 

It’s evident that we’ve got fallen brief in our service right here and have missed alternatives to place issues proper for them. 

‘We may even evaluate the place our service has failed on this occasion to make sure this doesn’t occur once more.’

The corporate additionally issued a goodwill fee of £1,000 to make up in your poor expertise.

Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Kinds It, Cash Mail, Northcliffe Home, 2 Derry Road, London W8 5TT or e-mail sally@dailymail.co.uk — embody cellphone quantity, handle and a be aware addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to speak to Sally Hamilton. Please don’t ship authentic paperwork as we can not take accountability for them. No obligation may be accepted by the Day by day Mail for solutions given.