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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Virgin Holidays have taken >£3k from account. Am at wits end

315 replies

chocoLit · 16/12/2015 15:26

So would I be unreasonable for accusing Virgin Holidays for ruining Christmas?!?

We booked online last night. £3200. Paid full price. Flights & car hire for whole family. Dates Oct 2016. Holiday of a lifetime and not undertaken lightly.

An error message came up on screen asking us to call which I did this morning as soon as I could.

They're now claiming those flights don't exist anymore unless we pay them £1500 more.

OR for only £1k more they'll send us a different way with two stops instead of one.

As for the money, they won't return that sooner that 7-10 working days.

I feel like am being blackmailed here and almost at wits end.

Girl dealing was very pleasant but new to company so wasn't able to help much or any further.

Someone called 'Dave' is to be phoning me back but she's not sure when or what he's going to be able to do!!?

So, AIBU to turn up at Branston's door with the 3DC and have him explain why they're not getting their holiday!!!

Has anyone had this before? Any advice gratefully received.

OP posts:
PestoSkiissimos · 16/12/2015 16:25

If you read the Virgin Holidays terms & conditions, you have 7 days to confirm whether or not the revised price is acceptable to you. If not you may cancel and receive a full refund of monies paid.

Spilose · 16/12/2015 16:25

You're over reacting a bit. Yes it's a huge pain but it isn't going to ruin Christmas unless you let it. It's not like the kids already know so they won't be disappointed and I'm sure they'll be just as excited to be told they're going to Florida weather they find out over Xmas or after Xmas.
Kick up a fuss to try and get your refund sooner but apart from that I'd just be looking at booking elsewhere.

Original poster
chocoLit · 16/12/2015 16:27

We're fully travel insured year round due to work.

OP posts:
hefzi · 16/12/2015 16:27

Just for future reference, OP - buying anything over £100 you get more consumer protection using a credit card rather than a debit card, and you should always use one where possible for flights for this reason.

HOWEVER - as you said you were going through checkout and instead of getting a confirmation, you got the error message (yes, this happens often booking flights I find - PITA, but still better than clicking through for advertised price on a certain flight and finding it's not available when you get to the website) they haven't taken the money as I said in a PP: just put a hold on it. If the flights aren't available at that price and you can get them cheaper elsewhere, ask them to release the hold today.

I had to do this last week - it showed up the next day on my card.

AdventureMathematical · 16/12/2015 16:29

Hi OP, I know a personal travel agent (which I think is a posh way of saying travel agent) and he is always saying that he can get internet prices or better even taking his fees into account. Maybe try something like that when you get your refund and bypass the Virgin Bullshit dept?

OurBlanche · 16/12/2015 16:29

Are there people in real life who would say "Relax. It's the week before Christmas, a holiday company has ensnared 3 grand of your money, don't worry, chill out, it will all be OK. Don't be such a twat with all that mithering"?

I hope not, as a smack in the gob can often offend!

chocoLit Give 'Dave' about 5 minutes and then ring back and demand an immediate resolution, if not then escalate via twitter etc. If they are going to worry you like this you can at least enjoy the experience by venting in public. Go get 'em!

PestoSkiissimos · 16/12/2015 16:29

Next time you book just pay the deposit on your credit card, which is worth the 2% fee because it gives you the full protection of credit card legislation even though you haven't paid the full amount of the holiday on it. Just pay the balance, when due, 12 weeks prior to departure, by debit card if you prefer this.

musicposy · 16/12/2015 16:29

If you're going for a refund it might be worth alerting your bank. We had the same thing with National Express, took in error, tickets sold out (albeit MUCH less money, but enough that I didn't want to lose it for 10 days while they faffed!). The bank said they'd give it 7 days and then refund it to us themselves. I felt reassured that it would come back to us, one way or another and this took some of the worry away. In the end it came back much quicker than that from National Express themselves. Even if the bank can't do anything there and then, it's worth having it on record.

PestoSkiissimos · 16/12/2015 16:33

Btw, sorry about your Dad Flowers

MonsterDeCookie · 16/12/2015 16:35

Tweet them.

vjg13 · 16/12/2015 16:36

If you kick up enough fuss by ringing back numerous times I'm sure you will be able to get a quicker refund and be able to book another airline before Xmas. I'm always surprised how long refunds take.

ovenchips · 16/12/2015 16:37

It's unfortunate timing, and wanting to charge that extra bit of money is taking the piss.

But take a deep breath, it will get sorted and you'll get to go on holiday. Referring to having a rough few years and disappointing your children is your thinking and it is not helping you at all here. In fact it's what's triggering you and making you more upset than you need to be.

There is nothing personal, no-one is plotting to get you and your children. They sound like they are being fecking cheeky but that is not the same.

Hope you get it sorted and please don't choose to let it cast a cloud over your Christmas. This is something that will get sorted.

Shakey15000 · 16/12/2015 16:39

This is appalling.

And if I'm reading it right, it DOES come across underhand. How can they get away advertising flights at x price then when booked, simply say, well they now cost a grand more??

I'd tweet, FB, and call right now and demand money back instantly or the flights at original advertised price.

I absolutely get why you're fucked off. 3k is a lot of money to be in someone else's hands for the wrong reasons. Good luck.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 16/12/2015 16:40

"I want the holiday at the price I paid for it. If not an immediate full refund."

YANBU, not at all. I don't know what's the matter with MN at the moment - too much mulled wine I think Wink

I hope "Dave" can help you Flowers

MojitoMollie · 16/12/2015 16:40

I'd book on boxing day when the sales start personally...

you could still do the HOLIDAY thing on Christmas morning, and get the kids involved in the booking etc?

ginnybag · 16/12/2015 16:45

Is everyone else missing that this was their kids big Christmas present?

Of course it impacts on Christmas!

OP, I'd be losing the plot, too. I hate the VISA 'hold' thing, and frankly think it needs dumping now, when digital transfers are possible instantaneously.

Get them on twitter - it's the wrong time of year for bad publicity.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 16/12/2015 16:49

Flight availability changes and this does happen, sometimes. It's quite possible that the seats you wanted are now booked and the only available ones are a higher tier, price wise.

If you confirm that you want a full refund, Virgin will cancel the other parts of the package and refund your money. That will not be instant. Money laundering regulations will mean it takes at least 24 hours, but it's more likely to take 24 hours for them to sort out once you've confirmed that you'd like a refund, and then 2 - 3 working days to appear in your account. They say 7 - 10 days to cover themselves for busier periods, and so that you're surprised when you're refunded earlier.

That's not to say that I think they've behaved well, they clearly haven't, but I think you're causing yourself more stress than it's worth here. They haven't lost the money like Santander did, they know exactly where it is, they will confirm in writing that it's being refunded to you if you ask them too. It will be back.

That still leaves you a Christmas present short, but hopefully there's a solution to that too. Did you have a back-up option?

KeepOnMoving1 · 16/12/2015 16:50

Yanbu op, that's awful of them to do that. If there was an error the payment should not have gone through at all. Very sneaky to take your money and then let you know there's a problem. They should immediately refund the money.

TheSecondViola · 16/12/2015 16:50

But why are you saying you have no idea when they will refund you? You know when they will refund you, 7-10 days. They can't refund you any quicker than that. They haven't got your money yet!
The BANK takes your money instantly. Then they have to send it to Virgin. Then Virgin has to refund it to the bank, and then the bank can refund you. Thats how card payments work.

You seem to be focusing on the wrong aspect of this. Offering you something at one price and then telling you that you can't have it after you've paid is a tricky one. If they can demonstrate that either it was obviously a mistake (like tv's for a pound or whatever) OR that it was a systems error that was out of their control, they only have to refund you. But you can always try to get it for the offered price citing final contract: the fact that you paid in full helps with that.

Shakey15000 · 16/12/2015 16:51

I booked a Disney holiday online with Virgin and was holding my breath as the payment went through. It was bloody stressful! Simply because it was a huge amount of money for us and it was probably misplaced worry, but worry nonetheless.

Hope you get it sorted.

Gruntfuttock · 16/12/2015 16:53

Surely it's Virgin's system which is at fault. It shouldn't have allowed you to complete the transaction to the point that you'd paid the money, before telling you that what you wanted was no longer available at that price. It is completely wrong of them. You couldn't do that with online shopping. Imagine choosing and paying for your goods and then being told you'd have to either pay a lot more before they'd deliver or wait 7-10 days for a refund. It's outrageous that this is being done by Virgin.

PegsPigs · 16/12/2015 16:54

Does no one else get the fact that the OP is saying Christmas is ruined because her present to her DC was going to be surprising them with this holiday. Which she now can't do because Virgin won't return her money in time before Christmas for her to book another holiday that she can surprise them with.

BasinHaircut · 16/12/2015 16:54

OP you might find that Virgin pick up this thread and help you sort it out.

Happened to me once when I complained on MN about Butlins.

GloGirl · 16/12/2015 16:57

I'd be fuming because they absolutely have the flights available that you originally paid for!!! Otherwise how the fuck could they get them for £1200 more?!?!?!

Tell Dave you will report them to whatever travel ombudsman's they are associated with (Google in advance )

And you will report them to the advertising standards authority because they have committed, got you to pay and then demanded more money and they're just not sodding allowed to do it.

Perhaps they have to buy the seats from a different travel agency to commit to the promise they made you but so be it. They are happy to do it already (providing you pay extra)

Id be fucking fuming.

Tweet them the link to this thread it's not good publicity! Thomas Cook the shower of bastards I could understand but I expect better from Virgin.

GlitteryFluff · 16/12/2015 16:59

Just surprise the kids on Christmas Day and tell them you're all going to Florida in October. They won't know you haven't booked it.
When you get your money back, book it.
All good.