Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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:
jellyfrizz · 16/12/2015 22:46

So, OP, I guess what Ohbehave is saying is that travel agents, such as VA, cannot guarantee the prices they 'sell' and if you want a guaranteed flight price you need to book direct with the airline.

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 22:50

That's it Jelly. VA is just another travel agent. It is just they only book with VA. of course, you may not even be on a VA aircraft if they are code sharing. It could be Delta or Jet Airways to India. They also share with Air China, ANA, and Singapore Airlines.

Aviation is a complex industry

LyndaNotLinda · 16/12/2015 22:51

Loving the way the people in the travel industry are defending this. Travel companies don't have to do this. They could not actually take the money from your account until they know you've got a seat on the flight. They could cover it rather than making the consumer take all the risk. But they don't, because we're just a bunch of mugs that accept that they will sell the airline seats we've booked and paid for 5 times over because that's the way they all operate.

Unless we vote with our feet, they'll carry on doing it.

Alice1983 · 16/12/2015 23:01

Jelly, how do you know the Error wasnt on the Availabilty VA was giving VH? Same thing could have happened on VA site.

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 23:02

Lynda. I don't work in the travel industry so I have no reason to support them.

Why can you not understand- VH are a travel agent. And as such they have to buy a seat from VA just like anyone else. And as such, that can't risk buying a seat with the associated cancellation fees without having taken payment from the customer.

It's nothing to do with taking the customer for a mug. It's all about sensible business practice to ensure you are not spending money you shouldn't have to

tatt · 16/12/2015 23:03

some very strange people here, must be a lot of mumsnetters working for Virgin.

The OP does not have access to her money because Virgin have taken it for a holiday they are not prepared to deliver at the agreed price. If they can not refund her money promptly then they should not have taken it before confirming the holiday was available. Unfortunately it isn't easy to vote with your feet when all holiday companies seem to be poor.

The chance of someone booking a holiday for 5 11 months ahead in a few seconds - pretty low. I would not be so ready to believe this wasn't extortion by Virgin.

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 23:11

Tatt. You obviously haven't read a single thing anyone who knows how the system works has said.

VH have NOT taken money for a holiday they are not prepared to sell. If the seats had been available the booking would have gone through

Is it VH fault that the seats at the price offered had sold. No.

Is it VH fault that they have agreed to refund to the card that paid the bill, but the banking system takes days. No.

If VH took a hit every time someone tried to book and then their card was declined the price of holidays from VH would go up making them more expensive to all.

BoffinMum · 16/12/2015 23:11

I would never book with Virgin after this. The idea of a company sitting on my money for weeks when they feel like it has put me right off. I don't give a stuff about their back office flight booking processes.

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 23:13

Boffin. It's not Virgin sitting on the money.........

BoffinMum · 16/12/2015 23:14

Unless they ping it back straight away yes, they are.

BoffinMum · 16/12/2015 23:16

They could choose to refund it via faster payments but they can't be arsed and want to take two weeks to refund it. Two weeks. Banking simply doesn't take that long. It used to take a week to cash a cheque and they have basically just taken that number and doubled it with no references to modern electronic processes. Crooks.

LyndaNotLinda · 16/12/2015 23:19

LOL at: It's all about sensible business practice to ensure you are not spending money you shouldn't have to

And equally, it's sensible business practice for consumers not to spend their money on holidays unless the TA has actually got them to sell. Clearly they're supposed to be the mugs that take all the risk which is what I've been saying all along.

This 'well it's how we keep costs down' schtick is always quoted by the airlines and agencies that do this. But somehow the budget operators don't do this and yet still manage to make a profit. How very odd Hmm

OP - I have a friend who's a travel agent. If you PM me your dates etc, I'll pass them on to him and see what he can come up with x

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 23:21

Boffin. Read what I said earlier. Card Merchants and large companies ( and many smaller companies) are tied into many laundering legislation and as such will only refund via the method paid.

There is no conspiracy. They refund you and then it sits in a big black hole for days. I have refunded customers and it has gone from my companies account immediately but not hit the customers account for 7 days.

Ohbehave1 · 16/12/2015 23:22

Money laundering not many. Oops.

lorelei9 · 16/12/2015 23:33

OP, I'm curious to know what Virgin have to say. I agree with a pp that if you clicked pay and they took the money, a contract has been entered into. It makes me wonder if they have actually taken the money in fact. I would also ask them what would happen if you'd been on the phone and seconds after putting your payment through, you could be told "oops sorry, haven't got that holiday after all". That seems bizarre.

lorelei9 · 16/12/2015 23:33

OP, I'm curious to know what Virgin have to say. I agree with a pp that if you clicked pay and they took the money, a contract has been entered into. It makes me wonder if they have actually taken the money in fact. I would also ask them what would happen if you'd been on the phone and seconds after putting your payment through, you could be told "oops sorry, haven't got that holiday after all". That seems bizarre.

Ohbehave1 · 17/12/2015 00:04

T&C's from VH website

After we receive your booking and all appropriate payments, if the arrangements you wish to book are available, we will issue a confirmation invoice. A binding contract will come into existence between us when we despatch this invoice to you lead name or travel agent.

So no contact has been entered into even if you click pay.

They have offered a full refund as it is not available. So they are not breaking a contract and are not holding back anyone's money ( assuming they make an immediate refund ). If the banks take their time then it's not VH fault.

That took me 2 minutes to find out. (And 10 to type lol )

HPsauciness · 17/12/2015 00:15

I think this is outrageous because a) it's a huge waste of your time as a customer to spend ages planning and booking what is an expensive holiday only to find it's not available but even worse they've taken your money and b) having taken your money you then can't book any good deals that come up in the next week or two, exactly at the time you have just searched, so would have to start again.

I don't have any money for such a hol, but if I did, I think it's a cautionary tale about booking with Virgin. If their holiday service is as shit as their internet service, it will indeed be crap and cost you money.

Ohbehave1 · 17/12/2015 00:18

HPsauciness. It is the way that the industry works - because of the cancellation charges by the airlines. It's not just Virgin

tatt · 17/12/2015 00:27

Ohbehave1 I have read it all - so I know that Virgin probably haven't actually taken the money but have a hold on the card that they could release in a few minutes. However if they HAVE taken the money then I don't believe the "money laundering" excuse. Banking transactions with a debit - not credit - card do NOT take 7-10 days to go through or to refund unless they are for substantially more than this transaction. If my bank took longer than a day I'd switch banks.

And the suggestion that the tickets were sold elsewhere is laughable.

Is it VH's fault that they have a crap system and don't care about their customers - YES and YES again.

Sansoora · 17/12/2015 01:50

She claims that what's probably what happened is exact same flights have been booked at exact same time.....

Its what I thought might have happened.

Sansoora · 17/12/2015 01:52

Sorry, it could even have been there were only 3 or 4 seats at the lower tiered price you paid and they were used as a marketing ploy to reel you in. Its a despicable way to do business and its what I think happened.

kali110 · 17/12/2015 02:07

ohbehave completely agree with everything you've said.
Feel sorry for the op as i would stress also, but the refund is coming.
It isn't true that you don't know if and when you will get it.
The bank take or hold the money instantly, not vh.
They're the ones who then have to give it back.
Money is refunded the way it was given because of money laudering regs same as shops.
Irritating as it is vh haven't done anything wrong, you didn't have a contract with them. ( similar to when shops have a pricing error online).
It is completely plausible that they sold the seats at the same time you were booking them.
They only have a certain amount at certain prices.
Why is it always the same lines that get trotted out on these sorts of threads when you don't agree with someone? 'Oh you must work for them'
How about people who know a bit about it and simply disagree?

Dontyouopenthattrapdoor · 17/12/2015 02:39

Sweet Jaysus this thread is frustrating. I also deal with credit/debit card payments. They are governed by massive procedures. They are Money Laundering LEGISLATION. Not guidance. Not good practice. There are systems that all the major merchant banks have agreed to uphold together in order to provide the best protection for everyone. This isn't Virgin stealing the OPs money in order to ruin Christmas.

OP at the same time I'm sorry for you, and I can completely see the frustration and disappointment. I hope you've asked Virgin to tell the bank to release the held funds now, I hope you get them back as soon as legally possible, and I hope you find an even better deal in the January sales.

Shutthatdoor · 17/12/2015 02:59

If my bank took longer than a day I'd switch banks

Then for instances like this you would be changing banks regularly.

Agree with dontyouopenthattrapdoor completely