Author: Versailles
Date: 08/27/2007, 09:36 am
I hope someone can help me.
In June I purchased some tickets for my family for a christmas trip to the UK using miles and money with Virgin Atlantic which is non-refundable. On Saturday I received coupons saving me $400 per ticket plus we would earn 1.5 times the mileage. I contacted Virgin thinking they would at least do one of the following either return my mileage used, say I can earn mileage on the tickets for the upcoming trip or give me the $400 off per ticket. The Customer Relations Dept. will do none of the above, I've been flying with them for 23yrs at least twice a year and to be told basically bad luck. I even tried to use the coupon for another trip but the return has to be no later than January 2008. Am I being unreasonable to expect them to honor some part of the coupon? I do feel a little cheated.

Please keep in mind no exclusions were stated on the coupons.

Thank you.

So, if I went went to the supermarket today and bought a pound of beef for $5, and then a week later saw an add that the exacts same beef was on sale for $4 per pound, should I somehow expect to get a refund?

Coupons are dated for a reason. Companies do it for a reason. Do you expect a refund every time you see a coupon for asomething you bought a day earlier, a week earlier, a month earler?

Or, let's assume that the airline announces a major fare raise due to new union contract with their employees, higher fuel prices, or whatever. Would you be willing to pay extra for a ticket you already bought? (I doubt it very much), so why do you feel that you are entitled to different treatment? when it goes the other way?

I agree with AAFF. Yes, you're being unreasonable.

What you CAN do is to pay a fee to change your current ticket. I don't know VS' policy - maybe you need to tell them a specific date or maybe not. But you should be able to use that ticket within a year.

Then, buy a new ticket with the coupons you have for your current trip.

I'm going to San Diego in few days. When I put the first res on hold I thought it was a great fare (somewhere ~$219 all in from Tampa). The only reason I didn't purchase at the moment was because I needed to verify my plans. AA has that great feature that you can put a hold for 24 hours with a fare guarantee. Anyways, next day I knew I will be going to SAN, but instead of pulling up my held res, I just tried another res, and I was surprised that the same exact flights were $179 all in. Cancelled my held res, and purchased the lower fare. I even got to pick the same exact seats that I was holding on the earlier res.

Then I can tell you stories that went the other way.

That's why I always tell the people here that ask if this or that fare will get cheaper, that buy it when you feel it's ok for you. Don't listen to some stories that Wed nights at 3am or exactly 1 month before the flight the fare will be the cheapest. I flew about 750K miles in the last few years and trust me when I tell you there is no one magical formula for air fares. It's a very fluid market and what happened last month, last year, has no bearing on what's going to happen next month or next year.

AAFF, I agree with you for the most part, but your comparison is slightly "apples & oranges." Many U.S. department stores (I'm talking Macy's, etc., NOT Wal-Mart) will allow what's called a "price adjustment." In other words, if you buy an item and then see it on sale a few days later, you can take your receipt in and get a refund on the price difference. Of course, this policy varies from store to store; nevertheless, it is an option in some circumstances.

but isn't it like saying that if I bought a full fare refundable fare I can do whatever I want? (Macy's(full fare) vs Wal-Mart(very restricted)).

When you buy the least expensive non-refundable fare, my analogy works as described.....

Not posting to jump on Versailles.

I don't think it was unreasonable for you to try to get Virgin to stretch their rules, but I also don't think it was unreasonable for them to say no.

I work for an automobile dealer. Whenever the manufacturer offers a new bigger rebate, there are people that bought their vehicles just before the cut.

That is disapointing for those customers, but it is not unfair.

Keith