Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s star investigator, battling readers’ corners, revealing the truth behind closed doors and winning victories for those left penniless. Find out how to contact him below.
DR writes: We booked to fly with Royal Jordanian Airlines, but they changed the flight times for two days, so we had to claim a refund.
Our tickets were refundable and in any case the airline promised a full refund. However, since then I contacted them more than 20 times, but received nothing.
The flights were for a special vacation as my wife has an incurable medical condition and this could have been her last chance to travel.
Tony Hetherington replies: You gave me a copy of the message you received from Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJA) and it couldn’t be clearer. He was told he could change his booking to a different date, although this could incur a penalty charge. Or you can cancel your reservation but keep the tickets to use anytime over the next year, although you’ll be charged rebooking fees when you decide to use them.
Special holidays: but Royal Jordanian Airlines changed flight schedules in two days
Or, finally, RJA confirmed that you are “entitled to a full refund due to the schedule change.” If I understand the currency conversion correctly, you and your wife should have received around £1,400 each within a fortnight of submitting your claim, but months later you have received nothing.
I asked RJA to look into this and the airline’s response was surprising. He told me: ‘We have been informed that we are currently facing challenges with the refund process for any payments made through PayPal. Our finance team at head office is actively working to resolve this issue at this time.” But what does this have to do with you? The relationship between the airline and PayPal should not be your problem.
RJA changed the flights by two unacceptable days, RJA confirmed that you are entitled to a full refund, so why can’t RJA just take out their checkbook and send you the money, or better yet, pay you by bank transfer?
What exactly are the challenges facing RJA? Should passengers delay making reservations, rather than risk having their money disappear for months without proper explanation?
I asked the airline both questions and on February 5 they responded: “Our finance team has informed us that the refund is in process and that passengers will receive the credit later this week.” Well, it arrived on Friday the 9th, but no refund arrived. I was wondering if RJA considered Saturday or Sunday as a weekend. Very good, it arrived on Saturday but there was no refund, and then on Sunday, the same, there was no refund.
I asked the airline to say exactly where they had sent the refund. He did not answer. I asked if Royal Jordanian Airlines – which is owned primarily by the Jordanian government – was in financial difficulty. He did not answer.
But it is a fact that at the end of last year RJA announced plans to dig itself out of a very deep financial hole that saw it record losses of around £450 million.
Big airlines could tolerate this, but RJA is not a big airline and its losses put it in danger of liquidation. It avoided this by altering its share structure, but has since been financially affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
All of this leaves you stuck in a “the check is in the mail” situation. You are not alone.
A current review of RJA on Tripadvisor warns that “refunds are not their strong suit!”
That was from a passenger whose flight was canceled last October. He still has not received any refund and emails have gone unanswered.
Another passenger was forced to cancel after RJA changed its schedules six times, which would have left him waiting 48 hours for his connecting flight.
He claimed a refund two months ago but hasn’t even received acknowledgment. “This company is not like other companies,” he wrote. You can say that again.
RJA has not joined any Air Travel Ombudsman scheme that may investigate your non-payment.
I have now advised you to contact the Civil Aviation Authority. There are plenty of reasons not to fly to the Middle East right now, and Royal Jordanian Airlines just offered a new one.
Why did Ovo lose my bill payment?
New Jersey writes: Ovo took over my SSE power supply.
I paid the Ovo bill by sending a check as usual, but I couldn’t deliver it because Ovo closed the SSE office without notifying customers.
I then paid by bank transfer, but have since received an email saying I had not paid, followed by a threat of court action.
Frustration: Ovo closed the SSE office without notifying customers
Tony Hetherington replies: When you made the bank transfer you completed the Ovo online payment form. This included a space marked “reference,” so he entered it as “electric bill.” What Ovo really wanted was your account number.
Trying to fix this was frustrating for you. You gave Ovo your bank statement but it still couldn’t link the payment to your supply. And when you decided to change suppliers, Ovo said it would tell any new supplier that you are a debtor.
I asked Ovo for comment and they soon called back to apologize and admit that the payment form was poorly worded. Her payment has been traced, she owes nothing and Ovo has offered her £100 and a gift hamper as an apology.
If you believe you are a victim of financial irregularity, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large volume of inquiries, it is not possible to provide personal responses. Please only send copies of the original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
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