The HfP chat thread – Sunday 12th September

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

• Memesweeper says:

  12 Sep12 September 16:42

  *** HELP ***

  I cannot complete my PLF with my chronomics test number. Whatever I put in the gov.uk form rejects it. Any clue on the format it’s looking for? My code is AAnnnnnn/01 A = letter n = number

  • Yorkieflyer says:

    12 Sep12 September 16:44

    I’d there another reference number. It’s booking reference you are looking for

    • Yorkieflyer says:

      12 Sep12 September 16:45

      No A at the end

      • Yorkieflyer says:

        12 Sep12 September 16:45

        I meant /01

        • Memesweeper says:

          12 Sep12 September 16:47

          Stripping off the /01 doesn’t work either

          Same code for two passengers… I’m flummoxed

  • Lady London says:

    12 Sep12 September 17:04

    Long shot is this any good?
    https://help.chronomics.com/types-of-numbers-you-need-to-know-and-where-to-find-them

    • Memesweeper says:

      12 Sep12 September 17:09

      Thanks LL

      The passenger locator booking reference number they provided doesn’t work

      I’ve booked with another provider, code works fine, and I’ll chase chromonics for a refund.

      • Anna says:

        12 Sep12 September 18:36

        I’m assuming this is for your day 2 test?
        I’ve just checked back and there was a separate bar code number on my Chronomics pre-departure test so don’t know if you have one of those as well? Probably too late now but I’ve just seen this. At least my EM test which never turned up got me home!

    • Lady London says:

      12 Sep12 September 17:09

      I’d use the first or second format and truncate any excess digits. After all you have the proof of ordering to show in case of query.

      • Anna says:

        12 Sep12 September 18:37

        Didn’t someone say the other day they are basically looking for x number of letters and y of numbers and anything that fits that will do?!

  • Tracey says:

    12 Sep12 September 19:32

    Needs to be 5 letters followed by some numbers.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      12 Sep12 September 19:49

      Yes not enough letters

      Randox was RANDX…

      • Memesweeper says:

        12 Sep12 September 20:40

        Why didn’t they supply this! -sigh-

        • TGLoyalty says:

          12 Sep12 September 20:52

          Are you sure you’ve purchased a day 2 PCR Test from them?

          My predeparture antigen test had a PLF ref on it but i have no idea why since the PLF doesn’t ask or need such a reference.

        • Anna says:

          12 Sep12 September 21:37

          Yes – this sounds like a pre-departure test. The code on mine was 2 letters (my first and last initial though this could have been a concidence) and some numbers then 01. It says “Passenger locator reference” on re-checking the email, but of course you don’t need that for the PLF, you need the day 2 reference!

        • Memesweeper says:

          13 Sep13 September 01:09

          Maybe… I’ll check the email…

• meta says:

  12 Sep12 September 16:44

  To Craig on page 5
  Both looked good to me and I chose the cheaper one – Canopy on cash rate. I also chose Canopy as Curio is « independent » and I read less of a chance of an upgrade. In general, I have come to realisation that Curio brand is really bad on service. My last four stays in Curios were all really bad.

  Canopy is great. This was also the first Canopy in the world. Got triple upgrade. Booked queen room (basic room) got a huge junior suite with massive terrace overlooking the bay and a great buildings (in between there is king, and premium king/queen) as Diamond. Also a welcome gift of bottled water and Icelandic chocolate.You really need a bigger room as I overheard everyone complaining at breakfast how tiny their rooms are. Breakfast is back to self-serve buffet and lots of hot and cold options. It’s complimentary for everyone though. The staff are really nice and really helpful. Totally know how to run the hotel properly without any hiccups.

  Also passed by Edition which is opening up near Harpa concert hall. You could see that beds have arrived. Wonder how much privacy the rooms will have…

  • Harry T says:

    12 Sep12 September 17:28

    I’m pretty excited for the EDITION but I imagine it’ll cost a bomb. Glad to hear the Canopy is good and treats Diamond members well. May try it out if I find myself in that neck of the woods.

    • meta says:

      12 Sep12 September 20:30

      You can only hope for intern rate😂

  • Craig says:

    12 Sep12 September 19:03

    Thanks @Meta, really useful, I might switch out to the Canopy then 😉
    EDITION will be brilliant I bet, thanks also @John earlier ref. my original post.

• His Holyness says:

  12 Sep12 September 16:46

  OTA Hell: I booked three tickets via Swedish OTA GotoGate, aka Mytrip, ETraveli and many others. The flights were cancelled by the airline and the ticket was left in Open status, meaning they could be flown anytime within validity, with no fare recalculation. The airline is happy to rebook agency tickets.

  When I called the carrier to rebook one, I’ve discovered it was refunded against my permission. Checking the other two, they are also refunded. I haven’t seen a penny of the funds and I don’t want a refund, I wanted to fly the ticket. With no ticket, the airline can do nothing.

  I’ve got a written confirmation from the OTA that they would not refund the bookings. The airline says they would never issue a refund unless requested and GotoGate are saying they have no record of requesting a refund and they don’t have any money back. The airline has provided me with the IATA number of where the refund requests originated and the date the funds were returned.

  I believe GotoGate are lying and the carrier did not just issue 3 refunds, on different dates, out of the blue.

  How to proceed? I’m wasting my time with calls to India and emails. I’d much rather take action against the airline but I suspect I’ll be passed back to the OTA.

  While I’ve got links in Europe the Courts of E&W are more of a sanctuary than those of the EU and if I had my way, I’d just sue them for a full Y fare on the routes. With ETraveli based in Sweden, the EU Small Claims route from the UK is closed due to Brexit and I’d struggle to seek redress in an EU Court where I don’t speak the language. Only one ticket was paid for on Amex, meaning S75 is closed for two of the there bookings.

  I think under EC261/2004 it creates a contract obligation between the pax and the airline for issues like this and I might be able to hold the airline jointly liable? As they have an office at LHR, that would be a doddle to issue a MCOL.

  I cannot find a UK address for ETraveli. It’s a pity there isn’t legislation that for a certain volume of sales to consumers, within the highly regulated travel sector, a company is not required to have a presence in the UK.

  Any thoughts?

  • Lady London says:

    12 Sep12 September 16:59

    How exactly did you pay each ticket. By card and country card bills you in

    What are the routings on each ticket
    .what is E & W

    Is GotoGate saying they refunded you. If so they should provide transaction details. If they didn’t refund you then check again are they still denying they got money from airline and kept it.

    Do you have any insurance which would cover it. Who exactly is the contracting party / merchant name on your confirmations.

    English is apparently officially still a language of the EU so could be cumbersome if court but theoretically not a total barrier.

    • Bagoly says:

      12 Sep12 September 17:42

      Er yes, there’s a country called Ireland!

• SG says:

  12 Sep12 September 16:48

  Can anyone advise what is the average time to get through customs at Terminal 3(Virgin flight) in the morning around 7:30?We have got 4 hours between flights to pass customs,collect luggage and transfer to T5 for our connecting flight,I thought that should be ok but don’t know what the situation is like at T3 since it has been reopened!Much appreciated!

  • Blenz101 says:

    12 Sep12 September 17:23

    Was pretty quiet last week at T3. Long haul is still way down on pre pandemic levels. Much of the Heathrow chaos has been at T5.

  • ChrisC says:

    12 Sep12 September 18:00

    If this is all one ticket then VS will interline your bags through to BA and you can use the purple connections route.

    If these are separate bookings then you aren’t connecting.

• davef says:

  12 Sep12 September 17:00

  Virgin cancelled my MAN-JFK (actually postponed restarting the route) 12 days before departure. I submitted a 261 claim and they’ve denied it due to “exceptional circumstances/pandemic”.
  There were no changes in any governement restrictions during the past month that would impact them and they could just have easily cancelled 15 days before dep rather than leaving it to 12 days.

  Should I push this via resolver and CAA or just drop it?

  • Blenz101 says:

    12 Sep12 September 17:24

    You have zero chance of compensation if that is what you are asking.

    • Jonathan says:

      12 Sep12 September 17:43

      Agree. You aren’t winning this one no matter how valid your points on timings. Covid has been blanket accepted by CEDR/CAA as valid for dodging the compo elements of EU261 for cancellations. Duty of care still applies including rerouting if you do still need to travel.

      • Anna says:

        12 Sep12 September 18:44

        I have a feeling someone challenged this and won though!

        • Matt says:

          12 Sep12 September 19:22

          I’d say you have a definitely greater than 0 chance of winning, but you will need to carefully make a case to CEDR/MCOL. As you point out there hasn’t been anything covid related changing, and there is no blanket voiding of compensation. That said, it’s definitely not a definite.

• His Holyness says:

  12 Sep12 September 17:07

  @Lady London
  They were paid for by UK cards, one Amex, two Visa Debit all in GBP. On my cards it shows Mytrip.
  It’s PRG-WAW-BEG x 2 and PRG-WAW-VCE, all with LOT. All segments were cancelled by the airline many months ago. The tickets were valid until November 2021, and March 2022.
  GotoGate are saying they don’t have any refund and they didn’t make any request, LOT are saying G2G requested the refund and they have issued it. LOT would not issue the refund without the request coming from the OTA first.

  LOT have it on record I wanted the tickets to stay in open status (remarks in the PNR) and emails sent to me by G2G when the cancellation occurred stated they would keep the bookings “as is”.

  I don’t want the refund, I wanted to fly the tickets. Hence I would be looking to recover the difference between the new ticket and the old one. It’s theoretically a lot of money.

  I wanted to fly this upcoming weekend to VCE, it’s £500 and otherwise would have been FOC even though only high booking classes are for sale.

  I don’t think I can issue a claim in CZ in the English language.

  It would be far easier to establish the carrier’s liability, and then I could use E&W. Is my reading of EC261 correct that despite the agency being the contracting party, EC261 establishes rights between myself and the airline? Or is this just a case of incompetence and the buck stops with the OTA.

  • Jonathan says:

    12 Sep12 September 17:52

    I don’t think this will work out for you. Too many variables with agent/airline/residency/origin/destination. I’m almost certain you wouldn’t convince an English court that they have jurisdiction over a case involving a Swedish travel agent, a Polish airline & bookings that don’t touch U.K. soil.

    G2G are renowned for being very difficult to deal with so I’d keep hassling for a refund, be very grateful if you get it & ensure you never go near them (or any cheap online agent) again.

  • Lady London says:

    12 Sep12 September 18:12

    You bought in the UK (due UK cards) and so you can sue in the UK.

    You don’t say which Amex.
    If credit type Amex (not charge) you have full s75 rights for cost of replacement ticket, even if higher cost now in market to replace. Make sure you ask Amex for Section 75 claIm within the required number days/months of you first becoming aware of the nonfulfilment of contract by merchant the card paid (that’s who you name to Amex).

    If Amex Plat ask to claim on the insurance on that.

    Any other Amex with insurance, ask under that insurance.

    Otherwise any other charge card whether Amex or other, or debit card, you can only ask card for chargeback. Do so. If you get chargeback meanwhile then just tell the court you have received part back and court will offset this against your claim.

    I’d gather all my evidence (print and electronic) and send a Letter Before Action to Mytrip/GotoGate (the cardco can prob give you the UK address they have for them btw) electronically and by post AND the airline *jointly*, as co-addressees on the letter itself (whichever airline is code of first flight on ticket so sounds like LOT). cc: the card which paid, on each.

    Basically enclose the evidence and list your contacts with each chronologically and the outcome.

    Give them 30 days to provide the tickets that were agreed to be kept reroutable in accordance with your rights under EU261 and as previously noted by each defendant and agreed.

    (For Venice as you’ll have to fly sooner just put the £amount claimed for replacement ticket purchased elsewhere due to your multiple contacts having failed to resolve this in time for your replacement travel date)

    If you have dates for the other ticket rebookings state them. If not leave it ‘provision of ticket available for rerouting’ etc as above.

    State if all of the above is not received within 30 days you will take legal action. Give them a phone number and email. Then on Day 31 submit the mcol claim using same documents, add 8% pa statutory interest (you may/may not receive this but whack it in) and let the court sort out who’s liable. I’d send Letter before Action by post to each signed-for too but some may say email is enough.

    • Lady London says:

      12 Sep12 September 18:39

      further reply next page thanks to Wordpress

    • Blenz101 says:

      12 Sep12 September 18:48

      I don’t think using a UK issued card means the purchase was completed in the UK. I agree with Jonathan that convincing an E&W judge that they have jurisdiction here will be near impossible. Even if you do get an award then you aren’t going to be able to enforce it.

      • meta says:

        12 Sep12 September 22:03

        Using UK card means that the credit card company has a joint liability. I had almost exact scenario as above with Tap Portugal and Expedia last year. I would have been prepared to put Amex as a third party on a MCOL claim.

  • LS says:

    12 Sep12 September 18:14

    G2G are impossible to deal with.
    Being pragmatic, the best case scenario is getting a refund. You certainly will not get the cost of the flights. I would go via the chargeback route on Amex, and also on the debit cards. You will almost certainly fail on the debit cards, as it is timed out – you will likely lose all your money on these flights. Amex will probably make good on the others.

    You can’t sue G2G in UK, and could only do it in Sweden (unless you are resident elsewhere in the EU), where Swedish law will apply.
    This is precisely why you shouldn’t use an OTA.

• Josh says:

  12 Sep12 September 17:42

  Hi All,

  Would love some advice if this is possible:

  Want to use eVoucher for a BA holiday which requires me to pay the deposit and then use the evoucher for the remaining balance.

  However my trip is in 1 weeks time, meaning I am unable to use the deposit feature.

  Is it feasible for me to book the same flights + hotel option for say, in November, pay the deposit, then the remaining balance with the eVoucher, then after this change the dates of the trip to when I want to go next week?

  Is this possible does anyone know?

  Thanks

  • AJA says:

    12 Sep12 September 20:19

    I’d say not possible. Just book the holiday and use the FTV another time.

• APPL says:

  12 Sep12 September 17:45

  It seems that Expert Medicals day2 tests are still available for £28. I just ordered one today, the number was accepted by PLF, and received despatch notification just hour later with dpd tracking number.

  • Tracey says:

    12 Sep12 September 19:38

    Plf will accept anything in the correct format, the system doesn’t check anything further.

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.