Flight reservations
I had booked a return flight for my wife and daughter with Air Arabia, using my credit card. Unfortunately they could not travel. I had to cancel the tickets - an amount of Dh699 was deducted as cancellation charges and an amount of Dh2,688.40 was returned to me as credit, which I needed to use within a year. As mentioned in their terms and conditions, only Dh150 or equivalent per passenger would be deducted. I wonder why the additional Dh400 was deducted from my account.
Additionally, I recently planned to visit India and use the credit that I have from Air Arabia. I called Air Arabia on September 26, 2012 to book my flight using the credit, as mentioned on their website.
To my surprise, I was informed by the staff that I could not use the credit, as the credit could only be used for the same passengers (my wife and daughter) for whom the tickets were initially reserved. He also informed me that this was a new policy effective from September 15, 2012. This change in policy was not communicated to the consumers in any way. They should have at least informed the customers who had credit with Air Arabia. I enquired about this to the agent and he replied, “Sorry you cannot use the credit for yourself and this is our policy”. I asked if there was any written documentation about this policy. He replied that it is mentioned in the terms and conditions that appear on their website. I read out the terms and conditions from their website, and no such thing was mentioned there. He said if you have any complaints, you may call the customer relations manager. I tried calling the manager several times, but did not get a response. I left messages but no one replied to them either. My wife and daughter will not be coming to the UAE for another year, which means Air Arabia is taking the whole amount of Dh3,387 without providing any services. If they have changed their policy, they could have refunded the amount after deducting the cancellation fee, for people who were holding credit with them. Many people reserve their tickets before obtaining a visa. In such cases, if the visa is rejected, people will lose the entire amount of the ticket. This is unfair. Can Gulf News please check with Air Arabia and help the readers?
From Mr Manish Kumar Madhavan Nair
Abu Dhabi
Mr Hussam Raydan, public relations manager, Air Arabia, responds: Our Customer Relations team contacted Mr Nair and the case has been closed.
Mr Nair responds: I want to thank Gulf News for looking into this matter. I have received an email from Air Arabia stating that the request is granted. They asked for the proof of my relation with my wife and daughter and I have provided them the proof.
Overcharged
I have been charged an over limit fee of Dh179 by Standard Chartered Bank for using my credit card for more than the allowed credit limit.
I called up the bank to clarify as to why I am being charged and their explanation is that I have used the credit card more than the limit allowed. Normally, as with all banks all over the world, if an individual has been granted a limit on his credit card and if money being spent goes beyond the limit, then automatically the transaction gets declined. I have given this explanation to the bank - that I did not ask the bank or request them to honour my transaction when my limit is already over but the bank says that in order to assist with my purchase, they have gone ahead and approved the transaction but billed me for over-usage of the card.
If I had requested the bank to honour my transaction beyond my allowed credit limit then it makes sense that I have requested for additional services from the bank for which I should pay for sure. But in this case, I neither requested nor did the bank call me to go beyond my credit limit. I don’t really understand why am I being charged. I would appreciate if Gulf News can assist and get the over-charged amount refunded to my card.
From Mr Vizender Mohan
Sharjah
The management of Standard Chartered Bank responds:
Upon receiving the complaint, our Customer care unit contacted the customer and explained that over limit fees are valid when a customer exceeds the limit of his credit card. Over limit transactions are allowed by banks for customers who need to make urgent payments.
Customers are responsible for tracking their credit card balances and usage through the various online, mobile and phone banking channels that the bank provides. We would like to thank Gulf News for bringing this matter to our attention.
Mr Mohan responds:
Thank you very much for the help and prompt response. I really didn’t believe that Gulf News would take so much effort to help me out but I am proven wrong. I got a call from the bank and they have agreed to refund me the extra money they had charged for over limit fee on my credit card.
I really appreciated the Standard Chartered Bank’s gesture and the newspaper’s assistance.
Editor’s note: If you have any consumer complaints and wish to raise them with the newspaper, contact us via email at readers@gulfnews.com
