Complaint Review: Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.

In March 2012, I purchased four (4) airline tickets for my family so that they could come and visit me during the Summer 2012.  I purchased the tickets over the phone.  Before I booked the

airline tickets, I clearly explained to the Virgin Atlantic sales agent, John Frederico that my family had not yet received their tourist visas, and that, due to this situation, I would need to purchase airline tickets that would be REFUNDABLE in case if my family would not receive their tourist visas.

Mr. Frederico confirmed over the phone that the airline tickets that I was going to purchase would be REFUNDABLE in the situation if my family does not receive their tourist visas. 

After I purchased the airline tickets, I received two (2) e-ticket confirmations, one for the airline tickets

I purchased for my sisters kids and one for the airline tickets I purchased for my sister and her partner.  The e-ticket confirmations (I can provide copies), do not indicate that the airline tickets I purchased are NON-REFUNDABLE.  As I explained to the sale representative at Virgin Atlantic, I would not buy ANY airline tickets if I knew that there were NON-REFUNDABLE knowing that my family had not yet received their tourist visas.

At the end of May 2012, my sister notified me that her family visa application was declined, and as a result, they will not be able to come to visit me in the U.S.A.  Therefore, they will not be able to use the airline tickets I purchased.  After my sister communicated the bad news to me, I promptly notified the Virgin Atlantic Airlines about the issue referenced above.  

First, during my initial phone call at the end of May 2012, I received horrible customer service!  The supervisor I spoke with, Hanna Boczek (extension

33341) was very rude and unprofessional.  After about ten (10) minute rude conversation, she refused to transfer me to her supervisor under any circumstances.  Additionally, she lied to me saying that "she was the only supervisor, and that there was no one else that would be able to help me with my issue." In response to me when I told her that I will reach out to the headquarters office, she said that "she was the headquarters office."  Unbelievable!

After this awful phone call, I called several other representatives from Virgin Atlantic and also the headquarters office in Norwalk, CT.  Additionally, I sent an e-mail to the Virgin Atlantic customer service at customer.relations.us@fly.virgin.com trying to explain the circumstances of my situation, and that the e-ticket confirmations do not have any disclaimers or disclosers evidencing that the tickets that I purchased for my family are NON-REFUNDABLE.  What a waste of my time!  No one wanted to listen.  Every time I called and explained that there are no disclosures or disclaimers in the e-ticket confirmations that I received from Virgin Atlantic indicating that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE, and that the sale representative from Virgin Atlantic confirmed over the phone before I

purchase the tickets that the tickets are REFUNDABLE, I was told that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE.  Then, Virgin Atlantic representatives also told me that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE because the tickets are discounted tickets.  When I asked Virgin Atlantic representatives to point me out to a paragraph in my e-ticket confirmations confirming that the tickets are discounted, or definition explaining what discounted ticket(s) means they had nothing to say or nothing to point me out to.  I could write forever about the ridiculous conversations I had with the Virgin Atlantic representatives, including the representative from the Headquarters in Norwalk, CT. 

Finally, on 6/29/2012, I received a letter from Mary-Jo Keane from the headquarters in Norwalk CT, in which she misspelled my name, and then informed me that there is nothing she / Virgin Atlantic could do to help me with the issue referenced above.

Conclusion, I have been dealing with them for over a month.  I usually fly using different carriers.  In every e-ticket confirmation I received in the past, there was a disclosure indicating that the ticket I purchased was NON-REFUNDABLE.  Not with Virgin Atlantic!  It was the first time I decided to use Virgin Atlantic, and I know that the customer service I received from them, horrible and very unprofessional, will make my experience never to be forgotten- they did not even bother returning promptly my phone calls.  By the way I spent over $4,000 my the tickets referenced above.  I would never purchase them knowing that the tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE, under the circumstances my family was in- before obtaining their visas.