To say that Julie had wanted to be provident! “I like to go on a long trip every summer, but I usually take my tickets in April-May. It was the first time I booked in December, I shouldn't have… ”laments Julie, a Parisian who works in advertising and was supposed to fly away for a vacation in Costa Rica from August 4 to 28. Lush vegetation, the golden beaches of the Caribbean and primary forests: British Airways had to transport her and her companion to this little-known Eden in Central America.
With the feeling of accomplished duty, Julie therefore buys in December 2019 on the website of the online travel agency Expedia two tickets Paris-San José, capital of Costa Rica, issued by the British company and operated by American Airlines for the connection Miami-San José. Amount: 1894 euros, paid with his American Express card.
No news from the Expedia site since mid-April
On April 18, when France has been confined for a month and the coronavirus epidemic is spreading around the world, Expedia sends her an email: "You are receiving this email because your airline has canceled your flight or because it was found that you could not take your initial flight due to the current situation related to the Covid-19 ”.
“There's no need to call us,” says Expedia, “we take care of everything. We attach the utmost importance to your safety and peace of mind and wish to inform you that a travel credit has been issued for your flight. The message ends with this reassuring formula: "You will soon receive a confirmation email in which you will be provided with all the information relating to this credit, in particular the name of the passenger, its amount and its expiry date".
Out of curiosity, Julie went the same day to the site of the British Airways company and noticed, astonished, that the same flight was still on sale.
She waits a few weeks for the arrival of a new message, but since April 13, "more sound, more image!" Storms this long-distance traveler. "I never received the confirmation email!" Expedia is unreachable, there is no longer an email address to write to them from my customer account. In May, I tried to contact them by phone. But the prerecorded message said that they only answered concerning departures scheduled before May 31… ”How will she be able to use her credit? What are the amount and duration of validity? Julie has no idea…
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A dispute that does not surprise the European Consumer Center (CEC) for France. “The obligation to reimburse the customer weighs on companies not on intermediaries like Expedia, explains Camille Bertrand, lawyer at CEC. However, the companies do not have customer records since the tickets were sold to these intermediaries. »In the end: longer delays to obtain a refund. "Especially since there can be very bad faith," continues the lawyer, while understating. The company claims to have made the payment to the intermediary when he, rightly or wrongly, tells the customer otherwise. "