• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Debit card charged again after refund issued

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

Tyegre

New member
I purchased a ticket for my father from Lufthansa to fly out of the country the following day. It became apparent that he was unable to fly after becoming ill later that evening. I called to request a refund on the ticket and was instructed to use an email address for the airline to make the request. I received no response to the email.
However, wthin 2 days, a refund issued to my debit card showed up on my bank account with the label "refund." Now, about 1 week later, the airline charged my debit card again for the ticket price without any authorization or notification. The bank has said it would take up to two weeks to sort out the issue with the merchant. The airline insists that a refund was never authorized, and seem to offer no help. What are my legal options?
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
What US state?
Was the ticket a refundable fair? Did you purchase travel insurance? You may not be entitled to a refund.
 

Tyegre

New member
The ticket was purchased online from Texas. The ticket was refunded upon request and charged for again a week later. No insurance was purchased and no one from the airline said the ticket could not be refunded.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
The ticket was purchased online from Texas. The ticket was refunded upon request and charged for again a week later. No insurance was purchased and no one from the airline said the ticket could not be refunded.
No one from the airline has to "say" it cannot be refunded - it would be listed in the terms of the ticket you purchased. Review those terms, then come back (if your question hasn't been answered).
 

Tyegre

New member
No one from the airline has to "say" it cannot be refunded - it would be listed in the terms of the ticket you purchased. Review those terms, then come back (if your question hasn't been answered).
That is not my question. My question is whether they can refund my ticket and charge me again for it without authorization.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
That is not my question. My question is whether they can refund my ticket and charge me again for it without authorization.
Yes, because you should never have received a refund in the first place.
 

MuDoggie1

Junior Member
Yes, the company can refund your ticket, possibly provisionally, then they can reinstate the charge if it was determined that you were not entitled to the refund. If the verbiage on the transactions is not clear, your bank can determine if the second charge is a reinstatement of the initial, authorized purchase or if the second charge is a rogue fraudster who has stolen your card information and made an unauthorized purchase.
 

not2cleverRed

Obvious Observer
The ticket was purchased online from Texas. The ticket was refunded upon request and charged for again a week later. No insurance was purchased and no one from the airline said the ticket could not be refunded.
When you purchase a ticket - online or not - you agree to the terms of the purchase.
For example, at some point in the purchase process there is usually a box that you check, "Agree to Terms and Conditions", or some similar wording, and the sale will not go proceed unless you agree. These terms and conditions can include the ticket being non-refundable, and the cost for making changes to the itinerary (rebooking), for example.

Most airline tickets that I've purchased have been nonrefundable, because I'm cheap.

You did not purchase travel insurance, which might have reimbursed you for some of your losses.

Zigner and MuDoggie have both (correctly) told you that if a refund has been issued in error, the charge can be reinstated. And of course they can - because they did it!

Now, if you get back in touch with a human, you might be able to sweet talk someone - but don't address it as fraud, because that's the opposite of sweet talking. ;)
 

Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top