Phuket Air (legal) advice needed!!!
Discussion
I'm sure you saw the news stories about this joke of an airline and their four incidents in five days last week (the most dramatic of which involved fuel spilling out of the wing over the engine as the plane was about to take off, prompting a near mutiny to stop the plane)
The situation is as follows: We flew out to Thailand with them a couple of weeks before this happened. We were due to fly back on the 23:50 flight last Saturday. When we got to the airport the flight was cancelled (despite phoning and confirming it was on time). We were then told we would fly on the Sunday but on getting to the airport were sent away again and then dragged back again. They said we might be able to fly indirect to Amsterdam on the Tuesday night(!) but they could not guarantee us a space on the flight and seeing that they had been banned by the CAA from landing in the UK we would then risk being stranded in Amsterdam.
On several occasions we were explicitly promised that if we could find an earlier flight home they (Phuket) would pick up the bill, providing it was an economy flight. However when we eventually did so (some 24 hours after we should have departed) they refused to pay claiming they had no money. At this point Phuket said they might be a flight on Tuesday or maybe or Thursday or....
We had no choice but to get back to the UK a few hours delay is one thing but 4+ days is beyond a joke. As such we bought new tickets (via HK and Paris) to get back. Phuket stated to fellow passengers that if they bought alternative tickets they would refund the cost of the Phuket Air ticket.
Finally got home on Monday night. Surprise spires it is now proving very difficult to get hold of Phuket Air. Their UK offices appear to have been shut down and the Thailand office is not responding to e-mails / calls.
My questions is this (sorry got there in the end!):
What should I do in attempting to claim the money back?
- Phuket Air?
- Airline network (who sold us the tickets)?
- Travel insurance?
- Credit card co?
Any advice would be very much appreciated!
The situation is as follows: We flew out to Thailand with them a couple of weeks before this happened. We were due to fly back on the 23:50 flight last Saturday. When we got to the airport the flight was cancelled (despite phoning and confirming it was on time). We were then told we would fly on the Sunday but on getting to the airport were sent away again and then dragged back again. They said we might be able to fly indirect to Amsterdam on the Tuesday night(!) but they could not guarantee us a space on the flight and seeing that they had been banned by the CAA from landing in the UK we would then risk being stranded in Amsterdam.
On several occasions we were explicitly promised that if we could find an earlier flight home they (Phuket) would pick up the bill, providing it was an economy flight. However when we eventually did so (some 24 hours after we should have departed) they refused to pay claiming they had no money. At this point Phuket said they might be a flight on Tuesday or maybe or Thursday or....
We had no choice but to get back to the UK a few hours delay is one thing but 4+ days is beyond a joke. As such we bought new tickets (via HK and Paris) to get back. Phuket stated to fellow passengers that if they bought alternative tickets they would refund the cost of the Phuket Air ticket.
Finally got home on Monday night. Surprise spires it is now proving very difficult to get hold of Phuket Air. Their UK offices appear to have been shut down and the Thailand office is not responding to e-mails / calls.
My questions is this (sorry got there in the end!):
What should I do in attempting to claim the money back?
- Phuket Air?
- Airline network (who sold us the tickets)?
- Travel insurance?
- Credit card co?
Any advice would be very much appreciated!
Not legal help, but this might shed some more light on Phuket?
www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=299c370f3a861cb8aec48c15aac27376&threadid=170663
www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=299c370f3a861cb8aec48c15aac27376&threadid=170663
First off, contact your credit card company. Provided the cost was greater than £100, they should pick up liability. At the very least state that the item is on dispute and you will not be paying until the dispute is resolved.
Second, it appears that the tickets were purchased through an agent. Check all documents, and challenge them to solve the issue. As the seller, they are effectively the people you would have to sue.
ATOL/ABTA: ATOL cover (even if it helps) only applies if you purchased a package holiday. If you did, copy them in and seek advice. Their bond deal is with the reseller and the operator, not Air Phuket. I believe ABTA cover is the same.
Travel Insurance: their response sounds like bollox. At the very least, surely the insurance covers your costs whilst held in Phuket? Check the policy. Chllenge them to provide a detailed explanation against what is stated in the policy.
Overall, I would suggest a standard letter of complaint mailed to the UK office of Air Phuket, with all relevant details. Copy this to all the other parties with an appropriate covering note.
Second, it appears that the tickets were purchased through an agent. Check all documents, and challenge them to solve the issue. As the seller, they are effectively the people you would have to sue.
ATOL/ABTA: ATOL cover (even if it helps) only applies if you purchased a package holiday. If you did, copy them in and seek advice. Their bond deal is with the reseller and the operator, not Air Phuket. I believe ABTA cover is the same.
Travel Insurance: their response sounds like bollox. At the very least, surely the insurance covers your costs whilst held in Phuket? Check the policy. Chllenge them to provide a detailed explanation against what is stated in the policy.
Overall, I would suggest a standard letter of complaint mailed to the UK office of Air Phuket, with all relevant details. Copy this to all the other parties with an appropriate covering note.
Leadfoot said:
Not legal help, but this might shed some more light on Phuket?
www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=299c370f3a861cb8aec48c15aac27376&threadid=170663
Thanks Leadfoot. That has to be one of the scariest threads I have ever read re air safety
Phuket had 12 planes, 10 have now been grounded - go figure. Somewhere there was someone's view that their airline was funded as a cover for spending drugs money. That also doesn't suprise me
Phuke dat Phuket!
ultimasimon said:
That has to be one of the scariest threads I have ever read re air safety
Tabloid fever sure has a hold on them now.
Looks to me that most of the current troubles are purely (Thai) political.
That said I (speaking as someone working in the airline industry) would not fly with them.
hmmm - turning into a(nother) nightmare this!
Transpires I paid for it on switch (either there was a surcharge for Amex or the didn't take it). HSBC say it will take them 10 weeks to look into the matter.... great
Phuket are refusing to return my e-mail or calls..
Airline network have yet to get back to me...
Travel Insurance co claim it is down to the airline to get you home and not their problem..
bunch of bandits!!
any ideas???
Transpires I paid for it on switch (either there was a surcharge for Amex or the didn't take it). HSBC say it will take them 10 weeks to look into the matter.... great
Phuket are refusing to return my e-mail or calls..
Airline network have yet to get back to me...
Travel Insurance co claim it is down to the airline to get you home and not their problem..
bunch of bandits!!
any ideas???
Flew Eva back over new year...to Bankgok as well as it happens.
Flew both ways on 747-400s, but not the most expensively-equipped (no seat-back screens, for example - they are overhead on the aisles).
Seat pitch was 33in in Economy, 38in in their Economy Plus (whatever it was called). 10-abreast in economy, 8-abreast in Economy plus. Was enough for me (5'10" and avg build), found the seat width the limiting factor...just enough.
Otherwise very good. Timely, pleasant, had an amusing moment on the way back where we thought one meal was prawn, turned out to be lamb! (Don't ask - never before have I heard shrimp and sheep so badly confused!!!)
We nearly booked Phuket, in the end did both internal transfers with Bangkok Int'l Airways...again pretty good, even the ATR-72's were decent planes. Can recommend them also...and they fly direct BKK to Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is - Cambodia)!
Flew both ways on 747-400s, but not the most expensively-equipped (no seat-back screens, for example - they are overhead on the aisles).
Seat pitch was 33in in Economy, 38in in their Economy Plus (whatever it was called). 10-abreast in economy, 8-abreast in Economy plus. Was enough for me (5'10" and avg build), found the seat width the limiting factor...just enough.
Otherwise very good. Timely, pleasant, had an amusing moment on the way back where we thought one meal was prawn, turned out to be lamb! (Don't ask - never before have I heard shrimp and sheep so badly confused!!!)
We nearly booked Phuket, in the end did both internal transfers with Bangkok Int'l Airways...again pretty good, even the ATR-72's were decent planes. Can recommend them also...and they fly direct BKK to Siem Reap (where Angkor Wat is - Cambodia)!
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff