Royal Jordanian Airlines’ inability to pay refunds is another reason NOT to fly to the Middle East: TONY HETHERINGTON investigates

Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s top researcher, taking on readers’ corners, uncovering the truth that lies behind closed doors and delivering victories for those left out of pocket. Below you can read how you can contact him.

DR writes: We had booked to fly with Royal Jordanian Airlines but they changed the flight times by two days so we had to claim a refund.

Our tickets were refundable, and in any case the airline promised a full refund. However, I have contacted them over 20 times since then and have received nothing.

The flights were for a special holiday as my wife has an incurable medical condition and this may have been her last chance to travel.

Tony Hetherington replies: You gave me a copy of the message you received from Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJA), and it could hardly be clearer. You have been told that you can change your booking to another date, although this may incur a penalty. Or you can cancel your booking but keep the tickets anytime within the next year, although there will be a rebooking fee if you decide to use them.

Or finally, RJA has confirmed that you are “entitled to a full refund due to the schedule change.” If I understand the currency conversion correctly, you and your wife should have received approximately £1,400 each within a fortnight of submitting your claim, but months later you have received nothing.

I asked RJA to investigate and the airline’s response was startling. It told me: ‘We have learned that we are currently experiencing issues with the refund process for payments made through PayPal. Our finance team at head office is currently actively working to resolve this issue.” But what does this have to do with you? The relationship between the airline and PayPal should not be your problem.

RJA has changed flights by an unacceptable two days. RJA has confirmed that you are entitled to a full refund, so why can’t RJA just pull out its checkbook and send you the money, or better yet, pay you via bank transfer?

What exactly are the challenges that RJA faces? Should passengers delay making bookings rather than risk seeing their money disappear for months without proper explanation?

I asked the airline both questions and on February 5, it responded: “Our finance team has informed us that the refund is in process and passengers will be credited by the end of this week.” Well, Friday the 9th came, but no refund came. I was wondering if RJA considered Saturday or Sunday the end of the week. Honestly Saturday arrived but there was no refund, and Sunday the same, no refund.

I asked the airline to indicate exactly where it had sent the refund. I couldn’t answer. I asked if Royal Jordanian Airlines – which is mainly owned by the Jordanian government – ​​was in financial difficulties. I couldn’t answer.

But the fact is that at the end of last year RJA announced plans to dig itself out of a very deep financial hole, leaving it with losses of around £450 million.

Major airlines may tolerate this, but RJA is not a major airline and the losses put it at risk of liquidation. It avoided this by changing its share structure, but has since been hit financially by the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

All of this leaves you stuck in a “the check is in the mail” situation. You are not alone.

A recent review of RJA on Tripadvisor warns that “refunds are not their strong point!”

That was from a passenger whose flight was canceled last October. He still has not received a refund and emails have gone unanswered.

Another passenger was forced to cancel after RJA changed his flight schedule six times, forcing him to wait 48 hours for his connecting flight.

He applied for a refund two months ago but hasn’t even received an acknowledgment of receipt. “This company is not like other companies,” he wrote. You can say that again.

RJA has not joined any Air Travel Ombudsman scheme that could investigate the inability to reimburse you.

I have now advised you to contact the Civil Aviation Authority. There are a lot of reasons not to fly to the Middle East right now – and Royal Jordanian Airlines just provided a new one.

Why did Ovo lose my bill payment?

NJ writes: Ovo has taken over my electricity supply from SSE.

I paid Ovo’s bill by sending a check as usual, but it could not be delivered because Ovo closed the SSE office without informing customers.

I then paid by bank transfer but have since received an email stating that I had not paid, followed by a threat of legal action.

Frustration: Ovo closed the SSE office without informing customers

Tony Hetherington replies: You completed Ovo’s online payment form during the bank transfer. This had a space marked ‘reference’, so you entered this as ‘electricity bill’. What Ovo actually wanted was your account number.

It was frustrating for you to resolve this. You have given your bank statement to Ovo, but it is still unable to link the payment to your delivery. And when you decided to change suppliers, Ovo said it would tell any new supplier that you are a debtor.

I asked Ovo for comment, and you were quickly called with an apology and an admission that the payment form was poorly worded. Your payment has been traced, you owe nothing, and Ovo has offered £100 and a gift pack as an apology.

If you believe you have been a victim of financial misconduct, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large number of questions, personal answers cannot be given. Please only send copies of original documents, which unfortunately cannot be returned.