AirAsia’s delayed ticket refund prompts consumer body’s reaction

The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) says it will coordinate with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and related agencies to establish measures regarding air-ticket refunds to ensure that consumers are treated fairly by airline operators.

In a press release on Monday, the OCPB said it was responding to a complaint filed by a customer of AirAsia claiming that the airline has yet to issue a refund for a failed online ticket reservation from months ago.

The customer said the airline notified him by e-mail that the reservation he had made via the AirAsia MOVE application could not be completed, but still went through with the payment process. He asked for the refund several months ago but has yet to receive the money back.

The OCPB said it had contacted AirAsia, which promised to coordinate with application operator Move Travel Sdn Bhd, a company headquartered in Malaysia, to complete the refund as soon as possible.

After the OCPB’s press release, AirAsia MOVE issued a statement on Tuesday saying that the affected customers will receive an e-mail on Wednesday detailing instructions to submit bank transaction details to facilitate the refund process.

AirAsia MOVE chief executive officer Nadia Omar promised that the refund will be completed in seven business days after the company receives complete information from the customer.

She said the company has suspended the direct debit payment channel since November 26, as it believed that it was the reason behind the delay in refund process, adding that its team is working to fix the problem as soon as possible.