KLM Seat Faff - and how long to process Refund
It's a bit longwinded....about seatings and refunds from KLM on LHR-AMS-JNB route.
I had posted this on another forum, unfortunatly I just had two, shall we say, less than helpful replies.
Checked in LHR for the LHR-AMS-JNB flight, and found I was given a middle seat on the l/h side of the aircraft, rather than a window seat I had requested and paid for, on the AMS-JNB leg. Reason was a change in a/c, I understood the flight was quite full, and so I figured I would just ask for a refund upon my return home, so buckled up, ready for eventual take off.
There were a couple boarding as we were all sat in our seats getting 'comfy' and after a few minutes a member of the cabin crew approached me and requested that I move. Not understanding what was going on, I asked why, as I was sat in the correct seat assigned to me on my boarding card (despite it not being the window seat, but that's history now). I was told that 2 other pax were going to sit where I was sitting - i.e. one in my seat, the other one next to my seat, which at the time was vacant. I explained that I had already been moved from a window seat to a middle seat, but due to a/c change, and the flight being full, I understood the situation, however I was reluctant to move, as the only option was yet another middle seat, but this time in the middle of the a/c (I was sat on the left h/s). I was told that I had no choice, as the other 2 pax were going to take my seat and the one next to it.
I then spoke to a really helpful chap (I 'think' he was a senior cabin crew member), who apologised profusely, and said he would find out why I was being moved, and that he would sort it out. Long story short - I moved to the other side of the a/c, as 2 other pax had kindly agreed to move sidewards one seat (in the same row) to accommodate me. So despite a bit of disruption, everything turned out fine for all concerned. The cabin crew chap took my email address, and told me he was requesting a refund for the seat I had originally paid extra for.
But.....and here is the niggling issue for me. I have not heard anything from the 9 Nov refund request that he said he was making for me. So, I requested the refund online, and explained the situation (the KLM page where it states 'Request refund' for optional extras, such as seats etc), but then received an email saying this was the wrong route to take and could I contact customer care.
Despite the social media KLM team being really helpful in the past, I didn't hear from them for a few days, so I checked they had received my msge, and they then explained they were quite busy at the moment, and directed me to a link to a refund form for me to complete. I understand customer service can get very busy indeed sometimes, so again, I was fine with that.
My refund request on the 9 Nov, has become a refund request on the 1 Dec, which was rejected on Dec 11, as I didn't use the correct form (the one from the KLM website page for refunds) and so I completed the correct refund form, and my 3rd attempt was on Dec 13.
Apart from the seat issue, I was quite happy with KLM and their service, and I would be happy to fly again with them, but I would just like to be reassured their customer service is usually a bit better organised than this.
The original cabin crew member appeared to be a little 'stressed' when requesting I move, however the senior cabin crew member handled it really well, a real professional.
Anyway, if you haven't already fallen asleep after my lengthy tome, I have 2 questions.
1. What could have caused the mix up with the seating at LHR (Tthe 2 pax that took my seat boarded in AMS. When we arrived in JNB we spoke briefly, and apparently the seat I occupied - which they eventually sat in - was flagged up red when they were checking in at AMS).
2. How long does it take to obtain a refund for what appears to be a straight forward request? I would just appreciate an idea of what is an acceptable length of time to get this sorted before I contact them again.
Many thanks.