Help, my travel agency is pocketing my airfare refund!

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By Christopher Elliott

When Delta Air Lines offers Nartach Djepbarova a refund for her ticket, her travel agent pockets the money. Can it do that?

Question

I recently had to have jaw surgery, and my doctor recommended that I cancel a planned flight on Delta Air Lines. I submitted a request through my travel agency, but it refused to refund the ticket because it had a policy that tickets are nonrefundable, except in cases of illness or death.

So I contacted Delta directly. It processed my refund, but told me they had sent the money back to my travel agency, International Travel Network. I contacted the agency and asked it for the refund, but they refused, citing their refund policy.

I’ve tried repeatedly to contact my agency, but it won’t return my calls. I don’t want to lose the $1,771 I paid. Can you help me get my money back? — Nartach Djepbarova, Seattle

Answer

I’m sorry about the problems with your ticket refund. The bottom line is: it’s your money and you should get it back immediately.

Using a travel agent is a good idea. I’m a big believer in using a competent travel advisor.

Most agencies have refund policies that reflect those of a travel provider. In other words, if a flight is nonrefundable, then the agency policy would match it. It may add a separate agency transaction fee, in the event of a refund, but that’s usually all.

In your case, the agency policy on refunds matched Delta’s. You had a nonrefundable ticket. Then Delta decided to make an exception to its policy. And then you and Delta assumed the agency would also make an exception. It didn’t.

I suppose your agency was technically right. It could have pocketed the entire $1,771 and made a nice profit on your ticket. But that seems wrong to me. Delta offered you a refund out of compassion, so that you could attend to your health needs. Your agency should have, too.

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You could have avoided this in one of several ways. If you suspected that you might need surgery, you could have purchased a more flexible, refundable fare (but those can be significantly more expensive). Booking directly through Delta would have prevented this too, but as I mentioned before, having a good agent can be helpful. (Discover how a traveler uncovered bias in online fare displays.)

No refund? Get a new agent

By the way, I’m not sure if you’re working with the right agent. Any travel advisor that would refuse to pass along a refund from your airline needs to have its moral compass checked. I would find a new agent, right now. (Related: Her online travel agency canceled her flight but didn’t tell her. Now what?)

I contacted Delta on your behalf and asked if it could put in a good word with your agency. Delta made sure the $1,771 refund made it all the way to you.

Update (April 12, 2023): I’ve updated this story to add the name of the travel agency.

Should a travel agent ever keep your refund?

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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