Posted on 05/18/2022 3:30:40 PM PDT by Not_Who_U_Think
Pardon the vanity posting, but I have a question about a refund that I wonder is a scam. I would appreciate your input.
The story: I had a flight cancellation in March of 2020, a flight I had booked through CheapoAir I thought the money was gone, until a week ago, when I got an email saying they were processing my refund and needed 'additional information' and to please contact them.
So I did. The CSR, after getting my refund number transferred me to a lady, in billing. I give my name and billing address, and she then wanted the number of the card I used and I gave it to her, and she say 'that's correct. Now, I need the expiration and three digit number on the back.' I stop and say no, you don't need that for a refund. She responded by saying they would put a one dollar charge on the card, and if it went through, they would then refund the full amount.
I said no, I don't see why you need to do that, I don't want any charge to be placed on my card, just apply the refund. She explained this was the process, and I asked to speak to a super. Super is supposed to call me.
I just went on their website and can't find anything describing their refund process. It just smells to me. I have never had a company need to run a test charge through, unless I was linking two accounts between banks. And yet, it did seem to be the legitimate customer service department.
Pardon wasting your time, fellow freepers, but this just didn't seem right to me. Your thoughts?
They already gave what they need to refund/reverse the charge.
They just need to do it. There is absolutely no reason to give them your card or security number.
Gave = have
Crud, typo.
Sure sounds like a scam.
These days Life is a Scam
They’re FISHING for your personal information. DON’T DO IT!
Yeah...
You’d better call your card company and shut it down before the nigerian prince rifles thru your account.
Sounds like a scam. Call the airline or the cheapo people.
Pay attention to your spidy senses.
5.56mm
Sounds fishy to me. Find a customer service number for Cheapo Air and ask them about your refund. Since your cancellation was during the pandemic, you may still have a refund coming.
It’s a scam.
That, to me, is the scam-reveal.
You're correct. They have no need of any of your credit-card info. They got it when you paid for your ticket. The only thing they really need to confirm is that they've reached the same guy who paid for the ticket. You gave them the proof of that by identifying the card used.
It just didn’t seem right. The email informing be about the refund was out of the blue, and now I’m getting one almost every day saying they need me to call.
On their official website, it shows their cancellation number and the refund in process. It says to wait two billing cycles. Nothing about this process.
The number given, which may be legit, isn’t listed as a contact number on the website. But, the email looks legit, nothing wacky like a fake address.
It’s not uncommon for companies to do a “test transaction” on a card or bank account, but this is normally only done when you are setting up an auto-payment. I’ve had several companies do this over the years. Never for a one time charge, let alone a refund. Normally refunds are done to the same account they were paid from, so they have everything they need from you, and there is certainly no reason for them to run a test transaction. Are you sure you are actually dealing with “CheapoAir”? I would call them directly...
Your credit card should have an online way for you to check your charges and balances. I strongly suggest you keep an eye on it daily. Even better, ask them to send you a new card.
Tell them you don’t have the card anymore and they can mail you a cheque.
click the down arrow or roll your mouse over the email address to see if it matches the company.
Did you call CheapoAir directly by getting it from Cheapo’s website or did you use the number they gave you to call?
Exactly. I asked her, how would you know the charge went through? (when a bank does this, they send some odd amount and the get you to verify the amount.) So, what am I supposed to do, call back and say, yep, that one dollar charge went through!
Here’s the email:
Dear Customer,
Thank you for doing business with CheapOair.
This is in reference to your booking number (redacted) for Refund.
To process the refund, we need some additional information related to your booking. Our most recent attempt to get in touch with you was on 05/17/2022 18:56:26 (EST), unfortunately could not speak with you.
You are requested to call us at our Billing’s phone number and provide requested information. Please be advised that we have to keep the refund on hold till we get the response from you.
Please feel free to contact the Billings Department for any queries at 1-212-478-0335.
Regards,
Lorraine
CheapOair.com
Contact your credit card carrier, they’ve heard it all. Also, if anything funny happens they’ll have a heads up
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