Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday’s ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.
Mrs J.O. writes: I was due to fly by Wizz Air from Doncaster to Cyprus. We were waiting to board the plane when I heard a woman scream that the flight had been cancelled. I looked at my phone and found a text saying we would fly the next day.
Emails said we would get vouchers for food and drinks, but we never did. We were told accommodation would be sorted out, nothing was.
Wizz Air staff had no clue what was going on. I eventually received £700 from Wizz Air, but they still owe me £1,500.
Fears: The CAA has ‘significant concerns’ about Wizz Air, the most complained-about airline in the UK
Tony Hetherington replies: After I reported in November that Wizz Air, based at Luton Airport, was ignoring county court judgments, letters and emails flooded in.
There were so many complaints about the airline that I had to say that I could only investigate those where passengers had already won in court, putting their case beyond doubt.
You told me that when you tried to find the airline’s proper address for service of court papers, you rang Wizz Air and the speaker told you he was banned from revealing it.
You persevered though, and Wizz Air failed to file any defence when your court claim was served on it. And yet it still failed to pay.
You are not alone. Mr J.L. was booked on a flight that could not take off because Wizz Air’s aircraft was faulty. He had to fork out for taxis and meals. After getting nowhere with the company itself, he sued in court and was awarded £168.
Yet Wizz Air still did not pay. And Mr C.B. thought his troubles with Wizz Air were over when he won a court order last November, telling the airline to pay him £806.
No such luck. When he contacted me just before Christmas, he had received nothing and was looking into using bailiffs to seize goods from the company to cover the debt.
I contacted Wizz Air and a few days ago it told me that all the three claims described here would be settled in full by this weekend.
The company said: ‘Wizz Air is working to resolve all claims and settle all county court judgments as quickly as possible. The major disruption the airline navigated last summer meant that it has been dealing with an unprecedented number of claims.’
Less than two months ago, I reported that I had found court records showing an amazing 456 judgments against Wizz Air, of which 401 were shown as unsatisfied. The airline protested that the figures were wrong.
It blamed poor record-keeping by the courts. So earlier this week, I checked again. This time I found 533 county court judgments against Wizz Air UK, with 478 listed as unsatisfied.
Three weeks ago the Civil Aviation Authority announced that it had ‘significant concerns’ about Wizz Air, which was far and away the most complained-about airline in the country.
The CAA highlighted its failure to honour court orders, saying: ‘We have made it clear to Wizz Air that its behaviour is unacceptable.’
The regulator demanded that Wizz Air make CCJ payments a priority, hoping all judgment debts are cleared before the end of this month. I hope those debts are paid. I hope every passenger let down by Wizz Air is now treated promptly and fairly. But am I optimistic? No.
‘Unhelpful’: This retiree found it almost impossible to speak to Mercer about their pension claim (stock image posed by model)
Mercer will not help with my pension claim
J.W. writes: I worked for GKN but had to retire early on health grounds, and I drew my GKN pension for some years. I then became well enough to start working again in a different role. After turning 60, I contacted GKN’s pension administrators, Mercer, and asked for an update on my pension. For the past year, all Mercer has said is that it is waiting for the pension trustees to look at my claim.
Tony Hetherington replies: As lots of pensioners have told me in the past, Mercer is very unhelpful. It refused to discuss your complaint, telling me to contact the trustees of the GKN pension scheme.
However, there are at least five GKN schemes, with differing trustees. Mercer refused to say which scheme, and which trustees, were responsible for your pension. You did receive a call though, after I prodded Mercer.
The caller explained that your GKN pension does not kick in until you are 65, unless you are unemployed.
You could have been told this when you first enquired 18 months ago but, as I say, Mercer is not helpful and does not like to answer questions.
I need my £56 rail refund
Ms S.M. writes: I paid £56 for a return rail ticket from Birmingham to Penrith. I later found there was to be a rail strike, and as it was imperative that I get back, I had to cancel. I had used the Raileasy Group for my booking, but its site offered only two reasons for cancellation – illness or bereavement – and it refunded just £2.30. As a pensioner, I cannot afford this loss.
Tony Hetherington replies: I contacted Raileasy and staff there immediately told me: ‘If a customer’s journey falls on a strike date, they would be entitled to a full refund. We always offer this.’
It appears you went online and used the ‘manage my booking’ section of Raileasy’s website, where you cancelled your booking.
This made it look as though you had simply changed your mind, rather than having been given no option because of the strike.
The website does have a section that allows for refunds when there is disruption to services. After I explained what had happened, Raileasy repaid you in full.
If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email [email protected]. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
