He thought he was calling Air Canada. The airline says it wasn't them
CBC
A Stellarton, N.S., man says he was baffled when he discovered his $2,000 non-refundable airline ticket to Texas was cancelled.
He was even more baffled when he reached out to Air Canada, only to be told the airline's records showed that the cancellation had been made online and that they were unable to give him a refund, as per the fare rules of his ticket.
"Every dollar counts," said Jeff Richardson. "We're living paycheque to paycheque, and $2,000 is a lot of money."
After seven months of back and forth, Air Canada said this week they will refund Richardson's ticket. Richardson says he welcomes the refund, but remains frustrated with the long wait for a resolution.
Richardson booked his flight on Oct. 22 directly through the Air Canada website. He says he was having trouble selecting his seat online, so he called the airline for assistance.
He says he found a number online for Air Canada starting with 1-833, and spoke to a representative who said they worked for Air Canada.
Richardson believed he was talking to the airline when he shared details about his booking and credit card information to reserve seats.
However, in a statement to CBC News, Air Canada says the number is not theirs.
That same day, he received a charge on his credit card of more than $200 from something called "AirReservation," which is not affiliated with Air Canada.
Shortly after, he was alerted that his ticket had been cancelled. When he called the number back to complain, he says the line seemed to be busy.
Air Canada says it's possible that whoever was posing as the airline could have obtained enough personal information from the customer to cancel the flight.
"Based on these findings, we will reimburse this customer and ensure he pays the original price quoted for a replacement ticket," said the airline.
"This could serve as a cautionary tale that people should be careful to make sure they know who they are dealing with in online or telephone transactions and only use certified and official sources of information."
CBC News called the number in question on June 10, and the person who answered identified herself as a representative of Air Canada. The person said they could cancel tickets for a fee and assist with arranging seating.
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