The Jersey Consumer Council has been offering advice to travellers, including a good number from Guernsey, who have been affected by the collapse of the airline.
Its chairman Carl Walker said he believed that people who booked with debit cards as well as credit cards would be entitled to refunds.
‘It’s just the process of debit card refunds seems to be inconsistent,’ he said.
‘Whereas credit cards, it’s under the Consumer Credit Act, and people are covered. With debit cards it’s a bit of a process and a bit more complicated, because it falls into something called the chargeback scheme.’
The debit card chargeback scheme is a voluntary process offered by card network providers, like Visa and Mastercard, that allows a customer’s bank to reverse a transaction if there’s a problem with a purchase.
Unlike credit cards laws, which guarantee refunds, it is not a legal right, but most banks participate.
‘The debit card refund process isn’t as consistent as it might be,’ said Mr Walker. ‘People with different bank cards are encountering different problems, and that includes those who use digital banks like Revolut.
'They seem to be encountering a lot more hurdles in terms of trying to get their money back through the scheme than others.’
The volunteer organisation has had more than 10,000 visits to its webpage since the airline went into liquidation a month ago. Those hits are not coming just from Jersey but also from Guernsey and the UK.
‘We’ve been inundated with people coming to us for advice and help on how they can get their money back,’ he said.
‘Because even though the credit card process is relatively simple, there are still forms to fill in. Credit card companies are still looking for proof.’
There webpage now includes a link to the ‘negative response letter’ from the Civil Aviation Authority, which may banks require when a claim is made.
‘Hopefully there’s enough data there and enough information that helps, particularly those who paid with debit cards, to be able to get their money back,’ he said.
‘We’ve got students who are stuck in the UK, people in Guernsey in the same position. We seem to be the only website which is offering this kind of advice specifically about Blue Islands.
‘We’re keeping everything crossed that everyone can get their money back.
‘There are unique circumstances, such as people who couldn’t fly earlier in the year because they were poorly, who were issued a voucher. Sometimes convincing the bank that that voucher should be refunded is proving a bit of a process, but if that original ticket was bought on a credit card, they should be fine.
‘There’s also people who had flights but also hotels and hire cars, and they’ve got to go through insurance providers. There’s lots of individual set ups and circumstances that people are struggling with, but we’re just trying to advise them as best we can.’
However, Mr Walker warned that actually securing refunds might not be a quick process.
‘It’s going to take into the New Year before this is resolved, so people have to bear with it and stick to the system. Hopefully, in the New Year, we’ll start to see people getting their cash back, but if people are really struggling, or they’re coming up with a unique situation, they can get in touch with us, and we will do what we can to help.’
He added, that despite being Jersey-based, the volunteer group was happy to give advice to those affected in Guernsey too.
‘A lot of the issues are identical across both islands,’ he said.
‘We just do our best to give consumers a voice and advocacy, no matter which island they are based on.’
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