Background
Macy had planned a trip to Europe for the Rugby World Cup. Before she left, she purchased a Global Cash Card from Go Travel. By using this card in Europe, she would avoid ATM and foreign exchange fees.
Macy’s mix-up
On 11 September, Macy tried to withdraw cash from her card at an ATM in London. Unfortunately she entered the incorrect PIN 3 times, and the card locked (she mixed up the PIN with the PIN for a card she had used on an overseas trip in 2011).
Macy realised her mistake and rang Go Travel to try and reactivate the card. Macy knew that the pin would be reset after 24 hours, and left a message with Go Travel’s automated system to have this done. However the PIN was never reset. Macy left Go Travel more messages and sent some emails, but did not receive a response until she was back in New Zealand on 29 September.
During her travels Macy had to borrow money from friends or withdraw money using her bank card. Macy ended up incurring the very fees she wanted to avoid in the first place.
Adding fuel to the fire, Go Travel responded to Macy with an alternative version of events, telling her that on 1 September a customer service representative had reset her pin (she had not left New Zealand at this stage).
Go Travel credited Macy $50 for the inconvenience that was caused.
Macy comes to FSCL
Macy was unhappy with the compensation offered. She felt $250 compensation would be a more appropriate sum, considering she had to borrow money from friends. The trouble with the card had put a damper on her entire holiday because she was worrying about money the whole time.
A quick resolution
After we notified Go Travel of the complaint, Go Travel credited Macy another $100. After we advised Go Travel that Macy was seeking $250 compensation, Go Travel agreed to pay her another $100 (bringing the total to $250).
The lesson
Even when there is no direct financial loss suffered, customers may seek and receive compensation for bad customer service. It is important to be attentive and responsive to customers’ queries and ensure that correct facts and dates are used when providing a response to a complaint.
