I booked a multi-flight trip with LastMinute.com on the 28th November from Manchester to Guatemala. I was informed on the 14th December that there was a change to one of the flights and that the whole trip was cancelled. I had this confirmed a second time on the in-app chat and also in an email. As I had no reason to assume the trip would be reinstated, I booked new flights. I mentioned booking new flights in both chats before making the new booking (through another company).
On the 19th December I received an email stating that the refund wasn't available and the trip was reinstated. I went on the chat again and it was confirmed that the trip was still cancelled and that as the airline had cancelled the flight I was definitely due a refund. I also checked that the refund was for the whole trip and that was confirmed.
On the 26th December I had the same email and when I checked on the chat they told me that the trip was reinstated and I was not able to get any refund. In further phone conversations on the 27th and 28th, it was confirmed that the flights had gone back to their original times and therefore I was not getting a refund. This is despite LastMinute.com having cancelled the trip and already offered a full refund within two months. I was also told that I should have let them know I was booking a other flight (I did, this is on record), and that I should just wait and see if it gets cancelled again. Furthermore, I have checked LastMinute.com's terms and conditions, in which it states: "Payment for tickets will of course be refunded to you if the reservation is terminated by the airline or us" - as the trip was cancelled by LastMinute.com, this seems to be a breach of contract. As mentioned above, I had no reason to assume the trip would be reinstated after I was told it was cancelled on multiple occasions.
I have contacted the airline (BA) directly and they have told me any refunds or cancellations must be done through LastMinute.com as the agent. I have also contacted my bank about disputing the transaction and they have told me to wait until the two-month refund period is up before disputing, which I will do. I have transcripts of most of the chats (awaiting a copy of the first chat), as well as the emails and text messages. I have also contacted citizens advice, and they have advised me to lodge an official complaint.
Claimed loss: 1186.02
Desired outcome: Full refund and cancelling the trip
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