No cigar, but an extra air fare demand in Havana

No cigar, but an extra air fare demand in Havana

My wife and I bought tickets to fly London-Havana-Panama-Bogata last December. We paid the agent, Steamond Travel, in full. At Havana, Copa Airlines insisted we pay another $751 (£360) before we were allowed to board for Panama. We didn't understand why and they told us to take it up with the travel agent. Steamond said Copa should not have charged us and told us to get the money back from them. Copa will not co-operate. TM, London

Last October, Copa cancelled your Havana-Panama flight, and then reinstated it, but with a higher-class seat. This is why Copa demanded more money. Steamond agreed you should not have been charged extra and tried to retrieve the money from Copa. In January, it told me your refund was 'in hand', but the process stalled. The only person at Copa who could authorise your refund was, apparently, off sick for two weeks.

After more chivvying, Steamond agreed to send you the money itself and then recoup it from Copa.

Swimming against the current with A&L

Alliance & Leicester asked if I wanted to keep my current account, as I had not used it for some time. I had no choice because I had £7,000 in an online savers account which could be accessed only through the current account. A&L said I had to use the account within three months. I tried to check my current account balance online, but found I had already been locked out.

Perhaps I panicked, but I wrote a token cheque.....continued below

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to my father for £10, assuming this would activate the current account. It did - but also pushed me overdrawn, with a £15 charge. My father paid in £100 for me. I transferred £50 back to him, but this sent me £34 overdrawn because by then A&L had taken another £60 (£5 for 12 days). And so it goes on. RP, Maidstone, Kent

A&L investigated and wrote to you with advice on how to avoid going overdrawn. However, the letter completely ignored your situation. The bank said that you could have checked your balance by phone or at a cash machine and insists you were charged correctly. But it does accept that you tried to put the account in order. It has refunded all the fees plus £25 in compensation.

Disconnected from £420 by Phones2UDirect

In November 2006, I bought a 12-month O2 mobile phone contract through Phones2UDirect which was supposed to give me £420 cashback. I followed the instructions for claiming, but Phones2UDirect has not paid up. KB, Bristol

Phones2UDirect is in liquidation. The liquidator says he cannot finalise the process until June 2009 when the last possible cashback claim is due. If there is any money left for unsecured creditors, you will hear in late summer next year. Lodge your claim, but do not expect much, if anything, back. See moorestephens.co.uk.

Some customers are suing Phones2UDirect for unpaid cashbacks but, even when successful, they achieve no more than joining the list of unpaid creditors. Ofcom has told phone companies that they must take responsibility for monitoring retailers' sales practices, particularly with cashback promotions that fail to materialise. But that does not mean O2 has to pay the cashback itself.