England resident owed +£700 by Vueling and unsure what to do
Currently residing in London. On June 4th, I attempted to book a ticket via Vueling’s website from London to Malaga. It was a last minute ticket, so it cost around £253. The first time I attempted to book and finalize the payment it told me the seat I picked was unavailable and Apple Pay gave me an error. I was a bit desperate so I tried twice and same thing - couldn’t finalize the booking. I assumed the money wasn’t taken from my account because I got no confirmation but much to my dismay I was charged +£700.
I tried to reach Vueling and after a lot of attempts they tell me over the phone that there was indeed an error and that they’d process the payment. I got an email from them confirming the refund for one of the three failed bookings. The agent on the phone told me he could only process one at a time so I’d need to call again for the remaining two. I did and they assured me everything was fine.
After a month - crickets. No payments to my account. I call Vueling again and they apologize and send the same email. I unfortunately booked via debit card (my mistake, I know) and so I filed for a chargeback on my card (Revolut). It’s been almost two months and the case hasn’t been resolved. When I reached out to Vueling they changed their tone and said they’d only refund me £500 for the two flights. I said there was no confirmation and they owed me £761. Agent was unhelpful despite me telling them in writing that I’d report them to the aviationADR and take them to small claims court. Again, crickets. I was sent essentially the same email claiming that the refund was processed.
I‘m at my wits end and unsure how to proceed. The dispute claim with my bank hasn’t been resolved yet and the deadline is approaching with no response from Vueling. If it were to be denied and I have to take them to small claims court — what would the process be since they’re a European company? I’m unsure what to do.