Expedia said 4 years ago that they would refund tickets. help!

Dear Travel Troubleshooters: I need help getting a refund from Expedia. I booked two round-trip Air Transat tickets from Toronto to Paris through Expedia in 2020. I had to cancel my flight and Expedia told me I could get a refund based on their refund rules during the pandemic. Expedia says it will process refunds within the next few weeks.

I waited several months, but the refund did not show up on my credit card. When I contacted Expedia in early 2022, I was told to contact Transat for a refund. I did so, and the Air Transat representative said the airline had already sent my refund to Expedia.

Since then, I have contacted both Expedia and Air Transat numerous times, and also asked my credit card company for help. There is no record of a refund from Expedia or Air Transat.
I would really like a refund. Can you help me?

— Keith Day, Toronto

answer: Expedia should have refunded my money 4 years ago. I believe this is the longest record for an airline refund incident. (Congratulations, Expedia!)

Air Transat is a relatively small charter airline, so that may explain the initial delay. But at some point, Expedia had to take responsibility for the issue and help with a refund. Instead, it looks like you've been bouncing back and forth between Expedia, Air Transat, and your credit card company for years. Literally for years. You must be exhausted.

what happened? Air Transat appears to have refunded a portion of the purchase price via check, but the check appears to only include taxes and fees. This left an outstanding balance of approximately $1,002. Air Transat claims it sent the money to Expedia, but Expedia says it never received the money.

The problem is, if you purchased your ticket through an online travel agent, the online travel agent is responsible for refunds. It doesn't matter if the airline refunds you or not. So if Expedia claims you're entitled to a refund and promises to process your refund within a few weeks, it's on Expedia.