Consumer group taking KLM to court over unpaid compensation claims

KLM continues to pass travelers who want refunds "from pillar to post." And hundreds of customers of the bankrupt travel agency D-Reizen are still waiting for their money back from canceled KLM flights. The consumers' association Consumentenbond filed a complaint with the transport inspectorate (ILT) and is assisting a KLM victim in demanding a refund through the courts.

According to the consumers' advocate, passengers whose flights were canceled should get a choice between a replacement flight or a refund. But when travelers buy a ticket through a travel agency or ticketing site, airlines often incorrectly refer them back to that party for a refund.

The latter happened to a group of customers who bought their tickets -which were later cancelled- through the now-bankrupt D-Reizen. KLM previously said that it refunded the ticket money to D-Reizen and thus fulfilled its obligations, but D-Reizen went bankrupt before transferring those refunds to the victims.

Last month the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) fined KLM over 40,000 euros for failing to refund the canceled tickets. KLM appealed against the fine, and the victims are still waiting for their refunds.

The Consumentenbond believes the victims have waited for more than long enough, so taking action itself. By assisting one of the customers in a test lawsuit, the organization hopes that KLM will decide to refund all the people involved.

Last month, the ILT also ordered KLM to improve its communication with passengers. The Dutch airline then adapted its website within two weeks, so the ILT did not fine it on that point. 

But according to Consumentenbond director Sandra Molenaar, communication with customers is still not in order. The association called on the ILT to fine KLM. "Because while KLM provides the correct information on its website, anyone who asks a question by phone, via chat, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp gets the runaround."