When it comes to credit card disputes, Avianca Lifemiles plays hardball in the most egregious of ways…yet another reason to boycott the Avianca LifeMiles program.

Avianca Canceled His Flight And Then Threatened To Ban Him Over A Credit Card Dispute

One Mile At A Time shares of a reader who ran into quite a dilemma with Avianca LifeMiles:

• He redeemed Lifemiles for a round-trip Avianca ticket and completed the outbound leg successfully
• On the return, Avianca rebooked him on a flight that conflicted with his onward connection, offering no suitable alternatives
• After eight hours of trying to resolve the issue, Avianca refused to refund miles or the approximately $45 in taxes for the unused segment
• The reader filed a credit card dispute specifically for the taxes paid
• Avianca responded with an ultimatum: cancel the dispute within 12 hours or be banned from the Lifemiles program and lose access to his account
• The reader, concerned about losing a large balance of miles, canceled the dispute and submitted proof to Avianca
• His account access was restored two days later after Avianca received the screenshot confirming dispute cancellation

This incident highlights how airlines can retaliate against customers who pursue chargebacks, even when customer service has failed. It’s pure extortion to refuse to help, back a customer into a corner, and only respond (with a horrific threat) when he takes the only viable route he has to make him whole.

Earlier this year, I called for a boycott of Avianca Lifemiles. In defending my “boycott,” I explained:

With whatever (small) voice I have in this points and miles space, I would like to make an example of Lifemiles…to send a message that loyalty programs are a two-way street and that folks do have choice when it comes to buying miles, credit card spending, and choosing which program to send transferable points currency…

My advice: stay away from this program. Do not do business with a program that shows you no respect and offers no strong network or other compelling reason to justify staying loyal.

I realize some of you may be more pragmatic than I in this matter (you’ll still use Avianca Lifemiles for redemptions that work for you), and I certainly do not begrudge you for that, but I stand by that assessment.

The egregious example only adds to the reasons to boycott this program.

What kind of program cancels your flight and then refuses to make it right?

I feel very sorry for this traveler and see it as a blinking, flashing warning sign about Lifemiles.

CONCLUSION

Imagine finding out your flight is canceled and the airline refuses to rebook you or issue you a refund. It’s mind-bloggingly bad. Perhaps a US Department of Transportation complaint would have ultimately been more effective than the chargeback, but I cannot blame anyone for disputing a charge for a service that was not delivered as promised.

Avianca Lifemiles: caveat emptor.