Chukwuneku Opiti, a Lagos State resident, has recounted how Aero Contractors withheld her N81,760 after she was forced to book a Sokoto-Lagos flight twice due to a payment platform glitch.

Opiti told FIJ that the incident happened on April 8, 2023.

“While trying to make payment for a Sokoto-Lagos flight on April 8, 2023, the transaction failed on the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) platform that I used and I got debited for the transaction,” Opiti told FIJ.

“When I saw that the flight booking reference and ticket numbers were also not sent to me, I was forced to make another booking for the same flight.

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“This time, the transaction was successful and a ticket was immediately sent to me.

“Surprisingly, the ticket for the first failed transaction was later sent to me two days after the system glitch.

“This then resulted in me having two tickets for the same flight.”

Opiti told FIJ that she subsequently reached out to Aero Contractors for a refund but was advised to go to GTB for a refund.

“I went to different GTB branches to lodge a complaint and all the officials who attended to me kept giving me the same answer,” Opiti said.

“They told me clearly that both transactions were successful at their end and that I could only get my refund from Aero Contractors because the two transactions were already in their position.

“I reported back to Aero Contractors and insisted on a refund, but the airline would not budge. This then forced me to ask if I could still use the spare ticket to board a future flight since they wouldn’t refund me, but its officials would still not respond to me.

“My N81,760 is still hanging with Aero Contractors, and they have continued to deny me a refund.”

When FIJ sent an email to the airline’s customer care desk for a comment on the matter on Friday, one of its staff, who simply identified herself as Rufina, responded.

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“Please visit your bank, ask to speak with the settlement team, fill a dispense error form and your complaint will be logged. A mail will thereafter be sent to Aero to confirm receipt of funds, and if a reversal should be initiated. Unless that mail is sent, the reversal process cannot commence,” said Rufina.

FIJ, however, found that several dispense error forms and complaint letters had been filled and written by Opiti on the matter to no avail.