Between November 5 and November 20, 2023, Oluseyi Adenusi bought three flight tickets from United Nigeria Airlines for journeys scheduled for different days in December 2023.

Adenusi is a pastor based in Bayelsa State, and he bought the tickets on behalf of three guest ministers who had been invited to a church programme he was hosting

Between November 19 and 23, Adenusi got email messages from United Nigeria Airlines three times, and the messages had the same content. The airline had cancelled the flights he booked due to “operational reasons.”

He had to find quick alternatives on all of these occasions. The programme was important and his church had spent a considerable amount of money planning for the guest. Adenusi told FIJ that he had to fund new tickets with a loan.

“By the time I got the third email, it didn’t matter much the reason. Flights get cancelled all the time, but I needed quick alternatives. I expressed my disappointment in a response email,” he told FIJ.

“Then, I had to borrow from another place to fund these tickets. There was a budget for the programme, and this expenditure was extra-budgetary. You know, accountability is also very important when spending money in these types of situations.”

With the alternative tickets out of the way, Adenusi took steps to get a refund from United Nigeria Airlines. He sent an email to the airline for a N300,000 refund for the three flight tickets he booked.

On December 12, Adenusi filed a formal request for a refund as stipulated by the airline. Responding to his refund request, United Nigeria Airlines promised him a 4-week processing time to get his refund sorted.

“Our current processing time is four weeks, but we aim to process your refund request as quickly as possible. Please note that if we are unable to process the information you have provided and we need to contact you for further information, this will delay the refund and increase the processing time,” he said.

Adenusi took United Nigeria Airlines’ word for it and waited for one month, hoping to get a refund. On January 13, 2024, he sent a follow-up email to the airline to remind “whoever was in charge” of his refund.

“At least, if you borrow money, there is a time frame to return it, and the interest accrues with time. I needed to return the money I used for the tickets to where I got it from, and they promised me about a month. Mind you, there was no follow-up mail asking for new information. So I assumed everything would be sorted within those 4 weeks.”

The airline apologised for delaying his refund and promised to address it as soon as they could. But to Adenusi’s dismay, he still did not get a refund 60 days after he requested it. Adenusi told FIJ that he had attempted to reach the airline through other customer complaint channels, including Twitter, phone calls and Instagram.

“I have called them, commented on their Twitter and Instagram posts and sent them emails. I have tried all of the available channels as a customer to complain to them, and I still have not got a refund,” he said.

“I really just want my money back. These brands are fond of taking Nigerians for granted, and if you look through their socials, you see other people with similar issues complaining.”

FIJ sent an email to United Nigeria Airlines on February 19 to get an explanation for the delayed refund. At first, the airline responded with a promise to look into the issue.

In a follow-up email, FIJ asked the airline how long they needed to address the refund. The airline responded with a new email address dedicated to addressing refunds. FIJ emailed the new address on February 20. However, as of press time, the airline had not responded to the email.