[VernonD]

ETIHAD GUEST NUMBER: 107665122924 REFERENCE NUMBER NFHAVG


I booked a return ticket from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain (for Saturday 14 April) and paid for it with my Absa Bank (South Africa) Visa credit card. I received the One Time Pin (OTP) from my bank and entered it into the Verified by Visa (V-b-V) webpage. The transaction was approved by my bank (and I received a reference number NFHAVG from Etihad. While waiting for my e-ticket I booked a hotel in Bahrain, and a bus tour with the same card without any problems.

I eventually received an email from Etihad informing me that my transaction was cancelled due to security reasons. I immediately called the Etihad Call Centre and was informed by the call centre agent that their FraudNet system identified my card as a fraudulent card and that I must pay with another card. My bank confirmed that there is nothing wrong with my card, provided me with the authorisation number (053490) and requested that Etihad call them in South Africa to confirm that the transaction is not fraudulent. (Absa Bank Card Division +27 11 354 4037). Etihad refused to call the bank and insisted that their FraudNet is an online system and that they can’t process any transactions manually.

The issue for me is
a. that this was an 3D-Secure message where the Issuer (My bank Absa Bank) authorised the transaction and therefore the merchant (Etihad) has no risk as the International Card rules determine that the Issuer is liable and has an obligation to settle the transaction, so no risk to Etihad;
b. Etihad debited this exact same Visa card with 3 (three) transactions over the last two months for flight upgrades (on 8/2; 13/2 and 16/3)
c. I tried to use my Diners Card and it didn’t even attempt to obtain an authorisation, yet I paid for 7 (seven) flights with the exact same card on Etihad since 1 February 2018!

I lodged a complaint with the airline on the same day ([email protected]) and received a confirmation email from Etihad. On Tuesday 10 April I received a reference number (631283) and a commitment that a consultant will call me as soon as possible. Today is Thursday, seven days after I lodged the complaint and I am still waiting for someone from the airline to call met. It is for sure the worst airline when it comes to customer service, the airline simply does not care!

Due to the lack of response by Etihad, I bought a ticket on Emirates, using the same Visa card that Etihad had an issue with, with no hassle, a quick and efficient 3D Secure transaction.

And that is not all. I claimed missing air miles for flights on 14/02; (RUH-AUH); 14/02) AUH-JNB) and 15/03 (JNB-AUH) through the Etihad Guest Website as well as through their Call Centre. The Call Centre agent told me that they sometimes do experience problems with allocating miles with an upgrade. I guess I should no be surprised that these miles were not credited yet. Etihad’s customer service is the worst customer service one can expect from an airline!