Iberia and Iberia Express review by Timothy 2016-02-18

Once or twice a year I fly Bogota-Malaga-Bogota, often by Iberia, flights on time, seats cramped, films OK, food atrociously bad. But trying to make a reservation online on Feb 10 Iberia refused to accept my debit card and blocked the transaction with instruction to call local office. Was told I can’t pay by debit card. I started a new ticket purchase online and paid with credit card, then found Iberia had ALSO debited my Barclays account for £681.02 after refusing it and cancelling the ticket sale. Iberia denied this, first saying no money could have been charged as no ticket was issued for this reservation, then said it was ‘retention’ by my bank to be lifted in three days. Barclays confirmed in writing it was NOT retention but a withdrawal from my account by Iberia using debit card details from supposedly blocked and cancelled transaction. For past week have tried to get Iberia to return the money they took, meeting only extraordinary evasions, obfuscations, deliberate misunderstandings and delaying tactics, promises that it is being ‘investigated internally’ but little sign of real effort to resolve this and to return my money. Beware of giving debit card details to Iberia