Up to 2,000 Thomas Cook customers haven't received direct debit refunds – here's what you need to know

After Thomas Cook stopped trading last month, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) told 100,000 customers – who had direct debit bookings covered by the Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL) scheme – that their refunds would be automatically processed by Monday 14 October, and that they wouldn't have to apply to reclaim their cash.

But more than two weeks on, MoneySavingExpert.com understands that around 2% of these customers haven't had their money back and will need to apply for refunds manually. They may then have to wait 60 days to get their cash back.

The CAA says the delays are due to a variety of reasons – including because it received incorrect or incomplete information from Thomas Cook about some bookings – and thanked customers for their patience.

Affected by Thomas Cook's collapse? See our Thomas Cook stops trading guide.

What are customers saying?

Several Thomas Cook customers have contacted MoneySavingExpert.com and our founder Martin Lewis saying they haven't had their direct debit refunds. Here are some of their messages:

I'm a direct debit customer – what should I do?

If you're a Thomas Cook customer, you paid by direct debit AND your booking is covered by the ATOL scheme (see here for more information on this), you need to submit a manual claim to the CAA if you haven't received a refund yet.

If you've already submitted a manual claim form, you don't need to submit another.

Once you've submitted a form, keep monitoring your emails, including your spam folder, as the CAA says it may contact you to request further evidence.

Why have the refunds been delayed?

The CAA says there are a variety of reasons why the payments have been delayed, including:

• Amendments to the booking or payment information.

• Incomplete or incorrect data received from Thomas Cook.

• The inclusion of other elements in the booking that make it difficult to separate ATOL-protected payments from payments for other elements of a holiday.

What does the CAA say?

A CAA spokesperson said: "Consumers that were expecting a direct debit refund but have not yet received one should submit a claim online as we are unable to automatically refund the small number of direct debit payments remaining due to complexities in those bookings.

"If a claim has already been submitted, consumers do not need to take any further action. We thank Thomas Cook customers for their patience as we undertake the UK travel industry's largest ever refunds programme, impacting more than 800,000 people."