Thomas Cook customers vent anger at direct debit refund delays

Many customers with Thomas Cook bookings were covered by the Air Travel Organiser's Licence (ATOL) scheme, which means if they hadn't started their trip at the point Thomas Cook stopped trading, they were due a refund.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which runs the ATOL scheme, said that if customers had paid by direct debit, their ATOL refund would be automatic, and that these would be processed by Monday 14 October.

But it has now said it is investigating after some customers' refunds were delayed.

See our Thomas Cook stops trading – latest info and your rights MSE News story for more information. 

The regulator says you don't need to do anything

Aviation regulator the CAA says that even payments processed on Monday may not immediately appear in customers' bank accounts, as it can take time for the money to arrive.

But it says that it's aware some customers have experienced a delay in getting their cash back and that it's investigating as a "matter of urgency".

It says customers owed money do not need to do anything, and it has reconfirmed that customers will get their money back.

What are customers saying?

On social media, several customers have vented their anger at the delays, and what they say is a lack of communication regarding the refunds.

Here are some of their responses:

We've asked the CAA how many customers are affected by this issue and will update this story when we hear back.