On May 26, my wife received an SMS stating that her credit card was being charged $1,485.90 for a Singapore Airlines air ticket which she did not buy.

She called SIA to say that she wanted to cancel the ticket, and was told that there was a cancellation charge of US$150 (S$200).

She agreed, as she was thankful not to have to pay the full amount.

However, when she informed me about it, I realised that she did not mention the special circumstances that led to the cancellation, so I called SIA to ask it to waive the US$150.

I spoke to the airline's representatives three times over the next few days, but each time, they could only say that the ticket was cancelled and processed, and we would have to pay the cancellation charge, which had been explained to my wife.

I am flabbergasted by SIA's response.

My wife was the victim of an unauthorised purchase that was not properly verified.

Why can't SIA help a customer in these special circumstances?

Leong Guorong