KLM and refunds

It’s not the first time I’ve found myself having to organize a trip on my own. It continues to be a rather stressful activity for me, since there are always a thousand variables to consider: schedules, means of transport, connections, and accommodations, just to name the most obvious.
As if that weren’t enough, mistakes can always happen, which is exactly what happened to me recently. While booking a Newcastle-Singapore flight, and having chosen KLM as the airline, I realized only after payment that I hadn’t taken into account the time difference between the two countries, even though, to be fair, there was a small sign indicating the date change upon arrival. Intercontinental trips are certainly not cheap, so I immediately scrambled to check the ticket change and refund policies. Unfortunately, as often happens, the conditions were anything but favorable. Changing the outbound flight was possible, for the modest sum of £300, essentially the cost of the ticket itself. A refund, on the other hand, was completely excluded.
While considering my options, including settling for arriving a day later than planned, I had the clarity of mind to send a message to KLM customer service, explaining the situation and asking if it was possible to get a full or partial refund. To my great surprise, the next day, I received the answer I was hoping for. If your ticket has been purchased directly from KLM and within 24 hours of payment, you can request a full refund with no penalty. With several hours still available, I wasted no time and immediately filled out the online refund request form. It was enough to go to the website they kindly indicated, enter the booking details, and specify as the reason for cancellation: “Cancellation 24 hours”. After submitting the request, I received a confirmation email that the process had started. Exactly one week later, I was pleasantly surprised to see the full amount credited to my bank account, with no penalty or additional cost.
In short, an experience that will definitely make me more careful in the future, but also reminded me that sometimes, it’s worth asking. I decided to share this mainly as a reminder to myself and to help anyone who, like the desperate me of a few weeks ago, might find this information useful.