Airline trolled with fake clown company created by customer

A cheeky customer desperate for a refund on a flight has been applauded for their exceptional trolling of an Australian airline.

A cheeky customer has adopted a creative tactic in a bold move to get a refund on a flight they had no hope of being able to catch.

An email was sent to the customer when the flight from Darwin to Adelaide, scheduled for a date in November, was changed by five minutes.

Knowing they were not going to take the flight either way, the customer opted to try and get their money back.

The email from the airline, according to the customer, stated they could either opt to be reimbursed or accept the new schedule.

“I didn’t expect them to ask for proof which I thought was a bit jack considering they were the ones making the changes,” the customer wrote in a post to social media.

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A customer created this letter to get a refund after his airline reportedly changed the time of his flight. Picture: Reddit

They decided to try their luck at getting a refund with a letter written by a bogus clown company that claimed the customer was its “best clown” with a “very tight schedule”.

The letter, with an image of a clown at the top, claimed to be a “valid document created by clowns are us company”.

Its author explained in a later comment the line was added after their first attempt was rejected because it wasn’t a “valid document”.

“To whom it may concern. This letter is to inform (airline) that a refund will be required for the flight [number] on the [date] of November for [name] (our best clown) as our clown show in Darwin and Adelaide are at very specific times as seen below,” the email read.

It claimed the “best clown” had to be at the Darwin School Clown Show between 8am and 10am local time, and at the Adelaide School Clown Show between 2.35pm and 11pm on a certain date in November.

“This flight change will affect business as you can see our schedule is very tight so we are now required to book with a different company,” the email claimed.

Its author signed off as “Bilbo Daggins” – the “chief clown” at “clowns are us company”.

The person behind the email said their efforts weren’t wasted, and they were eventually given a refund.

They initially thought it was “a bit rude” that the airline asked for proof before giving a refund, but decided it was worth a try.

“Prior to contacting them I was unaware of what the changes to the flight were. I found out that the flight had only changed by five minutes,” they wrote in a comment.

“Seeing as I was never going to make the flight I figured I might as well try to get a refund.”

Their elaborate scheme was applauded by dozens of people in replies to the post.

“As a former travel agent … they probably didn’t open the file but honestly great job on the letter,” one person wrote.

“Trying to silently laugh at this is impossible … this is brilliant,” another said.

The airline has been contacted by news.com.au for comment.

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