Qantas Credit Vouchers/Refunds & Overloaded Call Centre

Still waiting for an arranged refund from Qantas for COVID cancelled flight to New Zealand in July 2021. No reply to emails, can’t get through on phone and no refund even though they sent an email in December asking for our payment details. Frustrating hardly the word, have others managed to get a refund.

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Welcome to the Community @SueBee

I moved your topic into this existing one. A fairly large number of QF pax have not even made it as far as you have in the queue. If you peruse this topic it describes the present state of QF ‘customer service’.

They claim to be hiring and training more staff but so far I have not seen reports anything has improved.

After 5 months that would be disturbing. You would be correct to worry whether there was a typo in your response (but you can check that in your sent folder); a transcription error when they entered the information (that you cannot check without them answering ‘the phone’); unlikely but someone will offer it as a possibility that you responded to a scam email (however if you had no funds withdrawn that is a low/no probability and you can check/verify the email addresses from your ‘sent’ folder); or they are still delaying processing it for their own cash flow management; or in a worst case they lost it (email can go astray in cyberspace, or in their own systems).

So many possibilities but not many ways through it. Maybe the contacts in my prior post could assist?

Please update if you receive your refund, or how you proceed as it could help others.

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Last year I booked both a Sydney to Darwin and return flights with Qantas; about a month later they emailed me to advise that the first flight would be now departing about 10 minutes later. As this was of no consequence, I noted the details and took no further action as Qantas only required advice from me if the new details were unsuitable.

Some months later I had to cancel these flights. When speaking with them about this, I asked for a refund because they had changed one of the flight times. To my surprise, they agreed to the refund for both flights.

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Since my son cancelled his QANTAS flight scheduled for 24 April 2022, we have been appalled by QANTAS’s customer service. When he cancelled his flight, the QANTAS webpage displayed the money paid for the flight and indicated that this amount would be refunded to my son’s bank card. On 26 April, QANTAS emailed my son: “Your refund for booking reference XXXXXX has been processed, and we’ve refunded the cost of your ticket (that you paid using cash) to your original form of payment.” However, on 27 April, my son received a refund for $50.11, even though he paid $451.32 for the flight.

On 14 May, my son called QANTAS to enquire about this discrepancy. After two hours on hold, QANTAS informed my son that the flight was not fully refundable, and that he was only eligible for the taxes associated with the flight. My son subsequently filed a complaint with QANTAS for misleading behaviour, as all communications from QANTAS clearly indicated that my son would receive a refund for the full cost of the ticket. As my son indicated in the complaint, had the two options (travel credit for $450 or refund for $50) been clearly displayed side-by-side, he - along with 99% of people - would select the travel credit, notwithstanding the frequently publicised challenges associated with using travel credits!

Since filing the complaint with QANTAS on 14 May, my son has heard nothing from QANTAS. He sent a follow-up email to QANTAS on 22 June, with no success. If QANTAS truly put their customers first, they would clearly indicate their options side-by-side when cancelling their flights, including how much they would receive for a travel credit and how much they would receive for a refund. They would also provide customers with regularly updated estimates regarding how long it may take for their complaint to be addressed. Maybe he should lodge a complaint about their complaints handling process?

We expect QANTAS to issue my son with a further refund or travel credit for the remaining $400 that they owe him. How do you suggest we pursue this with QANTAS further?

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Welcome to the Community @CustomerServiceNerd,

Without knowing the exact T&C of the ticket as well as the displays he saw from QF regarding his options, the lack of QF communications has become something of infamous legend as you can deduce from this topic, where your son’s situation is yet another wrinkle.

It appears patience is the primary need but since it appears you are $401.21 out of pocket as you see it, their complaints system seems next for your engagement and regardless they appear hopelessly overloaded.

This site is not connected with QF but the contact details might be useful.

and contact QF via a complaint with (read the about and other related pages to understand what they do and do not do)

If and when you get engagement please post how you went as it could assist others.

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Not knowing what the ticket type is makes it very difficult to provide advice. Qantas has a range of ticket types:

  • Classic Flight Reward Economy
  • Red e-Deal
  • Flex
  • Classic Flight Reward Premium Economy
  • Premium Economy Sale
  • Premium Economy Saver
  • Premium Economy Flex
  • Classic Flight Reward Business

each which have their own cancellation policies (terms and conditions). There are also a number of cancellation terms and conditions - when Qantas cancels a ticket/flight (within or outside their control) and when a passenger cancels the ticket. As your son cancelled the ticket, it is important that those conditions relating to passenger cancelling the ticket are read. These will be very different to those if Qantas cancels the ticket/flight.

Some businesses won’t respond to ongoing complaints about the same issue, or when matters relating to the complaint have been resolved. Often ongoing complaints may be considered frivolous or vexatious.

It is important to understand the passenger triggered ticket cancellation terms and conditions and determine if what Qantas has done is different to these T&Cs. If Qantas has not fulfilled their own T&Cs, this should be the subject of the complaint.

What one thinks should happen isn’t relevant as one agrees to the T&Cs on purchase of a ticket. The T&Cs and the content of the initial request your son made for resolution (such as your son asking for a refund or credit) will be relied upon by Qantas in relation to what the appropriate resolution should be. If you son agreed to the refund and only after realising it should have asked for credits as it was a ‘better deal’, then unfortunately it could be seen by Qantas that the matter had been closed and refund issued. They might not accept a change in mind in relation to the resolution.

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A related topic -

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Experience with Qantas’s help desk is frustrating and a cynical strategy to minimise refunds or legitimate changes to schedules requiring a new booking. On-hold wait times of up to 6 hours, bumping from one operator to another, nescessitating further hours of waiting is our experience of Qantas’s service. This coupled with cancelled flights leaving us stranded with disengenious and inacurate information is a direct reflection on the leadership culture and a monopolistic mind set. Let us hope their extreme poor performance does not stretch to safety and engineering.

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Will this assuage customers or enrage them? A $50 voucher isn’t much, but what T&C apply?

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One has to feel bad for those who are trying their best within a company and system that is breaking. Shredded luggage, missing goods, and nobody to/who can just ‘fix it’. Process and procedure is important you know, even if the phones are busy.

edit: the PS

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I am gobsmacked with the regulators’ (plural) woeful inactivity regarding the fiasco which is today’s air travel.
Imagine paying for a McDonald’s McValue Meal (say a Big Mac, large fries and a diet Coke) only to get home and when opening the take away bag to find it is fries-free.
How on earth could McDonald’s do such a thing?
Could they promulgate T&C’s to the effect that “while every attempt to provide fries in a McValue meal will be undertaken, the company will not be bound by or liable for customers’ expectations (no matter how “reasonable”) in this regard”.

Of course such a policy would be hounded out of town. Even by me, a big fan of McD’s.

So why is it ok for airlines to ferry folk around without guaranteeing their luggage travel on the same aircraft? Surely it isn’t because airlines just want our cash and will solve the baggage problem if and when they can? Surely it’s not because the airport operators want landing fees from airlines, regardless of the flying public’s experience?

I well recall pre Coronavirus most airlines world wide would unload baggage from aircraft if the passenger did not board the plane. This was said to be for “security” reasons. That policy, a fair one to my mind, MANDATED a passenger TO FLY on the same plane as his/her baggage.

How about reverting that that Mr Regulator? Or are the various lobbyists too good at their jobs?

Still the case AFAIK. But the problem today seems to be that the passenger is on the flight but the checked in baggage is not. That means the baggage needs to follow on a later flight, which has always been normal practice, even though the owner is not actually on that flight.

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Those $50 ‘apology’ vouchers might not go as far as expected. Give with one hand and

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An ancillary problem to the call centre being undermanned, it is that nobody appears to have responsibility and the rapid hiring they claim to remedy seems devoid of meaningful training, nor evidence they have hired staff where ‘the baggage meets the conveyors’. So many failures in this; the timing of the events might be rehashes of recent history, yet…

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America’s low cost carriers have solved overloaded call centres. How well that is going to go and will or can it happen here? Only time will tell.

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Not sure how to proceed. Made a booking with Qantas early September. We needed to be in Darwin on a specific date in June 2023. Was about a week (13 Sept) latter that they cancelled that flight and put us on another. OK - it was now direct. They then cancelled that replacement flight the same day. So we rang up Qantas and tried to arrange a replacement. You got to feel sorry for the overseas staff armed only with scripts and no power. A flight (not ideal) was found and booked - but we wanted to original flight arrangement if it should be reinstated. The agent promised we could change back to the original flight arrangement without any fees if it became available. It did become available (Oct 5) so we rang up (again Oct 6) and got on that flight - they agreed - again - after checking with supervisor that there would be no charges for the change except now the flight cost was more and our purchase of better seats could only be refunded in points (not sufficient to book similar seats). Then on 11 Nov when they finally started sending the correct itinerary, I noticed they have now charged us a big fee for the flight change so rang up (again) and was assured that it was a mistake and it would be refunded. He even rang back to confirm that he has initiated the refund for us. Then after no refund arrived, I rang up (again) 29 Nov and after being disconnected once, the agent then informed us that we could not get a refund as they never refund charges once the money is taken. I was gob smacked. Here they promised twice (including checking with supervisor) that they would not charge us to book on the same flight we originally did (before they cancelled it), then they took the penalty from our visa without our permission (falsely telling us that we would not be charged), then told it was a mistake and a refund was on the way, they finally that they cannot refund the charge. I have ‘escalated’ it with them, but they have not got back to me - so I doubt a refund is coming. You cannot write to them and get a response (I tried), they keep bad records and don’t honour their promises. They take unauthorised funds. Where can you go to make them operate fairly??

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Hi @Oceanmapper, I added your post to this topic having the exact opposite outcome, eg a prompt refund. There are a number of topics about problems with QF (use the community search functions to find them), one being

where you might find some ideas how to proceed. Unfortunately you are not alone and QF at best has a serious training problem as well as an overloaded call centre and at worst inconsistent policies.

Choice awarded QF a Shonky for good reason, with Alan Joyce pushing back on how good they are again as viewed from his executive floor. I presume you have used their contact form already to no avail. Try again as well as through their social media page on FB where you can send a message. Sometime their social media teams can get breakthroughs and sometimes not. In my case I sent a message about operation confusion 9 months ago only to be ignored. Others have had some success.

You could also send letters to their executives or directors as identified in their annual report. While none of them will see your submission their PA’s will and PA’s sometimes resolve problems.

Please let us know if you make progress.

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Thank you for your support. I had written to Qantas via their contact form (they try everthing to prevent this and attempt to make you ring their call centres). I got no response.

Following your suggestion I have made my historical problem even more clearly set out and posted it on Qantas’ Facebook page (not hopeful). I will follow through with your suggestions. I think I can also lay it all out on ProductReview if they cover Qantas. They shouldn’t get away with this. We want to minimise our exposure now and have let our Qantas Club lapse.

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You could also try a Chargeback with your Bank for the added charges. The process requires that you have attempted to resolve the issue with the business, and that the resolution was unsuccessful. There are fairly tight timelines about how long it takes to make the request for a Chargeback and even then it can be unsuccessful, particularly if the process was only or largely verbal. If there is no other recourse than verbal, take copious notes including Staff names and if possible IDs so that it can be more easily verified. If Qantas have recorded the verbal communications, you could request.copies of those interactions, as added proof of any promises made.

Keeping your dispute with Qantas in writing, as much as possible, gives you good evidence to use on your Chargeback process.

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Yesterday Qantas finally reimbursed us for their extra charges. It seems that the automated (robo) contact area of the frequent flyer webpage was eventually looked at and acted upon by a ‘rational’ human. I had posted the complete history of the problem along with dates, agent’s names etc. (who knows that you need to keep so much info to support your claims) and originally only got the bot’s dumb response. Thank you for your advice.

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