Seeking advice from others no doubt in this situation...
Given the COVID-19 situation Qantas cancelled my return flights to Mexico. Understandably from a business perspective they have been trying to encourage passengers into accepting Credit Vouchers. At the time the restrictions on the use of the vouchers were still very strict and given my personal situation it is unlikely I will be able to use the full ($4800) value of the voucher in the near future, so I pursued a full refund instead.
QF Conditions of Carriage appear to clearly state that when they cancel your flight (even for events beyond their control) "we will refund you the applicable fare".
However, QF are still trying to penalise passengers upwards of $400 per person to accept the refund.
I have just received any email from Qantas saying:
"We've been listening to our customers amid the uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus and future travel plans. We've heard from those who elected to cancel their upcoming travel without understanding the cancellation fees that may apply, depending on their fare type.
Rest assured with the certainty of more time.
We are giving you the chance to revisit your fare conditions and reconfirm your request by 30 April 2020."
However, Qantas cancelled the flights. Not me. I have an email that clearly sates "Your upcoming flight has been cancelled".
Do other forum members have any advice about resolving this issue? I feel as though Qantas know full well that this is incorrect, but are trying to get passengers to accept these new terms.
I have tried ringing a number of times, but on each occasion have been met with the same answer: "There is a $400 per person cancellation fee for your fare type".
I had the same experience as you George, I had a flight to Europe in June that was cancelled. It was a sale fare for travel in economy. I contacted qantas last week and they said “no problems we will process a full refund”. Today I received the same email as you where it suggested I had to pay a $500 cancellation fee. I just called Qantas and was told “ignore the email, it's system generated. You will get a full refund”. So I guess I will see what happens!
I'm in the same boat. I called up about 3 weeks ago and requested a refund and the agent clearly said that they would charge the cancellation fee to Qantas so that I would get a full refund. But today I received the same email that you quote above. Very dishonest, confusing, and disappointing by Qantas I must say!
Same thing happened to me this week. I applied for a chargeback with my credit card company which was approved within several days. AMEX to the rescue!
Did the anyone/everyone who requested a refund get an email yesterday (Thursday) headed: Your Refund Request - Action Required? And if so, was it genuine?
I got two emails like this (two refunds were requested, before flights were cancelled, and before the longer use-by-date credit vouchers offered) but have been loath to click on any links offered to review the information. I have received SO many scam emails since Covid-19 reared its ugly head that I have become hyperlink phobic! Usually Qantas emails include my name and/or the booking code somewhere in the email, not so much in this case - maybe they are generic covers because there are so many???
Second question, I have another flight booked for July 20. If I want a fee free voucher I have to decide to convert it before April 30. But if I want a refund, do I just wait until later in the year closer to the nominated take off date and hope for the flight to be cancelled?
If I cancel now and opt for a refund I only lose $200 according to my fare conditions, but having to suck up the lose of $600 so far on the other two trips, I wouldn't mind getting the full refund this time.
I had the same thing in an SMS kanga9999 - I took the view it was spam (the link was to on.qant.as which I took as a bit of a giveaway.) The emails, with the same information, were 'eaten' by the spam filter.
If it's not spam, then Qantas will need to try a little harder as they say they will never send you a link and will always include your name and booking reference in any communication - mine had neither
UPDATE - just received an email from Qantas - the SMS is genuine. Once you click through you get the opportunity to store as a credit, or refund (subject to the original T&Cs)
George
George
Member since 17 Nov 2011
Total posts 17
Seeking advice from others no doubt in this situation...
Given the COVID-19 situation Qantas cancelled my return flights to Mexico. Understandably from a business perspective they have been trying to encourage passengers into accepting Credit Vouchers. At the time the restrictions on the use of the vouchers were still very strict and given my personal situation it is unlikely I will be able to use the full ($4800) value of the voucher in the near future, so I pursued a full refund instead.
QF Conditions of Carriage appear to clearly state that when they cancel your flight (even for events beyond their control) "we will refund you the applicable fare".
However, QF are still trying to penalise passengers upwards of $400 per person to accept the refund.
I have just received any email from Qantas saying:
"We've been listening to our customers amid the uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus and future travel plans. We've heard from those who elected to cancel their upcoming travel without understanding the cancellation fees that may apply, depending on their fare type.
Rest assured with the certainty of more time.
We are giving you the chance to revisit your fare conditions and reconfirm your request by 30 April 2020."
However, Qantas cancelled the flights. Not me. I have an email that clearly sates "Your upcoming flight has been cancelled".
Do other forum members have any advice about resolving this issue? I feel as though Qantas know full well that this is incorrect, but are trying to get passengers to accept these new terms.
I have tried ringing a number of times, but on each occasion have been met with the same answer: "There is a $400 per person cancellation fee for your fare type".
sid
sid
Member since 07 Jan 2011
Total posts 205
You can also try going through this - http://www.airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au/
Or file a chargeback with your credit card provider.
George
George
Member since 17 Nov 2011
Total posts 17
Originally Posted by sid
You can also try going through this - http://www.airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au/
Or file a chargeback with your credit card provider.
The credit card provider is Qantas Money, so that could be an interesting one :)
geso13
geso13
Member since 18 Oct 2019
Total posts 1
I had the same experience as you George, I had a flight to Europe in June that was cancelled. It was a sale fare for travel in economy. I contacted qantas last week and they said “no problems we will process a full refund”. Today I received the same email as you where it suggested I had to pay a $500 cancellation fee. I just called Qantas and was told “ignore the email, it's system generated. You will get a full refund”. So I guess I will see what happens!
AlexTravAddict
AlexTravAddict
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 17 May 2015
Total posts 41
I'm in the same boat. I called up about 3 weeks ago and requested a refund and the agent clearly said that they would charge the cancellation fee to Qantas so that I would get a full refund. But today I received the same email that you quote above. Very dishonest, confusing, and disappointing by Qantas I must say!
JTT
JTT
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 21 May 2018
Total posts 3
Same thing happened to me this week. I applied for a chargeback with my credit card company which was approved within several days. AMEX to the rescue!
kanga9999
kanga9999
Member since 09 Apr 2017
Total posts 61
Two questions...
Did the anyone/everyone who requested a refund get an email yesterday (Thursday) headed: Your Refund Request - Action Required? And if so, was it genuine?
I got two emails like this (two refunds were requested, before flights were cancelled, and before the longer use-by-date credit vouchers offered) but have been loath to click on any links offered to review the information. I have received SO many scam emails since Covid-19 reared its ugly head that I have become hyperlink phobic! Usually Qantas emails include my name and/or the booking code somewhere in the email, not so much in this case - maybe they are generic covers because there are so many???
Second question, I have another flight booked for July 20. If I want a fee free voucher I have to decide to convert it before April 30. But if I want a refund, do I just wait until later in the year closer to the nominated take off date and hope for the flight to be cancelled?
If I cancel now and opt for a refund I only lose $200 according to my fare conditions, but having to suck up the lose of $600 so far on the other two trips, I wouldn't mind getting the full refund this time.
Any thoughts?
Ricardo
Ricardo
SQ
Member since 23 Oct 2015
Total posts 48
I had the same thing in an SMS kanga9999 - I took the view it was spam (the link was to on.qant.as which I took as a bit of a giveaway.) The emails, with the same information, were 'eaten' by the spam filter.
If it's not spam, then Qantas will need to try a little harder as they say they will never send you a link and will always include your name and booking reference in any communication - mine had neither
UPDATE - just received an email from Qantas - the SMS is genuine. Once you click through you get the opportunity to store as a credit, or refund (subject to the original T&Cs)