Long wait for refund for cancelled reward flights Qantas - a common experience?

[MPP2768]

Hi All,

Just reviewing out travel plans to Europe booked for May , I have booked my Europe tickets using Qantas points all booked under classic reward flights . There are 3 different booking reference nos. as i booked them as the classic award tickets became available as below
Leg 1 Mel-Sin- Mel
Leg 2 Singapore-Doha- Vienna
Leg 3 Paris-Dubai-Singapore
I understand cancellation charges are 6000 points per passenger , does this mean i will be charged 6000X3 points per passenger or juts 6000 points per passenger for all 3 cancellations.
Can we pay cash instead of points for the cancellations? does anyone know how much do 6000 points translate to in terms of AUD

Thanks

 

[blackcat20]

Taxes for our outbound flight are back in, so 6 days from cancellation.

 

[MikeG]

Took me 4 months to get my taxes back.

 

[suze2000]

I have had flights for Dec cancelled. In fact, I went to rebook and there were no QF flights at all. Moreover, the automated message their FB messenger person posted to me said the timeframe would be 12 weeks. I don't care about the taxes, I have enough money to cover that. I want the points back so I can rebook with them.

I wish to fly MEL-BNE-BDB and had a nice J points booking. So angry right now as the only option now, apart from flying via SYD is JQ. I hate JQ as there is no legroom and also they have cancelled multiple flights on me, so I vowed never to fly them again.

I do not know how to deal with this. My husband just says I should suck it up and hope that flights resume before Dec, and not to blame the customer service person, but I had made this decision to visit my mother and booked assuming the borders would be open but now I can't figure out how that will be possible.

 

[suze2000]

Also I looked at their schedules and they are not even flying to DRW at the moment (which was my backup plan), so how do I get up there to quarantine? ARGH ARGH ARGH. My mother is old and has been crying because she hasn't seen me for a year and I thought I had it figured out.

 

[mrsterryn]

Points back within 3 days. Just waiting on the taxes

 

[suze2000]

Decided to rebook with JQ and f'ing cancel again later if something changes (ie, the reinstatement of flights). My mother has her hopes up way high and I really don't want to disappoint her. MrSuze wants to cut out the airlines and road trip there, but he doesn't want to take the same time off as me.

 

[DC3]

Points refunded in 2-3 days with taxes back in under a week, here.

 

[Notyourbag]

My international flight on the 1st November was cancelled this morning. Got an email titled 'We've had to make some changes to your flight'

The value of your ticket has been stored as a Flight Credit. Your Flight Credit has an expiry date of 31 December 2022 and you won't be charged any change fees on rebooking. We'll email your Flight Credit details soon, and it will also outline how to access other options available to you (including a refund).

 

[Beasley]

Our flight to Tokyo on 8th January was cancelled today.

 

[LinaLee]

Flight cancelled by Qantas for flight to Auckland in Mid-Sept and automatically converted to Flight Credit in MMB. No button for refund option now when you access the booking. Actually have to call if refund is sought.

Requested refund on 22 July. 10 weeks was the quoted date and full refund including CC fees amount as advised by agent of the call centre located in India. Call hold time with plat line was about 10 mins around 2pm on the day. Was assured request has been lodged and advised to call back after 10 weeks if the monies are not refunded to CC.

Will update once I get the money

Update:

Money only landed in CC (including cc fees) well after the 12 weeks promised and only after making a follow-up phone call, and they only agreed to manually process payment once it was realised that is was past 12 weeks. Money arrived in CC on 27 Oct 20.

On another refund subsequently for another booking that was cancelled (by me) and refund requested on 30 Sept 20. The 12 weeks period quoted was actually under 12 weeks this time without prompting. Money arrived in CC (including cc fees) on 3 Dec 2020. I was surprised

 

[Berlin]

Had an award booking to Australia over Christmas, in vain hoping for that "bubble" to be in place in time to see friends and family over the holiday. But regardless of their "Change/cancel your rewards seat with no fee until 31 Mar' 21" which is still heavily advertised on their website, absolute radio silence since the automated cancelation of flights email from over a month ago.

So I called up and luckily at least, I came through to someone very quickly (lowly Platinum here). Unfortunately, that someone was the most disengaged call centre agent in ages and simply told me "Too bad, you will have to wait. Please do not call us again as this takes 6-10 weeks to process". I asked if it was normal to not even get an acknowledgement or something as the whole booking is now entirely invisible on my profile and the QF website but "You will get a receipt once it is processed". I told her that this wait is outrageous and that I am unhappy with such curt response to which she just disconnected the call.

Not that I had expected anything better but seriously- such arrogance! Such rudeness! It will really be hard to justify to myself and my better half to spend most of my disposable income with this very same company once the boarders are open again. I find it just mind boggling. And I'm just after my points and if the tax component comes as a voucher instead of a refund, so be it- at this stage, I don't even care as I will make another booking as soon as the bubble is in place anyway. But refund my points- this is bar any comprehension! Anyway, rant over. Seriously not happy about their attitude.

 

[Melburnian1]

It will really be hard to justify to myself and my better half to spend most of my disposable income with this very same company once the boarders are open again. I find it just mind boggling. And I'm just after my points and if the tax component comes as a voucher instead of a refund, so be it- at this stage, I don't even care as I will make another booking as soon as the bubble is in place anyway. But refund my points- this is bar any comprehension! Anyway, rant over. Seriously not happy about their attitude.

Funny - brilliant - pun about 'boarders' (given the inability of educational institutions to know if overseas students can arrive in Oz) -but you may have meant 'borders'.

Seriously though, it's not good enough how you're being treated. Remind QF of the ACCC's view.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Had an award booking to Australia over Christmas, in vain hoping for that "bubble" to be in place in time to see friends and family over the holiday. But regardless of their "Change/cancel your rewards seat with no fee until 31 Mar' 21" which is still heavily advertised on their website, absolute radio silence since the automated cancelation of flights email from over a month ago.

So I called up and luckily at least, I came through to someone very quickly (lowly Platinum here). Unfortunately, that someone was the most disengaged call centre agent in ages and simply told me "Too bad, you will have to wait. Please do not call us again as this takes 6-10 weeks to process". I asked if it was normal to not even get an acknowledgement or something as the whole booking is now entirely invisible on my profile and the QF website but "You will get a receipt once it is processed". I told her that this wait is outrageous and that I am unhappy with such curt response to which she just disconnected the call.

Not that I had expected anything better but seriously- such arrogance! Such rudeness! It will really be hard to justify to myself and my better half to spend most of my disposable income with this very same company once the boarders are open again. I find it just mind boggling. And I'm just after my points and if the tax component comes as a voucher instead of a refund, so be it- at this stage, I don't even care as I will make another booking as soon as the bubble is in place anyway. But refund my points- this is bar any comprehension! Anyway, rant over. Seriously not happy about their attitude.

Don't wait. Take it to Fair Trading. Qantas don't care.

I regret not following my own advice. I got the refund very quickly after raising it with Fair Trading.

 

[sanne]

I have often found messaging them seems to work better.

QF cancelled our award flights to AKL for Jan 21, sent an email to inform us of that. I waited a week for refund of points and taxes then messaged them. They said it will take 4-6 weeks.

I was surprised to see points and taxes refunded within 3 weeks of cancellation.

 

[RAM]

Don't wait. Take it to Fair Trading. Qantas don't care.

I regret not following my own advice. I got the refund very quickly after raising it with Fair Trading.

In their case very unlikely to work as their booking is TO Australia - suggesting living outside of Australia. If so, and in the US then go directly to the DOT website & start celebrating!

If the UK need to do some quick research but recently the UK authorities stopped the softly softly approach.

The report earlier this week (in another thread) that Q have accepted many more VRs for flight attendants than advertised as part of the '6,000 VRs to be completed by 30 Sept' is not a promising signal.

That their payout will now not occur until 'early 2021' doubly so!

 

[Pushka]

So I called up and luckily at least, I came through to someone very quickly (lowly Platinum here). Unfortunately, that someone was the most disengaged call centre agent in ages and simply told me "Too bad, you will have to wait. Please do not call us again as this takes 6-10 weeks to process".

Clearly we struck the same agent then. She complained she spent all day dealing with refunds. So much so that I said my Qantas employed neighbour had lost her job. . I ended up doing a chargeback through Amex after another two week wait and it was sorted within the week.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It will really be hard to justify to myself and my better half to spend most of my disposable income with this very same company once the boarders are open again.

Qantas is banking on you liking salt 'n pepper squid

 

[Danger]

In their case very unlikely to work as their booking is TO Australia - suggesting living outside of Australia. If so, and in the US then go directly to the DOT website & start celebrating!

If the UK need to do some quick research but recently the UK authorities stopped the softly softly approach.

The report earlier this week (in another thread) that Q have accepted many more VRs for flight attendants than advertised as part of the '6,000 VRs to be completed by 30 Sept' is not a promising signal.

That their payout will now not occur until 'early 2021' doubly so!

I follow the Delta refunds threat on FlyerTalk and it's clear from those posts that the US DOT is as useless as our ACCC. Their are countless posts of refunds taking weeks and months, despite the DOT's clear statement on timeframes (much clearer, I might add, than the ACCC's).

How quickly is an airline, travel agent, or online travel agency required to process a refund?

• If a passenger is owed a refund, an airline, travel agent, or online travel agency must process it within seven business days if the passenger paid by credit card, and 20 business days if the passenger paid by cash or check.

Refunds | US Department of Transportation

Travel plans sometimes change and you may want a refund for a purchased airline ticket or other related services such as baggage or seat fees. This page contains useful information to determine whether you are entitled to a refund for air fare or services related to a scheduled flight.

www.transportation.gov

 

[Berlin]

Europe is not much better either, regardless what's written in the laws. I have lots of friends who are still desperately trying to get refunds from Lufthansa group, all the while the government (i.e. tax payer money) spent billions of Euro to bail them out during Covid. Just disgusting such corporate arrogance.

 

[serfty]

If humans can be kept out of the reward booking cancellation process then refunds can be quicker.

Sunday 6th Dec ~5pm, using www.qantas.com/yourbooking I cancelled a CBR-SYD flight online. Six days later the 8K was back in the account and yesterday the refund of ~$50 in +++ showed up.