Qantas Says COVID Credits Are Refundable

[jb747]

As an aside to this. What happens to the money that was paid IF a person fails to get a refund or use their flight credit on a booking made with a travel agent?

AJ's bonus has to come from somewhere.

 

[Graham Atkinson]

Flight Centre just got the run around from Qantas and gave up. Ringing Qantas Call Centres is as we'd expect pointless.

Has anyone got a direct contact for this Markus SVENSSON, the one who made this announcement?

The end of the story in relation to Qantas' statement that even passenger's who may not have been entitled to a refund are "encouraged" to ring Qantas to discuss a refund, is that it was a hollow promise, at least if you booked through an Agent. There is no way to get a refund if you booked through an agent. Qantas will just say you have to talk to your agent. And your agent will just say that they have no way to get a refund from Qantas.

 

[JackMiles]

Just got off a call in regards to a booking made in early 2020. Although I got put on hold a couple of times for fairly long times, it all went smoothly enough...until the very end when the rep said okay, we're all set, but since you want the refund to go to a different card to the one you paid for the original ticket with, you need to send us an email with a letter from your old bank saying you no longer bank with them, plus a letter or statement from your new bank (even though I'm asking for the refund to go to a QANTAS card!), plus basically every last detail of the original booking (incl flight details and ticket number - lucky I archive all booking confirmations).
In short, a very troublesome process that seems certainly designed to make the process difficult. Just when I thought I was in the midst of a good-news story about QF, woah, PLOT TWIST! They are still horrible!

Update: so I sent off the email with all the requested documents and just a few hours later got an email from QF saying the refund had been processed. Happy days!
Not so fast! The payment did not appear on my nominated credit card. Eight days later (yesterday) I called the line again and went through a fairly lengthy discussion with a friendly rep who was genuinely trying to help. She did not say so explicitly but reading between the lines it would seem QF tried to send the refund to the original credit card, NOT the new one I was nominating and providing all the troublesome documentation for. I think she said she could see the email I had sent (can't recall that detail for sure) but either way said it would be with the finance department and she would speak to them about approval to pay out the refund. She confirmed that the new card was NOW linked to the booking. So, sounded like approval from finance after reviewing my docs was all that was needed. She said she would get in the queue to speak to them and call me back.
You will be shocked to read that I did not get a call back.
So I called again this morning and went through the whole story again with a new rep - must be said, also friendly and (trying to be) helpful - to get to basically the same position; waiting on green light from finance, new CC details are on the booking, will call you back today for sure!
We'll see...
[The crazy part is that the quantum of money involved is tiny really, in the big picture and relative to the time I've now spent on this - all part of QF's master plan?]

 

[Graham Atkinson]

@AFF Editor

STOP THE PRESS!!!! SUCCESS WITH GETTING A REFUND FROM QANTAS!!!! FOR A CUSTOMER WHO ORIGINALLY BOOKED THROUGH AN AGENT AND WHO WASN'T TECHNICALLY ENTITLED TO A REFUND.

If you've been following, I booked $1,700 worth of Qantas flights through Flight Centre during covid that I cancelled and the flights got converted into credits. The flights were actually cancelled by me (due to border uncertainty back then). So I fell into the category of a customer not only who booked through an agent, but who was not automatically entitled to a refund either. When I'd ring Qantas they'd say that because I booked through an Agent, I had to contact the agent for a refund. But when I'd contact the Agent, they'd say they had no way of getting a refund from Qantas. It was a vicious circle!! It took many, many, many hours of frustration of being given the wrong advice by Qantas overseas agents who had no idea of the Qantas announcement on 26/6/23, but I worked out the only way of getting a refund was indeed through the agent if you booked using an agent.

In the end I got my agent to directly ring the "Agency Connect" phone number only for Agents: Ph.131711. (If the Agent rings the general call centre, or the public Covid Credit Hub number they will get nowhere too)

This is the reply I just got from my Agent:

"Hi Graham & Deborah - after 3hrs on the phone again with Qantas this morning - they have managed to submit all 5 tickets for a compassionate refund. After 20min on hold - the powers that be have approved the tickets to be submitted. As there are 5 tickets in credit in each of Deborah, Andrew, Kate, Marc and Luke's names - I need at least Deborah (lead passenger on the trip) to approve the cancellation of the credits for refund and acknowledge that once this process has started - the credits will no longer be available to use, the refund process can take a minimum of 12-16 weeks to return funds from Qantas to Flight Centre and - once funds are received - the refund will then be processed back to the original form of payment - $500 to gift card and $1200.13 (including credit card fee) back to Graham Atkinsons' Mastercard.
Can Deborah please reply back with approval and I will get this submitted on your family's behalf as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Katherine"

IT CAN BE DONE!!!!

 

[woodyren]

Thanks GA. I called Flight Centre today who called Qantas on the number you suggested. The agent replied that Qantas will process the refund within 12-16 weeks after which FC will then refund me to the original form of payment. Seems like things are moving along now with Qantas and FC.

 

[Graham Atkinson]

Thanks GA. I called Flight Centre today who called Qantas on the number you suggested. The agent replied that Qantas will process the refund within 12-16 weeks after which FC will then refund me to the original form of payment. Seems like things are moving along now with Qantas and FC.

Happy to have helped woodyren.

 

[Seat0B]

[The crazy part is that the quantum of money involved is tiny really, in the big picture and relative to the time I've now spent on this - all part of QF's master plan?]

Yep I have the princely sum of $108 as a travel credit and not sure I can be bothered with the palaver to get a refund or even to use the credit as a payment for a fare....

 

[CMA222]

Yep I have the princely sum of $108 as a travel credit and not sure I can be bothered with the palaver to get a refund or even to use the credit as a payment for a fare....

Precisely what QF wants to achieve ! (The Spirit of Australian - shareholders).

 

[Seat0B]

Precisely what QF wants to achieve ! (The Spirit of Australian - shareholders).

So I really ought to just suck it up and go through the process, I know.

 

[VPS]

I think I may have just had a win but it may be too early to tell.

I booked a flight using my Amex travel credit early 2021 for a flight in September. Qantas cancelled the flight and changed it to a 6am flight (that is never going to happen) Usually when you book through Amex you can't make changes but for some reason I was able to change it to another flight and I was able to upgrade to business for not much more. Then of course Covid and couldn't go so was able to put it into credit ($600)

I rang Qantas this morning - all ready to give me a credit and after 15 minutes oh no you have to ring Amex -
Rang Amex - no it's been amended and now under Qantas control
Ring Qantas back - nice young man in Fiji said oh because it's a business class ticket you can have a refund.

Fingers crossed it all happens

 

[Nomads]

Lots of bad news above, but for a mere $150 I got a easy response which included
- a quick connection to my phone call
- a rep who could quickly send me an email with my voucher details, something which was so elusive in the past
- shared new c.card details (not the same card as before but carried sam ename on card)
- a rep who was very helpful and knew what to do
- 1 - 4 weeks wait for payment

In any case the process and email with my voucher details highlighted the fact that in the past they just had no desire to do the right thing as they tried to make life difficult, until now!! Due to pressure for authorities at some level I expect?

As the saying goes ... have you been "QANTASED" .... or better to find value elsewhere, if you can.

 

[JackMiles]

Update: so I sent off the email with all the requested documents and just a few hours later got an email from QF saying the refund had been processed. Happy days!
Not so fast! The payment did not appear on my nominated credit card. Eight days later (yesterday) I called the line again and went through a fairly lengthy discussion with a friendly rep who was genuinely trying to help. She did not say so explicitly but reading between the lines it would seem QF tried to send the refund to the original credit card, NOT the new one I was nominating and providing all the troublesome documentation for. I think she said she could see the email I had sent (can't recall that detail for sure) but either way said it would be with the finance department and she would speak to them about approval to pay out the refund. She confirmed that the new card was NOW linked to the booking. So, sounded like approval from finance after reviewing my docs was all that was needed. She said she would get in the queue to speak to them and call me back.
You will be shocked to read that I did not get a call back.
So I called again this morning and went through the whole story again with a new rep - must be said, also friendly and (trying to be) helpful - to get to basically the same position; waiting on green light from finance, new CC details are on the booking, will call you back today for sure!
We'll see...
[The crazy part is that the quantum of money involved is tiny really, in the big picture and relative to the time I've now spent on this - all part of QF's master plan?]

Further update!
No call back. A few days later I sent an email to the address provided for my document submission. No reply to that.
Made another call and went through it all again, and again was promised a call back. I emphasised that it was difficult for me to trust such a promise given the previous two calls but anyway...
And this time I did in fact get a call back, not the same day, but a day or two later. Basically got the same story, though, only this time confirming that the payment had indeed gone to AMEX (original, long since cancelled card) so QF needed to wait for the money to come back before forwarding to me. I argued that sending the money to AMEX was their mistake so I should not have to wait for that (futile, I know, but wanted to make the point out of frustration). Rep sympathised but of course their hands were tied.
And then today I got an email from Customer Care (ha! the blackest of irony) saying; your money is with AMEX, here's some tracking numbers to quote to AMEX in order to arrange with them for them to send it to you.
W the everlovin' F!?!
So QF mistakenly send my refund to the wrong place and now wants to wash their hands of the whole thing and make me liaise directly with AMEX to get the money! I wish I could say this was unbelievable, but we all know it is all too believable. Outrageous, too, though.
Perhaps letting my frustration get the better of me a touch I replied to the email to say that was not acceptable. I think I kept it within the bounds of civility (no swearing or personal attacks).
What a horrible company QF is.

 

[Snowant]

I got my money back! Over $3 grand. My case was a tad tricky, as I cancelled my trip in early February 2020, as I knew the borders would be closed and the pandemic had been called or was about to be called (I helped work up the pandemic plan in 2005). So when I cancelled my trip, no one knew that travel would be halting, except us folk who had inside knowledge. (then I went to Aldi and bought about 4 bales of dunny paper, rice, tinned food, pasta, long life milk etc etc).

Left it with Qantas, which was silly in hindsight. Then I got blood cancer, so no travel for me for god knows how long.

Got notified of Qantas turning it into a "pass" and figured before it expired, I'd go into battle to get my $$ back. Then I read that story in the FF regular gazette that Qantas had begun refunding people. So rang the number in the story, and it was easy. They paid it back into my Qantas mastercard (slight hiccup when they realised the one they had had expired. Same number, new expiry). Every penny paid back.

 

[drron]

About to ring the QWF refund number. Have found finally on Mrsdrron's QFF account 3 flight credits and 5 hotel credits after several attempts with the error message coming up.
Now we have a few hotel bookings to make so just tried to use the hotel credits for a hotel in Darwin next year and whether using the voucher code or number each of the 5 credits came up as invalid.
And some people still wonder why QF is disliked.

 

[Snowant]

About to ring the QWF refund number. Have found finally on Mrsdrron's QFF account 3 flight credits and 5 hotel credits after several attempts with the error message coming up.
Now we have a few hotel bookings to make so just tried to use the hotel credits for a hotel in Darwin next year and whether using the voucher code or number each of the 5 credits came up as invalid.
And some people still wonder why QF is disliked.

Probably simpler to get it all back (if you've not used any of the credits), and then do bookings with money.

Qantas seems like a giant, blobby-like creature with no eyes and a tiny brain, flopping and blundering around.

So it's probably best to not confuse it too much... get the money back if it's a simple procedure, and then you're back to square 1. And then you've got choices, too.

 

[drron]

So we called about the flight credits and Mrsdrron being platinum she got Hobart and all being refunded.
However QF hotel vouchers are nothing to do with the main QF operations so can't be refunded. The QF hotels does have a separate page where it says vouchers can not be refunded. As I said the vouchers all came up with an invalid voucher message when tried to use them.
Anyway sent an online enquiry form of and see what happens.
But in the acknowledgement of the enquiry it comes up with this -

We have sent a confirmation of your request to your email address and will get back to you soon.

Please note, due to the current COVID-19 crisis, our team is currently experiencing high volumes of calls and enquiries. We’ll do our best to help you as soon as possible.

How long are they going to use covid as an excuse for doing things slowly!

 

[Snowant]

How long are they going to use covid as an excuse for doing things slowly!

Huh, when the health services stop using it! A known and planned-for pandemic, I guess they hope we don't know that.

To be honest, the Qantas we had before covid vs Qantas now is like chalk and cheese. They seem to have used the pandemic to convert Qantas into a much lesser version of what it was, much-like the US airlines used S11 to convert themselves into third world airlines charging first world prices.

 

[VPS]

I think I may have just had a win but it may be too early to tell.

I booked a flight using my Amex travel credit early 2021 for a flight in September. Qantas cancelled the flight and changed it to a 6am flight (that is never going to happen) Usually when you book through Amex you can't make changes but for some reason I was able to change it to another flight and I was able to upgrade to business for not much more. Then of course Covid and couldn't go so was able to put it into credit ($600)

I rang Qantas this morning - all ready to give me a credit and after 15 minutes oh no you have to ring Amex -
Rang Amex - no it's been amended and now under Qantas control
Ring Qantas back - nice young man in Fiji said oh because it's a business class ticket you can have a refund.

Fingers crossed it all happens

so more than 6 weeks later no refund. Ring the dedicated customer refund line and get a message if you're flight isn't today then hang up and call back later but I persisted.

The lady I spoke to wasn't particularly helpful but filled out a customer complaint form for me - apparently someone will contact me tomorrow.

I will not be holding my breath

 

[levelnine]

Now they never expire: Qantas to scrap COVID-19 refund expiry date

Qantas are continuing to buckle from the huge backlash against them.

 

[Snowant]

I'm actually surprised how easy it was to get my refund, as the flight to the US that I cancelled still flew. I just suspect the return flight didn't, as it was late March when the pandemic had been called. I cancelled the March trip in early Februrary, as I knew when the pandemic was called, the borders would be closed, but few other people knew that.

I used the phone number given in Matt's article, which seemed to be for covid refunds, and they seemed to be all over it. The only hiccup was my original CC had expired, which required me to get back in touch with them after the 21 days had elapsed, and all I had to do was quote the new expiry date.