Customers fight Qantas for a $6,000 refund: Are you experiencing this, too?
- Replies 13
It was meant to be the start of an exotic getaway—some friends pooling their money together for flights for a much-needed Bali holiday.
Unfortunately, after spending nearly $6,500 NZD ($5,900 AUD) on flights with Qantas, the friends were left without flights or the refund they were promised.
Asjah Doctor and Caitlin Bradley of Christchurch planned to travel with two other friends in late August.
Doctor used the 'Buy now, Pay later' option on the airline’s website in July to give her friends time to transfer the money.
Within 48 hours, the payment was made via POLi to Qantas. POLi is a service enabling customers to transfer money directly from their bank account to the merchant.
But when Doctor went to double-check the booking after making the payment, the flights had not been registered.
She immediately contacted Qantas to get her money back and rebook the trip. Although the airline claimed that they didn’t receive the payment in the beginning, they eventually assured Doctor that a refund would come in the coming days.
She was promised a refund in 5-7 working days, but while waiting, that timeline was pushed out to 7-10 working days. Qantas asked the customer for proof of payment, which Doctor provided with her bank statement.
Then, they were advised that money would be transferred to them in 6-8 weeks. Bradley and Doctor relentlessly emailed the airline for their refund for these two months.
Bradley mentioned that they also reached out to POLi for assistance, and they were told that the refund would be processed within a fortnight. However, that deadline had passed, and they still didn’t get their money back.
This week, Qantas finally processed the refund and contacted the customers to ensure the funds were received.
'There was a backend administrative error which caused this booking not to be ticketed, resulting in a delay with this refund. We sincerely apologise and are reaching out directly to the customer to expedite the refund,' a spokesperson stated.
Unfortunately, the group’s travel plans were thwarted by the refund delay. Doctor mentioned that they opted to book the flights directly with Qantas, believing it is a safer option compared to the cheaper third-party travel websites.
‘We’ve spent hours on the phone, hours emailing—so much time wasted,’ Bradley shared.
She added: ‘But we believe if we hadn’t kept chasing them up, we wouldn’t have got the money back. I'd hate to see other people go through the same thing and give up.’
Unfortunately, Doctor and Bradley’s story is not isolated. Last year, a Wellington couple ended up with over $10,000 'lost in a void' after Qantas failed to issue their flights, which were also paid for via POLi. The airline claimed that POLi was responsible for the refund.
Similarly, a Nelson couple waited over 12 weeks for their refund after Qantas cancelled their flights. The airline also said POLi was holding the payment, which they denied.
It has been reported that POLi will shut down its Australian operations at the end of September, but it will continue to operate in New Zealand.
This story comes after it was revealed that Qantas is facing a class-action lawsuit that seeks millions of dollars in refunds and compensation for customers whose flights were cancelled after the COVID-19 outbreak. You can read more about that story here.
What do you think of this story, members? Are you or someone you know still waiting on a Qantas refund? Share your experience in the comments below!
Unfortunately, after spending nearly $6,500 NZD ($5,900 AUD) on flights with Qantas, the friends were left without flights or the refund they were promised.
Asjah Doctor and Caitlin Bradley of Christchurch planned to travel with two other friends in late August.
Doctor used the 'Buy now, Pay later' option on the airline’s website in July to give her friends time to transfer the money.
A group of friends battled Qantas for a $6,000 refund. Credit: Abdelrahman Hassanein/Shutterstock
Within 48 hours, the payment was made via POLi to Qantas. POLi is a service enabling customers to transfer money directly from their bank account to the merchant.
But when Doctor went to double-check the booking after making the payment, the flights had not been registered.
She immediately contacted Qantas to get her money back and rebook the trip. Although the airline claimed that they didn’t receive the payment in the beginning, they eventually assured Doctor that a refund would come in the coming days.
She was promised a refund in 5-7 working days, but while waiting, that timeline was pushed out to 7-10 working days. Qantas asked the customer for proof of payment, which Doctor provided with her bank statement.
Then, they were advised that money would be transferred to them in 6-8 weeks. Bradley and Doctor relentlessly emailed the airline for their refund for these two months.
Bradley mentioned that they also reached out to POLi for assistance, and they were told that the refund would be processed within a fortnight. However, that deadline had passed, and they still didn’t get their money back.
This week, Qantas finally processed the refund and contacted the customers to ensure the funds were received.
'There was a backend administrative error which caused this booking not to be ticketed, resulting in a delay with this refund. We sincerely apologise and are reaching out directly to the customer to expedite the refund,' a spokesperson stated.
Unfortunately, the group’s travel plans were thwarted by the refund delay. Doctor mentioned that they opted to book the flights directly with Qantas, believing it is a safer option compared to the cheaper third-party travel websites.
‘We’ve spent hours on the phone, hours emailing—so much time wasted,’ Bradley shared.
She added: ‘But we believe if we hadn’t kept chasing them up, we wouldn’t have got the money back. I'd hate to see other people go through the same thing and give up.’
Unfortunately, Doctor and Bradley’s story is not isolated. Last year, a Wellington couple ended up with over $10,000 'lost in a void' after Qantas failed to issue their flights, which were also paid for via POLi. The airline claimed that POLi was responsible for the refund.
Similarly, a Nelson couple waited over 12 weeks for their refund after Qantas cancelled their flights. The airline also said POLi was holding the payment, which they denied.
It has been reported that POLi will shut down its Australian operations at the end of September, but it will continue to operate in New Zealand.
This story comes after it was revealed that Qantas is facing a class-action lawsuit that seeks millions of dollars in refunds and compensation for customers whose flights were cancelled after the COVID-19 outbreak. You can read more about that story here.
What do you think of this story, members? Are you or someone you know still waiting on a Qantas refund? Share your experience in the comments below!
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