Qantas customer blasts airline over costly $1,900 mistake: 'Zero empathy'
- Replies 11
Booking a flight can be a stressful experience, especially when you're doing it for someone else.
One Qantas customer found this out the hard way when a simple mistake cost him a whopping $1,900.
When Mr Chris Bowers booked a flight for his nephew, Frazer Linscott, from Japan, he accidentally made a small but costly error.
Instead of spelling his nephew's name as 'Frazer' with a 'z', he accidentally typed 'Fraser' with an 's'.
Upon noticing the error, Mr Bowers promptly contacted Qantas to correct the mistake.
However, he was informed that the only way to rectify the error was to cancel the flight and rebook.
This is where the situation took a turn for the worse.
In the time it took for Mr Bowers to cancel and rebook the flight, the fare had skyrocketed from $1,400 to a staggering $3,000.
'The injustice was compounded when I discovered that the cancelled flight had also attracted a $300 cancellation charge, bringing the total cost of a single letter spelling mistake to $1900,' he recalled.
Mr Bowers lodged a complaint with Qantas and the Airline Customer Advocate, but to no avail.
The situation was complicated by the fact that part of the booking included flights operated by Jetstar Japan, a company in which Qantas is only a minority shareholder.
This meant that Qantas could not directly amend the booking.
Qantas offered some assistance and advised Mr Bowers to contact his insurance company.
They also provided him with a letter detailing the incident for his insurance claim.
However, this did little to alleviate the financial burden caused by the spelling error.
The airline's response left Mr Bowers feeling that Qantas had shown 'zero empathy' and 'refused to engage' when he asked the airline if they thought their actions were fair.
In response to the incident, a Qantas spokesperson said they do offer free name corrections, but these must be made on the day of booking.
This policy applies to bookings with other airlines purchased through their website.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Qantas refunded Mr Bowers' cancellation fee and offered him a $1,600 travel voucher a day after being contacted by the media.
'Whilst the customer was given the correct information from our customer care team regarding changes for a Jetstar Japan booking, we have offered the customer a refund for the cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill,' they said.
This incident highlighted a gap in consumer protection laws regarding unfair trade practices by airlines.
'Refusing to allow a simple name change and imposing additional costs by forcing the customer to cancel a ticket and make a new booking at significant expense doesn’t sound fair,' said Gerard Brody, Chairman of the Consumer's Federation of Australia.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has previously noted that a lack of competition in the domestic airline sector has led to high prices, poor customer service, and difficulties in resolving disputes and obtaining redress.
The Consumers Federation of Australia also added that customers currently rely only on an 'airline's goodwill' and has called for the establishment of an airline and travel ombudsman to resolve issues more quickly and cheaply.
Have you ever made a similar mistake when booking a flight? Share your experiences in the comments below.
One Qantas customer found this out the hard way when a simple mistake cost him a whopping $1,900.
When Mr Chris Bowers booked a flight for his nephew, Frazer Linscott, from Japan, he accidentally made a small but costly error.
Instead of spelling his nephew's name as 'Frazer' with a 'z', he accidentally typed 'Fraser' with an 's'.
A man was charged $1,900 to fix a spelling error on a Qantas flight booking he made for his nephew. Image source: rawpixel.com on Freepik.
Upon noticing the error, Mr Bowers promptly contacted Qantas to correct the mistake.
However, he was informed that the only way to rectify the error was to cancel the flight and rebook.
This is where the situation took a turn for the worse.
In the time it took for Mr Bowers to cancel and rebook the flight, the fare had skyrocketed from $1,400 to a staggering $3,000.
'The injustice was compounded when I discovered that the cancelled flight had also attracted a $300 cancellation charge, bringing the total cost of a single letter spelling mistake to $1900,' he recalled.
Mr Bowers lodged a complaint with Qantas and the Airline Customer Advocate, but to no avail.
The situation was complicated by the fact that part of the booking included flights operated by Jetstar Japan, a company in which Qantas is only a minority shareholder.
This meant that Qantas could not directly amend the booking.
Qantas offered some assistance and advised Mr Bowers to contact his insurance company.
They also provided him with a letter detailing the incident for his insurance claim.
However, this did little to alleviate the financial burden caused by the spelling error.
The airline's response left Mr Bowers feeling that Qantas had shown 'zero empathy' and 'refused to engage' when he asked the airline if they thought their actions were fair.
In response to the incident, a Qantas spokesperson said they do offer free name corrections, but these must be made on the day of booking.
This policy applies to bookings with other airlines purchased through their website.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Qantas refunded Mr Bowers' cancellation fee and offered him a $1,600 travel voucher a day after being contacted by the media.
'Whilst the customer was given the correct information from our customer care team regarding changes for a Jetstar Japan booking, we have offered the customer a refund for the cancellation fee as a gesture of goodwill,' they said.
This incident highlighted a gap in consumer protection laws regarding unfair trade practices by airlines.
'Refusing to allow a simple name change and imposing additional costs by forcing the customer to cancel a ticket and make a new booking at significant expense doesn’t sound fair,' said Gerard Brody, Chairman of the Consumer's Federation of Australia.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has previously noted that a lack of competition in the domestic airline sector has led to high prices, poor customer service, and difficulties in resolving disputes and obtaining redress.
The Consumers Federation of Australia also added that customers currently rely only on an 'airline's goodwill' and has called for the establishment of an airline and travel ombudsman to resolve issues more quickly and cheaply.
.png){kind=icon}
