Qantas takes the top spot on the 'Shonky Awards' list. Are you surprised?

Well, it’s official – a certain airline has landed itself in hot water after this year’s CHOICE Shonky Awards list was revealed.

Every year, CHOICE – Australia's leading consumer advocacy group – hands out their annual Shonky Awards to brands they believe produced the worst product or service. And this year, Qantas took the top spot on the list.



We've all had our fair share of bad experiences with companies. Whether it's poor customer service, shoddy products, or general unethical behaviour, it's always frustrating when big businesses let us down. And this is exactly why the Shonky Awards exist.

The award recognises ‘the worst of the worst’ in products and services uncovered by CHOICE’s experts.

And this year, Qantas has taken the top spot as the ‘shonkiest’ company in Australia.


Qantas.JPG
Qantas Airlines landed itself in hot water this year. Credit: Pascal Renet in Pexels

So, what did Qantas do to earn themselves this dubious honour? Well according to CHOICE, the airline had been accused over a series of failings including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage, and lengthy call wait times – with some people waiting as long as 50 minutes!

CHOICE has even asked the ACCC to determine if Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers amounted to unfair contract terms and if their communications to customers about flight credits could be classified as ‘misleading’. Nothing has been determined yet, though.



‘If there was ever a company that appeared to deliberately be going out of its way to win a Shonky award, it’s Qantas,’ said CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird.

‘People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service,’ he shared.


luggage.JPG
Reports have revealed that Qantas had the worst rates for flight delays this year. Credit: Vlada Karpovich in Pexels

Alan Kirkland, CHOICE’s Chief Executive, added that Qantas ‘deserved’ the award this year.

He also didn’t hold back when he said: ‘Qantas might call itself the “Spirit of Australia”, but we think “Spirit of Disappointment” is more appropriate.’ A harsh but fair point.

Michael Harding from Queensland stated that he lost more than $1000 worth of travel credits to Qantas last year. The reason was that the airline gave him expired before he could use them due to border closures.

Mr Harding and his wife also almost lost $700 because the flights they booked this year were cancelled due to bad weather.

‘If I had the money, I would take legal action. The problem is that I have no idea how to resolve my complaint,’ he shared.



According to the advocacy group, the issues around travel credits became a prevalent concern since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bird said: ‘Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.’

‘This includes forcing many people to spend extra money, putting limits on available flights, being unable to make bookings using credits online – the list goes on.’ On the other hand, Mr Kirkland has called for ‘stronger consumer protections’ for all travellers.

‘CHOICE has put forward a clear plan to governments about how to ensure that people are treated fairly in the travel market.’

He added: ‘We now need federal, state and territory governments, and industry to work together to make travel easier and fairer.’


flight.JPG
Qantas didn’t state upfront that travellers were entitled to refunds instead of travel credits. Credit: Nikita Korchagin in Pexels

A spokesperson from Qantas responded that the data CHOICE was using is ‘a bit shonky’, and claimed that the awards are ‘clearly out of date’.

‘We’ve been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but CHOICE is using figures that are just wrong,’ they said.

‘We had several months of poor performance earlier in the year, but it’s improved significantly since August and we’re back to our pre-COVID level of service.’


Key Takeaways

  • Qantas has topped the CHOICE Shonky Awards list for several alleged failings, including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage and lengthy call wait times.
  • CHOICE has filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers.
  • Qantas has been accused of making it difficult and confusing for customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.
  • CHOICE is calling for stronger consumer protections for all travellers.
Well, members, what do you think about this story? Is this ‘award’ warranted? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
 
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Well, it’s official – a certain airline has landed itself in hot water after this year’s CHOICE Shonky Awards list was revealed.

Every year, CHOICE – Australia's leading consumer advocacy group – hands out their annual Shonky Awards to brands they believe produced the worst product or service. And this year, Qantas took the top spot on the list.



We've all had our fair share of bad experiences with companies. Whether it's poor customer service, shoddy products, or general unethical behaviour, it's always frustrating when big businesses let us down. And this is exactly why the Shonky Awards exist.

The award recognises ‘the worst of the worst’ in products and services uncovered by CHOICE’s experts.

And this year, Qantas has taken the top spot as the ‘shonkiest’ company in Australia.


View attachment 8321
Qantas Airlines landed itself in hot water this year. Credit: Pascal Renet in Pexels

So, what did Qantas do to earn themselves this dubious honour? Well according to CHOICE, the airline had been accused over a series of failings including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage, and lengthy call wait times – with some people waiting as long as 50 minutes!

CHOICE has even asked the ACCC to determine if Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers amounted to unfair contract terms and if their communications to customers about flight credits could be classified as ‘misleading’. Nothing has been determined yet, though.



‘If there was ever a company that appeared to deliberately be going out of its way to win a Shonky award, it’s Qantas,’ said CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird.

‘People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service,’ he shared.


View attachment 8320
Reports have revealed that Qantas had the worst rates for flight delays this year. Credit: Vlada Karpovich in Pexels

Alan Kirkland, CHOICE’s Chief Executive, added that Qantas ‘deserved’ the award this year.

He also didn’t hold back when he said: ‘Qantas might call itself the “Spirit of Australia”, but we think “Spirit of Disappointment” is more appropriate.’ A harsh but fair point.

Michael Harding from Queensland stated that he lost more than $1000 worth of travel credits to Qantas last year. The reason was that the airline gave him expired before he could use them due to border closures.

Mr Harding and his wife also almost lost $700 because the flights they booked this year were cancelled due to bad weather.

‘If I had the money, I would take legal action. The problem is that I have no idea how to resolve my complaint,’ he shared.



According to the advocacy group, the issues around travel credits became a prevalent concern since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bird said: ‘Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.’

‘This includes forcing many people to spend extra money, putting limits on available flights, being unable to make bookings using credits online – the list goes on.’ On the other hand, Mr Kirkland has called for ‘stronger consumer protections’ for all travellers.

‘CHOICE has put forward a clear plan to governments about how to ensure that people are treated fairly in the travel market.’

He added: ‘We now need federal, state and territory governments, and industry to work together to make travel easier and fairer.’


View attachment 8319
Qantas didn’t state upfront that travellers were entitled to refunds instead of travel credits. Credit: Nikita Korchagin in Pexels

A spokesperson from Qantas responded that the data CHOICE was using is ‘a bit shonky’, and claimed that the awards are ‘clearly out of date’.

‘We’ve been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but CHOICE is using figures that are just wrong,’ they said.

‘We had several months of poor performance earlier in the year, but it’s improved significantly since August and we’re back to our pre-COVID level of service.’


Key Takeaways

  • Qantas has topped the CHOICE Shonky Awards list for several alleged failings, including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage and lengthy call wait times.
  • CHOICE has filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers.
  • Qantas has been accused of making it difficult and confusing for customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.
  • CHOICE is calling for stronger consumer protections for all travellers.
Well, members, what do you think about this story? Is this ‘award’ warranted? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
I have always traveled Qantas but my last trip was awful and I will never use them again.
The service on board was terrible and the food was disgusting and I paid top dollar for my seat Choice made the perfect descriptio.
 
Qantas has been the pits ever since Alan Joyce took over. He has decimated the Australian work force that use to maintain the planes, showed he has no respect for the consumers. He has single handedly took the airline from the best in the world to this. Hope he is proud.
From the other side I used to do a lot of work for Qantas years ago and they were by far the worst client I had with paying their bills. So bad in fact I refused to do their work in the end. I would never fly Qantas again as their planes look old and worn out inside. I think that these days Qantas is an embarrassment to Australia.
 
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Reactions: Ricci and Macarj
A man was alone in an airport lounge. A beautiful woman walked in and sat down at the table next to him.
He decided, because she was wearing a uniform, she was probably an off-duty flight attendant.
So he decided to have a go at picking her up by identifying the airline she flies for, thereby impressing her greatly.
He leant across to her and said the British Airways motto: 'To Fly. To Serve'?
The woman looked at him blankly.
He sat back and thought up another line.
He leant forward again and delivered the Air France motto: 'Winning the hearts of the world'?
Again she just stared at him with a slightly puzzled look on her face.
Undeterred, he tried again, this time saying the Malaysian Airlines motto: 'Going beyond expectations'?
The woman looked at him sternly and said 'What the f--- do you want?'
'Aha!' he said, "Qantas".
 
Well, it’s official – a certain airline has landed itself in hot water after this year’s CHOICE Shonky Awards list was revealed.

Every year, CHOICE – Australia's leading consumer advocacy group – hands out their annual Shonky Awards to brands they believe produced the worst product or service. And this year, Qantas took the top spot on the list.



We've all had our fair share of bad experiences with companies. Whether it's poor customer service, shoddy products, or general unethical behaviour, it's always frustrating when big businesses let us down. And this is exactly why the Shonky Awards exist.

The award recognises ‘the worst of the worst’ in products and services uncovered by CHOICE’s experts.

And this year, Qantas has taken the top spot as the ‘shonkiest’ company in Australia.


View attachment 8321
Qantas Airlines landed itself in hot water this year. Credit: Pascal Renet in Pexels

So, what did Qantas do to earn themselves this dubious honour? Well according to CHOICE, the airline had been accused over a series of failings including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage, and lengthy call wait times – with some people waiting as long as 50 minutes!

CHOICE has even asked the ACCC to determine if Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers amounted to unfair contract terms and if their communications to customers about flight credits could be classified as ‘misleading’. Nothing has been determined yet, though.



‘If there was ever a company that appeared to deliberately be going out of its way to win a Shonky award, it’s Qantas,’ said CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird.

‘People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service,’ he shared.


View attachment 8320
Reports have revealed that Qantas had the worst rates for flight delays this year. Credit: Vlada Karpovich in Pexels

Alan Kirkland, CHOICE’s Chief Executive, added that Qantas ‘deserved’ the award this year.

He also didn’t hold back when he said: ‘Qantas might call itself the “Spirit of Australia”, but we think “Spirit of Disappointment” is more appropriate.’ A harsh but fair point.

Michael Harding from Queensland stated that he lost more than $1000 worth of travel credits to Qantas last year. The reason was that the airline gave him expired before he could use them due to border closures.

Mr Harding and his wife also almost lost $700 because the flights they booked this year were cancelled due to bad weather.

‘If I had the money, I would take legal action. The problem is that I have no idea how to resolve my complaint,’ he shared.



According to the advocacy group, the issues around travel credits became a prevalent concern since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bird said: ‘Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.’

‘This includes forcing many people to spend extra money, putting limits on available flights, being unable to make bookings using credits online – the list goes on.’ On the other hand, Mr Kirkland has called for ‘stronger consumer protections’ for all travellers.

‘CHOICE has put forward a clear plan to governments about how to ensure that people are treated fairly in the travel market.’

He added: ‘We now need federal, state and territory governments, and industry to work together to make travel easier and fairer.’


View attachment 8319
Qantas didn’t state upfront that travellers were entitled to refunds instead of travel credits. Credit: Nikita Korchagin in Pexels

A spokesperson from Qantas responded that the data CHOICE was using is ‘a bit shonky’, and claimed that the awards are ‘clearly out of date’.

‘We’ve been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but CHOICE is using figures that are just wrong,’ they said.

‘We had several months of poor performance earlier in the year, but it’s improved significantly since August and we’re back to our pre-COVID level of service.’


Key Takeaways

  • Qantas has topped the CHOICE Shonky Awards list for several alleged failings, including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage and lengthy call wait times.
  • CHOICE has filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers.
  • Qantas has been accused of making it difficult and confusing for customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.
  • CHOICE is calling for stronger consumer protections for all travellers.
Well, members, what do you think about this story? Is this ‘award’ warranted? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
 
And Mr Shonky himself is now being paid a $3,000,000 in bonus shares for making Qantas the worse one in the air. Maybe they gave him the shares because no one else wants them. The biggest disgrace in Australian airline history.
 
Well, it’s official – a certain airline has landed itself in hot water after this year’s CHOICE Shonky Awards list was revealed.

Every year, CHOICE – Australia's leading consumer advocacy group – hands out their annual Shonky Awards to brands they believe produced the worst product or service. And this year, Qantas took the top spot on the list.



We've all had our fair share of bad experiences with companies. Whether it's poor customer service, shoddy products, or general unethical behaviour, it's always frustrating when big businesses let us down. And this is exactly why the Shonky Awards exist.

The award recognises ‘the worst of the worst’ in products and services uncovered by CHOICE’s experts.

And this year, Qantas has taken the top spot as the ‘shonkiest’ company in Australia.


View attachment 8321
Qantas Airlines landed itself in hot water this year. Credit: Pascal Renet in Pexels

So, what did Qantas do to earn themselves this dubious honour? Well according to CHOICE, the airline had been accused over a series of failings including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage, and lengthy call wait times – with some people waiting as long as 50 minutes!

CHOICE has even asked the ACCC to determine if Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers amounted to unfair contract terms and if their communications to customers about flight credits could be classified as ‘misleading’. Nothing has been determined yet, though.



‘If there was ever a company that appeared to deliberately be going out of its way to win a Shonky award, it’s Qantas,’ said CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird.

‘People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service,’ he shared.


View attachment 8320
Reports have revealed that Qantas had the worst rates for flight delays this year. Credit: Vlada Karpovich in Pexels

Alan Kirkland, CHOICE’s Chief Executive, added that Qantas ‘deserved’ the award this year.

He also didn’t hold back when he said: ‘Qantas might call itself the “Spirit of Australia”, but we think “Spirit of Disappointment” is more appropriate.’ A harsh but fair point.

Michael Harding from Queensland stated that he lost more than $1000 worth of travel credits to Qantas last year. The reason was that the airline gave him expired before he could use them due to border closures.

Mr Harding and his wife also almost lost $700 because the flights they booked this year were cancelled due to bad weather.

‘If I had the money, I would take legal action. The problem is that I have no idea how to resolve my complaint,’ he shared.



According to the advocacy group, the issues around travel credits became a prevalent concern since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Bird said: ‘Qantas has made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.’

‘This includes forcing many people to spend extra money, putting limits on available flights, being unable to make bookings using credits online – the list goes on.’ On the other hand, Mr Kirkland has called for ‘stronger consumer protections’ for all travellers.

‘CHOICE has put forward a clear plan to governments about how to ensure that people are treated fairly in the travel market.’

He added: ‘We now need federal, state and territory governments, and industry to work together to make travel easier and fairer.’


View attachment 8319
Qantas didn’t state upfront that travellers were entitled to refunds instead of travel credits. Credit: Nikita Korchagin in Pexels

A spokesperson from Qantas responded that the data CHOICE was using is ‘a bit shonky’, and claimed that the awards are ‘clearly out of date’.

‘We’ve been very transparent with our performance figures, both good and bad, but CHOICE is using figures that are just wrong,’ they said.

‘We had several months of poor performance earlier in the year, but it’s improved significantly since August and we’re back to our pre-COVID level of service.’


Key Takeaways

  • Qantas has topped the CHOICE Shonky Awards list for several alleged failings, including unusable credits, delayed flights, lost baggage and lengthy call wait times.
  • CHOICE has filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over Qantas’ terms and conditions for flight vouchers.
  • Qantas has been accused of making it difficult and confusing for customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel.
  • CHOICE is calling for stronger consumer protections for all travellers.
Well, members, what do you think about this story? Is this ‘award’ warranted? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!
What do you expect from a money hungry CEO and Shareholders no respect for their worker's and even less for their customers and they don't pay taxes scum off the earth
 
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Reactions: JedCorella
The Flying Kangaroo....once a greatly admired and loved symbol of a Proud Australian Airline Company....now lies dead in the parched Australian Outback being devoured by bush ants. RIP. 😢
 

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