Price Promise Breaks ACCC Advertising Laws?

[sudopns]

So I had a question to everyone about their opinion from a rejected Price Promise request I got.

I bought return flights to the Territory on the QANTAS website under a single booking itinerary - and chose the two cheapest flights offered. One was a QF flight out and the one back (the only option direct) was a JQ flight. I purchased all this off the website.

I then do what I’ve always done and go fishing around online to make sure I got the best deal and found Expedia (which has an Aussie ABN) had the exact same itinerary and flights and conditions for cheaper and submitted a Price match claim.

To my surprise I received this email in response (quote):

• The claim can only be made against itineraries with the same Qantas flight numbers and where all flights have a QF flight number.
• The screenshot you submitted shows an itinerary where the return flight has a JQ flight number.
• Irrespective of the operating airline, we are only able to offer price promise against lower fares with QF flight numbers as these are like for like comparisons with the same change and cancellation conditions as the fares you have booked on Qantas.com
• Our Price Promise is there to reassure our customers you can get the best Qantas fares online by booking directly at qantas.com. As such we do not match our prices against other airlines that offer a different product to our own.

The ridiculousness is that I booked my itinerary ON qantas.com under the one booking number with a return JQ flight.

I feel pretty misled as the impression of the Price Promise would be that flights sold to me on qantas.com should be inherently eligible for the Price Match. They are selling me JQ flights on the website as part of a single booking. Yet the Price Match refuses to price match because it’s a JQ and not QF flight. It was nothing to do with the submitted matching website or any issue with the bookings, but rather one with QANTAS selling me a fare ineligible for the price match without telling me - yet also telling me the Price match exists to encourage me to purchase on QANTAS.com!?

Any thoughts on this? Am I being a bit outrageous that I feel like this?? Does this break ACCC laws on advertising??(False or misleading claims)

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[oz_mark]

Having read the price promise (Price Promise | Qantas), it does say QF flight numbers a few times.

 

[samh004]

Having read the price promise (Price Promise | Qantas), it does say QF flight numbers a few times.

Further to that, I note this (my highlighting). Seems pretty clear cut.

 

[tdimdad]

The QF Price Promise clearly states on the website that only QF-numbered flights are eligible. The same probably applies to JQ Price Promise.
Would you be able to split the claim into two, outbound submitted to QF and return to JQ?

 

[davidj]

I would say fishing for flight deals after hitting the book button is often fought with problems. It's easier to do it before and avoid frustration with claims, fine print, T&Cs ect.

 

[samh004]

Would you be able to split the claim into two, outbound submitted to QF and return to JQ?

The wording suggests "itinerary" and as the flights have been booked as a return it is probably too late to do that now – would be my guess. In the future, where there isn't a penalty for booking one-way fares, this might be the appropriate choice.

 

[sudopns]

Thanks for the input! It was more about the fact that I was sold the entire itinerary on qantas.com despite the itinerary not being eligible for Price Promise. I feel the way they advertise it on the website as “Book with confidence at qantas.com” and but they sell Jetstar flights not eligible/not codeshared to QF unusual. Indeed the flight shows up in my Qantas app! You wouldn’t find Qantas flights on Jetstars website for example so again, I assumed this itinerary had QF arrangements. Otherwise I would’ve booked seperate tickets!

Not sure if you guys also feel this gives a misleading impression for JQ flights or not by Price Promise?

You live and learn I guess

 

[MickC32]

Prices on jetstar.com are usually way cheaper than the same flights on qantas.com so if I see a Jetstar flight that works better for me I will always book via their website even if the other leg is with Qantas.

I feel your frustration though, chalk it up to learning!