QANTAS will refund your money when you're dead

[futaris]

There was a story on Today Tonight about QANTAS not wanting to refund a $260 MEL-DPO flight for a consumer who got lung cancer and was unable to fly.

He even got a medical certificate.

QANTAS reps came back and said "we'll refund your money when you're dead".

NB, QANTAS did eventually give the man a refund (without him dying), according to the end of the article. Said it was a misunderstanding...

 

[Mal]

Ok, I'm going to be the incompassionate B*ST*RD and ask why should Qantas refund the money?

Sure they didn't handle it the most tactful way, but fare conditions are fare conditions and they have the right to uphold them (or vary them) at their wish.

Most fares have a death clause in them, but not a too-ill to fly clause. Perhaps travel insurance would have come to the rescue - although, I suspect in this case it wouldn't have helped much.

 

[yo yo ma]

Ok, I'm going to be the incompassionate B*ST*RD and ask why should Qantas refund the money?

I agree... there is an option for him to buy insurance or buy a fully flexible fare. I assume he chose not to, so I can't see the the need for a refund.

 

[Kendall Roy]

There was a story on Today Tonight ...

People still watch that cough?

I cannot stand it!

 

[mr_greg444]

haha, i burst out laughing when i read the title for this thread.

Qantas shouldn't need to refund someones fare just because they fell sick. They shouldn't even need to refund the fair if someone dies.

If you buy cheap fares you need to accept the consequences if you are unable to travel. If travelers bothered to read the terms and conditions of fares, maybe they wouldn't get into these situation in the first place.

 

[straitman]

In any case they processed the refund so the man is happy and TT is happy with their 'success rate' :!:

 

[Dave Noble]

Qantas shouldn't need to refund someones fare just because they fell sick. They shouldn't even need to refund the fair if someone dies.

Most non-refundable fares have in the fare rules an exception for death , so they should need to refund in those cases by virtue that the fare rule specifies it

Dave

 

[thegurio]

People still watch that cough?

I cannot stand it!

Ive always thought it was a comedy show personally... I love poking holes in every story but it has been banned from our house by MrsGurio as there was too much angst watching it!

 

[medhead]

Ok, I'm going to be the incompassionate B*ST*RD and ask why should Qantas refund the money?

Sure they didn't handle it the most tactful way, but fare conditions are fare conditions and they have the right to uphold them (or vary them) at their wish.

I'm not going to waste any extra minutes of my live looking up the exact story but I think the point was the extreme insensitivity of the death reference for someone who has a horrible disease and will in all likelihood end up having a slow, painful and messy death. If you've watched someone die from cancer of the lungs, you can appreciate that point.

I'm sure if the CSR had of stuck to "I'm very sorry but the fare doesn't allow a refund" that TT would not have done the story. But it seems the CSR was trying to be a smart cough - "your going to die, hey? well come back and talk to us then". So the refund is to make up for the idiot CSR not due to fare conditions.

 

[bambbbam2]

Yes this was the first story on Syd TT and i switched over as soon as it began.