Reimbursement/refunds due to disruptions caused by volcanic ash

[TheInsider]

In this specific instance, I believe Qantas were being a bit twee. They were so concerned for the safety of their PAX that they rebooked many PAX onto the flights of other carriers who were operating (including professional rugby league players onto AirNZ).
.

I'm pretty sure no one was re-booked out of MEL or SYD to AirNZ by QF.
JQ NZ domestic didn't rebook anyone on to AirNZ.

Where did you get this information that QF re-booked pax onto AirNZ?

 

[serfty]

...

Where did you get this information that QF re-booked pax onto AirNZ?

From AirNZ!

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ight-disruptions-june-30730-9.html#post452574

... What Alan [Joyce] also failed to mention was that Qantas was very happy to transfer thousands of its customers onto Air New Zealand and other airlines’ services ...

 

[Demon62]

Thats a quick claim, well done, QBE took 8 weeks with my claim for the cyclone in DRW!

I claimed with qantas on the 16th June immediately on return. No response. Phone qantas on the 7th July - advised that there was a mountain of claims on this and that they had increased customercare staffing by 10 to cope. My response request was "filed" with a closed action, hence no response to my request documenting their website.

Claim for credit of airfare verbally advised as being denied - even though website advised no restrictions. Claim for meals verbally advised that receipts for ALL meals must be submitted, even though well and truly under level of amount per day - stuick there 3 days extra - verbally advised denied, even though advised them that stat declaration would be provided - who keeps or is advised to get receipts for a souvlaki and coke.

Data, roaming and phone calls to Qantas told it is travel insurance.

Advised that they are a premium airline and that we are lucky to be offered anything. Great customer service Qantas.

Essentially it seems that the ticket return leg vaporised with no credit and no response.

Pretty good from a "premium" service airline

 

[Austman]

I claimed with qantas on the 16th June immediately on return. No response. Phone qantas on the 7th July - advised that there was a mountain of claims on this and that they had increased customercare staffing by 10 to cope. My response request was "filed" with a closed action, hence no response to my request documenting their website.

Claim for credit of airfare verbally advised as being denied - even though website advised no restrictions. Claim for meals verbally advised that receipts for ALL meals must be submitted, even though well and truly under level of amount per day - stuick there 3 days extra - verbally advised denied, even though advised them that stat declaration would be provided - who keeps or is advised to get receipts for a souvlaki and coke.

Data, roaming and phone calls to Qantas told it is travel insurance.

Advised that they are a premium airline and that we are lucky to be offered anything. Great customer service Qantas.

Essentially it seems that the ticket return leg vaporised with no credit and no response.

Pretty good from a "premium" service airline

Not sounding too good! Where were you stuck? The airfare should be refunded as per:

http://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail...questions-due-to-volcanic-ash-disruptions.pdf

It should be done separately from the claim form which is for other expenses (and only for hotels, meals and transfers). It's handled separately too, I was told. Qantas has already refunded my airfare but has not to date paid my expenses claim (for hotels and meals). Luckily I did keep the receipts because I thought, at the time, I would be claiming them on my travel insurance.

I had my "roaming and phone calls to Qantas" paid by my travel insurance, along with the extra costs of my new air ticket. But there was a $200.00 excess.

 

[Demon62]

Sruck in Auckland, luckily the hotel was able to reboook us each evening as we were bumped by qantas with no info other than an sms to contact an australian number. Just got my bill from Telstra - access to qantas website reviewing status updates (as per advice from the cow on the phone at Qantas), access to news (ntohing really on the local news sites) and being on hold - Bill was $1150, was expecting a large bill, but that is robbery. Have lodged claim for flights, accom, meals and now phone with Zurich (Citibank Platinum Travel Insurance). Qantas were of zero assistance.

 

[Austman]

An update.

Dates I was stranded in NZ: 13th, 14th June.
Date I flew on Air NZ, WGN-MEL: 15th June.

Claim 1: I cancelled my Qantas ticket and requested a refund (as per their offer), by phone call, on 15th June.
Claim 2: I submitted my compensation claim (hotel and meals, as per their offer) to Qantas, via their website link, on 22nd June.
Claim 3: I submitted other costs (Air NZ ticket extra cost and phone calls) to my travel insurance provider, by snail mail, on 23rd June.


Progress:
Claim 1: On 3rd July Qantas advised by email that the refund should be processed in 3 business days. On 5th July the refund appeared in my credit card account, dated 1st July.
Claim 2: On 28th June Qantas acknowledged my claim and requested my credit card details. On 12th July the refund (as per my claim) appeared in my credit card account, dated 8th July.
Claim 3: On 1st July, Zurich Insurance paid my claim (minus the $200.00 excess) directly into my bank account.

So, as of today, all three claims have been paid.

 

[Austman]

Sruck in Auckland, luckily the hotel was able to reboook us each evening as we were bumped by qantas with no info other than an sms to contact an australian number. Just got my bill from Telstra - access to qantas website reviewing status updates (as per advice from the cow on the phone at Qantas), access to news (ntohing really on the local news sites) and being on hold - Bill was $1150, was expecting a large bill, but that is robbery. Have lodged claim for flights, accom, meals and now phone with Zurich (Citibank Platinum Travel Insurance). Qantas were of zero assistance.

$1150.00 !! Cripes! I had free wifi at my hotel, so it was just phone calls to Qantas that I claimed - and I gave up on the number in the Qantas SMS (due to long hold times) and called the Platinum line. The total phone bill for me was $54.60 for 6 phone calls totalling 19 minutes. Zurich paid it as part of my claim.

Zurich will want a letter from Qantas detailing the event and any compensation offered by them. Did you get that at least?

 

[Stuser]

I had a nice easy one.

My flight Sydney to Hobart was cancelled, so while I was on the train to Melbourne I simply called QF and verbally asked for a refund.

The helpful QF guy told me it could be six weeks before I saw it. Cough! Oh well.

3-4 days later, FULL refund onto my credit card.

Tops.

I didn't bother asking for compo for the few small dollars I spent on food as a result of this as I was staying with friends anyway....

 

[Demon62]

I had a nice easy one.

All up out of pocket summarised as follows (for myself and girlfriend):

2 nites accomodation in NZ - $240
Meals $250
flights $1600 - last 2 tickets out and wouldnt you know it, only business available
data roaming and calls - an unbelievable $1150 - lesson do not reply to sms and use the number provided from qantas and definitely do not access website (Qantas, Auckland Airport, The Age and Aust Frequent Flyer to check for updates) whilst overseas
underwear $50 - only planned to be there 2 nites originally

refund from qantas - nil for ticket, nil for meals and ancillary as no evidence on meals

total cost of what was supposed to be a cheap long weekend (originally costed at airfare, accom and daytrip to Rotorua around $2k) $5300.

awaiting response from Insurance. Had to get back to Melbourne - no choice really as girlfriend has children and is single parent.

got to love it

 

[Demon62]

$1150.00 !! Cripes! I had free wifi at my hotel, so it was just phone calls to Qantas that I claimed - and I gave up on the number in the Qantas SMS (due to long hold times) and called the Platinum line. The total phone bill for me was $54.60 for 6 phone calls totalling 19 minutes. Zurich paid it as part of my claim.

Zurich will want a letter from Qantas detailing the event and any compensation offered by them. Did you get that at least?

Yep, can say that again. After following up twice, got a letter from them stating non refundable fare and ticket cancelled - laughed today though, in letter taht has just arrived they advised that they didn't charge me cancellation fees for ticket.

Talked to Zurich they acknowledge claim and are processing it. At least their response is better than Qantas, who dont even live up to what is on their website, and then change rules re expenses to now on their site to be breakfast only.

 

[opusman]

Roaming rates in NZ are a complete rip-off, and always have been, but that's hardly Qantas' fault.

 

[jsd]

I Claimed:

$118 - Phone calls to 131313 (Made using actual phone credit, not cap credit, statement from Virgin sent with claim)
$40 - Transfers to/from Mantra to MEL when Qantas Called me back to the airport for some reason or another
$27 - Meals (Got sick of QF's set menu at the Mantra)
$26 - Skybus transfer to/from the Windsor Hotel

Total: $211

All approved



Might I add that my ticket only cost $70 + 8000pts.... Bet you Qantas got a shock when they got the Hotel bill...

 

[Stuser]

Interesting about non-refundable ticket.... My own was a pretty low fare bucket, but I can't see how it's relevant: they don't provide the service, they give you your money back. What possible reason can QF have to say no?

Gotta agree about roaming rates though. I've been similarly burned on these in NZ, but hey that's not QF fault.

And I did get to Tasmania in the end. Spent $28 on a bus to Sydney $210 on a train to Melbourne, suburban trains / trams in Melbourne, then another $150 or so on the ferry. That's about $400 + extra food etc, when my flight cost was $180. So, not too bad, certainly not as bad as thousands more. But then, I could have decided not to have gone (never gonna happen... )

So question is: should I try to claim some compo for my added costs? If I had known QF wasn't going to fly I could have either booked Virgin in the first place (bzzzt) or paid in advance for train and ferry and saved some money.... But natural disasasters happen, and I for one am satisified with the safety line that QF took.

(PS travel insurance is there for a reason....)

 

[Stuser]

I Claimed:

$118 - Phone calls to 131313 (Made using actual phone credit, not cap credit, statement from Virgin sent with claim)
$40 - Transfers to/from Mantra to MEL when Qantas Called me back to the airport for some reason or another
$27 - Meals (Got sick of QF's set menu at the Mantra)
$26 - Skybus transfer to/from the Windsor Hotel

Total: $211

All approved

Hey OT, but what do you mean "QP - Silver, SUPPOSEDLY".....?

 

[Sprucegoose]

I Claimed:

$118 - Phone calls to 131313 (Made using actual phone credit, not cap credit, statement from Virgin sent with claim)
$40 - Transfers to/from Mantra to MEL when Qantas Called me back to the airport for some reason or another
$27 - Meals (Got sick of QF's set menu at the Mantra)
$26 - Skybus transfer to/from the Windsor Hotel

Total: $211

All approved



Might I add that my ticket only cost $70 + 8000pts....

Bet you Qantas got a shock when they got the Hotel bill.

..

all part of the business Josh. they will have footed some serious bills over the years I reckon.

 

[jsd]

Hey OT, but what do you mean "QP - Silver, SUPPOSEDLY".....?

Firstly...

DEAR MODS: WE ARE GOING BACK ON TOPIC AFTER THIS :mrgreen:

Last year I did a JASA to PER which brought my SC tally up to 300

Then Qantas changed the required total for silver down to 300 which should have brought my account up to silver....but instead all my SCs got wiped :shock:

Took months to get the website to even acknowledge that I had made PS and it still doesn't show up on my BP's at all....I have since been advised by Qantas that I am in fact a silver FF now.

In short, that sig. been there a while and refers to the past issue, I really need to update that


[/OFF-TOPIC]

 

[paxenzed]

Wondering whether others are still having trouble with this?

I was booked Qantas Wellington to London on 26 June. They cancelled the first leg (Wellington to Sydney) with less than a day's notice and recommended I try and make alternative arrangements to get to Sydney so I could make the onward connection. I ended up getting one of the last available seats across the ditch that day on Air NZ for $948, but at least I made the connection to London. Following the trip I applied to Qantas for a refund on the trans-Tasman sector. I was expecting at least partial recovery of the extra money I had to spend and then I would seek the outstanding balance from my insurance company.
Alas no. Qantas advise that they consider the trans-Tasman sector to have zero value because my ticket did not terminate in Sydney but was Wellington to London. I queried this response assuming they must have made a mistake, and pointed out that if the sector had zero value as they claim they would never had scheduled to fly it in the first place. However a supervisor at Customer Care assures me they are dead serious - I have also been advised that there will be no cancellation or change fees charged!! (lucky me!).

I could perhaps now just claim the full $948 from my insurance company but it seems to me that Qantas is shirking its responsibilities and this would be letting them off the hook lightly. So I am pondering my next move - suggestions welcomed!. Certainly Qantas is unlikely to ever again see any business from me, my family or my company.

 

[TheInsider]

I could perhaps now just claim the full $948 from my insurance company but it seems to me that Qantas is shirking its responsibilities and this would be letting them off the hook lightly. So I am pondering my next move - suggestions welcomed!. Certainly Qantas is unlikely to ever again see any business from me, my family or my company.

Oh how i love these posts. To clarify what responsibilities did Qantas have?

You have insurance, use them, that's what it is for?

 

[Austman]

They cancelled the first leg (Wellington to Sydney) with less than a day's notice and recommended I try and make alternative arrangements to get to Sydney so I could make the onward connection.

This was never my experience with Qantas when I was stranded in Wellington. Quite the opposite - they recommended not to fly with other airlines. They always offered to re-book, for free, to later days.

 

[straitman]

Oh how i love these posts. To clarify what responsibilities did Qantas have?

You have insurance, use them, that's what it is for?

Surely it was the responsibility of Qantas to get the OP from Wellington to Sydney in the first instance :!: