Aussies trying to cash in their frequent flyer miles and get refunds are put on hold for up to EIGHT HOURS – and that’s if the call centre doesn’t shut without warning
- Qantas’ Facebook page has been flooded with customer complaints recently
- Passengers claiming they cannot redeem their flight credits online
- They are also complaining about hours-long phone queues to sort out flights
- Jetstar and Virgin Australia also received some, though much fewer, complaints
Australians given airline vouchers in response to border closures and flight cancellations are struggling to cash them in – with Qantas not accepting them online and hours-long phone queues.
Melbourne couple Peter and Ollie Watson said they endured eight hours on the phone when they tried to redeem their Qantas credits after being told they could not use them digitally.
Mr Watson said on the four occasions he got through to someone on his marathon call they either had trouble understanding English or had not been properly trained.
Frustrated passengers forced to cancel their flights because of border closures are now complaining of trouble redeeming their refunds and hours-long phone queues (pictured) Sydney airport in December 2020)
Many Qantas passengers said they could not claim their vouchers online and had to phone call-centres
Numerous Qantas customers were complaining of being put on hold for six hours or longer
The airline’s social media is flooded with similar comments describing very lengthy call-waiting times and numerous issues trying to cash in refunds.
‘I’ve been waiting seven months for a refund. I’m now waiting on the phone for the 5th time, and the wait is more than two hours,’ Victoria Nikulin said.
‘Eight hours on hold waiting last week to get my tickets fixed. I hope you have a comfy seat and nothing to do,’ Erica Sutton said.
‘I’ve been on hold now for three hours. As a Qantas frequent flyer for the past 25 years, this is appalling,’ Lees Sinclair wrote.
Other customers claimed they were put on hold trying to chase down luggage that never arrived.
‘I have been on hold now for over an hour – chasing a bag that never arrived,’ Ann Brimson said.
While the claims of marathon phone-queues and difficulty redeeming vouchers are directed at Qantas, Australia’s two other national carriers also dealing with some unhappy customers.
‘To be told call centre is now closed after 40 minutes on hold is absolutely budget airline stuff. Virgin Australia have no loyalty to their loyal customers,’ Hamish Fraser said on Virgin Australia Facebook page.
Daily Mail understands Virgin Australia’s average phone queues are eight minutes.
Australians have had to endure a year of disrupted travel with border closures between states and international flights halted (pictured: Sydney airport in January)
Furious passengers have slammed Qantas over being put on hold for so long
Another customer Anthony Rumford claimed he had been trying for months to get $3,000 refunded for flights he booked in January 2020.
‘I’ve tried every avenue to try and speak to someone (including complaining using the online form) but haven’t heard anything back,’ he said.
While Jetstar has been criticised over conditions they put on their flight refunds.
‘We are about to loose $5,000 due to your conditions,’ Jodi Cartright-Dyer claimed on Jetstar’s Facebook page.
‘The past year has been challenging for our customers with border closures driving a huge number of calls to our centres. Customers have been experiencing longer wait times as a result,’ Qantas group chief customer officer Steph Tully.
Qantas said they appreciated the patience of their customers and were hiring more staff to deal with customer flight issues (pictured: Qantas staff walk through Sydney airport)
Ms Tully said many enquiries can be self-managed in a matter of minutes via their app or website and they are also hiring more workers to handle customer booking and refunds.
‘Our teams are working hard to respond to everyone’s enquiries as quickly as possible, to reduce waiting times. Our customers have been very understanding and we appreciate their patience.’
‘When we know there is likely to be a spike in calls, we are rostering on more agents and training additional agents as necessary to meet demand.’
Virgin Australia said passengers can also use their self-service platforms to redeem their flight credits.
‘Due to evolving border restrictions we have received higher than normal call volumes since the pandemic began. Guests who wish to cancel or make changes to their booking are encouraged to self-manage their booking on the Virgin Australia website.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Virgin Australia and Jetstar for comment.