ACCC lashes Qantas for not telling customers they were entitled to refund during Covid-19 crisis

The consumer watchdog has savaged Qantas for not telling customers they were entitled to refunds on flights cancelled as a result of the coronavirus. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has received hundreds of complaints from passengers whose flights were suspended or cancelled because of travel restrictions but were given credit, not refunds. “From our perspective, from the outset, Qantas did not communicate clearly with customers about their rights and in a large number of cases, simply omitted they were entitled to a refund,” said the ACCC chair, Rod Sims, on Friday. “In some cases, the ACCC considers Qantas’ emails may have encouraged these customers to cancel bookings themselves in order to receive a credit when many would have been eligible for a refund.” Sims said a new email Qantas has sent to customers in recent days – to “remind” customers about their refund rights – came after weeks of pressure from the ACCC. But the watchdog said even that “is not particularly clear”. “... I think that customers can and should expect better from Qantas, particularly when many of those customers may be out of work or experiencing financial hardship,” Sims said. “If any customer in this situation is unhappy with receiving a credit, or no longer wants one due to continuing uncertainty about when flights will resume, we strongly encourage them to contact Qantas and seek a refund.” Qantas said it did not think its initial advice to customers was unclear.<br/>