Jetstar Only Refunding in a Voucher. Is This Legal?

somebargainhunter77 on 18/08/2015 - 12:44
Last edited 18/08/2015 - 12:45

Hey guys.

Me and the missus have bought tickets to Bangkok for December last night. 30 mins after booking the tickets, the Bangkok bombing happened.

So now, my girlfriend doesn't wanna go anymore because she's worried and I am also sort of hesitant on going. I called up Jetstar for a refund (I paid via direct deposit and was told that the payment has not been processed yet) and the guy on the phone told me that they can only give us a refund with a voucher.

He said to call Jetstar again once the payment has been processed and they may be give me a refund in the original form of pay but I smell BS and I have to say, the customer service was very poor.

But anyway, is it legal for them to offer refunds only in vouchers?

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Comments

  • pjetson on 18/08/2015 - 12:49
    +1

    What terms did you agree to when you purchased the tickets?

  • rambutann on 18/08/2015 - 12:51
    +18

    I'm surprised they are giving you anything at all considering this is a change of mind due to the situation that occurred..

    Its not their fault so I don't even see why they should be offering you a voucher as the flight will still be going ahead as planned..

    • tomatosauce on 18/08/2015 - 13:01

      I think it is refundable/changable within 24 hours. I've heard it from Jetstar ages ago but not sure these days.

  • Davros on 18/08/2015 - 12:54
    +4

    So YOU changed your mind, it has nothing to do with Jetstar, I reckon you are lucky to get a voucher..
    Your travel insurance may cover you.
    You do have travel insurance, right?

    Of course you could just fly into BKK and then go to Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Vietnam etc etc if you are that worried

  • somebargainhunter77 on 18/08/2015 - 13:01
    +1

    Sorry guys. I thought it was possible as the payment hasn't gone through to them so I figured it can still be cancelled. I called up NAB before I called Jetstar to see if I can cancel the payment process and they told me they'll start a dispute and that I'll be most likely to get my payment reversed. They made it sound like it is a solid ground for a refund. My bad

  • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 18/08/2015 - 15:29

    I had exactly the same kind of experience, and my payment had not gone through yet. However the day after i asked to cancel and process refund/ called the bank to rescind the transfer, the payment went through.

    After being on the phone with them they said no we cannot refund you (after someone already had told me that the refund will be processed) and said if you want to cancel we will only be able to partially refund you as a voucher.

    That experience with jetstar made me feel like they BS a lot and do some really dodgy stuff.

    I have known businesses to refund via voucher/store credit in the past. Although its not "illegal", it works better for them if you plan to put another order through.

    But yeah i hate dealing with jetstar. They wanted to charge me more than 100 dollars total for trying to change the flight order, even though i was told that i would be refunded and i could put another order through when i received the refund. I dont like how airline companies have this dodgy refund/change charging policy.

    I think if you make changes 30 days before the actual flight and there are open seats they shouldnt charge you for the change..unless someone can explain to me why that would be justified.

    • somebargainhunter77 on 18/08/2015 - 15:37

      The guy did tell me to give them a call again once the transaction has been finalised. So I'm not sure if they're trying to pull off the same thing they did on you to me (partial refund). I'll still go away around the exact same time regardless, but I think we just prefer a different country

    • RockyRaccoon on 18/08/2015 - 16:49

      @nairdajun

      Interesting point you make. However it might make more sense if you gave an alternative budget airline where you had a similar experience and you got a better result. Also what was the type of ticket you bought,

      @fisa2001

      Given that your flight is 3-4 months away the circumstances maybe completely different. Jetstar doesnt have to refund you anything as it really is a change of mind. Given no one will know if this is a one off or a continuing risk with flying to Bangkok. Take the voucher and fly to Fiji / Vietnam or even locations in Australia

      I found with Jetstar that it can all depend on the agent you deal with. Flying back from Tokyo via Cairns, the first agent wouldn't put us on a earlier flight. I went back about 10 mins later and got the agent sitting next to him, and she changed our flights. I didnt get upset or even make comments to the first agent. Technically I wasnt allowed to make the change, so the first agent was just following the rules, wheras the second agent used their own discretion, which I later learned, they have permission to do if they wish.

      So relax, and play it cool, you might be surprised. But remember they dont have to do it. So threats arent likely to help 😊

  • indium on 18/08/2015 - 17:06

    Try get nab to cancel the payment. Otherwise you may be out of pocket for the flights or will have to end up going.

    I wouldn't worry about the bombing though, bangkok is not so great compared to the rest of Thailand anyway so you should just skip it if you're worried and take a flight to chiang mai or down south.

  • Ozbargainite on 19/08/2015 - 13:56

    SIA, other airlines to waive fees for change to Bangkok travel plans

    Singapore Airlines (SIA), Jetstar Asia, Tigerair and Scoot will waive fees for customers wanting to change flights to and from Bangkok following the bombing that rocked the Thai capital on Monday evening (Aug 17).

    http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/sia-other-airl…

    I think it's quite reasonable for the OP to reconsider his plans.

    I'll be heading to Bangkok next week though.

    • RockyRaccoon on 19/08/2015 - 20:52

      You missed the part

      The waiver by SIA is valid for tickets issued on or before Aug 18, 2015 for travel to/from Bangkok up to Sep 17, 2015. Passengers who take advantage of the waiver should arrange to make a new trip by Oct 30, 2015, the airline said.

      same date for Scoot and Tiger. Jetstar Asia doesnt give date details.

      The OP is travelling in December so SIA wouldnt refund that fare

  • Donaldhump on 08/09/2015 - 07:55
    +2

    Stop being stupid and go. What happened is tragic but could happen anywhere… Not like ur going to Afghanistan…
    Didn't sone extremist go nuts in Sydney? You still go there?

    • samfisher5986 on 08/09/2015 - 11:49

      Go and fly on Malaysia Airlines then…

      Sometimes facts and statistics aren't important.

      • Donaldhump on 08/09/2015 - 17:48

        whats the relevance… and i have flown malaysian airlines a dozen times or more this year..

        not going to bangkok now is pretty sad… why leavge your house could be a bomb in your car

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