Had to pay twice, but no refund for the 1st payment

So i was trying to get from perth to gold coast on my way home to NZ. I paid by bank deposit for the perth to gold coast flight and then the same method for the gold coast to nz flight. The second flight was soon confirmed and all was rosey, however the first flight from perth to gold coast had not been confirmed which after calling their pathetic call centre they assured me they would confirm it when the money showed up.... apparently it never did even though i have bank statements confirmed by the bank that the money went into their account. As it got closer to the depature date they persuaded me to pay by credit card and assured me that the 1st payment would be returned to my account within 15 days , if not then vouchers would be added on top of the refund. It has now been 3.5 months and i am still no closer to receiving the money and am stuck in an endless circle of "we will look into it" and "we cant find the money" its ridiculous. I don't know where to go next, even if they just put the money towards another flight or something id be happy.

Domestic
Australia-Perth
Australia-Gold Coast

Comments

I have had a similar horrific

I have had a similar horrific experience - I was sent a Friday Frenzy from Melbourne to Hobart and went ahead with the booking - after going through all the 'carbon off-set, luggage, melbourne aquarium, taxi, hotel, seating, car parking add-ons I got to the end and finally was charged $17 for processing - I did all the processing!! When the confirmation came through it was the wrong way round - they'd turned it from Hobart to Melbourne. I then called the call centre who had to give me the booking number and told me to make the change on-line and wear the costs - I couldn't do it - it won't allow you to change the direction of the flights - so I called them back and they wanted to charge me twice the price of the original fare in addition to the original fare ... I think the advertising was misleading and it resulted in the additional charges. The last time I flew with them I got stranded in Hobart airport for 9 hours!! This is truly my last flight with them.

Rikki, your experience is so

Rikki, your experience is so common if you read Jetstar's Facebook. The morons try and justify their disgusting credit card surcharge by suggesting that you pay by direct debit. But their Facebook is full of people who did that and got stuck with no ticket and no money. They all have had to do what you did and pay again with credit card. Then the usual Jetstar run around starts to get your money back.

I know that the credit card surcharge is disgraceful and surely illegal but in comparison with alternative payment methods it is worth it. If you have a gold or platinum Visa not only it also gives you free travel insurance but also if you ever have a dispute with a trader you can contact them and they will put a lot of pressure on the trader. They also put the money back in your account as soon as you dispute the transaction so you don't have to pay any interest. however if you cannot prove your case you may have to pay a very small fee which I think ism only $5.00.

There is a much more simpler way to. DON'T FLY JETSTAR and tell everyone you know to avoid this airline. Spread the message through your Facebook and any other social media you can. We can fight them back. There is also the Small Claims Tribunal. They will try and drag the refund as long as possible. Some people on Facebook are talking about 8-9 months to get their refund. Don't fall for it. Jetstar have mastered the art of ignoring complaints. Send them 2 letters of demand and if they don't refund your money download a form from the Tribunal web page, fill it in and send it while you are waiting for their response. You will be surprised how quickly they come back to you. I did and they had to pay my out of pocket expenses too. Good luck

I reiterate Amir's comment

I reiterate Amir's comment above.

I too have experienced the standard & well documented Jetstar run around with regards to a refund. It's important to understand that from Jetstar's management perspective nothing has gone wrong with the process - it's working exactly as they want it too. Standard Operating Procedure.

If you have the documentary proof (bank statement) of the double payment stop playing Jetstar's game. It server no purpose other than to frustrate you and delay the refund (if they give it at all).

In my case I lodged a case with the CTTT in NSW. Exactly as Amir mentioned above, once I lodged the case Jetstar processed the refund with 48 hours (after 3 months of delay) The cost was minimal, around $30 from memory.

Most importantly, tell people about your experiences at every opportunity and simply never ever EVER use Jetstar again.

Had the same problem with

Had the same problem with Tiger Airways. Jetstar is better than the rest. Why does Toyoata have more complaints? Because there's more on the road. Jetstar are bigger than the rest hence their percentage shows. Check out Virgin. How many times has their computers broke down

Geoffrey, what does a

Geoffrey, what does a computer breakdown got to do with Rikki waiting for 3.5 months to get the refund that he is entitled to. And Jetstar is no Toyota. They don't have o build technologically brilliant machinery. All they have to do is be honest and provide an average level of customer service. Stinging people at every opportunity is neither honest nor a good way to provide a service.

I am not objecting to your comments here and we all appreciate a variety of contributions but you seem like you just want to say something for the sake of being annoying. Please continue commenting here but address the subject and provide helpful comments. You look like an intelligent man. Don't just try to be irritating

One thing is for sure and that is if you continue using this airline you will eventually return here telling us how they stung you and how bad their customer service was.

Good luck

Hey guys thanks for the

Hey guys thanks for the advice and support. I threatened small claims on them and said i would never fly them again if i didn't see some sort of refund, what do ya know i get an email from a senior care analyst asking for my bank accoutn number and within the week i had a refund.... was stoked but still very wary about flying them again, will definatly only use credit card payment with them. Was a bit peeved that i got no added vouchers or anything , just shows how they feel about their customers...

Good on you Rikki. I'm glad

Good on you Rikki. I'm glad it worked out for you at the end, even though it took such a long time. I wouldn't fly them ever again if I were you. They don't deserve your loyalty. You never know the next time they find an opportunity to sting you again. Best of luck though.