Australian national flag carrier Qantas has been slammed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for not telling customers about their entitlement to refunds.
The ACCC said it had been bombarded with hundreds of consumer complaints about Qantas's conduct in the wake of Covid-19 cancellations.
"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," ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.
The agency said it thinks Qantas was guilty of using underhand tactics to avoid paying out refunds.
"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."
An email sent to customers recently to 'remind' them that they can apply for a refund was only forthcoming because of weeks of pressure from the ACCC.
"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.
"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.
"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."
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