Qantas mistake: how an online booking error left an irate customer $1500 out of pocket
- The passenger had more than $1,500 out of pocket
- Jocelyn was unable to buy her plane ticket online
- Airline charged her more over the phone
- Qantas has since admitted that a mistake was made
A frequent flyer was charged more than $1,500 more than she should have paid after technical errors prevented her from booking an online flight.
Sydney woman Jocelyn Kellam, 60, spent a week trying to book a return flight from Sydney to London through the Qantas website, but kept getting the same error message.
The price of her September flight initially appeared to be $3,491, but when she called the customer service hotline to book the fare over the phone, she was told it would be $5,034.
Having to meet a friend who was flying on the same day, Ms. Kellam felt she had no choice but to pay the $1,543 difference.
Since the frustrating ordeal, the airline has apologized to Ms Kellam and issued her a refund, admitting the customer service operator made a mistake.
Jocelyn Kellam, 60, was overcharged for her return flight from Sydney to London after repeated error messages prevented her from buying the ticket online
After days of trying to confirm the flight she called customer service and they told her it would cost more over the phone
Mrs. Kellam, a deacon in the Anglican Church, told Yahoo News that she felt “cheated” even after the refund.
“I tried to book online for about a week and I was always shown a rate of $3,491,” she explained.
“But every time I went to check out, I wasn’t allowed. I got an error every time.
“So I finally called the frequent flyer desk and asked for an advisor who confirmed that the same seat was still available, but not at the website price.”
According to the advisor, flights “always cost more” when purchased over the phone.
Ms. Kellam referenced the airline’s price guarantee she’d seen online, but got nowhere.
“I just wanted them to fit their own website,” she said.
Not considering herself a ‘pusher’, she followed up on the matter in several emails to Qantas, which fell on deaf ears
Qantas has since admitted that the airline made a mistake and that Ms Kellam was indeed overcharged.
Despite protests, Ms. Kellam was charged an additional $1,543 for the flight when she called customer service to assist her when the website failed
Qantas has since admitted a mistake was made with Ms Kellam’s rate
A Qantas spokesperson told Yahoo that Ms. Kellam will be in touch to refund the overpayment for her ticket.
She is also rewarded with 100,000 frequent flyer points for her troubles.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for further comment.
It has been a frustrating ordeal for Ms Kellam, who fears others will not be as persistent in their fight against the ‘misleading and deceptive’ practice.
“If they are willing to do that to me, what are they doing to other people,” she added.