Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with the ACCC's Sandra Otto about what customers' rights are around the cancelled Virgin flights in and out of Darwin over Christmas

Transcript

Katie spoke with the ACCC's Sandra Otto about what customers' rights are around the cancelled Virgin flights in and out of Darwin over Christmas · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Now, over the last couple of days, we have been
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  Speaker 1: discussing concerns from territory ins that have been impacted by
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  Speaker 1: flight changes so close to Christmas. It does seem to
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  Speaker 1: be happening to a lot of people. So what are
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  Speaker 1: your options, and what are those options if those flights
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  Speaker 1: have been canceled or changed, and just how many people
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  Speaker 1: is this happening too. Joining me on the line is
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  Speaker 1: the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs here in the Northern Territory,
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  Speaker 1: Sandra Otto. Good morning to you, Sandy.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, really well, Thank you so much for your time
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  Speaker 1: this morning. This is an issue that people have been
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  Speaker 1: contacting us here at the radio station about, Sandy, is
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  Speaker 1: it something that you're hearing in your office?
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  Speaker 2: We haven't had that many calls. Surprisingly, I have been
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  Speaker 2: watching the media and noticing that version particularly have been
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  Speaker 2: canceling flights. It is a concern and it is a
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  Speaker 2: bit worrying that they've decided to do that just before Christmas, particularly,
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  Speaker 2: you know when the waters are opening up and everyone's
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  Speaker 2: keen to get home for Christmas.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's such a worry and I know that you
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  Speaker 1: know it has such an impact, particularly on people who've
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  Speaker 1: been waiting for a long time to see their family members.
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  Speaker 1: Is there any recourse if you, you know, for a consumer,
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  Speaker 1: if you are in a situation where your flight gets
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  Speaker 1: changed significantly and you're sort of, you know, not able
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  Speaker 1: to go with the change that they're providing you or
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  Speaker 1: the option that they're providing you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the airlines need to be a bit
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  Speaker 2: reasonable if they've canceled the fight flight completely. It comes
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  Speaker 2: back to the terms and conditions, And if they terms
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  Speaker 2: and conditions say we cancel the flight, you're entitled to
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  Speaker 2: a refund or credit, then they should be offering either
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  Speaker 2: that and it should be the consumer's choice of what
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  Speaker 2: they get. They can't be misleading consumers and saying that
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  Speaker 2: you have to take a credit note if the terms
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  Speaker 2: conditions say they can get a refund. So it all
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  Speaker 2: comes down to what's in the terms conditions. But if
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  Speaker 2: they've changed the flight significantly and it doesn't suit you,
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  Speaker 2: then that would have to be a discussion with the
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  Speaker 2: airline because in effect, they are offering something like a remedy,
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  Speaker 2: but it may not be suitable for you. It's unfortunate
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  Speaker 2: and it's you know, certainly put a lot of people's
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  Speaker 2: holiday plans to disarray.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, or one hundred percent. And I know that one
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  Speaker 1: of the things that we've sort of heard as well
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  Speaker 1: on the phone lines is that for some people they've
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  Speaker 1: changed the flight. But rather than you know, leaving at
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  Speaker 1: one o'clock in the afternoon and at being a direct flight,
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  Speaker 1: let's say to Sydney, they're now having to fly later
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  Speaker 1: or earlier and go via Brisbane to get to their destination.
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  Speaker 1: You know, I suppose for some people they'd be thinking, well,
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  Speaker 1: I paid that little bit extra to be able to
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  Speaker 1: get that direct flight, and now that's not what I'm receiving.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, do you really just have to liaise with
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  Speaker 1: the airline if you are in a situation like that?
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  Speaker 2: It can be absolutely it's a tricky situation. And from
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  Speaker 2: the couple calls that we've had here, we've been told
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  Speaker 2: that the flights particularly because of a technical issue, and
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  Speaker 2: then later we were told that it was due to
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  Speaker 2: staff availability. And whether that's outside the control of the airline,
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  Speaker 2: I don't know, and it depends on I guess what's available.
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  Speaker 2: And it is just an unfortunate situation and I think
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  Speaker 2: what people need to be doing is certainly getting in
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  Speaker 2: contact with the airline and I understand that's not easy,
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  Speaker 2: and some people have been spending hours on phones to
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  Speaker 2: airlines and trying to sort it out because in effect
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  Speaker 2: they haven't got what they paid for. Yeah, they've expecting
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  Speaker 2: our direct flight to Bristoe or Melbourne or whatever, and
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  Speaker 2: you've got to go all over the countryside to do that.
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  Speaker 1: It's not acceptable, no, Sandy, what is like if it
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  Speaker 1: does get to the point where people go, this is
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  Speaker 1: just not you know, this is just not workable, and
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  Speaker 1: they're not they're not happy with the you know, with
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  Speaker 1: the response that airlines have given them. Is it something
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  Speaker 1: that you know that they can then take further? Can
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  Speaker 1: they make a complaint to the likes of your office
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  Speaker 1: or to others, to you know, to try and have
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  Speaker 1: a bit of an imp in this space so that
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  Speaker 1: it doesn't continue to happen down the track with our airlines.
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  Speaker 2: And certainly they need to make complaints. And if they're
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  Speaker 2: not getting what they want, what they've asked for, or
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  Speaker 2: what they're entitled to under the constraint Cosy Midle, well
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  Speaker 2: then they can certainly come to our office and make
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  Speaker 2: a complaint. And the reality is, if we don't get
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  Speaker 2: to hear about it. All the other regular regulators across
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  Speaker 2: Australia don't hear about it. You know, we can't act
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  Speaker 2: on it. So certainly, if people are not getting what
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  Speaker 2: they paid for, or refunds are taking too long to
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  Speaker 2: come through or anything like that, please contact our office
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  Speaker 2: and we can see what we can do to try
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  Speaker 2: and assist.
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  Speaker 1: Sandy. It is that time of the year where I
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  Speaker 1: know that there's plenty of people out shopping and you know,
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  Speaker 1: getting organized for Christmas. Is it a busy time of
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  Speaker 1: year for you guys?
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  Speaker 2: It depends. It's really yesterday we didn't get that many calls.
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  Speaker 2: We've got more calls. It just depends on what people
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  Speaker 2: are doing. And you know, we got our office out
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  Speaker 2: near the cashment of shopping center, and I have noticed
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  Speaker 2: that the car park is We're near as busy as
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  Speaker 2: it has been in the past years. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: all I can do is dis encourage people if they
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  Speaker 2: do have problems with their purchases and warranty issues, to
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  Speaker 2: certainly give us a call on one eight hundred oh
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  Speaker 2: one nine three one nine and we can assist well.
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  Speaker 1: Sandra Otto, the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs here in the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory always appreciate your time. Thank you very much
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  Speaker 1: for having a chat to us this morning.
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  Speaker 2: No Way's Katie have a merry Christmas you too. Thank
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  Speaker 2: you