Debra and Nicholas Grimm saved for 18 months for an $18,000 dream holiday to Canada and Alaska to celebrate a 60th birthday last June.
The Grimms, accompanied by their best mates, Amanda and Malcolm Lockyer paid a total of $36,000 to Webjet for their bucket-list, 18-day holiday to experience Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer and a Celebrity cruise to Alaska departing in June last year. Then Webjet cancelled the trip because of the pandemic.
So instead of their trip of a lifetime, the Grimms and Lockyers have spent the past year battling with Webjet to get a full refund. So far the Perth couples have had little success.
Instead, Webjet issued them with a credit voucher called Webjet eGift card, valid to rebook another holiday until April 2023. But the two couples just want their money back, and feel it is their right.
“It’s heart breaking. It was my dream holiday to celebrate my 60th birthday. We decided to go with my very good friend of 50 years, Amanda – we went to school together – and her husband, Malcolm. Now we have spent so much time arguing with Webjet, to get our money back. Webjet has refused to refund our money despite our repeated pleas. We just want our hard-earned money back,” Debra Grimm told Cruise Passenger.
She said that despite numerous emails to Webjet, no itinerary has been supplied to her.
“I don’t even know the name of the Celebrity cruise ship that would have taken us to Alaska,” she said.
To make matters worse, the past year has been particularly hard on her husband, who has been battling throat and eye cancer.
“We could approach Webjet again and get a refund for Nicholas on “medical hardship” grounds. But we shouldn’t have to go down this way. We need some protection and legislation in place to help all Australian travellers who are fighting to get back refunds for cancelled holidays.”
The Grimms and Lockyers are among thousands of Australians who have been caught in the refund and cancellation chaos that has plagued the travel industry since the pandemic hit last March.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has also become involved with rising number of complaints from travellers battling to get refunds for their flights and cruise holidays.
Consumer advocate Adam Glezer who is leading Travel Industry Issues – the Need for Change for Australians told Cruise Passenger: “I find it staggering that Webjet is not even willing to refund or disclose all the companies and suppliers involved in the holiday to Debra Grimm.
“That’s just not good enough. Webjet should itemise exactly where the money is being held and which travel companies are involved. Any money that Webjet is able to get back should be passed back to the consumers. After all, it is their money.
“A review of the Australian consumer laws to include the right to a refund for a situation such as this, is definitely needed.
“A parliamentary enquiry into travel is paramount.”
Webjet declined to comment.
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I was caught up in a similar situation. Booked a tour of Norway and Baltics through Webjet Exclusives. Tour cancelled by Webjet due to Covid. WebJet Exclusives stopped trading in Apr 2020. These vouchers we were sent are for domestic travel, Webjet are not offering overseas tours so to us, these vouchers are useless. We asked for a letter to support a Travel insurance claim. Webjet gave us a letter, cancelled the vouchers they sent us referring to their terms and conditions which said there was no refund in event of cancellation for any reasons. Our Travel Insurance claim was denied because Webjet had offered us vouchers and we had presumably refused them. Webjet Exclusives had been paid 13500. When our Travel Insurance claim was refused, we went through Australin Financial Complaints Authority and Insurance Law Service. We won after 6 1/2 months of fighting.
WEBJET. Nah, never!!!!!!
Jimmy
On discovery of brain cancer I knew I would never make it to the Japan olympics. Our tickets were not refundable for the package we bought, luckily I used my credit card which comes with insurance.
I followed all of the protocols, got my GP and my oncologist to fill in the paperwork and got the total amount back except for the $250 excess.
I was lucky.
I believe Webjet must be holding all our money as we received the vouchers which can be used for any future trips booked until 2023. We were booked on the same trip leaving in May 2020 for my 60th as well. All outstanding money was paid in January 2020 $22,000 not a drop in the bucket either.
WEBJET are morally corrupt. I am battling with them for $6000 with AIR VANUATU who have also been impossible to deal with. This was a once only travel opportunity. BAD CORPORATE CITIZENS.
We are having the same issue here in NZ. Our money is with APT – they say they can refund us with them keeping about $4500. We think this is disgusting and downright greedy! This sure needs looking in to.
Webjet Owes us $11,000 we had a swiss trip lined up for last May and we can’t get our money back and that’s what we want. Webjet drivers are a gift certificate but since then we don’t want to go overseas any more and also have found out we’ve got cancer so don’t feel well enough to travel we are 72 years old and 77 but they don’t want to know about that they have our money and it’s not easy to rebook with Webjet I can assure you
WebJet are a law onto themselves. We booked a tour to Asia through them and paid a deposit.
They then asked us to pay all the rest of the money outstanding even though we were not told if or not the tour was going to proceed. It had to have a minimum number of people going for it to eventuate.
When I asked if the number required had been reached I was told in on uncertain manner that I had no right to ask that question.
There are many horror stories on the net by people who were left in the lurch by WebJet.
The Federal Government should ban them from doing any business with Australian citizens.
Did they have travel insurance. Even so, it may just cover the one person who has the disease. I would approach your Local Federal Member. Kind regards, Bryan Mulholland.B
As Webjet is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, there is little doubt that it could just raise the funds to pay out these people who have legitimate reasons for cancelling their holidays. It’s no as if they cancelled the trip, Webjet cancelled it and therefore MUST reimburse them and others who they are failing to reimburse.
Please check with your state Consumer Affairs department re the following.
1. Webjet is NOT your agent. They are the agent for the suppliers. See Webjet’s terms and conditions. Under both common law and statute law, the supplier is liable for the actions of their agent. This means, no matter what the suppliers say, they MUST deal with you direct re the failings of THEIR agents. ie skip Webjet and go direct to all the suppliers. They will try to send you back to Webjet as ‘your’ agent, so you will have to quote Webjet’s terms and conditions of booking and various related laws. The SUPPLIERS are liable to you. If THEIR agent fails to pass on FULL refunds, then the supplier must make good and then chase their agent. This includes any commissions they expect their agents to refund.
2. Following on above, you are NOT liable for any fees. You are NOT liable for the arrangements between supplier and THEIR agent.
3. Check your travel insurance policy wording. Chances are it will have a general exclusion for actions by governments, authorities etc. But worth a check.
4. Our governments have been totally gutless. The laws are there and they won’t help enforce them. I’m guessing they simply don’t want to upset them. pity.
For all those who went through travel agents, check whether you paid the supplier’s agent or whether you made payments direct to a supplier or suppliers. I know of one person’s princess EasyAir was debited direct by Princess and not by Flight Centre! Just more evidence that all these travel agents are NOT agents for the consumer but agents for the suppliers.