[ad_1]
A New Zealand man warned other travelers about booking flights through the international website Kiwi.com after receiving two “impossible” itineraries that initially left him and his wife about US $ 5,000 (NZ $ 7,000) of his pocket.
A spokesperson for the Czech Republic-based website said the company’s algorithms do not take into account Covid-19 travel restrictions and that the couple were not entitled to a refund as they had discounted ‘savings’ rates. .
Sarah Peterson / Supplied
Peterson and Pike had been living in Los Angeles, but have now moved to New Zealand indefinitely.
Donald Pike and Sarah Peterson were initially denied a refund but later Things approached the company, a Kiwi.com spokesperson said it would offer them one of its two itineraries as a “goodwill gesture,” and was considering giving a refund on the second.
Donald Pike said the airline staff at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) laughed at the couple when they presented the itineraries they had booked through Kiwi.com in late October and early November.
READ MORE:
* Covid-19: The generosity of everyone involved in Kiwis’ homecoming has overwhelmed me.
* The TikTok chef who prepares meals made with hotel room appliances.
* Singapore Changi Airport: lush gardens, a waterfall: an airport built to amaze is silenced by Covid-19
Peterson, who will begin working as an emergency department physician at Taupo Hospital on December 14, was initially planning to fly to Auckland via Tokyo, but switched his flights to a cheaper option when Pike learned he could finish the job early. to join her. achieved isolation in New Zealand.
The second itinerary would have taken them through Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, but when they went to check-in at LAX, they were told that they could not transit through the city-state if they had stopped in other countries en route.
Singapore Airlines information on flights in transit through Singapore, updated on November 19, says that “you will not be able to transit through Singapore if you had to transfer through another country from your departure city before transiting into Singapore airport. Changi ”.
Like many other countries, Singapore has introduced strict transit restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19.
“We booked our tickets on November 10 [and were set to fly out on November 27], which would have made it impossible for us to take those flights, “said Pike.
The couple then asked if they could go on Peterson’s original itinerary through Tokyo, but were told by airline staff that they couldn’t because they would have to take public transportation between airports, which the Japanese government currently does not allow.
Pike said they had had trouble finding flights to get them to Auckland in time to begin their two-week managed isolation period on November 30, which they had booked in advance in accordance with New Zealand’s new quarantine requirements.
“It was a bit of a nightmare to organize everything, but we had to make it happen,” Pike said. “But when we got to the airport, the ladies at check-in looked at our itineraries and just laughed. Not us, they weren’t bad, they just said ‘this is a joke’. They looked at them and immediately said ‘you can’t do this and you can’t do this’ … as if it was impossible. “
Sarah Peterson / Supplied
Pike said that he and Peterson would not have been able to reserve managed isolation space until the end of February 2021 had they not arrived in New Zealand by November 30.
Worried they would be stuck in Los Angeles for another three months if they missed their managed seclusion space, they paid Cathay Pacific US $ 3,400 (NZ $ 4,800) for two tickets to Auckland via Hong Kong that night.
The couple arrived in Auckland, but Pike said Kiwi.com customer service staff refused to refund them because their flights had not been canceled.
“Individual flights continue to work, however, the itinerary that Kiwi.com builds and sells is not possible to complete,” he said.
Pike feels Kiwi.com is “setting him up to fail” by offering itineraries that are not practically possible.
“Flight schedules are a nightmare with Covid, which we understand. But it is frustrating that they do this itinerary that is just a pipe dream. They take your money and then reject any support. ”
Sarah Peterson / Supplied
Pike said they were lucky to be able to pay $ 3,400 for tickets to New Zealand on the spot, but “if it had been other people who were struggling financially, they couldn’t do that.”
A Kiwi.com spokesperson said the company’s algorithm is designed to find the cheapest ways to get from A to B, but does not take into account Covid-related travel restrictions.
“(The algorithm) allows travelers to find options that they can choose from that they would not necessarily find if they went to a single airline, as they are forced to accept codeshare agreements,” he said. “This can generate substantial savings when purchasing tickets.
“This appears to be where the unfortunate result of the reservation occurred in this case and the selected options were not viable based on updated information due to Covid-19.”
The spokesperson said the couple were not entitled to a refund as they had bought discounted “savings rates”.
“This is a type of fare that most travelers take because it is the cheapest ‘no frills’ option that does not have a refund or change booking option,” he said.
“The (customer service) agent should have escalated the case due to the circumstances in which they did not travel, but unfortunately this did not happen.”
The spokesperson said Kiwi.com would provide the couple with a refund on flights through Singapore “as a gesture of goodwill.”
“We are also in discussions with the airlines regarding getting a refund for booking the single itinerary (via Japan),” the spokesperson said.
“The company was founded by travelers to offer the best options to travelers, so we are very sorry to hear that (Pike and Peterson) were unable to take their flights.”
A Kiwi.com guide to travel during the pandemic advises travelers to ensure that they adhere to all restrictions that may affect their itinerary. Those with flexible rates are entitled to a 90 percent refund if they cancel. Those with standard rates pay the price difference if they need to rebook, but are not entitled to a refund if they cancel. Saver fare holders must pay the full price of any new ticket and are also not entitled to a refund if they cancel.
123RF
Customers can ask their banks for a chargeback if they pay for services that are not provided, said Jessica Wilson of Consumer NZ.
Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said the couple could have asked their bank for a chargeback to their credit card if they were not refunded.
“They paid for services that couldn’t be provided. So they have good reason to request a chargeback if the company refuses to do anything else, ”he said.
A chargeback is when money paid to a retailer is withdrawn from your account and returned to the customer’s.
Banks adhere to the rules set by credit card companies when deciding whether to charge a chargeback, but must reimburse customers who did not receive the services they paid for.
Founded in 2012 by Oliver Dlouhy and Jozef Kepesi, Kiwi.com was ranked seventh on the 2017 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list for the Europe, Middle East and Asia region.
By 2019, the company had 2,000 employees and itineraries reserved for more than 12,000 travelers a day, the spokesperson said.
