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Hundreds of thousands of customers are constantly waiting for money back from SAS. Hasse Gaupset has been waiting half a year.
In May, Hasse Gaupset (75) went to the confirmation of his grandson in Kirkenes. For the long journey, he had booked SAS flights from his hometown of Kristiansund, via Oslo to the easternmost city of Finnmark. After the corona eruption in March, it was clear early on that both the trip and the confirmation were in jeopardy.
– I received an email on April 6 that the plane had been canceled. Then I had to choose between the credit note and the money back, and I chose to get the money back.
It should go pretty fast, SAS informed Gaupset by email. The money was due to arrive no later than July. But then the news came that they were coming in August, and then another postponement came.
After almost half a year, the retired nurse still hasn’t seen any of the SAS rebate:
– It makes me so mad!
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No one came to confirmation
After a couple of months with the crown, the airline promised in May to return tickets during June to everyone who had booked before closing in March. Therefore, that promise has been broken for more than three months for Gaupset.
The expected confirmation was postponed until September. A new flight was booked. But there was no confirmation from Hasse Gaupset. This time the flight from Oslo to Kirkenes was not canceled, but the flight from Kristiansund to Oslo was.
Because the relatives are scattered across the country, far from Oslo, none of the invited relatives made it to Kirkenes, where Gaupset’s son has lived for 24 years.
– They were sitting alone and eating sausages. It was not funny.
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Impossible to talk to anyone
– What bothers me the most is that it is impossible to find someone who can explain why this happens. There is always a Swede or a Dane who picks up the phone, and if I ask them to hand it over to someone who can answer my questions, it is impossible. They also can’t get someone to call me back, Gaupset said.
The retiree is strongly provoked.
– At the same time, they send emails in which they somehow thank me for my understanding and encourage me to send an email if there is anything they can help with.
You have been informed of the last disbursement that will take three to four months to recover. SAS now owes Hasse Gaupset more than NOK 8,000.
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Hundreds of thousands are waiting
– Why do people have to wait up to six months to recoup their ticket expenses, when SAS itself cancels the flight?
– I understand your frustration. But unfortunately we cannot give a time estimate. Now a million customers have been reimbursed, but there are also hundreds of thousands waiting for the money back, and the cases keep pouring in, says John Eckhoff, SAS media manager.
SAS now resolves 5,000 cases a day, Eckhoff says. The simplest cases have now been automated, but a partial automation of some of the processes does not imply a general acceleration of case processing, he notes. According to Eckhoff, a complicated system shared with 300 other companies makes it impossible to directly reimburse customers, even if it would have been desirable.
MANY ARE STILL WAITING: – Unfortunately, we cannot give a time estimate. Now a million customers have been reimbursed, but there are also hundreds of thousands waiting for the money back, and the cases keep pouring in, says John Eckhoff, SAS media manager.
Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen (NTB scanpix)
– But why do customers have to meet with customer service representatives from Sweden and Denmark who cannot answer any questions?
– We have expanded customer service so there is now only a three to four minute wait time. But there is not much that customer service representatives can say. They cannot provide any more specific information on when the money will be refunded.
– Is half a year much more than what you previously promised?
– Even if it hasn’t been half a year, we can guarantee that everyone got their money back. But some will be reimbursed before this, and all will get what they are entitled to. If you choose a coupon instead of a refund, you get an additional NOK 350 per passenger, says John Eckhoff.
Hasse Gaupset believes that many will now turn their backs on the Scandinavian fighter:
– They will lose many customers. I won’t use them anymore, if I have a choice. I have been advised to go to an attorney and submit debt collection claims. But it costs me 13,000 crowns and I don’t expect SAS to pay the outlay.
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