Hours on hold, messages ignored: Albury woman slams Qantas service

Kylee Anderson spent more than six hours on hold over three calls to Qantas that were then disconnected before she spoke to any staff member.

She had wanted to change flights for a Northern Territory holiday after an itinerary change and eventually did this over the phone, but four days later no new ticket had been generated.

Unable now to complete her planned trip, Miss Anderson chose to cancel her arrangements.

"I have asked for my whole booking to be refunded and only get silence from Qantas," she said.

"People who have already paid money shouldn't go to the bottom of the line."

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This week Miss Anderson has been communicating with Qantas about her refund, but feels every step has been made more difficult than it need be.

"You make a pebble into a boulder with your incompetency," she wrote to the airline.

"Your waiting times via phone are deplorable and the stress you cause is unbelievable."

Qantas group chief customer officer Steph Tully said customers had experienced longer waiting times in the past year owing to the challenges of border closures and openings.

"Our teams are working hard to respond to everyone's inquiries as quickly as possible, to reduce waiting times," she said.

"Our customers have been very understanding and we appreciate their patience.

"When we know there is likely to be a spike in calls, we are rostering on more agents and training additional agents as necessary to meet demand."

Ms Tully said most queries could be self-managed using the Qantas website and smartphone app while customers were also asking questions via social media.

Miss Anderson said people who received no response to their complaints should contact the Airline Customer Advocate.

The ACA provides a free and independent service to eligible customers of major Australian airlines by facilitating the resolution of current unresolved complaints about airline services.

Qantas, Jetstar, Regional Express and Virgin Australia are participating airlines.

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