Is Greyhound Early Bird Fare Refundable during Stage 4 Lockdown?

Lmssionevil on 11/08/2020 - 13:07
Last edited 11/08/2020 - 13:28 by 1 other user

Hi, everyone.

I have a problem needs your guys' opinion.

I planned a ski trip to Thredbo resort. So,I booked Greyhound coach ticket on 19th June(Before lock-down) for the trip between Melbourne and Canberra on 20th Aug and 26th Aug.

However, when the government announced the VIC is under lockdown, I tried ask the Greyhound for refund. They replied the ticket is early bird fare which is not refundable.

I looked up for their terms and conditions, their definition of Early Bird Fare is :a point-to-point ticket fare that cannot be changed and is not refundable, except in certain circumstances including under the Australian Consumer Law .

I assume the stage 4 lockdown is the certain circumstances including under the Australian Consumer Law .

And I also checked the Australian Consumer Law. Here I quote from Australian consumer law:

" If the failure with the service is major, then the consumer can recover compensation for any reduction in the value of the services or cancel the contract and get a refund for that part of the service not consumed."

And they still replied the can only change the ticket to credit for 12 months and not refundable.

Since I am a foreign student , I will not be in Australia in next year. I feel it is not fair for me. The ticket cost me $188, it is not a small amount for a student… I really hope I can get it back.

Could anyone give me advice for this situation, I would be very appreciated.

Thank you.

Travel

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Comments

  • PissLUR on 11/08/2020 - 13:09
    +2

    take the credit and move on.

    • ronnknee on 11/08/2020 - 13:25
      +4

      and move on.

      Greyhound won't let him.

  • theHMASfriendship on 11/08/2020 - 13:16
    +2

    Lodge a complaint with your state's fair trading body.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 11/08/2020 - 13:17
    +2

    Wait, so is the bus trip actually running or not?

    • mssionevil on 11/08/2020 - 13:20

      no they are not running on the date I book for.

      Here is their announcement on the website
      Greyhound Australia wishes to advise all services to and from Melbourne have been suspended until further notice. This is due to the travel restrictions imposed by the Victorian, New South Wales and ACT Governments.

      • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 11/08/2020 - 15:34

        Damn, well you definitely aren't in the wrong then. Push harder. Demand a refund. If still no success then you have to balance up how much your time is worth and whether to take it further.

  • MrHyde on 11/08/2020 - 13:18
    +1

    Is the service still running?

    • mssionevil on 11/08/2020 - 13:21

      no they are not running on the date I book for.

      Here is their announcement on the website
      Greyhound Australia wishes to advise all services to and from Melbourne have been suspended until further notice. This is due to the travel restrictions imposed by the Victorian, New South Wales and ACT Governments

      • MrHyde on 11/08/2020 - 16:38

        You could possibly argue that it is not you who has changed his mind about travelling; but Greyhound who have cancelled the service and that the 12 month credit does not work for you.

        However, as others have mentioned, the ACCC says a credit note is a valid remedy for the current cancellations.

  • Drakesy on 11/08/2020 - 13:34
    +3

    Sounds like a repeat of the Qantas/Virgin credit voucher refund deniability.

    If the service is never provided then they'll need to refund you the ticket no matter the conditions.

    Although at least they offered you a credit note.

    • JimmyF on 11/08/2020 - 14:47
      +2

      ^^ THIS

      The T&Cs says its not refunable for cash, so a credit is purely valid.

      That said, I think the credit should be for 3 years to bring it inline with 'gift card' terms and not 12 months, but that is another issue.

    • suti on 11/08/2020 - 16:20
      +4

      The law trumps T&C's.

  • GG57 on 11/08/2020 - 13:54
    +1

    If you are provided with a credit note, find out if it is transferable or not.

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 11/08/2020 - 15:37

    How much was the ticket?

    $188 - I can't read.

  • NFC on 11/08/2020 - 15:37
    +1

    You could maybe look into tweeting them or posting on their Facebook and causing an uproar. Sometimes this works to get things going faster

  • itx on 11/08/2020 - 22:52
    +1

    Assuming you paid with a card using the Visa or Mastercard networks, you can try lodging a transaction dispute with your bank.

    Some tips:
    - before you lodge the dispute, try to have everything in writing - don't just talk to Greyhound over the phone.
    - you should have evidence that (1) it is Greyhound that cancelled the service (not you initiating the cancellation), (2) you've tried to communicate with Greyhound and have done everything you can to resolve the dispute with them to no success, and (3) you've advised Greyhound that a voucher is not acceptable.

    If possible, also ask Greyhound to show you where in the booking terms and conditions does it say that a cancellation caused by Greyhound will result in a refund in the form of a voucher. If the T&Cs say that then the banks are unlikely to support you, but if it doesn't then your likelihood of success goes up.

    The banks are also getting tired of people pushing for chargebacks over travel cancellations so you might have a hard time getting the bank rep to process it. You should be polite but forceful to say that you didn't receive the service that you paid for and that gives you a right to challenge the transaction.

    • mssionevil on 12/08/2020 - 08:07

      Thank you. Yes I did send email to them and through fb page and online inquiries on their website and inquired at ACCC.
      But non of them replied me yet, I am still trying.

  • mssionevil on 15/08/2020 - 17:13
    +2

    Good news !!!

    Thank you for contacting Greyhound Australia.

    I have confirmed with management that we can provide you with a partial refund for your ticket however, as the service was cancelled due to the closure of the Victorian border which is outside of our control, a 10% cancellation fee will be charged. The refund amount received will be $169.20 which will be returned back to the account that was originally used to make payment.

    Thanks all.
    At lease I still get 90% of refund back.
    I will probably never book early bird fare after this🤦

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