Agents wait ages for ‘expedited’ SAA refunds

AGENTS say they are only
now getting refunds
for clients who were
affected by the industrial
action by SAA cabin crew at
the end of April, despite the
airline claiming refunds were
being expedited.
SAA refund claims
submitted via BSPlink
are usually subject to a
21-working-day turnaround
time. But Debbie Joubert,
md of Sure Travel 24-7, says
clients are only now receiving
refunds, despite their being
submitted in April, forcing
agents to wait roughly two
months.
“Although we are promised
a quick turnaround time, we
generally warn clients that
refunds can take up to 12
weeks when submitted via
BSPlink, just to be safe,” she
says.
Tlali Tlali, spokesperson for
SAA, says the airline is aware
of the influx of applications
following the recent strike.
He says the standard
procedure is still to apply for
refunds via BSPlink and says
strike-related refund claims
are, in fact, being processed
quicker than normal.
He says BSPlink refund
applications are registered
on SAA’s system within 24
hours and any strike-related
refunds are not subject to
the standard 21-workingday
turnaround time have
been expedited. “In the
recent past we processed
a bulk of such applications
associated with the impact
of the strike,” says Tlali.
“Currently we only have odd
ones that come through and
we process them as soon as
we receive them.”
Debbie Beckett, an ITC
with Travel Counsellors,
however, says she has yet to
get any response on a refund
claim enquiry she submitted
55 days ago.
She eventually sent the
claim to Travel Counsellors
to process but hasn’t
received any response from
SAA about what to do as
she had an extraordinary
circumstance.
Debbie’s clients were
scheduled to fly to Mauritius
but their flight was cancelled
as they arrived at the
boarding gate. SAA could not
place them on an alternative
flight, so Debbie booked
a new one-way flight to
Mauritius on Air Austral via
Réunion.
The clients’ tickets were
then reissued by SAA, and
they managed to return to
South Africa on an SAA flight.
“As result, I wasn’t able
to submit their refund claim
for their cancelled first leg
via BSPlink as I don’t have
access to the ticket any
more,” says Debbie.
“I have sent so many
emails in the past 55
days asking what to do,
but I haven’t received any
response. Eventually, without
any response from SAA, I
submitted the refund claim
to Travel Counsellors, who is
assisting me,” she says.
Tlali adds that agents who
can’t submit via BSPlink and
who have trouble submitting
claims should contact
the airline for assistance.
Though, this method did not
bring Debbie Beckett any
joy. Tlali has promised to
personally look into the case.
When asked for comment,
he said: “Please tell us the
name of the agent or their
contact number so that I can
facilitate assisting them.