Air NZ rant.......

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surfisup1000

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#223260 21-Sep-2017 10:26

They need to hire people who know how to read/speak english.

For my credit card travel insurance, the policy states you need a letter from the airline to confirm that paying by credit card would incur extra fees (if you didn't pay using your CC).

So, I emailed air nz, asked for the an email to confirm that paying by CC incurs extra fees for insurance purposes.

I got a reply asking for the booking ref and names of passengers which I thought was a bit odd but I gave them the info.

I've heard nothing from them for about 4 weeks and the trip is coming up so I phoned them today.

She then tried to reverse my poli payment and put the payment on my credit card...... I said no, i just need a letter.

So, she puts me through to someone else, who started to cancel my flights altogether.

All foriegners judging by their accents, with poor understanding of english.

What part of 'i need a letter' translates to 'please cancel my flights'!!!!!!

I should really complain, lucky I contacted them today as it looks like they were actually trying to cancel my flights.

rscole86

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#1870047 21-Sep-2017 10:29

Surely a link to the FAQ on airnz's website, which explains how/why and how much their credit card fees are was enough? I think you should have a rant about your credit card insurance company policy, as they are making you do work that should not need to be done.

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surfisup1000

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#1870071 21-Sep-2017 10:50

rscole86:
Surely a link to the FAQ on airnz's website, which explains how/why and how much their credit card fees are was enough? I think you should have a rant about your credit card insurance company policy, as they are making you do work that should not need to be done.

Yes you have a point. But there is no chance of me getting the insurance company to alter their wording.

It seemed an easy enough request don’t you think?

Last year my travel agent sent the letter the day I asked.

Air NZ customer support were awful... I asked them on 20 August so it has been a while.

Dingbatt

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#1870097 21-Sep-2017 11:05

Hit them up on social media. As I understand it, their SM team are NZ based. They may even be able to provide you with what you need, or at least point you to someone who can.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

rscole86

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#1870108 21-Sep-2017 11:14

surfisup1000:
rscole86:

Surely a link to the FAQ on airnz's website, which explains how/why and how much their credit card fees are was enough? I think you should have a rant about your credit card insurance company policy, as they are making you do work that should not need to be done.

Yes you have a point. But there is no chance of me getting the insurance company to alter their wording.

It seemed an easy enough request don’t you think?

Last year my travel agent sent the letter the day I asked.

Air NZ customer support were awful... I asked them on 20 August so it has been a while.

I agree, but as this is a rant, I thought I would give you another opportunity ;)

I assume you have asked the insurer if they will accept a copy of the payment terms and conditions from AirNZ, which I am assuming has a section about credit card surcharges.

On a more serious note, and back to the credit card issuer rant, my premium credit card insurance policy allows me to pay by another account with the same institution to avoid the credit card fees that travel agents and airlines charge. Who is your card issuer?

sbiddle

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#1870117 21-Sep-2017 11:25

If you call Air NZ inside NZ you speak to a NZ based call centre.

TBH I actually deem what you're doing as cheating the system and as harsh as it is if I was a writing a credit card insurance policy I wouldn't provide you with cover. Credit card insurance is ultimately funded from interchange payments which is why you need to pay for the travel with a card. By not using the card and using loopholes because you don't want to pay credit card fees is kinda self defeating - you want the benefits but don't want to pay for them.

What bank are you with? It seems to be a very strange and backward policy that they have.

Most policies I've looked at only require proof of a prepaid travel expense, which can be something as simple as a hotel that forms part of the trip. It does not need to be the entire journey. A number (and I'll use ANZ as an example as I'm a customer) will only allow the use of alternative forms of payment if credit cards are not accepted as payment.

rscole86

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#1870128 21-Sep-2017 11:34

sbiddle:

A number (and I'll use ANZ as an example as I'm a customer) will only allow the use of alternative forms of payment if credit cards are not accepted as payment.

Not entirely true, hence why I asked who issued their card, as ANZ do allow you to pay from another account as long as it with ANZ as well, or part payment with loyalty points.

What if my travel agent puts an extra charge on card payments?

Travel agents who accept Visa and/or MasterCard sometimes charge extra for card payments or they can refuse to accept credit card payments for a certain fare. Check before you book. There are travel agents who will accept credit cards without a surcharge. Alternatively, you could pay by using a cash advance on your credit card, an ANZ cheque, or by an electronic transaction from any ANZ account.

sbiddle

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#1870134 21-Sep-2017 11:51

rscole86:

sbiddle:

A number (and I'll use ANZ as an example as I'm a customer) will only allow the use of alternative forms of payment if credit cards are not accepted as payment.

Not entirely true, hence why I asked who issued their card, as ANZ do allow you to pay from another account as long as it with ANZ as well, or part payment with loyalty points.

What if my travel agent puts an extra charge on card payments?

Travel agents who accept Visa and/or MasterCard sometimes charge extra for card payments or they can refuse to accept credit card payments for a certain fare. Check before you book. There are travel agents who will accept credit cards without a surcharge. Alternatively, you could pay by using a cash advance on your credit card, an ANZ cheque, or by an electronic transaction from any ANZ account.

That just backs up what I'm saying and you've misinterpreted it. Here's the snippit from the actual policy wording:

"Where an ANZ Premium Card is not an accepted means of payment, you will be covered if you pay using funds from any of your other ANZ accounts."

If somebody doesn't accept credit cards for payment you can use another form of payment and still have cover. This does not mean that you can use an alternative form of payment just to avoid credit cards surcharges. Before this policy wording was updated probably 10 years ago I spent a lot of time trying to clarify payment with Airpoints.

I would never personally rely on a credit card policy anyway - there is no issue with the cover but the problem is claiming or urgent care. If you're sitting in a US hospital needing urgent care and ring AIG as an example (who provide the cover for ANZ and Westpac) they will ask you to provide the date and details of the transaction that made you eligible for cover. Until you go past that so they can ensure you're covered you'll get nowhere.

I much prefer to ring my travel insurance provider or have somebody ring on my behalf if I'm incapacitated and be able to get care simply by giving a customer number.

surfisup1000

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#1870136 21-Sep-2017 11:52

sbiddle:
If you call Air NZ inside NZ you speak to a NZ based call centre.

TBH I actually deem what you're doing as cheating the system and as harsh as it is if I was a writing a credit card insurance policy I wouldn't provide you with cover. Credit card insurance is ultimately funded from interchange payments which is why you need to pay for the travel with a card. By not using the card and using loopholes because you don't want to pay credit card fees is kinda self defeating - you want the benefits but don't want to pay for them.

What bank are you with? It seems to be a very strange and backward policy that they have.

Most policies I've looked at only require proof of a prepaid travel expense, which can be something as simple as a hotel that forms part of the trip. It does not need to be the entire journey. A number (and I'll use ANZ as an example as I'm a customer) will only allow the use of alternative forms of payment if credit cards are not accepted as payment.

This is not cheating, it is explicitly authorised otherwise I would not have done this!!!! ASB changed their policy when airlines started to apply cc payment fees.

I should have taken a print screen during the booking... I cannot refer generally to the website as t and c’s change over time. I have made claims while overseas previously and you need the exact documentation to avoid treatment delays.

Anyway ... My point was that I asked for an Email confirmation over a month ago and it seems air NZ believed I was trying to cancel my booking because they saw the word ‘insurance’. When I rang them today I explained this twice to 2 foreign staff members and it took them 40 minutes to understand.

sbiddle

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#1870139 21-Sep-2017 11:57

It's obvious Air NZ don't have a process for that in this case.

Surely the issue almost lies with ASB? Surely they know Air NZ charge so can easily process that so don't you to have to go to such lengths to prove that?

chevrolux

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#1870151 21-Sep-2017 12:14

When are NZers going to get that just because the person they speak to has a foreign accent it doesn't immediately mean you are calling the Philippines or Mumbai...

I wouldn't have a single bad thing to say about the Air NZ call centre - never once had to get confrontational with them and have to do very little talking after the 'my booking reference is' and 'i would like to...'

Then again, maybe that's got something to do with the little prompt that gets played after typing in airpoints number... "we can see that you're premium customer" haha

surfisup1000

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#1870191 21-Sep-2017 12:23

sbiddle:

I would never personally rely on a credit card policy anyway - there is no issue with the cover but the problem is claiming or urgent care. If you're sitting in a US hospital needing urgent care and ring AIG as an example (who provide the cover for ANZ and Westpac) they will ask you to provide the date and details of the transaction that made you eligible for cover.

This is a very good point.

I've made 3 claims through ASB visa insurance.... the first time was a nightmare as it was for urgent care in the USA for my daughter and cost 10's of thousands.

I was on the phone for 10 hours in the hotel when I should have been with my daughter in the hospital .... trying to get the CC insurance provider to provide the cover. However, if I'd had copies of all the evidence I would have been fine.

Anyway, all sorted now but was a tad frustrating as the 3 separate air nz staff could not understand what I needed. I am still a little worried someone might try to cancel my bookings as their email support staff might not be talking to their phone support staff. Their phone support staff did not even know how to contact the email support team.

rscole86

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#1870221 21-Sep-2017 13:01

@sbiddle, we shall agree to disagree then, as the FAQ on the policy document is clear that that it is referring to surcharge only, and gives you the option to pay with another means. If they didn't then the policy would say they they only accept purchases via the premium credit card only where credit card payments are accepted. I did see the snipped you quoted, but then they have the FAQ which details other payment options. I have never, and will never bother to test the policy wording, as I will not rely on my credit card for insurance purposes.

@surfisup1000, glad you got it sorted, but I still think ASB needs to be the one that comes to the party here, not AirNZ.

tripper1000

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#1870228 21-Sep-2017 13:04

chevrolux:

When are NZers going to get that just because the person they speak to has a foreign accent it doesn't immediately mean you are calling the Philippines or Mumbai...

This it true (sort of) I met an India student who after completing a waste-of-space course, got a working visa to stay in NZ in I.T. - which we are apparently short of people in. In fact she was working in a call centre in Auckland. I felt is was a bit of a scam. You would be forgiven for thinking you were connect to Mumbai, because the accent and poor grip on English was literally straight out of Mumbai - but the original point still stands - having operators that don't speak English well is bad for customer satisfaction.

My flat mate called HSBC to report an account being used to de-fraud people on Trademe - he gave up in frustration because the heavily accented operator did not understand the word "fraud" and my flat mate couldn't articulate it another simple way.

Edit: Spelling.