Delayed flights and lost baggage have helped earn Qantas the title of “spirit of disappointment” in the latest Shonky Awards.
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE on Thursday revealed its 2022 recipients for the annual honours, highlighting some of Australia’s questionable products and services.
“People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas, but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service,” CHOICE travel expert Jodi Bird said.
The consumer group cited unworkable flight credits, lost baggage, excessive call wait times, and delayed flights as among reasons for Qantas’s award, but the national carrier hit back, saying CHOICE’s data is “itself a bit shonky”.
CHOICE revealed in April Qantas and Jetstar were sitting on a combined $1.4 billion in unused flight credits and future bookings.
September research also revealed an average Qantas call wait time of 21 minutes.
Qantas appears to have deliberately gone out of its way to win a Shonky this year, CHOICE boss Alan Kirkland said.
Qantas argued the awards are out of date. While the airline had several months of poor performance earlier in 2022, it has improved significantly since August, and it was back to a pre-COVID level of service, a spokesperson said.
“Our call wait times are less than half what CHOICE is claiming.
“Our customers have redeemed more than $1 billion in COVID-related flight credits.”
Mr Kirkland said: “we now need federal, state and territory governments and industry to work together to make travel easier and fairer”.
Loan product VetPay also received a Shonky for “taking advantage of pet owners desperate to pay costly vet bills in an emergency”.
VetPay, which lets Australians pay off vet bills through a payment plan, says it has compassion for its customers, yet charges interest rates of more than 18 per cent and fees at every turn, Mr Kirkland said.
Chicken nuggets marketed by Steggles as boosted with veggies also made the list because of their negligible vegetable content.
To make it to one full serve of vegetables, a consumer would have to eat an entire 400g pack of the nuggets, and then part of another, according to CHOICE.
“CHOICE would love to never have to give out another Shonky award, but unfortunately we continue to uncover products and services that need to be called out,” Mr Kirkland said.
VetPay and Steggles have been contacted for comment.
© AAP 2022
