By Luke Voogt
A planned first holiday overseas has turned into an almost-$24,000 “nightmare” for disabled Leopold woman Barb Ffrost and husband Barry.
Mrs Ffrost, who suffers complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and other conditions from a “horrific” car accident, booked a holiday to the United Kingdom through Flight Centre on October 6, 2019, she said.
“We’ve never been overseas before,” the 57-year-old said.
“Due to my health I’ve been in and out of hospital. After years of treatment two specialists suggested a holiday could be good for me.”
Mrs Ffrost paid $23,742 for the trip to Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England, including flights with Singapore Airlines totalling $13,496.
“Bearing in mind my disability, we booked business class flights,” she said.
“We put a lot of thought into how we were going to work with my disability. We booked a hotel with a pool for hydro-physio.”
But on March 5 a Flight Centre consultant called saying her trip, like millions planned worldwide, had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She explained to me, can I please be patient, it could take 12 weeks to resolve,” she said.
“It’s been 13 weeks since my holiday was cancelled and I haven’t received any refunds.”
Mrs Ffrost phoned her local Flight Centre, the agency’s head office in Brisbane and Singapore Airlines several times since the cancellation.
But each time she received little or conflicting information on her refunds, she said.
“I feel so helpless that I can’t even get answers.
“I feel like they’re really treating people out there with disrespect – it’s really not helping with my pain and anxiety.”
Mrs Ffrost said Flight Centre had received all the refunds for the trip, except for the flights, and that the agency should have passed those refunds on.
She also questioned why Singapore Airlines could not refund the flights directly to her, rather than through Flight Centre.
“This is wrong. I’m furious,” she said.
A Flight Centre spokesperson apologised for the delay as the agency processed “three years’ worth” of cancellations over a few months.
Flight Centre lodged a refund request for Mrs Ffrosts’ flights with Singapore Airlines on March 26, approximately 10 weeks ago, they said.
Flight Centre had not yet received refunds for the flights, with most airlines generally advising three-to-six months to process refunds in the “current climate”, the spokesperson said.
“The customer was advised earlier this week that some other components of the booking had now been refunded to us and they would be returned to her as soon as possible.”
A Singapore Airlines spokesperson also apologised amid “an unprecedented volume of cancellations”.
The airline had planned to process flights with April departures in May but a “severe back log” had prevented this, they said.
The Independent understands Singapore Airlines processed Mrs Ffrosts’ refund earlier this week, and that Flight Centre should receive it within two to three weeks.
