“Because of the current situation, many people are calling us. The preliminary waiting time is at least one hour,” explains the calm robotic voice manning SAS’ customer phone. – The telephone was completely hopeless, says Håvard Gjerseth from Troms. It took hours to get through, and half the time the line was broken before actually getting through. His family were going to the UK to visit the grandparents of Gjerseth’s children. While the wife and daughter were stuck in Oslo, the son never left Tromsø. Nor did they reach through other communication channels. Håvard Gjerseth and his family are struggling to establish contact with SAS regarding reimbursement for the expenses he has had as a result of the strike. Photo: Håvard Gjerseth – The lines of communication to SAS were severely damaged. You could post something on their Facebook page and then after a few days there might be an answer to what you asked about. Gjerseth’s family is not alone. Many are now experiencing difficulties in getting in touch with the crisis-stricken company after the strike which caused chaos for holidaying Norwegians this summer. – It does not seem as if they are interested in helping the customers. It seems that they hope people will give up, or that they make it as difficult as possible to get the money back, says Gjerseth. Are entitled to many thousands After the strike ended, many are struggling to get back the money they are entitled to. Lawyer at the Consumer Council, Thomas Iversen, tells news that they have recently received more than 500 complaints concerning the airline. – We have heard of many people struggling to get through on the customer service phone. They have sat and waited for a very long time, and then had their conversation interrupted, he says. Consumer lawyer Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council says that they have received hundreds of different complaints against SAS. Photo: The Consumer Council – If you have paid for hotels, food and drink, and flights home, you should basically have all this covered, says Iversen. You must then send a claim to SAS via a form and attach receipts. Gjerseth in Troms says he falls firmly into the category of people who have had large expenses as a result of canceled SAS flights. Passenger rights: While waiting If your departure is delayed by more than two hours, we will compensate you up to EUR 50 per full day per person for food and drink (excluding alcohol) during the waiting period. Keep the original receipts. Delayed Overnight If you require accommodation (and you are not reasonably able to return home), we will refund mid-range accommodation up to EUR 250 per night and room. We will reimburse the cost of reasonable transportation options available to and from the airport and accommodation. Keep the original receipts. Delayed for more than 24 hours If you are rebooked to a flight that departs more than 24 hours after the original departure, but cannot travel according to the new itinerary, you can book a ticket with another airline, take a train, bus or rent a car. You must cancel the order in My orders / your travel agency before making your own travel arrangements. We will compensate for the difference between the price of your unused flight and your new alternative travel transport. The new ticket or the cost of alternative transport must be in the same service class or the same price class as the original flight ticket. Source: SAS With new flights and hotels, he estimates expenses of at least 20,000. Food and drink are not included in the accounts. – You would think that it was automatic in that if they canceled a flight, then the money (for the plane ticket, journ.anm.) should also be returned, Gjerseth believes. The SAS strike has created complete holiday chaos for Norwegians this summer. The Larsen family from Nordland had their return trip to Norway canceled twice. The system on SAS’s website hasn’t worked either, he says. – It is very complicated to find on their websites, I think. When my daughter tried to get the money back for her tickets, she mostly just got error messages. We tried many different browsers, but nothing worked, he says despairingly. SAS responds Tonje Sund, who is head of press at SAS, tells news that everyone who is entitled to a refund from the company should get it. But due to the several thousand canceled departures in connection with the strike, it will take time, she explains. Tonje Sund is press manager at the airline SAS. Photo: Vilde Helljesen She says the company apologizes for this. The Consumer Council says they will follow up on the storm of complaints. – I expect SAS to clean up and process the claims in turn. So that those who have a valid claim against SAS will get their money, concludes consumer lawyer Thomas Iversen. Facts about the SAS strike *After 15 days of strike, SAS and the pilot unions agreed on an agreement on the night of Tuesday 19 July. The agreement applies for five and a half years, and will ensure that 450 dismissed pilots get their jobs at SAS back. * The core of the conflict has been employment in the two subsidiaries SAS Link and SAS Connect. When the pandemic hit, just under 600 pilots lost their jobs at SAS. They had to apply for jobs again in the new companies, and were offered agreements with different conditions. * The SAS pilots believe that the company is thereby trying to circumvent its obligations to bring the dismissed pilots back again. SAS, for its part, has rejected this and believes that the company complies with all agreements entered into. * On 29 March, the SAS pilots broke off the negotiations after one day. SAS and four pilot associations under the SAS Pilot Group then met for mediation in Stockholm on Monday 13 June. On Monday 4 July, mediation broke down, and around 900 pilots in Norway, Denmark and Sweden went on strike. * The mediation solution is now out for a preliminary vote among the pilot associations in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The result will be announced on 6 August. (Source: NTB/news) [email protected]
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Customers ask for a SAS refund – The Consumer Council has received hundreds of complaints – news Troms and Finnmark
