If it’s at a different time, on a different day and leaving from a different city, is it still the same flight you paid for?
Jackie Lauzon is fighting to get her money back after Swoop, the ultra-low cost airline owned by WestJet, modified her flights to leave from Hamilton instead of London, two days early.
The LaSalle, Ont. woman purchased four sets of tickets – for her and her husband as well as for another couple – during a seat sale back in January. The couples were supposed to fly from London to Halifax on June 9 and return on June 12.
She found out this past week that the departing flight was rescheduled to June 7, and they’d be flying in and out of Hamilton instead.
“This isn’t even the same flight we agreed upon, when we originally purchased it,” Lauzon told Chris dela Torre, the host of CBC London’s Afternoon Drive. “I thought it would be pretty cut and dry to get our money back, but I’ve found out that’s not the case.”
A woman in LaSalle found out her upcoming Swoop flight from London to Halifax had changed. Not just the time — but also the date and departure city. We heard Jackie Lauzon’s story, and then talked to Gabor Lukacs, founder and coordinator of Air Passenger Rights Canada. 12:45
Jackie Lauzon spent 2.5 hours on hold to reach a customer service representative, and also exchanged messages with the airline over Facebook. (Submitted by Jackie Lauzon)
Lauzon said the email from the airline was vague about a refund for the $550 she spent on the flights, and she’s since been given the option to change them and be on the hook for the price difference or take a 24 month credit.
“I spent 2.5 hours on hold in order to speak with someone direct,” she explained. “[The customer service representative] says at this time Swoop does not have a policy in place to issue refunds as a result of COVID-19, and she says ‘well you can check back in the future and that may be an option.'”
The fact that it “may” be an option, makes Lauzon nervous.
“If they go out of business, what happens? We’re out of our money.”
Swoop responded to CBC’s request for comment with a statement about running on a reduced domestic network.
“As a result of COVID-19, Swoop will adjust its domestic and international flying schedule for May and June,” the airline said. “All travellers impacted by these network updates are being notified by email with options on how to make changes to their flights or cancel an existing reservation.
Don’t accept this as the new norm, says advocate
Gabor Lukacs, founder of Air Passenger Rights Canada, said Swoop should provide a refund.
“There’s nothing in Swoop’s contract that would allow Swoop to unilaterally change the destination or origin, that’s completely absurd that they are trying to convince the public that that’s the new norm,” he explained.
Airline passenger advocate Gabor Lukacs in based in Halifax. (Robert Short/CBC)
“If they can no longer provide a flight from London, we may be sympathetic to that possibly, but they have to provide a refund. Why? Because they’re not delivering the service that contract is for.”
If an airline refuses to provide a refund, Lukacs urged customers to ask their credit card company for a chargeback. He also encouraged people to research what they’re entitled to before making the call.
“VISA and Mastercard have put [out] some very balanced guidelines on ensuring the passengers are able to exercise their rights to a chargeback,” he said.
“In some cases the frontline agents for those credit card companies are not aware of how this is supposed to work but … when you speak to the manager and say here’s the document from MasterCard International, here’s the document from VISA International, they tend to process the chargeback.”
Lauzon has since contacted her credit card company, American Express. She found out that she would have to wait until Swoop’s 24 month credit had expired to file a claim, and that she’d only get a refund for three of the four sets of tickets. Lauzon said she and her husband are covered as cardholders, but only one “companion” can be reimbursed per claim.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
