[Gary McFarlane]

I wish to make a complaint about the most appalling service I have ever received from an airline.

My wife and I booked a return flight to Fiji for May this year.

Unfortunately, through no fault of ours the accommodation provider double booked the accommodation for this time and we were forced to change the dates of our stay in Fiji.

Upon checking the available dates for the rental accommodation and our own availability the earliest time we could arrange to go there was October this year.

Our friends who were booked on the same flight (but fortunately for them they booked through Qantas) had no problem changing the dates of their tickets despite the fact that the dates were just over 12 months from when the tickets were originally booked. Only one phone call was required.

So they are now booked to go to Fiji on the earliest dates that were available.

We, on the other hand had booked through Fiji Airways (something I will never do again and something I will recommend against to everyone I know). After making four phone calls at least to this organisation I finally heard today that approval for us to extend the validity of our tickets a few days to allow us to travel to Fiji with our friends has been declined. No reason has been given, no phone calls made to us to inform us of this decision and no written confirmation has been received. This is despite us going out of our way to provide a letter from the accommodation provider confirming that the accomodation was double booked and that it was not our fault and that October was the earliest available date that we could go there.

The contrast between the treatment we have received and that of our friends is stark indeed. Apparently Qantas like to help their customers when problems arise that are not their fault. Fiji Airways on the other hand have decided to force us to forfeit almost $1500 in a show of bloody-mindedness that beggars belief. Not one phone call has been received from this organisation. No letter, nothing. Each time it has been me that has had to contact the airline and each time I have been fobbed off and told to ring back later. Finally I get a decision today and it is quite unbelievable that they would force people like us to give them $1500 for nothing when it is obvious that none of this is our fault.