Debbie Onishenko has kidney disease, so when she and her husband Ed booked a trip to Florida in early 2020, she knew it would be her last trip before starting dialysis.
But, after COVID-19 grounded their WestJet flight and Onishenko’s health took a turn for the worse, the couple struggled for years trying to recoup their losses.
They booked their trip through RBC, using 83,334 Avion points that took decades to collect, and spending $1,294.50 to cover the rest of the cost.
When they booked the trip, Onishenko’s kidneys were struggling, but functional.
“I still had about 12 per cent of my kidneys left,” she said.
“It has gone down since then, and now I'm down to about 8 per cent left in my kidneys.”
The Onishenkos decided she wasn’t well enough to travel, and tried to get a refund on their trip.
“We waited and then we kept trying to get through to RBC and that took many, many months, and then finally did and they said, ‘Well, that's WestJet’s problem,’ ” said Onishenko.
“We called WestJet, okay, again took months of trying to get through to them because it was a busy time, and got through to WestJet and they said, ‘Well, all we can do is give you a voucher.’ ”
In an emailed statement, WestJet says because the trip was booked through a third party it was not able to assist with a refund.
“The tickets are able to be exchanged for a new ticket of greater or equal value until April 22, 2023, however this process will need to be completed through the third-party vendor. While the Onishenkos will need to book travel prior to the expiry date, their trip can be booked following the expiration date,” the email said.
Onishenko says travelling before the expiration date is out of the question because she’s waiting for a kidney transplant.
“If it's a live donor we want to do it as soon as possible, of course when they're healthy and available … If it's a cadaver, a dead person, we’ll only have less than six hours,” she said.
“I'm not going to take the chance of going anywhere far away if something comes available.”
She says on top of dealing with her kidney disease, going back and forth between the two companies over a span of months to get a refund has been exhausting.
“I just want my points and my money back,” she said.
“Hopefully, God willing, I will get a kidney and I will be healthy someday and I can travel again.”
CTV News reached out to RBC, who responded with a statement saying it takes all client matters seriously.
“While the clients in this case did not qualify for any reimbursement, we have decided as a goodwill gesture to refund them in full. We have reached out to our clients and are in [the] process of providing reimbursement," said RBC.
"We are both so very happy and thankful to RBC for their support in reimbursement of our flight," said Onishenko.
Post a Comment