Families wait for refunds from cancelled trips

Parents of children whose overseas school trips have been scuppered by coronavirus are worried they’re being left in the dark about refunds.

But the travel agency at the centre of the concerns claims it is doing all it can and more than it’s legally required to.

Sue Bond is one of numerous parents throughout the country struggling to keep track of money owed to New Zealand schools and students by travel company Student Horizons.

They have formed a Facebook group and are keeping a spreadsheet, chronicling the tens of thousands of dollars spent on bookings for trips that will never happen.

At least 35 school groups across Australia and New Zealand had trips booked through Student Horizons cancelled and 22 have been postponed.

They have been presented myriad refund or compensation options, depending on when flights were booked and airlines involved.

Bond said she and other parents wanted a breakdown of costs to see where their money was ending up. They are frustrated at the lack of transparency from both the travel agency and schools.

Bond’s daughter Kate, 17, at Feilding High School, had been bound for the United States in April with her accounting class.

The trip had been two years in the making and the family had shelled out $6500. For every dollar Kate raised, her parents matched it.

Kate juggled a part-time job with sport and school to raise money. When the Covid-19 pandemic closed New Zealand’s borders in March, the trip was twice postponed, before finally being cancelled.

She had received $500 back from the school, and payments of $270 and $84 from Student Horizons, leaving her and her parents frustrated.

Qantas this week has given cash refunds to Student Horizons, but Bond said this still left parents $2500 short.

Student Horizons managing director Jamie Wansey said its normal terms of business stated all money paid was nonrefundable. ‘‘We made the decision as a business to temporarily waive those terms and do our best to present cancellation options that contractually we are not obligated to do.’’

A portion of money from parents had been paid to his staff and for business expenses, and was not recoverable. The effect of border closures and flight cancellations meant he could no longer pay staff.

Wansey said he had attended 22 parent information evenings to talk with affected families.

Feilding High School principal Nathan Stewart said the families were receiving $2224 from Qantas, taking the total money refunded to almost $3500, with more to come.

“The school is continuing to work with Student Horizons to get the best possible outcomes for parents.”