FLIGHT rights
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR TRAVEL ITINERARY IS DISRUPTED
Areal estate firm is in the process of selling someone’s property. Can that firm enter into an arrangement with a potential buyer to sell their (the buyer’s) house should that buyer become the purchaser?
This is a very interesting point. The answer is, yes, they are. But they must act fairly throughout the sales process and continue to work to get the best possible deal for their vendor clients. Anything else would be a breach of their contract. They must not give that bidder any advantage over others. How this could be policed is difficult to say. Whether real estate firms should be allowed to enter into such arrangements with a bidder at all is a matter of debate. I know a real estate agent who considers approaches like that from bidders to be nothing short of bribery and won’t be part of it. I really respect that. How many other agents would take that view, I don’t know. But the fact is, it’s not illegal nor a breach of any regulations. Incidentally, I’ve found a useful governmentrun website to go to if you’re buying or selling a house.
It’s settled.govt.nz, provided by the Real Estate Authority.
What are your rights if your domestic flights are delayed or cancelled and it costs you money? These are not delays caused by weather but those that are the result of an airline’s internal issues, including overbooking.
The Civil Aviation Act requires airlines operating domestic flights within New Zealand to compensate passengers who are delayed or have their flights cancelled due to their own internal issues. So we’re not talking about weather hold-ups here. Compensation should include a full refund if your flight was cancelled without any offer of alternative transport. You should also be compensated for reasonably foreseeable losses caused by the interruption, such as the cost of meals and missed connections. Overbookings seldom become an issue in NZ because usually our airlines offer tempting rewards to passengers who voluntarily give up their seats. This can include upgrades (if appropriate), meal vouchers, accommodation and, if required, a rebooking.
The Civil Aviation Act caps compensation at 10 times the cost of the fare or the actual cost of the delay, whichever is less. Generally, our local airlines are pretty good at looking after their passengers at such times.
Can a real estate agent drum up business with a potential buyer of your house if you’re the client? And what can you do if your domestic flight is delayed or cancelled? Up in the air! Kevin Milne CONSUMER