Key Points
- Qantas initially told her it didn't take liability for 'minor damage'
- The airline has since apologised.
Zoe Simmons may not need her wheelchair all of the time but without it, she’s limited as to where she can go and the activities she can take part in.
So when her wheelchair was damaged while she took a flight from Sydney to Canberra last week, it was a big deal.
Ms Simmons, who describes herself as an ‘ambulatory wheelchair user,’ assumed Qantas, the airline she’d flown with, would immediately take responsibility for the damage and cover the cost.
Instead, Qantas, which has admitted its refused to accept liability for it.
The left brake on her wheelchair was damaged and no longer worked.
Having both fibromyalgia and adenomyosis means 27-year-old Ms Simmons experiences chronic fatigue, significant pain and pins and needles and walking further than a short distance can be difficult and at times impossible.
Qantas’ customer care team initially told Ms Simmons they considered the damage to be “minor” but she said it meant she was unable to safely use her wheelchair and would need to buy a new one.
“I cannot safely go down slopes, hills or steer without the risk of crashing or injuring myself,” Ms Simmons said.
She believed Qantas not taking financial responsibility for the damage was discriminatory.
The Melbourne woman took to Twitter to post about her experience, where others added theirs.
After being contacted by SBS News on Wednesday afternoon for a comment about the situation, Qantas came back with an apology.
“We appreciate this has been a very frustrating experience for Ms Simmons and we sincerely apologise,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“We have contacted her directly and have offered to pay for the required repairs to her wheelchair.”
The airline told SBS News Ms Simmons' request had not gone to the team Qantas has in place “to manage these issues,” and that the company was reviewing what happened, to ensure it doesn’t happen in future.
Ms Simmons said she felt Qantas had only decided to cover the cost of her wheelchair repairs because her social media posts had gained attention.
Qantas told SBS News Ms Simmons' request had not gone to the team it has in place “to manage these issues,” and that the company was reviewing what happened, to ensure it doesn’t happen in future.
“I just feel like they're only doing this now because I’ve made a fuss and so many people don't have the energy or capacity to do that. I almost don't want to accept it because it's not good enough. This is a systemic issue and like they say, ‘oh, it doesn't happen that much’ and things like that, but doesn’t it?” she said.
As well as being a writer, Ms Simmons is a mental health and disability advocate.
She said wheelchairs were damaged every day on flights across the world and airlines needed to start taking responsibility.
