Sometimes things go wrong, and knowing how to get a resolution to problems as easily as possible can massively reduce the frustration.
I have had two problems that needed some help from Etihad Guest, and in both cases, their phone service was lacking – but using their contact centre email address (which is a bit buried on their website), I received resolutions to both issues without follow up within a week or so.
Where to start
The email address to use is [email protected] – and you should receive any auto-response acknowledging your case, and then wait for 1 to 2 weeks for a response.
Document your issue clearly, with any appropriate booking references or ticket numbers included in your email. If you have a specific resolution to your issue in mind, be clear about what this is too.
How this worked for me
The two issues I have used this for recently were not too serious.
First, I had a messed up transfer booking from a Business Class Etihad Guest miles redemption booking, which resulted in us paying for a $150 taxi journey (so I wanted a refund or some compensation in miles). After sending in the receipt, an appropriate amount of miles were added to my account.
For a future trip, I had a redemption booked from Sydney to Venice next year. Etihad then decided to cancel the Abu Dhabi to Venice route, meaning my options were limited when it came time to rebook. I decided to cancel the redemption for a full refund of taxes and miles (usually their cancellation policy is to deduct 20% of the original booking).
In this case they still deducted the 20% cancellation fee, and once again, a short email to their contact centre resulted in the missing miles being refunded within a week – despite me trying twice previously over the phone with no success.
I don’t know how far their contact centre can go in terms of help – and it would be interesting to try.
The main thing from stopping anyone using their email service for, say, looking at redemption opportunities on Etihad or their partners is how long they take to reply. It’s not too long for certain types of customer service issues, but for requests which are more timely, I doubt this would be a viable way to deal with them.
I much prefer dealing with businesses in writing, as it allows you to be clear and detailed and minimise any wasted time on the phone. Hopefully this helps anyone who has issues with Etihad Guest in future!
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