Qantas customer care - doesn't

[medhead]

Well in glad someone has been helped from this thread. Meanwhile, no one seems willing to address the issues I've raised. C'est la vie.

 

[medhead]

Update: Call from Qantas, acknowledgement of the issue and apparent poor communication at the airport, internal investigation, passed on to airport management. I can't expect any more information really. Doesn't get back the money I wasted on the flight that became without purpose. But the person I spoke with was excellent at communicating the situation and said all the right things. A credit to qantas.

Being calling at 8 am and expecting to heard someone from work with bad news, it was poor of me for failing to note her name.

 

[Red Roo]

Update: Call from Qantas, acknowledgement of the issue and apparent poor communication at the airport, internal investigation, passed on to airport management. I can't expect any more information really. Doesn't get back the money I wasted on the flight that became without purpose. But the person I spoke with was excellent at communicating the situation and said all the right things. A credit to qantas.

Being calling at 8 am and expecting to heard someone from work with bad news, it was poor of me for failing to note her name.

Glad this was followed up to your satisfaction. I've passed on your appreciation to her manager.

 

[medhead]

Glad this was followed up to your satisfaction. I've passed on your appreciation to her manager.

I'm not sure satisfaction is how I feel. The best I could come up with was appeased. But, aside from semantics, Yes the communication and follow up was well handled. Thanks for passing on my appreciation.

Merry Christmas and happy new year to you all. And of course, Thank you for all the help to AFF during 2014

 

[turtlemichael]

So Medhead, apart from being appropriately and nicely appeased, do you have an explanation of why you were moved and was it satisfactory to you?

 

[medhead]

So Medhead, apart from being appropriately and nicely appeased, do you have an explanation of why you were moved and was it satisfactory to you?

No explanation beyond operational reasons, just an apology for the way the matter was handled. It is under investigation internally. I don't expect to be informed of the outcome. So I'm not satisfied by the lack of information. But I am appeased by the apology and my expectation that internal matters remain internal. Also appeased by the way the crew handled the situation on board, plus how the phone call was handled. But it doesn't explain how or why the problem was created.

 

[maninblack]

That seems like as fair an outcome as you can reaonably expect.

The thing I find odd about QF customer care is how long it takes them to get back to you. Recently was the first time I contacted them in about 4 years and it took over 3 weeks to get a response which required some follow up info from me, which I supplied, and I am now another 2 weeks along and nothing...It's all a rather uninspired effort.

I think that is the QF plan, take a long long time, hope the customer gets bored of it all and eventually the matter just drifts away. Problem for QF is in the past I did just drift away, to other airlines. But I am trying to make 2015 my year to like Qantas again...they sure don't make it easy though!

 

[medhead]

That seems like as fair an outcome as you can reaonably expect.

Exactly what I thought.

 

[RooFlyer]

<snip>

I think that is the QF plan, take a long long time, hope the customer gets bored of it all and eventually the matter just drifts away. Problem for QF is in the past I did just drift away, to other airlines. But I am trying to make 2015 my year to like Qantas again...they sure don't make it easy though!

Of course that's the plan. Same reason as QFF promotion, bonus points etc are scheduled to post months and months after the transaction or qualification - I believe they count on a number of people not remembering their due and when - whoops! - the wrong amount or no bonus etc is posted to the account and no-one is the wiser.

I haven't so much drifted away as stalked off. Less than half QF lying this year compared to previous years (abt 40K vs 90K).

 

[tuapekastar]

There was a similar thread a while ago. Several of us identified a well known former (then current) rugby executive as the owner of the cough that was occupying seats we had chosen on international flights.

Next time it happens to me, my camera phone might get some use.

Actually I don't understand.

Here is a very easy answer to Chairmans' Lounge and Platinums Ones regarding their favourite seats.

"Sorry sir but another of our very important frequent flyers has had that seat allocated for many months. Would you like 5D instead?"

Simple solution to a problem that should not be that complex in the first place. But no there are people out there who think they are better than others and deserve to be treated better. Not how I see it.

The OP was poorly treated in the first place with the seat displacement, and even worse by the initial follow up response (lack of) to his complaint (as most or all here agree), and glad to see there has been further follow up that has at least partially smoothed the waters.

As far as the butt that ended up in the seat (and the rugby butt mentioned above), while clearly I do not know this, it may well be that they simply asked "is seat 2D (or whatever) free?", and the QF check in agent tapped away for a bit and beamed "yes sir, it is", after 'proactively' having moved someone else from their selected seat leaving the CL none the wiser that he has booted said person from their seat (CL may well be mortified by the thought). OTOH he may indeed have been a total DYKWIA a****hole and 'demanded' the seat regardless of whether it was occupied already - just cannot assume so.

 

[Claudius]

Hmm,
I wouldn't mind if a P1 took my seat, after all they are higher status and earned their right to do such things by flying more than I do. A CL however is another topic, as this is a comped status that is not earned, devaluing the whole concept.
If CL was a recognition like LTP or for former pilots or something like that it would be understandable, but MPs and Rugby players?

 

[RichardMEL]

As a P1 myself I totally would not want to displace someone else. Heavens if the seat's been taken - be it by a CL, Bronze, Gold, Joyce, whoever.. it's taken (I mean when I go to select on booking, or OLCI). It wouldn't even occur to me to ask for it. I mean I would pick 3A in F on the 380 if I had a choice, but I'd hardly demand to an agent "whoever's in 3A I don't care!" sort of thing.
I also suspect most of those that fly so much to get the status, while we care enough to have seats we prefer and stuff, we've usually already sorted out something that works and probably have more important things to worry about.

And anyway, a late aircraft sub or something and everything's thrown up into the air (eg: just last sunday my 1A on 73H was lost when the 763 was subbed in and I was given I think 1D by the system. Well hey fine.. I just moved to 4A. no biggie. The swap was a great surprise so hey if I'd had to stay in 1D then hey fine too. that's the way it goes (I imagine the system decided that row 1 was as close a match as it could do, and I further presume that the pax in 1A on the 763 was perhaps a CL or WP1 or even maybe nonrev. I didn't look to see bag tags or anything like that. that's just how it is.

I absolutely take your point though that you can certainly feel that others should perhaps have priority to seats due to earned status as opposed to gifted, but it is a grey area.

I'm more in the JohnK camp on this issue. fair dinkum just say NO. It is something even us uber platinum diamond sar onyx black hole types understand in life.

but as the earlier poster pointed out, we really can't assume a DYKWIA attitude, or even that every CL is not a person who a) flies a coughload or b) provides a lot of revenue value to QF (and by that I don't really mean those in control of company wide travel budgets/contracts who probably get CL). The full story will never be known, and in the scenario where an agent "proactively" moved the OP out of his seat even if clearly in the wrong to do so like that, QF will never admit that externally - they have to save face with the cover all excuse of "Operational Reasons" which you can ranslate to mean anything.

I think the follow up seems to be about the best you could expect in this case, but I agree from the point of view of the customer, they've had a disservice - even though I imagine many people would think "so what.. he got moved to a "window" seat a few rows back what's the big deal" despite our understanding the intent was to shoot pictures and have a view. Some would probably feel this is very trivial in the grand scheme of things.. everyone's mileage varies.

I think the core issues here is that RR had to get involved and push things along (seemingly) and the insult to inury is by far the bigger insult in the handling of the complaint. That's the sad part about it all.

Just my 3 cents

 

[Claudius]

It would be totally fair for a company to decide not to give privilege to elite clients, but I do understand the business reasons to do so, in the end, is up to the client to excercise those privileges or not. I have been moved by Qantas before(my seat is broken is the usual excuse), but always they worked with me so I get a window seat, which in the end is all that matters to me, while I do prefer 1K, I'm just as happy with 3K or 1A or whatever.

My issue with CL is the rules are not defined. If a) is right then CL is not needed as they fly enough to earn status anyway, if b) is right then the rules should be defined.
IMO, if you are going to create an elite class above anything that can be earned is important to be clear about why those members are more important to Qantas than loyal frequent flyers. As I said I would be happy with something like: FF member who has been WP or above for over 20 years, former QF pilot or crew with 20 or more years in service.

 

[JessicaTam]

Of course that's the plan. Same reason as QFF promotion, bonus points etc are scheduled to post months and months after the transaction or qualification - I believe they count on a number of people not remembering their due and when - whoops! - the wrong amount or no bonus etc is posted to the account and no-one is the wiser.

I haven't so much drifted away as stalked off. Less than half QF lying this year compared to previous years (abt 40K vs 90K).

Freudian slip?

 

[RooFlyer]

Freudian slip?

. < contemplates permutations. >. ... Not this time

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

OLCI had me at 7F.
Scanned my QF QP card and hit a SHOCKER! QF SG is the starting point for covert benefits. Eh? Luck, maybe so but...
Now I know the little secret.
QF CSC might not care, but when they say QF do it good, they do great.
QF has made decisions not to our advantage or liking, but to be upgraded me without asking is wonderful.
No points usage either.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

OLCI had me at 7F. Scanned my QF QP card and hit a SHOCK!

Now I know the little secret.

You may know the little secret but the rest of us still don't.

What seat did you end up in? :what:

 

[opusman]

Sounds like an op-up?

 

[RichardMEL]

Congrats. It could have more to do with certain other things than just having hit SG. Either way, perhaps a reward for Christmas. I wouldn't expect it on any kind of regular basis, but I'm glad you got a nice surprise. The unexpected ones are often the best sort!

I remember nigh on 20 years ago as a lowly UA Premier (like QF Silver, so basically nobody) flying IAD-LHR on the then brand new 777, checked-in and was offered an upgrade. The way the agent worded it I thought it was not an op up and exclaimed "Oh that's lovely but I don't have enough miles for it"(at that time) She smiled and said it's on us, enjoy. Now on a prime route like that to get a bump up from such a low status was just not even on my radar, but it was a lovely flight to London for sure.

So, enjoy AP!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

3Alpha was empty.
1Delta was empty.
I was given 2Alpha.
1Bravo had a kid, son of 1Charlie.
So they were not just upgrading all and sundry.
I think the FA was in some of my other flights, I must have taken 8 flights in this past Dec.
She noticed me climbing Status.
Mine went from PS to SG mid trip.
So for QF flights, status runs must be semi automatic.
After ADL to PER it still showed SILVER.
PER to MEL showed SILVER.
MEL to ADL showed GOLD, overnight.
Ok, will keep quiet on this thread now.