Qantas not responding to complaint - what next?

[showstopper]

I'll keep this as short as possible:

• My girlfriend (oneworld sapphire) recently did a trip with QF: SYD-BKK-HKT-BKK-SYD, J class, revenue ticket
• Both sectors SYD-BKK & BKK-SYD were on QF A330 with Skybed 1
• On sector BKK-SYD (a night flight) her seat (and all others in her row) had no seat power, no IFE, no seat functionality and no recline for the entire flight
• FA's were apologetic and encouraged her and other affected PAX to contact Qantas Customer Care once on the ground to resolve
• Once home she wrote an unemotional, concise and to-the-point letter to QCC stating what happened and requested compensation
• Approximately 2 days later she received an automated response from QCC stating they will try to respond within 15 days
• After about 4 weeks and no further word from Qantas, she sent a follow up email
• Another generic Qantas response was received, to which she immediately responded
• No further response from Qantas

Where to from here?

For clarity, the request for compensation is for Qantas not providing the business class product that was paid for, primarily a flat bed, and IFE on an overnight flight.

 

[opusman]

Keep emailing CC, or maybe ring and ask for an update (the auto response would have had a ticket number in it you can quote).

In the old days Red Roo would have been all over this like a shot but they seem to have lost interest in connecting with the community

 

[marki]

write to AJ the same letter (do a search on this website (AFF)to figure out the email address) I have used it in the past but had been intercepted before hand by his staff. The response was quicker though. He is person after all and does worry about the larger picture at Qantas especially when there are bugs like this.

 

[kpc]

Contact View Profile: Red Roo - The Australian Frequent Flyer Online Community and ask to escalate / ivestigate would be another option

This is a serious malfunction, and I would expect SIGNIFICANT compensation from Qantas eg enough QF points for a one way redemption in J Syd-Bkk:idea:....I would not hesitate to send a letter to Alan Joyce by registered post if QF do not respond and offer adequate compensation.

 

[Hvr]

Did she book the flight through 1) Qantas, a 2) travel agent or 3) another airline?

If 2 or 3 then she needs to route her complaint through them. If 1 then keep persevering and raise hell.

As someone who has taken this flight many times I would be furious if this happened to me and as kpc notes deserves significant compensation.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Keep emailing CC, or maybe ring and ask for an update (the auto response would have had a ticket number in it you can quote).

In the old days Red Roo would have been all over this like a shot but they seem to have lost interest in connecting with the community

Red Roo posted they would be on holiday until 4 January. When I had my dummy spit on here in May Red Roo was very proactive in escalating even though I requested her not to.

I would be pretty upset if this happened to me as well

 

[Bmurphy]

Twitter. That's how I recently got prompt QANTAS satisfaction.

 

[miggidy]

social media will help, the social media team can escalate but they are away until the 4th.

Try calling first and take note of who you speak with, time/date etc
If that doesn't work you can send an email/letter to AJ
Otherwise maybe the ACCC? You didn't get what you paid for in reality.

 

[hutch]

social media will help, the social media team can escalate but they are away until the 4th.

Try calling first and take note of who you speak with, time/date etc
If that doesn't work you can send an email/letter to AJ
Otherwise maybe the ACCC? You didn't get what you paid for in reality.

The ACCC doesn't resolve individual complaints. You could try your state based fair trading body or the Airline Customer Advocate.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Whatever you do, don't give up. This is a serious failure and non-delivery of what was paid for. Others have given you various courses of action. I would recommend a PM to Red Roo and waiting until after the 4th for a response. The Red Roos have a good history of helping out AFF members.

 

[snabbu]

Another vote for social media. Personally I find twitter to be the quickest in resolving matters be it airline or hotel matters in general.

 

[N860CR]

I'd just raise it with the airline consumer advocate. You've given Qantas a chance, they chose to ignore it. I believe this program works similar to the TIO and FOS in that the provider is charged a fee for handling the complaint. This, over time, has (slightly) improved the service provided by banks and telcos. Hopefully in time it will improve the service that the Australian air carriers offer.

Qantas push very hard their "sleeper" service on these short overnight flights out of SE Asia. Not having a flat bed, in my view, is simply not a provision of service. The sky bed is terrible in the upright position. You'd have been better off in economy!

 

[snabbu]

I'd just raise it with the airline consumer advocate. You've given Qantas a chance, they chose to ignore it.

They are renowned for ignoring the emails via the QCC on issues as per the OP. I can't recommend twitter enough regarding matters like this, it's like night and day.

In saying that, right now the social media team may not be as "on the ball" as usual, I believe they are back on deck 4th January.

 

[showstopper]

Did she book the flight through 1) Qantas, a 2) travel agent or 3) another airline?

If 2 or 3 then she needs to route her complaint through them. If 1 then keep persevering and raise hell.

As someone who has taken this flight many times I would be furious if this happened to me and as kpc notes deserves significant compensation.

Flight was booked direct with Qantas.

 

[showstopper]

I appreciate all the suggestions - they will be pursued.

Qantas has provided a further email today (again very generic in nature), that basically says the matter is closed from their end.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the progress of this matter.

 

[N860CR]

They are renowned for ignoring the emails via the QCC on issues as per the OP. I can't recommend twitter enough regarding matters like this, it's like night and day.

In saying that, right now the social media team may not be as "on the ball" as usual, I believe they are back on deck 4th January.

The process for complaints is via customer care, not social media. It's a poor reflection on a company when they'll only respond to complaints that have a possible negative public impact.

 

[N860CR]

I appreciate all the suggestions - they will be pursued.

Qantas has provided a further email today (again very generic in nature), that basically says the matter is closed from their end.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the progress of this matter.

Can you be more specific? Have Qantas stated that they consider no action to be a resolution to this?

 

[showstopper]

Can you be more specific? Have Qantas stated that they consider no action to be a resolution to this?

Sure. Qantas has so far sent 3 responses (not verbatim):

Response 1 - We have received your complaint; we aim to respond within 15 business days.

Response 2 - We are sorry we didn't meet your expectations; customer feedback is important to us; we appreciate you highlighting your concerns; your comments have been forwarded to the relevant management team to be included in their future review; we hope to see you on board again soon.

Response 3 - We are sorry you remain unhappy with our handling of your complaint; there is nothing more we can add to our previous conversation; we apologise if we have not been able to resolve this matter to your satisfaction.

I queried what exactly "your comments have been forwarded to the relevant management team to be included in their future review" means, however my question was not answered.

All their responses appear to me as generic.

But to answer your question, I see this as Qantas considering no action as their proposed resolution.

 

[N860CR]

Ok give up on them. Customer care is a massive weak point at Qantas.

Raise it with the ACA and see what they can sort out. If it was a paid fare, I'd also consider a credit reversal via your credit card provider. It's a pretty clear case of non-provision of service.

Also start hunting for a new airline!

 

[MrJetset]

This doesn't add up.

QF are proactive on providing compensation when hard products fail. I've had multiple vouchers for $600 or $400 each for broken IFE etc. The amount appears to vary based on class and status. We never complained, rather the CSD/CSM noted the issues and we received the MCO in the mail.

Don't Skybeds have a manual override for reclining and repositioning the seat for take off and landing? Did the staff do this for each pax?