Qantas ruined our rewards booking 2 weeks before flying

[dajop]

Great that it’s been resolved. And fantastic resolution from the person you finally spoke to, it’s so amazing to reach someone who is competent and empowered.

Although I must confess a small part of me is a bit worried when you say you found a wonderful staff member and are going to sing her praises. The way QF is today I’m not entirely convinced they wont penalise staff members who go above and beyond! A bit of a cynical take on things I know - but QF have given us many reasons to be cynical.

But on balance better to give her a chance to receive credit where credit is due - hopefully it will be seen in a positive light.

 

[ellen10]

So very happy for you that you have a great outcome.
What an awful ordeal you have been through.
I have a rewards booking starting late April and I am constantly fearful something will go wrong.
Which is a shame that we have to feel this way.

Best wishes for a great uneventful trip!

 

[Seat0B]

What a wonderful relief after such a dreadful time. Enjoy Japan!

 

[VPS]

Great outcome but you shouldn't have had to go through that

 

[RooFlyer]

Great result, congratulations. But no one should have to go through that.

I thought Qantas was on the improve so I’ve booked a points trip to Japan and back through Taiwan myself. I thought I’d be safe, but obviously I will still have to watch it like a hawk.

You'll still continue to watch yours, won’t you @DrGear ?

 

[veganftw]

Really happy to read this got sorted out for you! Like others said, it was stressful just watching from the sidelines - can't imagine how bad it would have been to go through it.

Enjoy the trip, Qantas definitely made you earn it.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

QF should compensate you for the inconvenience.

 

[Guvner]

Great outcome.
Qantas' processes and systems are abysmal. I'd be embarrassed if I was involved in that $hitshow of a booking and ticketing "system". It's a disgrace.

Enjoy Japan, wonderful country!

 

[DrGear]

Great result, congratulations. But no one should have to go through that.

I thought Qantas was on the improve so I’ve booked a points trip to Japan and back through Taiwan myself. I thought I’d be safe, but obviously I will still have to watch it like a hawk.

You'll still continue to watch yours, won’t you @DrGear ?

You best believe it. I’ll be checking every day that the booking is still there and the tickets are still good. Just hoping that CI doesn’t mess up my return flight as it’s still with them.

 

[Seat0B]

And do let us have a trip report please! I think we are all keen to hear you had a great time!

 

[DrGear]

And do let us have a trip report please! I think we are all keen to hear you had a great time!

Definitely will be, especially as we like to visit off the beaten track places.

 

[gapmatt]

Great to hear there was a good outcome in the end. Enjoy the trip!

 

[dylarr]

It's disappointing how ineffective the Rewards Ticketing Escalations team/email was in this instance — the one thing set up to fix exactly these kinds these issues and you didn't even get a single response. Nice to know it definitely can not be relied upon if Qantas messes up and cancels your partner reward bookings through no fault of your own.

 

[JohnK]

Great to hear. Enjoy.

P.S. The only way to make contact centres great again is to bring them back on shore with full training. Enough of this stupid experiment of overseas contact centres.

 

[DrGear]

It's disappointing how ineffective the Rewards Ticketing Escalations team/email was in this instance — the one thing set up to fix exactly these kinds these issues and you didn't even get a single response. Nice to know it definitely can not be relied upon if Qantas messes up and cancels your partner reward bookings through no fault of your own.

That's probably the most terrifying part of the whole ordeal. Seeing so many stories here of them being competent, but I didn't even get confirmation of receipt emails on all my emails.

 

[tdimdad]

P.S. The only way to make contact centres great again is to bring them back on shore with full training. Enough of this stupid experiment of overseas contact centres.

While this is off-topic (and debated at length elsewhere on AFF), I beg to differ. Though, if you aim to pay peanuts, you can expect to get very suboptimal results. But if a company decided to use a contact centre in Canada, Sweden, South Korea, [you name it], and equip them well (with skills/training, process, tools and access) the only difference you'd notice would be the potential accent. In fact, the Fijian centre could also be good under the same conditions.

The Canadian companies would equally face calls to bring call centres to Canada, Swedish companies the same, etc. Which simply means that it's the 'cheapest eligible provider' outsourcing model that's broken, not the location. Related to the case at hand in this forum, lifting the call centre competency may lower the QAN shareholder dividends and stock price growth, at least in the short term (and the exec bonuses / STIP's). If the shareholders are willing to pay for it, many things can happen. But the previous leadership preferred their bonuses and short(er) term shareholder value over improving the service & value and appeal of the company.

It's unfortunate that DrGear & wife dropped right through the cracks into a black hole because of the service model used. The most disappointing part was the lack of a sensible escalation path or any sense of ownership on QF's side. The word 'stonewalling' could perhaps describe it and that's a cultural issue - which is also a friendly problem in the sense that it could be fixed by the leadership if they had the humility and aptitude for it.

 

[DrGear]

While this is off-topic (and debated at length elsewhere on AFF), I beg to differ. Though, if you aim to pay peanuts, you can expect to get very suboptimal results. But if a company decided to use a contact centre in Canada, Sweden, South Korea, [you name it], and equip them well (with skills/training, process, tools and access) the only difference you'd notice would be the potential accent. In fact, the Fijian centre could also be good under the same conditions.

The Canadian companies would equally face calls to bring call centres to Canada, Swedish companies the same, etc. Which simply means that it's the 'cheapest eligible provider' outsourcing model that's broken, not the location. Related to the case at hand in this forum, lifting the call centre competency may lower the QAN shareholder dividends and stock price growth, at least in the short term (and the exec bonuses / STIP's). If the shareholders are willing to pay for it, many things can happen. But the previous leadership preferred their bonuses and short(er) term shareholder value over improving the service & value and appeal of the company.

It's unfortunate that DrGear & wife dropped right through the cracks into a black hole because of the service model used. The most disappointing part was the lack of a sensible escalation path or any sense of ownership on QF's side. The word 'stonewalling' could perhaps describe it and that's a cultural issue - which is also a friendly problem in the sense that it could be fixed by the leadership if they had the humility and aptitude for it.

For those who've never heard of it, a great writer names Cory Doctorow coined the perfect phrase for the modern way companies are doing things; enshittification. Short sighted changes to how companies operate to focus solely on fast returns and shareholder placating. Qantas and the entire airline industry have followed this ethos and it's terrible

 

[MelbFlyer]

Seeing so many stories here of them being competent, but I didn't even get confirmation of receipt emails on all my emails

It's just terribly inconsistent.

In the Oneworld award thread, I've posted about my experience in booking and amending my OWA itinerary - with great difficulty changing flights with seats that are (were) showing online.

Others didn't quite have the same difficulty as me.

But if a company decided to use a contact centre in Canada, Sweden, South Korea, [you name it], and equip them well (with skills/training, process, tools and access) the only difference you'd notice would be the potential accent. In fact, the Fijian centre could also be good under the same conditions.

I concur, I also posted about this in another thread in that I don't care where the consultant is located, as long as they have the proper tools and training to do the job.

 

[Danger]

It's disappointing how ineffective the Rewards Ticketing Escalations team/email was in this instance — the one thing set up to fix exactly these kinds these issues and you didn't even get a single response. Nice to know it definitely can not be relied upon if Qantas messes up and cancels your partner reward bookings through no fault of your own.

It can't be long before rewardticketingescalationsescalatations at qantas.com.au becomes the new email address. Qantas has always had trouble rectifying the root cause of issues, instead choosing to put in place mop-up teams (e.g. priority boarding). It's akin to having a network of repairers on standby, rather than building the house properly in the first place.

 

[Rick93]

I know the issue has been 'fixed' to some degree ...

But I had a similar low level issue, with changing the NAME on a J ticket from Sydney to Brisbane.

I had much the same 'run-around' with Call Centres.

My delay in getting the job done, was because I didn't have anymore QFF Points sitting in my account, to pay the 'change fees'.

When I had 14,000 points transferred into my account, they were 'taken' within a day or so ( 9,000 + 5,000 ).

I wonder if this scenario had any bearing on the original poster's situation ?