Qantas Club vs. Status Club - should a purchased membership have any status?

[sambo517]

Yes I paid to be a QC life member, then I started to earn the status required to be lifer,go figure.....
Thats how its worked out for me, ah-well....
Therfore I'm on the fence..... 50/50....

Cheers

 

[JohnK]

Interesting thread.

I have to say that I disagree with the original question and believe that Qantas Lounge memberships should have all the benefits listed.

It is shame with NGCI that most of us, not just Qantas Lounge members, are losing priority check-in....

 

[nlagalle]

when I originally bought my Qantas Club membership i bought it solely for lounge access. I didn't realise at the time the other benefits that came with it (except perhaps baggage). I am guessing many people getting QP membership are getting it for that sole reason too.

 

[11sjw]

when I originally bought my Qantas Club membership i bought it solely for lounge access. I didn't realise at the time the other benefits that came with it (except perhaps baggage). I am guessing many people getting QP membership are getting it for that sole reason too.

Have to disagree there (someone was going to ). I hate check in queues. It was one of the main reasons i purchased my QC membership.

The loss of domestic priority won't hurt too much in my current situation as most of my work travel is carry on only.

 

[Stafman]

No Not lifetime. Annual membership although 2 years was paid upfront. Still 12 months left.

Over the phone, they said the NGCI makes up for it, but as you say, QC members have to pay for tags.

Have since had another call after I asked for their rejection in writing. They now are asking me to send my card to their office before they will consider offering a refund.

I wanted to clarify that it means they will issue a refund by sending the card to them, and they said no, they will not consider a refund request unless they already have the card.

So card is in the mail to them (i may have used my employers stamp...), with letter stating its on expectation of refund due to clause 4.4 and the deprivation of my intended use.

For some reason, I can see myself getting screwed on this one. No card, no membership and no refund. Lets see where this goes.

Update on the process.

I haven't received any letter / email yet, but there is a payment back to my credit card which is equivalent to 11 months of membership. And as I can't fathom any other reason why Qantas would be making a payment to my credit card, I am assuming my QP membership has been canceled and refund issued. I would have preferred 12 months, but not going to quibble over that amount.

Good luck to anyone else seeking a refund. I'm currently keeping an eye on Reggie's thread to see what my future flights are going to be like

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ggie-starting-to-fly-dj-28020.html#post401962

 

[tuapekastar]

Update on the process.

I haven't received any letter / email yet, but there is a payment back to my credit card which is equivalent to 11 months of membership. And as I can't fathom any other reason why Qantas would be making a payment to my credit card, I am assuming my QP membership has been canceled and refund issued. I would have preferred 12 months, but not going to quibble over that amount.

Good luck to anyone else seeking a refund. I'm currently keeping an eye on Reggie's thread to see what my future flights are going to be like

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ggie-starting-to-fly-dj-28020.html#post401962

Thanks for updating Stafman. It's a pity the change that took things in this direction was introduced in the first place, but pleasing to see you've basically got a refund for unsued time. I wonder if QF will follow up with any formal communication.

 

[Richdave]

Whole heartedly DISAGREE with the OP.

As a QC member for 15+ years it is rather a slap in the face to have the "little" extras taken away from me.

I fly for work mostly and depending on the year it can be a few flights or heaps. Some years I crack Silver FF and this year I may make it to GOLD :shock: Bearing in mind most flights are domestic economy or discount economy along the east coast that adds up to a few flights!

I PAY for the little perks and these keep me LOYAL to Qantas. IF these all go then I wont bother paying my hard earned for "lounge" access only, then I'll shop around for flights.

BTW as a service engineer I cant take my tools on the plane so fly-in/fly out service calls are a real drag having to Q up these days! Thanks Qantas :evil:

 

[drewbles]

Whole heartedly DISAGREE with the OP.

As a QC member for 15+ years it is rather a slap in the face to have the "little" extras taken away from me.

I fly for work mostly and depending on the year it can be a few flights or heaps. Some years I crack Silver FF and this year I may make it to GOLD :shock: Bearing in mind most flights are domestic economy or discount economy along the east coast that adds up to a few flights!

I PAY for the little perks and these keep me LOYAL to Qantas. IF these all go then I wont bother paying my hard earned for "lounge" access only, then I'll shop around for flights.

BTW as a service engineer I cant take my tools on the plane so fly-in/fly out service calls are a real drag having to Q up these days! Thanks Qantas :evil:

Whilst I disagree with QF removing benefits, I don't see why a paid product should have status.

Qantas have decided that loyalty = flying, and have decided their own system for recognition, ie, status credits.

I appreciate that it takes significant amounts of flying to reach SG or WP via domestic Red e-deals in the golden triangle and the like, this is how QF have worked it.

DJ have based theirs around dollar spend. Perhaps you'd be better off using them, and accumulating DJ Gold which gives you lounge access, or moving to them and paying for The Lounge at a similar price to QF?

Vote with your feet, it's the best way to voice disapproval. Qantas are within their right to remove things, but if you don't like it, you don't have to stick around.

When I paid for my Qantas Club, I bought it for the lounge access. The priority check-in and luggage became added bonuses, which I later found to be as valuable. Fortunately, I am now WP so don't have the problem, but can see why people get annoyed (Even with NGCI replacing things; sometimes it's just easier to see an agent).

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Whilst I disagree with QF removing benefits, I don't see why a paid product should have status.

Qantas have decided that loyalty = flying, and have decided their own system for recognition, ie, status credits.

Bingo, that's what l've been saying in this thread all along.

I think that some people have been in "AFF World" too long and not looking at reality. Your paying for a service and that's it. Why should QF give out status for a long term QP member? I don't understand...

 

[Richdave]

Vote with your feet, it's the best way to voice disapproval. Qantas are within their right to remove things, but if you don't like it, you don't have to stick around.

When I paid for my Qantas Club, I bought it for the lounge access. The priority check-in and luggage became added bonuses, which I later found to be as valuable. Fortunately, I am now WP so don't have the problem, but can see why people get annoyed (Even with NGCI replacing things; sometimes it's just easier to see an agent).

Yes exactly... I may not renew my QC later in the year and then I'll have NO reason to be loyal to Qantas at all. I originally got QC for the reasons you state and they ARE valuable to me thus I have so far, continued to PAY for them... no longer perhaps.

FWIW As I see it , QC was a way to get the extra perks at a COST for those who wanted them but were not likely to get them FREE via FF GOLD etc. There is nothing wrong with that concept (user pays). Now they still want my money and give NOTHING much back.

If Qantas believe that only the "True" frequent fliers deserve these perks it would seem far more logical (IMO) to just dump QC and have a pay per use for the lounge for those who are not FF Gold or above.

Sorry to be naive but I don't know what WP, NGCI or AFF mean :shock:

 

[tuapekastar]

Sorry to be naive but I don't know what WP, NGCI or AFF mean :shock:

WP = W@nker Platinum (an affectionate term for Platinum FFers - Gold, Silver and Bronze have their own)

NGCI = Next Generation Check In - QF's term for their new-fangled checkin system

AFF - where you are. The Australian Frequent Flyer website

There is quite an extensive glossary of the abbreviations if you click here.

 

[Richdave]

Ahh... thanks

 

[Stafman]

Whilst I disagree with QF removing benefits, I don't see why a paid product should have status.

...

Vote with your feet, it's the best way to voice disapproval. Qantas are within their right to remove things, but if you don't like it, you don't have to stick around.

Why do you equate the published benefits of a paid product to having status? I equate the published benefits (extra baggage, priorty check in, priority baggage tags) to equal the amount I paid for the QP membership.

I dont pay several hundred dollars a year simply for a drink and a seat in the lounge. Although others might.

I paid to avoid queues when checking luggage, being able to take two bags (amateur sportsperson - two bags very helpful), and then being able to get out of the airport as early as possible by having bags arrive earlier on the carousel (Although this aspect failed often).

Secondly, I found it incredibly distasteful that a company accepts money for service, then doesn't provide the service as advertised. They also attempted to make it difficult for me to get a refund. But for the help of this forum, and being able to be assertive with a QF csa, I would likely have been out of pocket for the unprovided service.

And if you had read the earlier posts, we are voting with our feet. I got my refund. And unless no alternatives are available, will do my best to avoid ever flying qantas (revenue ticket) again. At moment, I have about 48k in points still waiting. They will be used for free flights, and then goodbye qantas.

Bingo, that's what l've been saying in this thread all along.

I think that some people have been in "AFF World" too long and not looking at reality. Your paying for a service and that's it. Why should QF give out status for a long term QP member? I don't understand...

We aren't expecting status with additional benefits. We were simply expecting the benefits / service that were advertised and paid for, for the duration of the paid for membership.

If you refer to the OP, the query went along the lines of

"I don't think a Qantas Club membership purchased should have any status privilege attached except lounge access. (Status privilege such as priority boarding, seat choices etc...)

All the moaning and groaning about loosing privilege due to watering down benefits in the latest round of changes - a simple solution, fly more."

I'm sure i am simply repeating myself now when i say, they are not privileges if they are paid for. It's a service offering.

 

[drewbles]

Why do you equate the published benefits of a paid product to having status? I equate the published benefits (extra baggage, priorty check in, priority baggage tags) to equal the amount I paid for the QP membership.

I dont pay several hundred dollars a year simply for a drink and a seat in the lounge. Although others might.

Herein lies the problem. QF pushed the Qantas Club as "A quiet place to relax, unwind, grab a snack, a drink and catch up on work" in an advertising campaign a few years ago, so that's the market they were aiming at. Whilst the other benefits were published, they were ancillary to the primary benefit, being access to "The Qantas Club".

I paid to avoid queues when checking luggage, being able to take two bags (amateur sportsperson - two bags very helpful), and then being able to get out of the airport as early as possible by having bags arrive earlier on the carousel (Although this aspect failed often).

Secondly, I found it incredibly distasteful that a company accepts money for service, then doesn't provide the service as advertised. They also attempted to make it difficult for me to get a refund. But for the help of this forum, and being able to be assertive with a QF csa, I would likely have been out of pocket for the unprovided service.

They are not doing that. They gave notice to members that this was changing. There is a clause in the membership terms and conditions that entitles you to a refund of membership fees for the unused portion of the remaining membership period, if you can prove that the changes have been detrimental to you. People on here have obtained a refund because of this. Qantas are within their right to change the program, even if it does suck, but push the issue and you'll get a refund (and you can then change to DJ if you wish).

And if you had read the earlier posts, we are voting with our feet. I got my refund. And unless no alternatives are available, will do my best to avoid ever flying qantas (revenue ticket) again. At moment, I have about 48k in points still waiting. They will be used for free flights, and then goodbye qantas.



We aren't expecting status with additional benefits. We were simply expecting the benefits / service that were advertised and paid for, for the duration of the paid for membership.

Yes, but they *changed* the benefits. They provided you a refund. What else can you ask? It sucks, as I keep saying, but they're allowed to do it, as I keep saying.

If you refer to the OP, the query went along the lines of

I'm sure i am simply repeating myself now when i say, they are not privileges if they are paid for. It's a service offering.

Correct. I never said they're not entitled to what was advertised (subject to change) I am merely suggesting they shouldn't be counted as status pax.

 

[samiam]

We aren't expecting status with additional benefits. We were simply expecting the benefits / service that were advertised and paid for, for the duration of the paid for membership.

That's a compelling argument. My QC membership is 'on hold' due to achieving status, however if I were to revert back to QC membership only at some stage, I see little value in retaining it simply for lounge access, when I initially purchased it for the advertised benefits at the time.

Perhaps if the services offered as part of membership were reduced, then so too should the membership fee be reduced.

Alternatively, perhaps QF should consider a tiered QC membership - a basic fee for lounge access only (when flying), and an additional fee for higher tiers of QC membership, that provide additional benefits/privileges?

I'm not going to suggest what those additional benefits/privileges may be (as some will see some of those options as an affront to 'earnt' status), but simply put forward the idea as food for thought.

 

[drewbles]

That's a compelling argument. My QC membership is 'on hold' due to achieving status, however if I were to revert back to QC membership only at some stage, I see little value in retaining it simply for lounge access, when I initially purchased it for the advertised benefits at the time.

Ditto. I have around 6 months of paid QC membership 'on hold' in the event I fall from WP back to PS.

It looks like I'll have LTG before that happens (I'm a few months away from LTS, and can't see an issue with having LTG within the next 5 years) so it's not much of a point for me, but I will be peeved if I fall back to PS for any reason. The ability to actually speak to someone at check-in is a huge benefit, especially with the move to NGCI.

 

[Stafman]

Yes, but they *changed* the benefits. They provided you a refund. What else can you ask? It sucks, as I keep saying, but they're allowed to do it, as I keep saying.

...

They are not doing that. They gave notice to members that this was changing. There is a clause in the membership terms and conditions that entitles you to a refund of membership fees for the unused portion of the remaining membership period, if you can prove that the changes have been detrimental to you. People on here have obtained a refund because of this. Qantas are within their right to change the program, even if it does suck, but push the issue and you'll get a refund (and you can then change to DJ if you wish)

Perhaps you didnt notice but I was the one who was able to get the refund

And you make it sound like it was as simple as requesting a refund as Qantas knew that they were changing things and we were entitled to our money back per their own T&C's.

It was a three to four week process, through 3 layers of mangagment, emails / phone calls with links to their own website showing qantas exactly where they had announced the reduction in benefits, as they claimed they were making no such changes and any loss of benefits was very minor, and refusing to accept them saying no by ensuring that if they said No, ensuring they would commit to sending the reasons for denial of refund in writing so I could take things further through appropriate channels.

I may be a cynic, but for some reason, they were never willing to provide a rejection in writing. As such, I never let the issue close.

The refund then suddenly just appeared on my credit card without notice and still haven't received confirmation in writing that this was the purpose of the payment.

As for the advertisement you refer to, well, thats just a point in time. I am sure their advertising depends on the market they advertise to. Because I recall the priority check in and baggage (limits and priority) as big selling points. Remember that QP pre-dated OLCI and the kiosks so even people with no check in luggage had to go to a desk to get a boarding pass.



Edit: Note, most of the No's to the refund happened on day 1 & 2 of the process. The 3-4 weeks was slowed down as I was travelling and could access emails only a couple times a day. However, there was still communication where I had to show their own announcements to them (the so called "enhancements") as well as the changes to the baggage rules.

Just wanted to be clear that it wasn't a 3 week argument but still would have been refused if I had not been willing (and able) to push things further.

 

[stomplad]

Hi all, this has been a heated topic.

QP MEMBERSHIP
I like others bought my QP membership because of what it offered as package. Having said that priority boarding/luggage was the main reason I bought membership. The lounge was just secondary for me as often I dont get to use it. I bought the package, I have been loyal and I am annoyed at privileges being cut.

CHOOSING NOT TO RENEW
This is an option I am considering. Unfortunately my employers choose the airline I fly with and QF is usually chosen because of their frequency, a benefit I know. As a result I fly with QF more frequently, I almost have Gold status with them, and QP gave me some privileges which rounded off the travel experience for me.

As a side bar the lounges are sub par, in regular or biz QP the fare (as in food/beverage) has reduced in quality over time, same all cheese, cold cuts and salad. Go to non major airports and lounges are just pathetic. But I will stop there coz that is a whole other thread. Just wanted to emphasise that other benefits were more important to me than lounge.

FUTURE
I have been happy to invest in QP and I have had a sense of loyalty to them, often Choosing to pay more and fly QF over other airlines. Loyalty which is not being reciprocated, changes to the QP and status scheme just to begin with. Having just done over 20 flights in 38 days all over OZ & NZ and 3 OS trips since sept gave me a good sense of how QF operates.
Overall I have been disappointed. There were some brilliant service moments but lots of ordinary and bad experiences. I find myself hoping that Virgin and its partners will offer a proper full service experience including lounges and then maybe QF will have a competitor to keep it in check and FF have an option ...

 

[Richdave]

Come July 1 this year and the extra baggage allowance goes too!

I don't think I'll be spending my hard earned on QC when it expires later in the year.

That also means Qantas loose the ONE advantage they had over the other cheaper players. Guess I'll be flying other airlines in future and since I work for an Italian company, Emirates are faster to Milan with fewer stops that Qantas...

 

[samh004]

Come July 1 this year and the extra baggage allowance goes too!

I looked and couldn’t see this mentioned on the Qantas Club pages on Qantas.com, where was this announced?