Qantas WORST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE EVER!

[denysmorel]

Thanks. I already filled in the form online.
Now I am on the phone with a customer service agent... For already 33 minutes and counting...

 

[denysmorel]

answer from a CS agent: we only see on our systems that the passport was damaged in London. The flight cannot be rebooked or refunded.
Now I asked to talk to her supervisor. 62 minutes and counting....

 

[N860CR]

Absolutely disgusting and I really feel for you having to deal with Qantas' customer service staff on the phone. When things are going well they can be excellent, but when they're in a difficult position (especially when Qantas is in the wrong), the old high quality Australia customer service comes out!

 

[geordieladinoz]

Very sorry to hear of you and your family's plight. What springs to mind for me here is why the hell does a passport have a security feature that can be torn and ripped so easily resulting in this sort of heartache?

 

[denysmorel]

Answer from the supervisor (selena): no way to get the tickets rebooked. Your family has to go back to Brussels and talk to they travel agent to book new tickets.

HELP!!
Does any of you know someone at Qantas who could help?

 

[N860CR]

Try sending them a message on Twitter, that usually seems to get quick results.

And I know it sounds dramatic, but I'd go and see the airport police at London. They damaged your property, they should be taking responsibility.

 

[TheInsider]

I think there is more to the story then what is being told.
Just as a side point, if a person is offloaded then bags will be with the passenger, also it's not up to the boarding agent to deny boarding at the boarding gate, during boarding. Unless there is an APP response from the system saying that they are a denied entry to Australia.

Don't know what the issue is, but if the agent at the boarding gate ripped the passport was anything said at that stage? Takes quite a bit of time to offload someone.

 

[JohnPhelan]

can't you phone the travel agent?

 

[Deleted member]

This is sounding more bizarre by the minute.

 

[Austman]

Not sure if they are the same but the plastic page in my EU passport (Swedish) would be very hard to tear. What does happen is that the whole page can become loose and can eventually drop out.

It seems the same thing can happen with 400,000 Belgian passports:

In a separate development it has emerged that 400,000 Belgian passports are unusable because a plastic leaf comes loose. The passports display a production fault.

flandersnews.be: Thumbs up for new passport security feature

 

[denysmorel]

TheInsider made a point: I know airlines cannot transport the luggage of a passenger if he is not on board. So I really wonder where the luggage is now. Certainly not with my wife.
Probably still in Heathrow somewhere.
I didn't call the travel agent yet, because it is still night in Europe. And I am running out of time if I want to get my family on the next flight.
Besides, this is exactly what Qantas wants: discharge their responsibility and let me book new last minute flights (probably much more expensive and much later). The travel agent is not responsible in this case.

 

[samh004]

TheInsider made a point: I know airlines cannot transport the luggage of a passenger if he is not on board. So I really wonder where the luggage is now. Certainly not with my wife.
Probably still in Heathrow somewhere.
I didn't call the travel agent yet, because it is still night in Europe. And I am running out of time if I want to get my family on the next flight.
Besides, this is exactly what Qantas wants: discharge their responsibility and let me book new last minute flights (probably much more expensive and much later). The travel agent is not responsible in this case.

Do you have travel insurance? Might cover damaged passports and new flights.

 

[denysmorel]

Update: After talking to the supervisor, I asked to talk to the manager on duty.
She was much more helpful and understood the situation.
the flights should be rebooked for today.
Now we still need to get a new passport and make sure the visa is linked to this new number...
I cross my fingers and wait until the morning comes in London.

 

[jpk]

Qantas will sort this out IF you speak to the right person. And that is the hard part, keep persisting politely, keep escalating and eventually you will get to someone with the authority to deal with it. Take names/reference numbers etc, write down time and dates you speak to anyone and what was discussed (ie: keep a journal).

To offload a family at the gate like that would have involved a few people and several conversations, so people will be aware what happened, you just need to get them to investigate. I would expect the Qantas Duty Manager at LHR to be aware of it.

 

[amaroo]

Not sure if they are the same but the plastic page in my EU passport (Swedish) would be very hard to tear. What does happen is that the whole page can become loose and can eventually drop out.

It seems the same thing can happen with 400,000 Belgian passports: flandersnews.be: Thumbs up for new passport security feature

What a disaster for the OP's family & fellow Belgian citizens:shock:

Keep pushing QF to make it right.....dumping the family at LHR is despicable:evil:

Like others have stated - a few choice tweets to QF will most likely see you sorted within minutes......excluding the new passport frustrations.

 

[JohnPhelan]

I'd suggest your wife and children should be at the Belgian Embassy when it opens this morning and not leave until the new passport is in hand. (Perhaps you should also get them to check the other passports so the same problem does not occur with any of them during the rest of the trip!)

Then contact the Australian High Commission to get the e-visa linked to the new passport and get something in writing from them that acknowledges that.

 

[denysmorel]

Thanks samh004. I will take a look at the travel insurance. But usually they will exclude all cases when a flight is not boarded because of lack of travel documents.
However, I found this link that can be useful if other people come into the same situation: Belgian foreign ministry provides compensation for travel costs linked to defective passports: diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/services_abroad/belgian_passport/compensation_defective_passport/
Apparently our situation is not so uncommon...
Now I also have to get a statement from Qantas to acknowledge the fact that we couldn't board the flight due to a damaged passport.

 

[denysmorel]

Thanks Austman,
As you suggested I kept pushing. Going from one person to another during more than an hour until I had the manager on duty on the line. The problem was then solved in a few minutes. I have my new bookings. Now I hope that my wife will get the new passport, otherwise I will have to start all over again.

 

[Alanslegal]

I think that is the point of the security devices - not to be lenient. especially with a seemingly single parent travelling with a child who now has a potentially fake passport - certainly heightens the risk of being denied entry to Oz.

I am genuinely surprised that the QF staffer at the door of the aircraft didnt call back to the gate to get it sorted - maybe they didnt realise that they had torn it out and thus didnt think that they were responsible.

No way. If the passport is damaged in any material way, it will always be knocked back by Immigration.

According to the OP, the transparent page is a security device. Having that detached from the passport would ring major alarm bells.

Just in reference to the damaged passport, I totally understand it can be a security device and can be knocked back at Immigration but what I am trying to point out, (should have done so initially), is that passports can be accidentally damaged (or even lost) whilst travelling from A to B.

 

[harvyk]

Just in reference to the damaged passport, I totally understand it can be a security device and can be knocked back at Immigration but what I am trying to point out, (should have done so initially), is that passports can be accidentally damaged (or even lost) whilst travelling from A to B.

A damaged or lost passport, even if the damage happened en-route, could mean a pax could be knocked back at immi. I can understand QF denying boarding because of this. What I can't understand is QF trying to wash their hands of any responsibility since it was them who damaged the passport.