Has anyone had success with the call-up "Marginal" xASA's?

[Red Roo]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

As promised, many of you would have seen that I've been monitoring feedback on this, and related threads regarding the updated qantas.com system. Your comments and experiences have been noted with the relevant teams, both on the front line and with senior management.

The matter of inconsistent customer service on the dedicated number is currently being addressed. We take customer service very seriously and the contact centre staff, including supervisors, are continually working to improve this aspect of our business.

To clarify, the dedicated number is directed to the first available consultant across 4 different Reservation teams. Platinum Frequent Flyer and Chairmans Lounge members will continue to be directed to the Premium Desk to maintain their priority. As Classic Awards can still be viewed online by selecting “Show Classic Awards Only” on the booking screen, you may wish to identify availability options prior to calling 1300 366 587 to minimise your time on the phone.

I absolutely appreciate the inconvenience to customers calling from overseas or outside the designated timings. I will continue to pass on your feedback, however due to the high volume of posts, I’m unable to respond individually.

 

[Deleted member]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My Philosophy in life is (and always has been) "If you make it hard for me to do business with you, I will vote with my feet and do business with someone else"
I am NOT inclined to spend time on a phone discussing my potential travel plans, dates and options. The whole point of having a web site was for us to search, research and book our flights direct.
I shall wait and see how it goes, so far I am somewhat underwhelmed

 

[oz_mark]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My Philosophy in life is (and always has been) "If you make it hard for me to do business with you, I will vote with my feet and do business with someone else"
I am NOT inclined to spend time on a phone discussing my potential travel plans, dates and options. The whole point of having a web site was for us to search, research and book our flights direct.
I shall wait and see how it goes, so far I am somewhat underwhelmed

The weight of evidence seems to me to suggest that the plan was to get rid of the marginal ASAs altogether. The phone method is presumably a mechanism put in place due to a change of heart (perhaps from the feedback on this site).

I suspect that they will either go away altogether, or the website will be updated to cater for them....I can't see the phone call being a permanent solution.

 

[awilcockson]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I suspect that they will either go away altogether, or the website will be updated to cater for them....I can't see the phone call being a permanent solution.

Especially considering it just dumps through to the normal call center. Has anyone tried calling the normal number outside of 9-5 M-F and seeing if they can book an mASA?

 

[Grooba]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

As promised, many of you would have seen that I've been monitoring feedback on this, and related threads regarding the updated qantas.com system. Your comments and experiences have been noted with the relevant teams, both on the front line and with senior management.

The matter of inconsistent customer service on the dedicated number is currently being addressed. We take customer service very seriously and the contact centre staff, including supervisors, are continually working to improve this aspect of our business.

To clarify, the dedicated number is directed to the first available consultant across 4 different Reservation teams. Platinum Frequent Flyer and Chairmans Lounge members will continue to be directed to the Premium Desk to maintain their priority. As Classic Awards can still be viewed online by selecting “Show Classic Awards Only” on the booking screen, you may wish to identify availability options prior to calling 1300 366 587 to minimise your time on the phone.

I absolutely appreciate the inconvenience to customers calling from overseas or outside the designated timings. I will continue to pass on your feedback, however due to the high volume of posts, I’m unable to respond individually.

Thanks for the reply Red Roo.

Just a thought. To make this thread completely irrelevant, to lower the load on your call center teams, to make QF consistent across the board, to make things simpler in this day and age of technology and the internet, why not just switch back to being able to book these ASA's online, until the decision is made to scrap or not scrap them all together?

Warm Regards,

vec

 

[turtlemichael]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Thanks for the reply Red Roo.

Just a thought. To make this thread completely irrelevant, to lower the load on your call center teams, to make QF consistent across the board, to make things simpler in this day and age of technology and the internet, why not just switch back to being able to book these ASA's online, until the decision is made to scrap or not scrap them all together?

Warm Regards,

vec

Way too much common sense, vec.

 

[DC3]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

The decision has already been made I'm guessing.

 

[11sjw]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

The decision has already been made I'm guessing.

Yep, phasing them out isn't an instantaneous thing. :evil:

 

[The Mill]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My Philosophy in life is (and always has been) "If you make it hard for me to do business with you, I will vote with my feet and do business with someone else"
I am NOT inclined to spend time on a phone discussing my potential travel plans, dates and options. The whole point of having a web site was for us to search, research and book our flights direct.
I shall wait and see how it goes, so far I am somewhat underwhelmed

I am sure like many others AFFers I am the one responsible, or should I say interested (cough?) and patient enough, to plan our annual travel utilising real dollars or points accrued / JASA's /FASA's or combinations of the various awards from all of the family's FF accounts. The website previously could be successfully used to research multiple permutations and combinations available until a decision was made about the exact routing and a booking achieved. I have found the latest incarnation of the Qantas website to be "clunky" and tedious and the inability to book ASA's at classic award point levels online to be frustrating and obstructive. The possibility of getting all our family members together between the hours of 9.00 - 5.00 to talk to a call centre regarding a possible points booking at "marginal" rates is about as likely as pigs flying..............

I would ask Qantas to give us a fair go. If you really want to remove ASA's at what most of us would deem reasonable points levels then do so and front up to your loyal FFers instead of leaving us all in this limbo land that erodes the value of your program and effectively discriminates against those of us who have chosen to understand and participate in your program in the hope of some 'reward' for all those miles flown or points earned.

Maybe I'm being too idealistic....................the $$ are the bottom line and us little guys are just the flotsam and JETsam being discarded along the way...........

 

[NM]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My Philosophy in life is (and always has been) "If you make it hard for me to do business with you, I will vote with my feet and do business with someone else"
I am NOT inclined to spend time on a phone discussing my potential travel plans, dates and options. The whole point of having a web site was for us to search, research and book our flights direct.
I shall wait and see how it goes, so far I am somewhat underwhelmed

But where else will you take your business? As far as I can see, the only time anyone needs to call the dedicated number is if they want to book an ASA at a classic award points rate, and that is only desirable for people who want to earn SC and points on an award booking - otherwise just book the classic award on-line or use the Points+Pay if a classic award is not available for the flight you want. I am not aware of any other airline FF program that provides an on-line booking capability for award flights that earn FF points/miles and status credits/miles/points. So where else will you go to find this capability? If you know of one, please let everyone know so they can consider their options to similarly vote with their feet.

I have been booking AAdvantage awards for several years and have always made the bookings over the phone. I use various tools to locate the award availability and then pick up the phone to make the booking. While I would like to be able to do this on-line, its not difficult over the phone. And I normally make the call during USA business hours (but not always) because I am more likley to be able to complete the process in one call and not need to wait until the CSR can talk to someone in authority about a question that may arise.

So yes, there is a level of inconvenience for booking an ASA at classic award rates after last week's changes. We now have a few choices:

• Book the classic award for the lowest points and $$$ cost
• Book as an ASA on-line (albeit at non-classic award rates)
• Call the reservations centre to make the ASA booking at Classic Award rates over the phone

And hopefully Red Roo's feedback to the reservations call centre management will address the unacceptable issue of inconsistent customer service and agent knowledge about the booking of ASA awards at Classic Award points rates. To me, this is the biggest issue and legitimate source for complaints. If that process was working as planned, the angst here would be greatly reduced.

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

But where else will you take your business? As far as I can see, the only time anyone needs to call the dedicated number is if they want to book an ASA at a classic award points rate, and that is only desirable for people who want to earn SC and points on an award booking - otherwise just book the classic award on-line or use the Points+Pay if a classic award is not available for the flight you want. I am not aware of any other airline FF program that provides an on-line booking capability for award flights that earn FF points/miles and status credits/miles/points. So where else will you go to find this capability? If you know of one, please let everyone know so they can consider their options to similarly vote with their feet.

I have been booking AAdvantage awards for several years and have always made the bookings over the phone. I use various tools to locate the award availability and then pick up the phone to make the booking. While I would like to be able to do this on-line, its not difficult over the phone. And I normally make the call during USA business hours (but not always) because I am more likley to be able to complete the process in one call and not need to wait until the CSR can talk to someone in authority about a question that may arise.

So yes, there is a level of inconvenience for booking an ASA at classic award rates after last week's changes. We now have a few choices:

• Book the classic award for the lowest points and $$$ cost
• Book as an ASA on-line (albeit at non-classic award rates)
• Call the reservations centre to make the ASA booking at Classic Award rates over the phone

And hopefully Red Roo's feedback to the reservations call centre management will address the unacceptable issue of inconsistent customer service and agent knowledge about the booking of ASA awards at Classic Award points rates. To me, this is the biggest issue and legitimate source for complaints. If that process was working as planned, the angst here would be greatly reduced.

Don't forget the option of not have a direct transfer credit car and simply letting the points build up in the card reward program with effectively opportunity to book a myriad choice of airlines.

qantas will then lose the spin off from the sale of pioints to the card companies. Won't happen overnight but a snowball gets pretty big pretty quickly rolling downhill and once it gets rolling is hard to stop.

Silly, silly decision. I spend hours searching,searching,searching with no real intent on going anywhere but have booked flights in the past because of a good deal and then booked flights with real money ( my cash ) to have connecting flights if I think the point cost is too high. They got money from me I had no intention of spending and sold the points to the card company.

If I don't do that as often who is the loser ??? I don't think it is me. I will simply focus on cost of flying with a reputable airline rather than building up status credits qith Qantas to keep SWMBO happy all the time up front.

Their business, their call but i bet the "experts" who instigated this will live to regret it.

At the end of the day...what percentage of their total seat capacity would ASA's have represented...?? SFA in my opinion and I fail to see why they would alienate people who are ( in my opinion) mostly brand loyal ?

 

[pyffii]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

phoned the Premium desk from overseas ( currently on a DONE ) requesting an ASA in J to Johanasberg...the JASA for Melb-Syd-J'borg was 165K plus $1034.00 in taxes...more than the going rate prior to June 26th when it was 135K plus $750...So booked a classic award in J for 96K points plus $389 in taxes...Will miss the points and SC's but them are the breaks...I am LTG and will be able to requalify as aWP in the next year as using J'borg as a positioning flight for a DONE4 ...One point to mention was that the classic award booking engine doesnt allow for a change to the Melb-Syd sector ( so needed to call the premium desk anyway...fees waived as they should ) as we want to go to Syd the night before so as we can spend more time in the First Lounge as well as not having to begin the trip with a 4.00am wake up !!!

 

[muppet]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Has success this arvo with a very helpful staff member. SIN - SYD 60,000 points + $420

 

[will2rob]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Just noticed on my activity statement that the second JASA I booked today incurred a 3500 point "Award Assistance Fee" no mention of it by the gentleman who took the booking. Will have to chase it up during business hours to have it reversed.

 

[bronzed and ready]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Stupidly called 13 13 13 instead of the Premium number today to book an ASA... The lady polietly told me to do book an Any Seat Award online. I explained that since the website refresh, this was not possible. She then proceeded to put me on hold and to check for herself.... I hung up
Obviously staff at Qantas have not been trained adequately in this new process.
Does anyone else get the feeling that we as AFF readers know more about the Qantas business than their own employees....
SIGH

 

[Nizar]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Has success this arvo with a very helpful staff member. SIN - SYD 60,000 points + $420

$420 for a tax/fees/surcharges component of a one-way flight.
When will they wake up lol.

 

[Ansett]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Es[ecially when you can buy a return for virtually the same cost at the right time

 

[moa999]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Stupidly called 13 13 13 instead of the Premium number today to book an ASA...

I hardly think you can complain given you called the wrong number. You should also not be calling the Premium number.

Please note that from 26 June 2013 Any Seat Award bookings made in reservation classes X, Z, U or P cannot be made online at qantas.com. To make an Any Seat Award booking in these classes please call 1300 366 587 (dial in +61 2 8222 2430 from outside Australia) between the hours of 0900 and 1700 AEST on Mondays to Fridays. In most cases the points required for Any Seat Awards booked in these classes are higher than those required for a Classic Award in the same class of travel on the same flight

 

[oz_mark]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

$420 for a tax/fees/surcharges component of a one-way flight.
When will they wake up lol.

The tax/fees/surcharge component comment would be applicable if this were a classic award. On a point to point ASA, the costs have always been (in most cases - someone somewhere likely can point to an exception) above that amount. In general, MASA always had a cash premium above the equivalent classic (insert comment about exceptions apply)

 

[chrispy3276]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I just booked a SYD - MEL - SYD JASA within 5 minutes using the 1300 number, a seamless process.

The rep I spoke to seemed quite surprised when I asked for a U Class Any Seat Award and asked who told me to say that. Paid Points + Cash which was fine, but they specifically quoted me a booking fee. I was of the understanding that we weren't being charged booking fees for this process? Is this something I should be seeking a refund for? I was charged 36,000 points + $104.86 (including a $35 booking fee) for the transaction.