☹️ seat changed at checkin

[RichardMEL]

Best wishes for a good quick flight for her, and visit to the US- and none of this rubbish on the way home!

 

[Myrna]

Flight was slightly delayed while aircond was fixed. It is moving now - Yes! Niece said so far she found the USB charger not working, but she is using her neighbour's point and it is working OK.
Thank goodness, after all the drama the last 2 hours over the seat, she is on her way to LA to visit her father. All's well.

 

[tomlee1986]

update: niece just called and said they offered her 64A which is opposite the toilet, she declined. Then 55B the middle seat Then she asked no other seat? Suddenly they offered her 58K - which was her original selected seat!!! Very strange. She told them that was my selected seat and they have put her through so much stress and upset. However, we are glad that she finally got the seat she selected. Not sure how things got out of whack! We are pleased for her that there is a happy ending

Thanks for all your help - particularly RichardMEL.

glad she got the seat back as she hoped and safe travels to the US

 

[Seat0B]

What a complete cluster! The passenger’s subjective experience is just as important as the actual outcome. And although it’s great she eventually got her original seat, that does not make up for the emotional wringer she had to go through before it resolved. Plus without your help @Myrna and the help of others on the forum she probably wouldn’t have persisted.

 

[Mwenenzi]

And this is the kind of thing that reenforces the bad rep tbh.

Now there may be an issue with the seats, but you know it's just a bad experience all round.

Fingers crossed she is not jammed between unpleasant people and/or maybe could even do a swap to say 62D (if say 62D and F are a couple hoping to keep that seat free).

And with an infrequent flyer such shenanigans are enough, for some pax, to ensure would not select QF next time, even if QF are a few dollars less. At least got her seat back, but will be remembered for next time. As a guess the 2 elderly gents beside her are *not* with the dance groups--> seat shenanigans.

And as this is AFF, hope she is getting some ff points/avios/miles for the trip. One of the better features of QFF ffp (are few) is the ability to move QF ff points to eligible family members (niece to aunt) at nil cost. A family member with an active ff account can "warehouse" QF ff points for inactive-infrequent travellers, until needed.

 

[encryptededdy]

Sorry if I missed it, but was she able to select 58K at the kiosk? Usually the kiosks should allow for seat selection.

Of course she shouldn't have to do this, but if it was showing as open then I assume the kiosk would've let her select it.

 

[serfty]

Sorry if I missed it, but was she able to select 58K at the kiosk?

This is not specifically mentioned, but reading between the lines it would seem not - otherwise @Myrna's first post would make no sense.

 

[RichardMEL]

I thought of that too. Do the international kiosks still have that function though? Actually they probably do as I assume the young lady got a BP printed at the kiosk with the nasty surprise.

There was also potentially the app, if the OP's neice had it.

 

[elanshin]

I thought of that too. Do the international kiosks still have that function though?

There was also potentially the app, if the OP's neice had it.

The one at changi did. Agent changed my seat at lounge when reprinting BP. I looked and changed it myself at bagdrop. (App locked out for me).

I know the domestic one can as well so i assune the Int'l one can too.

 

[RichardMEL]

I know the domestic one can as well so i assune the Int'l one can too.

Not domestic anymore. That functionality was removed with the latest generation of bag drop kiosks that only do bag tags now. Iirc they're now in just about all domestic terminals. Even the common use ones at OOL have the functionality disabled for QF (I tried to see )

 

[encryptededdy]

I know the domestic one can as well so i assune the Int'l one can too.

They definitely can. I always make a habit of checking the seat map whenever I use a self check-in machine. Even the common use ones (e.g. Changi early check-in) support it.

Additionally the App (and occasionally the OLCI website when the app doesn't work for some reason) can change seats for international flights after check-in too.

Of course I'm sure in some circumstances it won't work

 

[Myrna]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advices - really appreciated.

Niece is now happily in Calif with her father. She said the flight was ok, she slept a few hours, watched 3 movies . The only thing that her seat did not work was the USB charger, but she could use her neighbour's. When the flight arrived at LAX, there were 6 other international flights arrived at the same time, so she was in the queue for customs for more than 2 hours! There were also queues for pax connecting flights, and queues for J and F pax. Other than the long wait times for customs, everything was good.

I have made notes to check seats at T-80 for her flight home, and to remind her to check in online 24 hours (and not to chance it at the airport check in counter).

 

[Myrna]

And with an infrequent flyer such shenanigans are enough, for some pax, to ensure would not select QF next time, even if QF are a few dollars less. At least got her seat back, but will be remembered for next time. As a guess the 2 elderly gents beside her are *not* with the dance groups--> seat shenanigans.

And as this is AFF, hope she is getting some ff points/avios/miles for the trip. One of the better features of QFF ffp (are few) is the ability to move QF ff points to eligible family members (niece to aunt) at nil cost. A family member with an active ff account can "warehouse" QF ff points for inactive-infrequent travellers, until needed.

Thanks, Mwenenzi.
Agree, the unexpected seat change experience had made her totally stressed out and us exhausted (trying to keep her calm while we sought help from AFF )
No, the 2 elderly gents were not with the 2 dance groups - they connected to JFK after LAX.
Yes, she should get some QF ff points for her trip. We may move her points to hubby's QF account and use them for her trip in the future. He did not have enough points to redeem a Y seat for her this time.

 

[Myrna]

Sorry if I missed it, but was she able to select 58K at the kiosk? Usually the kiosks should allow for seat selection.

Of course she shouldn't have to do this, but if it was showing as open then I assume the kiosk would've let her select it.

Niece said when she checked in at kiosk, her boarding pass showed her seat to be 62E, not 58K as she initially selected when she bought the tickets online. She asked staff standing around about the change, they could not help her and said she would need to talk to staff at the boarding gate.

 

[travelnoobdude]

Glad it worked out for her.

I was not so lucky. I was on SIN-LHR. I paid for my window seat. When I did an online check-in, I realised I was moved to a middle seat and could not change it. There were no other window or aisle seats available. I called them and they said they couldn't do anything but to go check at the counter.

I went to the counter with my proof of receipt. The staff checked with their supervisor and told me that they did not receive the payment therefore I was moved and to claim a refund online. And they were not able to move me as it was a full flight. I was seated beside a toddler.

That was in March this year and am still waiting for the refund. I sent them a complaint and they replied me with the template that I was moved for operational reasons.

 

[AIRwin]

That was in March this year and am still waiting for the refund.

Credit card dispute?

 

[RooFlyer]

Anyone keeping tabs on how many 'untruths' have been told to pax & recounted in this thread?

 

[tomlee1986]

Glad it worked out for her.

I was not so lucky. I was on SIN-LHR. I paid for my window seat. When I did an online check-in, I realised I was moved to a middle seat and could not change it. There were no other window or aisle seats available. I called them and they said they couldn't do anything but to go check at the counter.

I went to the counter with my proof of receipt. The staff checked with their supervisor and told me that they did not receive the payment therefore I was moved and to claim a refund online. And they were not able to move me as it was a full flight. I was seated beside a toddler.

That was in March this year and am still waiting for the refund. I sent them a complaint and they replied me with the template that I was moved for operational reasons.

thats odd... if they received payment, they would send you the confirm email - and appears you have... that makes it odd and should raise it further

 

[RichardMEL]

Anyone keeping tabs on how many 'untruths' have been told to pax & recounted in this thread?

I hinestly can't figure this out in my head. Who/what moved her in the first place? The group stuff is clearly a furohy and the seat stayed open - so why? Plus the "you haven't paid" part - well assuming it was a direct booking, then that's an assumption by staff possibly to explain it. Otherwise it's just crazy. Not to mention seemingly everyone bar the last line washed their hands of it it seems. Score one for persistence, but the whole thing seems just bizarre to me - not to mention the poor behaviour when the CUSTOMER tried to resolve.

This is what I call QF "own goals" - none if this needed to happen at all, and the handling was even worse imo.

 

[p--and--t]

Bad form, bit of a mystery, but not an isolated case, and not confined to QF.

Had similar happen to me on LH except we paid for our seat placements and their attitude at check-in, staff and supervisor at the gate, and FA on boarding was don't care do you want to stay on the flight or not. No recovery, no apology, couldn't give a shi.. We were seperated across the cabin and both put in middle seats.