Endless Waiting For Status Credit and Points - Tips?

[Brettska]

Hi Everyone

Anyone having significant issues with the awarding of status credits and points lately?

I have recently ticked back over to Platinum again (mid-July) and since I am having absolutely no luck with the awarding of status credits on VA metal, let alone code share partners.This also applies to those in my family pool.

I have contacted the Platinum line and the retro email address and still no action weeks after they said it would be fixed for VS flights and VA metal back to MEL from LAX from mid-July. VFF numbers on all bookings and boarding passes.

Three of us also recently traveled to NZ and back on VA metal and nearly two weeks later neither flight has been awarded SC or points.

Has my account gone screwy somewhere?

Any other tips for escalation to get this fixed?

Cheers

 

[AIRwin]

Have you tried submitting a retro claim online?

 

[Brettska]

The Virgin Atlantic ones have to be done through the Membership Centre if they don't post, so gave it to them via phone with the missing VA ones MEL to LAX also.

I haven't done the NZ ones through the online claim - as there was three of us I sent the details to Retro email address.

 

[JohnK]

VA flight on 31 August has posted but flights from 02 September and 08 September have not yet posted.

 

[Denali]

About 10 days ago I lodged a retro claim via the retro claim email link.

Last night I got a response, they investigated my claim, denied it and ask me to lodge a retro claim via the retro claim email

You can't make that poop up.

 

[ozjuice]

my flights lately have all posted withing 2 days. Although these have been Domestic only. I thought they'd fixed their problems.

 

[Must...Fly!]

No problems for me, though my brother has had a few issues with things not posting correctly, and the retro claim refused to process the details for some reason? (domestic VA sector). Really strange, so have had him e-mail retro....doesn't have the boarding pass any more so I'm not holding my breath...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I took a VA flight in Jul this year, thought it was a good idea, to put in my SQ KF FF# into the booking, after all, they are supposed to be good partners.
SQ denied the points, saying it was a non earning class.v
So since Jul this year, I have about 10 times now kept putting in a claim on their (VFF) website for a certain flight, Australian domestic flight, SYD - ADL.
Seeing that SQ have denied me the points, I thought that at the least, I could/would/maybe earn points back under the VFF#.
Nope, they have not denied the earning, it keeps saying in my VFF account, check back in a week.
QFF at the least, treats flights with its partners quite well/good, now comparing the earning with this VA flight, which while I have not rung up, but keeps saying check back in 7 days.
Doing my head in.
Think of going to SQ for all my Au - NZ flights, via MEL - WLG on SQ plane, or putting my SQ KF FF# into the Air NZ booking, where points have appeared quick smart.
Going back to QF for domestic flight.
VA and VFF is now the pits when claiming points and SC earn.

 

[Matty F]

Also having a similar experience, and not getting much help from the membership centre. Ticked over to WP a few weeks ago then flew OOL-MEL, still waiting for SC+Pts to credit to account - two weeks later.

Flew J across LIS-ATL & return back in June on Delta, still waiting for SC+Pts to credit for those too. In fairness, the SC's from this flight are meant to grab me WP, so VA have been kind enough to manually upgrade my account to WP.
Still, waiting for the points to land. I've made about half dozen calls to VA but the only thing they can tell me is that Delta haven't responded, and I'll just have to keep waiting. Strangely - one of the call staff once told me it was because the LIS-ATL route didn't exist in the VA backend and the points had disappeared

I've had to start using a todo app (todoist.com) to track all points-earning activity and make sure they get credited. Super helpful... just set a due date and attach receipts/boarding slips and if the points are still not there, you'll get a reminder to kick off the retro claim

In general, their IT systems seem to be really struggling. Yesterday, tried to purchase an Economy X seat for an upcoming MEL-LAX flight and I get an error + existing seat selections were unassigned. But then I login to Amex and the cash has been taken from my card... there goes 30 minutes from my afternoon spent on the phone with them. The lady on the other end kept telling me how slow her system was, and she ran into a few pages that simply wouldn't load... then put me on hold so she could check a "notice board" where the staff share updates about things not working right, and the workarounds they need to employ.

Have considered logging every one of these VA interactions, if only to track how much time I've had to spend on the phone with them when their systems fail. I'd say I've logged about 4 hours on the phone with them last month, 2 hours so far this month... not fun at all

 

[Brettska]

Well after sending another polite but firm email to both the Platinum and Retro email addresses explaining my frustration about the lack of consistency with awarding points and SCs and the time I have spent trying to get them awarded, I received an apologetic email the next day from the Platinum area. Logging into my account all points/ SCs and sectors, some of which are 2 months old have now be credited.

It has taken a while but I finally got there.

 

[Matty F]

@Brettska mind sharing this polite but firm email template? Still waiting over here

 

[williamsf1]

@Brettska mind sharing this polite but firm email template? Still waiting over here

Matt .. don't waste your time anymore.... just send an email directly to the top (maybe include the email replies/ sent so far in the chain)


Karl Schuster
Chief Executive Officer, Velocity Frequent Flyer

Karl Schuster is responsible for Virgin Australia’s loyalty program, Velocity Frequent Flyer.

Email: [email protected]

 

[Matty F]

Turns out just one last call to the MC was all it took. I managed to find someone who applied the OOL-MEL and LIS-ATL points right there on the phone

 

[CPMaverick]

I took a VA flight in Jul this year, thought it was a good idea, to put in my SQ KF FF# into the booking, after all, they are supposed to be good partners.
SQ denied the points, saying it was a non earning class.v
So since Jul this year, I have about 10 times now kept putting in a claim on their (VFF) website for a certain flight, Australian domestic flight, SYD - ADL.
Seeing that SQ have denied me the points, I thought that at the least, I could/would/maybe earn points back under the VFF#.
Nope, they have not denied the earning,

Unfortunately once you submit to one FF program, is is almost impossible to reverse it. I believe it is the same with all major airlines. They credited your flight to SQ, and they can't change that... even if SQ earnings was zero. The system isn't designed to reverse crediting as VA has no easy way to tell if SQ has reversed the credit on their end. So it's built in to make it nearly impossible. I'm sure there are some examples of reversal, but it would take a very high level intervention.

If you credited a QF flight to EK, then decided to try and credit to QF, I suspect you'd find yourself in the same situation.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

SQ said the VA fare wasnt eligible for KF points accrual, so zero KF points from that Jul trip.
KF # was added when booking the VA flight.
I am just too bummed to call up VFF to query it.
Angry too.
So have put in many online claims for that same flight in Jul.
The whole tie in between KF and VFF is a bummer really.
Up to yesterday, still no VFF points or VFF SC from that flight.
Going back to QFF and LATAM now.

 

[CPMaverick]

Like I said it doesn't matter if you earned points or not. The flight was sent to SQ for credit. You can't change it now. QF works the same way.

Not saying it is right, just that it isn't specific to VA.

 

[williamsf1]

I took a VA flight in Jul this year, thought it was a good idea, to put in my SQ KF FF# into the booking, after all, they are supposed to be good partners.
SQ denied the points, saying it was a non earning class.v
.

V class is an Earn class for SQ members on VA flights ..... 50% miles

I don't think there are any non earn classes for SQ members on VA ( unless a reward class)

Go back to SQ ......

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Nah. Never mind, too lazy too to push it any further.
Will just put my VFF# into all VA flights, and earn VFF points and VFF Sc like this, and any SQ or (Air)NZ flights I take, I will put in my KF# into the booking and then transfer KF points to VFF points in 5000 KF points lots to 3703 VFF points.
Never mind, anyways, lesson learnt.
Can't remember what subclass I was put into, I remember it was an Elevate fare.

 

[Denali]

I had a booking Aug 10th, put a retro claim in last week (7 weeks after completion) and todays response is:

The Points will be added to your account within 6 weeks upon completion of your travel. (My claim is 7 weeks after completion)
If Points are not credited to your account after 6 weeks, please email the details below to [email protected]:

Umm, thats exactly what I did.

So their standard response to a retro claim emailed to retro@ 7 weeks after travel is wait for 6 weeks after travel and email retro@

 

[JohnK]

So their standard response to a retro claim emailed to retro@ 7 weeks after travel is wait for 6 weeks after travel and email retro@

I sent a retro claim ~3 weeks after travel and it was processed within a few days. And yesterday made 401 SCs with a review date of today. Don't want to waste too many SCs.