Having a nightmare with Qantas FF

[Bermuda]

I'm a Gold member and have not even been given the common courtesy of having a call returned (by 3 people now!). Some days you really wonder why you bother!

 

[Melburnian1]

Bermuda, please supply a few more details and some of the AFFers can give you the benefit of their wisdom.

 

[mannej]

Without much detail, I don't know what else AFF can other other than a pat on the back...

 

[Bermuda]

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's normal to not get called back. I'd love to find out a way that is best to get some questions answered (other than the obvious). Any suggestions?

 

[Melburnian1]

Called back about what in particular? Please help the AFFer experts such as mannej to help you - but even with their knowledge, they are do not possess mental telepathy nor have they listened in on the BatPhone to your musings to a QF staff member.

 

[Colster]

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's normal to not get called back. I'd love to find out a way that is best to get some questions answered (other than the obvious). Any suggestions?

Ask them here!

 

[Awesom Andy]

On the rare ocassions where they promised to call me back, I would get one.

 

[puppysparkes]

The basics of dispute resolution are: who, what where, when and how. In addition, what is the outcome you are seeking or what is the outcome you can live with. When did you make the call? What was the issue? Did they promise to get back to you in a stated timeframe? Did you request a response and state a preferred timeframe for the response?

 

[miggidy]

Did you forget to hang up when you finished the call?

 

[serfty]

I'm a Gold member and have not even been given the common courtesy of having a call returned (by 3 people now!). Some days you really wonder why you bother!

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's normal to not get called back. I'd love to find out a way that is best to get some questions answered (other than the obvious). Any suggestions?

HI Bermuda, welcome to AFF.

These are intriguing questions but (unless they are rhetorical) it is difficult to provide a useful response without more detail. To help can you provide more information?

What was the issue that has you waiting for a call back?

How long has passed since this issue eventuated?

How time sensitive for you is a response/satisfactory conclusion?

What is the ball park response/solution you are after from Qantas?

 

[grussellt]

Perhaps a question about an exit from the Bermuda Triangle?

Open up a bit, Bermuda. If you have a problem you will get a warm reception from the very friendly AFFers!

 

[Bermuda]

Yes sorry guys I did not realise how prompt you all were lol. Just found out about this site yesterday! Let me wait until the end of the day until I air my dirty laundry It is basically about the expiration of my status in line with a booking I WAS planning to use with Qantas. Pretty boring stuff but I think you will enjoy the story haha Big business I guess.

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome; you've come to the right place to air dirty laundry (and also the good stuff).

Maybe go to Introductions and let us know a bit about yourself. Replies/help can be more focussed if we know a bit about you for our files (Mrs Robinson ...)

 

[Deleted member]

Yes sorry guys I did not realise how prompt you all were lol. Just found out about this site yesterday! Let me wait until the end of the day until I air my dirty laundry It is basically about the expiration of my status in line with a booking I WAS planning to use with Qantas. Pretty boring stuff but I think you will enjoy the story haha Big business I guess.

We don't have a life outside of Aff. We all live vicariously through the adventures, and misadventures of others who post here. ....... So hurry up and post

 

[Bermuda]

OK it looks like I'm going to get no joy so I might as well outline what happened and see if you all agree. Maybe I'm the one. Please excuse the bullet points its just it would take too long to write the "story".

In mid June last year I attained Gold status. I usually take between 2/3 trips a year over to the East Coast of the US. I also have my personal Visa attached which earns me @8000 miles a month (1 for every 2 $'s spent). I now have 300,000 odd miles.

I plan to take my family back over in June (@$20,000) and was hoping to get an upgrade from PE to Business using my points of course. This is mainly because I'm taking my 12 & 6 year old girls and as we have a LONG trip I was hoping they could get some sleep. I then realised that my membership ran out 14 days before the flight. This means my Gold status wouldn't put me fairly high in the line to be allowed to upgrade (using my miles remember).

So basically I was asking for them to extend my membership by 14 days. I did not want to use any lounges or have any benefits a member does only be able to stay high in line as I really had very little travel/benefit while I was a Gold Member :-(

This was also brought to a head because I was signing up with a Qantas partner to get a Visa that would earn me more miles.

So now what's the result? You may agree or not (and no doubt Qantas doesn't care which is fine) but I'm now pricing tickets on Virgin. I only switched from them in 2012 I believe and would talk regularly with their CEO (of rewards). I only mention that as a reason I'm not happy going back with my tail between my legs! I will also now start proceedings on getting my credit card linked to Velocity. On the whole this is NOT what I want to do and in reality it's a lose lose as far as I can see. However I really have been pushed into a corner where I have no choice! It stinks but nobody with any self respect would just go "ok thank you so much, can I go ahead and pay my 20K to you right away?" Especially when there's a perfectly good company (with flights leaving at the same time) that can take my family over to the East Coast every year or 2 minimum. I've been over 5/6 times in 18 months I believe!

Oh well I guess rules are rules but it sure sucks for me to have to move on!!

 

[defurax]

Don't want to rain on your parade, but 4 upgrades as a SG is far from being guaranteed. As a WP travelling alone I don't have 100% success rate on that route.

 

[ogs70]

OK it looks like I'm going to get no joy so I might as well outline what happened and see if you all agree. Maybe I'm the one. Please excuse the bullet points its just it would take too long to write the "story".

In mid June last year I attained Gold status. I usually take between 2/3 trips a year over to the East Coast of the US. I also have my personal Visa attached which earns me @8000 miles a month (1 for every 2 $'s spent). I now have 300,000 odd miles.

I plan to take my family back over in June (@$20,000) and was hoping to get an upgrade from PE to Business using my points of course. This is mainly because I'm taking my 12 & 6 year old girls and as we have a LONG trip I was hoping they could get some sleep. I then realised that my membership ran out 14 days before the flight. This means my Gold status wouldn't put me fairly high in the line to be allowed to upgrade (using my miles remember).

So basically I was asking for them to extend my membership by 14 days. I did not want to use any lounges or have any benefits a member does only be able to stay high in line as I really had very little travel/benefit while I was a Gold Member :-(

This was also brought to a head because I was signing up with a Qantas partner to get a Visa that would earn me more miles.

So now what's the result? You may agree or not (and no doubt Qantas doesn't care which is fine) but I'm now pricing tickets on Virgin. I only switched from them in 2012 I believe and would talk regularly with their CEO (of rewards). I only mention that as a reason I'm not happy going back with my tail between my legs! I will also now start proceedings on getting my credit card linked to Velocity. On the whole this is NOT what I want to do and in reality it's a lose lose as far as I can see. However I really have been pushed into a corner where I have no choice! It stinks but nobody with any self respect would just go "ok thank you so much, can I go ahead and pay my 20K to you right away?" Especially when there's a perfectly good company (with flights leaving at the same time) that can take my family over to the East Coast every year or 2 minimum. I've been over 5/6 times in 18 months I believe!

Oh well I guess rules are rules but it sure sucks for me to have to move on!!

I can sympathise with your situation, especially with the $ outlay. However, 4(?)xJ upgrade would be far from guaranteed as a Gold depending on the time of year and luck of the draw with elite loadings for that particular flight. Also I don't think Qantas will bend the rules, so I would be at peace with flying PE (a great product, although not necessarily for sleeping) with the small hope of the stars aligning in your favour. Otherwise you will end up getting a headache over an non-possible outcome.

 

[grussellt]

OK it looks like I'm going to get no joy so I might as well outline what happened and see if you all agree. Maybe I'm the one. Please excuse the bullet points its just it would take too long to write the "story".

In mid June last year I attained Gold status. I usually take between 2/3 trips a year over to the East Coast of the US. I also have my personal Visa attached which earns me @8000 miles a month (1 for every 2 $'s spent). I now have 300,000 odd miles.

I plan to take my family back over in June (@$20,000) and was hoping to get an upgrade from PE to Business using my points of course. This is mainly because I'm taking my 12 & 6 year old girls and as we have a LONG trip I was hoping they could get some sleep. I then realised that my membership ran out 14 days before the flight. This means my Gold status wouldn't put me fairly high in the line to be allowed to upgrade (using my miles remember).

So basically I was asking for them to extend my membership by 14 days. I did not want to use any lounges or have any benefits a member does only be able to stay high in line as I really had very little travel/benefit while I was a Gold Member :-(

This was also brought to a head because I was signing up with a Qantas partner to get a Visa that would earn me more miles.

So now what's the result? You may agree or not (and no doubt Qantas doesn't care which is fine) but I'm now pricing tickets on Virgin. I only switched from them in 2012 I believe and would talk regularly with their CEO (of rewards). I only mention that as a reason I'm not happy going back with my tail between my legs! I will also now start proceedings on getting my credit card linked to Velocity. On the whole this is NOT what I want to do and in reality it's a lose lose as far as I can see. However I really have been pushed into a corner where I have no choice! It stinks but nobody with any self respect would just go "ok thank you so much, can I go ahead and pay my 20K to you right away?" Especially when there's a perfectly good company (with flights leaving at the same time) that can take my family over to the East Coast every year or 2 minimum. I've been over 5/6 times in 18 months I believe!

Oh well I guess rules are rules but it sure sucks for me to have to move on!!

Maybe Red Roo could help by arrangement of a soft (extended) landing. It seems a good way to sell some QF PE tickets but the upgrade lottery may not bring the hoped-for result.
Best of luck!

 

[Bermuda]

I totally understand that I could EASILY not get them. I also could get them as a silver member as I'm flying during the week 7 days BEFORE schools finish. The problem is why bother. 14 days?! I want NOTHING from them other than to keep "Gold" to have a chance to be in a good spot in line as I'm booking far in advance (for me anyway!). I also spoke to an agent who knows someone who got a green light for this very same situation!!!

Sadly I'll stay on my plan and see what Virgin will do. I only have 70,000 miles with them left so I couldn't upgrade anyway from PE. At least they haven't done anything to me yet lol

 

[Awesom Andy]

If your gold status is going to run out, then in the grand scheme of things, the amount of flying done in the last 12 months would have been minimal, and since there are still 4 months to go, you're also telling them that you aren't making much attempts at flying on Qantas Group in the near future. To be given what you requested would be an extremely tough ask, not just at Qantas, but at any other airline.

And to obtain 4x upgrades to J for a trans-pac flight, the difficulty would rank somewhere between "a miracle" and "impossible" - even for someone with as a WP1 who, incidentally, earns more than 6x the status credits you are planning to earn this year.

I can now perfectly understand why phone calls aren't returned.