The flying kangaroo has become increasingly Jekyll and Hyde in recent times and one side is going to kill the other.
Dear old Dr Jekyll is the customer service and safety. Especially in the air. It’s the reliable quality reputation that has taken decades to nurture.
But Hyde, let’s call it “IT” for now, is like the worst parasite and is killing the host. While most of the company has a focus on quality and listening to customers, IT doesn’t even listen to the cries of its own staff. Some examples:
1. Classic Punishment flights: AU-ASIA-AU flights were $1200 cash, but using points for one leg with a classic reward and the total price went up to $1800 cash plus 30,000 points. Hardly a reward for loyalty. QF reservations staff could see it was crazy, and after six weeks, multiple complaints up the line nothing happened. (a complaint to the Ombudsman got a result that staff couldn’t - someone was loading the data incorrectly)
2. Press Reader - an App one can access 12 hours before a flight and load magazines and newspapers onto a tablet. That saves money and weight for QF but cost me to buy a tablet. However every time the QF app is updated, they forget to fix the link to Press Reader and it doesn’t work – for 4 to 6 weeks. The wonderful Anthony at the business lounge in MEL has been pulling his hair out for about a year, sending in full reports with screen shots and all - and he too was 100% ignored.
3. In Flight Entertainment. – another weight and cost saving measure– making me buy and maintain my own tablet. I borrowed the kids, could not get it to work, so I bought a new one for myself – and it has never worked in 9 months. It’s not just the writer - looking at the Google Play store and other review sites the reports are awful and the customer satisfaction score less than 45 % (VA’s similar app scores >65%). No one knows how to remedy the DMZ initialization error including 2 IT professionals who spent 3 hours on it. How can QF possibly be ignoring the very public, very poor scores? I wrote and complained: I got a form letter apology and an offer of 5,000 points. The points never arrived.
4. Reservations (again) for the past month or two whenever I want to change just one flight the on line system insists that I must change both legs. “rebooking” the flight I didn’t want to change, to exactly the same flight is going to cost me $300 when I only paid $240 in the first place! This has happened multiple times, and Res Staff tell me they get several similar calls a day, have complained up the line – nothing has happened to fix the software. So – save a few $ on a garbage reservations system, that puts pressure on the Res staff that have recently been culled. Phone old times dramatically increase. Customers are more likely to call for a complaint so morale spirals downward.
I see Alan Joyce on TV taking a bow for the turnaround on the bottom line, and proud to announce free Internet Wi-Fi on all aircraft is coming soon.
I just don’t believe him. The boy from Ireland who cried “wolf”
Ok yes - WI-FI will be installed but I have zero confidence it will work. No one in QF and especially cabin crew can’t get the current Wi-Fi based Inflight entertainment to work for more than 50% of pax. And they get zero training.
There is a fatal disconnect between “IT” and the rest of the company. Those in charge of making the web site reservations and the Apps to work seem to be insulated from complaints - whether the complaints be from customers, staff and even supervisors.
There are two cultures operating in the same company - customer focused and “ignore everyone” That is not a recipe for long term survival.
I laid this out in a letter to the CEO sent 8 weeks ago (with tracking). No reply.
I expressed this all at a QF event on Innovation in a question from the Audience to a senior manager, and handed a copy of the above letter. He did say they were aware, he asked for my contact details. I heard nothing more.
Joyce has returned QF to profit by burning up and intangible asset – the reputation of care/service/quality/reliability. There will be a long lag until this shortfall hits the bottom line. Just like Telstra saving money on maintenance has crushed their famous reliability reputation, customer loyalty has been evaporated by the series of system failures in 2016.
I have been a QF fan since I was a member of the TAA Junior Flyer Club circa 54BC. I wonder how long until I give up? My insane efforts to fix the problem by sending thoughtful complaints have been 100% ignored. I guess it was just my desperate attempt to hold on to my loyalty.
Dear old Dr Jekyll is the customer service and safety. Especially in the air. It’s the reliable quality reputation that has taken decades to nurture.
But Hyde, let’s call it “IT” for now, is like the worst parasite and is killing the host. While most of the company has a focus on quality and listening to customers, IT doesn’t even listen to the cries of its own staff. Some examples:
1. Classic Punishment flights: AU-ASIA-AU flights were $1200 cash, but using points for one leg with a classic reward and the total price went up to $1800 cash plus 30,000 points. Hardly a reward for loyalty. QF reservations staff could see it was crazy, and after six weeks, multiple complaints up the line nothing happened. (a complaint to the Ombudsman got a result that staff couldn’t - someone was loading the data incorrectly)
2. Press Reader - an App one can access 12 hours before a flight and load magazines and newspapers onto a tablet. That saves money and weight for QF but cost me to buy a tablet. However every time the QF app is updated, they forget to fix the link to Press Reader and it doesn’t work – for 4 to 6 weeks. The wonderful Anthony at the business lounge in MEL has been pulling his hair out for about a year, sending in full reports with screen shots and all - and he too was 100% ignored.
3. In Flight Entertainment. – another weight and cost saving measure– making me buy and maintain my own tablet. I borrowed the kids, could not get it to work, so I bought a new one for myself – and it has never worked in 9 months. It’s not just the writer - looking at the Google Play store and other review sites the reports are awful and the customer satisfaction score less than 45 % (VA’s similar app scores >65%). No one knows how to remedy the DMZ initialization error including 2 IT professionals who spent 3 hours on it. How can QF possibly be ignoring the very public, very poor scores? I wrote and complained: I got a form letter apology and an offer of 5,000 points. The points never arrived.
4. Reservations (again) for the past month or two whenever I want to change just one flight the on line system insists that I must change both legs. “rebooking” the flight I didn’t want to change, to exactly the same flight is going to cost me $300 when I only paid $240 in the first place! This has happened multiple times, and Res Staff tell me they get several similar calls a day, have complained up the line – nothing has happened to fix the software. So – save a few $ on a garbage reservations system, that puts pressure on the Res staff that have recently been culled. Phone old times dramatically increase. Customers are more likely to call for a complaint so morale spirals downward.
I see Alan Joyce on TV taking a bow for the turnaround on the bottom line, and proud to announce free Internet Wi-Fi on all aircraft is coming soon.
I just don’t believe him. The boy from Ireland who cried “wolf”
Ok yes - WI-FI will be installed but I have zero confidence it will work. No one in QF and especially cabin crew can’t get the current Wi-Fi based Inflight entertainment to work for more than 50% of pax. And they get zero training.
There is a fatal disconnect between “IT” and the rest of the company. Those in charge of making the web site reservations and the Apps to work seem to be insulated from complaints - whether the complaints be from customers, staff and even supervisors.
There are two cultures operating in the same company - customer focused and “ignore everyone” That is not a recipe for long term survival.
I laid this out in a letter to the CEO sent 8 weeks ago (with tracking). No reply.
I expressed this all at a QF event on Innovation in a question from the Audience to a senior manager, and handed a copy of the above letter. He did say they were aware, he asked for my contact details. I heard nothing more.
Joyce has returned QF to profit by burning up and intangible asset – the reputation of care/service/quality/reliability. There will be a long lag until this shortfall hits the bottom line. Just like Telstra saving money on maintenance has crushed their famous reliability reputation, customer loyalty has been evaporated by the series of system failures in 2016.
I have been a QF fan since I was a member of the TAA Junior Flyer Club circa 54BC. I wonder how long until I give up? My insane efforts to fix the problem by sending thoughtful complaints have been 100% ignored. I guess it was just my desperate attempt to hold on to my loyalty.
