Qantas "Customer Service" Skills

[Travel Guru]

Thankfully I switched all my flying to Virgin Australia a couple of months back (and loving it!), but flying back from Sydney today after spending the weekend with my Dad, I simply had to share his experience with QF's "Customer Service"....I knew some of you would relate.


Conversation with QF "Customer Service" member:
(Dad is a QF Gold assigned 8A by OLCI)

Dad - Is there any chance of getting a seat assigned in Row 4

QF - No sorry, we reserve Row 4 for our Platinum members only

Dad - Oh well what about an exit row?

QF - No, all I have is the middle seat on the exit row, anyway, that's a pretty good seat you've got, you should be happy with what been assigned.


End Conversation



Customer Service 101 would suggest that while QF may well be reserving Row 4 for WP's only, there could have been a far better way to articulate it without leaving a SG who has up until now been a loyal QF flyer and flys regularly from feeling unimportant and no more valued to them than a NB.

Alan Joyce could do well to start with the basics and train his staff to treat their loyal clients with respect rather than ostracising them and giving them every reason to jump ship to VA next time there's a status match on offer.

I know given the way VA treat myself as a Gold that I'm very glad I made the move and put all my domestic flying over to them, their customer service skills have been brilliant both on the ground and in the air.


TG

 

[drron]

The problem with QF is the inconsistency.QF22 19/6 from NRT and QF528 on 23/6 from SYD had great crew.SYD premium desk on 23/6 was also good.
If they could always be as good as that DJ would find it much harder.
Disclaimer-I left QFF in 2002.

 

[stomplad]

The problem with QF is the inconsistency.QF22 19/6 from NRT and QF528 on 23/6 from SYD had great crew.SYD premium desk on 23/6 was also good.
If they could always be as good as that DJ would find it much harder.
Disclaimer-I left QFF in 2002.

I agree about the inconsistencies at all levels from check in to flight crew. Check can vary from faultless/professional to rude and indifferent, I usually get boarding passess and seat allocation from Lounge, I find staff there the good and consistent. Flew PE to LA last year, on the way over it was a "Business light experience" with superb service, the way back was OK but disappointing in comparison more an "economy Plus" experience.
Still flying QF because of status and lounge access, watching changes at VA with great interest.

 

[odysseus]

It's a fair example, but equally Virgin have done a major disservice to their customer service experience with their default approach of not offering refunds to those whose flights they cancelled due to the volcano ash. When I compare the two, QF have done a far better job by transferring passengers and offering refunds as preferred.

For me contractual obligations are > how you're treated, not that the latter is unimportant.

 

[NM]

Customer Service 101 would suggest that while QF may well be reserving Row 4 for WP's only...

Well this OneWorld Sapphire was granted 4C on a 738 on Saturday night. No problem at all selecting it at T-80 hours. So certainly not a WP-only policy for that flight.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Well this OneWorld Sapphire was granted 4C on a 738 on Saturday night. No problem at all selecting it at T-80 hours. So certainly not a WP-only policy for that flight.

Yes most probably route dependent. I dare say you wouldn't get it on a flight to say CBR the night before sitting, for instance.

 

[NM]

Yes most probably route dependent. I dare say you wouldn't get it on a flight to say CBR the night before sitting, for instance.

In my recent experience (mostly BNE-CBR-BNE and BNE-SYD-BNE), if row 4 has not yet been snaffled by those originally offered, then it has been made available to me at T-80 hours. Now if they are already taken then they are not being "reserved" for QF Platinum people. And if they are not already taken, then they are available to me as a OneWorld Sapphire status member, so not being "reserved" for QF Platinum.

But my recent experience does not cover a wide array of routes.

 

[medhead]

Given the number of silver and bronze sitting next to me in row 4 it is definitely not reserved, IME. They might block row 4 for WP initially but in a full flight those middle seats will open up an it is generally a free for all situation.

 

[docjames]

Given the number of silver and bronze sitting next to me in row 4 it is definitely not reserved, IME. They might block row 4 for WP initially but in a full flight those middle seats will open up an it is generally a free for all situation.

SG are able to get row 4 at T-80 fairly regularly (unless WPs have already got their BIS prior).

 

[mannej]

The talk about T-80 is fine, however this incident occurred within T-24.

Are the chances that the flight was full and there was genuinely no space left in the rows that the OP had requested?

If that was the case, perhaps the only thing that could have been showed was a bit more tact?

 

[NM]

The talk about T-80 is fine, however this incident occurred within T-24.

Are the chances that the flight was full and there was genuinely no space left in the rows that the OP had requested?

If that was the case, perhaps the only thing that could have been showed was a bit more tact?

If the seats have already been assigned to other people, then of course they are not available for Gold FF member (nor a Platinum or even a Chairmans Lounge member). If they had not yet been assigned to another passenger, then at less than T-24 I would expect them to be available for selection by OneWorld Sapphire or higher members based on my personal (and somewhat limited) experience. But as always, there may be other factors involved such as loading etc. For example, if the flight is full and the computer knows that there are still some Platinum members that do not yet have assigned seats, it may very well be keeping the remaining "premium" seats for the higher status members, which in my opinion is the way the system should operate.

 

[Smackbum]

If the seats have already been assigned to other people, then of course they are not available for Gold FF member (nor a Platinum or even a Chairmans Lounge member). If they had not yet been assigned to another passenger, then at less than T-24 I would expect them to be available for selection by OneWorld Sapphire or higher members based on my personal (and somewhat limited) experience. But as always, there may be other factors involved such as loading etc. For example, if the flight is full and the computer knows that there are still some Platinum members that do not yet have assigned seats, it may very well be keeping the remaining "premium" seats for the higher status members, which in my opinion is the way the system should operate.

Agree. If the pax is Gold then they will be well aware of the status system and how it benefits them, and I'm sure if they made Platinum in the future they would expect to be given precedence over the "Scum Gold".

 

[markis10]

One of the benefits of the P1 tier will be the ejection facility should someone be allocated to your preferred seat.

 

[yo yo ma]

In my recent experience (mostly BNE-CBR-BNE and BNE-SYD-BNE), if row 4 has not yet been snaffled by those originally offered, then it has been made available to me at T-80 hours. Now if they are already taken then they are not being "reserved" for QF Platinum people. And if they are not already taken, then they are available to me as a OneWorld Sapphire status member, so not being "reserved" for QF Platinum.

Same in my experience for the past year... I get 4C for all of my monthly BNE-CNS trips at T-80

 

[TheInsider]

QF have just recently sent a memo out to all ground staff to remind them to not unblock seats that are not available to the passenger. There has been a high rise in complaints from WP's saying that they always seem to have NB's or what ever next to them and the back of the plane is empty.

The check-in system's business rules will allocate passengers seats based on loads, status' etc.

Yes there may be seats somewhere free, but if you cannot allocate them, you cannot get them.

 

[Sprucegoose]

QF have just recently sent a memo out to all ground staff to remind them to not unblock seats that are not available to the passenger. There has been a high rise in complaints from WP's saying that they always seem to have NB's or what ever next to them and the back of the plane is empty.

The check-in system's business rules will allocate passengers seats based on loads, status' etc.

Yes there may be seats somewhere free, but if you cannot allocate them, you cannot get them.

thats good news. I had riff raff next to me the other day when half the plane was empty.

 

[Timba-Jet]

QF - No, all I have is the middle seat on the exit row, anyway, that's a pretty good seat you've got, you should be happy with what been assigned.


End Conversation

That's blunt like the onboard plastic knives. If i get service like this, Depending on my mood I might respond with an equally blunt response!

 

[JohnK]

And just as well we all have different experiences because in my experiences VA customer service can also be non existent at times.

Well this OneWorld Sapphire was granted 4C on a 738 on Saturday night. No problem at all selecting it at T-80 hours. So certainly not a WP-only policy for that flight.

Well this Platinum cannot get row 4, or row 5, until T-80 hours. And if I forget and these seats are already allocated then it is constantly on the Qantas website until I get row 4. And I do get row 4 most of the time but only because I persevere.