QFF staff misinformation costs me points

[danih88]

Here is the situation.

1. Bought two MEL-SIN return flights with 120,000 points for my father and step mother to visit a my unfortunately terminal auntie
2. Informed by step mother that my fathers passport name was slightly different from the booking name I gave and I needed to change it. She had spoken to someone in customer care and they told her that it would cost 3,500 points
3. Step mother called me up and asked for me to make the change
4. I called up and reconfirmed with Nola in QFF Premium service that it would be a 3,500 point cost. After a bit of grumbling and hoping to get it reduced to zero, I agreed to it.
5. A few days later I find that not only 3,500 points have been deducted, but an additional 8,000 was also taken!
6. Calling the QFF Premium service I spoke to Marie and she informed me that it should not have been 3,500 but 8,000 and that I was going to be refunded the 3,500 points. I told her that if I was correctly informed of the 8,000 point charge, I would have simply cancelled the flight for 5,000 points and booked another one. Instead I was told that it was too late, I have lost the 8,000 points.
I am very unhappy with this outcome as due to the lack of correct information, I am suddenly out 8,000 award points as opposed to the 3,500. I would have accepted a 5,000 hit and simply rebooked another flight if they actually told me the real cost. There was and still is a large number of award flights available for that trip.

I have just sent QFF a letter with this information and was just wondering what your thoughts are on this and what else I could have done.

It is little things like this that make me think of taking out that Velocity platinum card and actually start using it. Especially now that I get double status credits.

As an FYI, it is 3,500 points for a domestic flight and 8,000 for international.

Regards
Daniel

WP until Feb 2013. LTS.

 

[thewinchester]

On the basis of the original 3,500pts charge and the points amount, I'm going to infer the booking was a classic award flight in Y.

Short version: No case to answer.

While Qantas charged OP incorrectly, you've come out ahead as a result of your own failure to get the booking right in the first place.

Further, OP is also confused between change fees and service charges, got points amounts wrong, and didn't do their own research first to check the information they were being told.

Why: On a plain text reading of the QFF Fee Schedule, the OP was liable for 11,500pts for the changes. This consists of 3,500pts for the change to a classic fare, plus an additional 8,000pts service fee (for INT sectors, non trans-tasman) for which you were also liable as a result of the change request.

Per the QFF T&C's, a service fee becomes:

Payable where changes are made to Qantas & Partner Classic Award bookings via Qantas Telephone Sales.

The service fee is in addition to a change fee, and this fee is only waved when travel is booked in either F or J.

Further, OP's failure to enter the correct booking and rectify it on the same day as the booking was made makes me even less sympathetic to your plight.

If the OP had read the (clearly spelt out) fee schedule, they would have seen this issue. You should just be thankful you got 3,500pts back and be on your way.

 

[danih88]

Thanks for the reply.

Just to clarify, the name change was what was given to me by my step mother and that was all I had to go with over the phone. I was unable to physically see my fathers passport to confirm.

I did not realize that I was to be charged 11,500 as standard for this. If I knew that I would have definitely just cancelled and rebooked.

My reliance on the information provided by a qualified Qantas CSA is the crux of my issue. Being informed by my step mother that the CSA said it was 3,500 and independently reconfirming that amount with another CSA would lead me to believe that what they said was correct.

Now I find that the last CSA was also wrong in that 3,500 should not be refunded either just questions their overall knowledge of the system.

I'm going to have to go through all that fine print tomorrow and see.

Regards
Daniel

 

[ric_melb]

If I read this correctly OP has been charged 8,000 points, and could have cancelled the ticket and rebooked at a cost of 5,000 points.
And as thewinchester has pointed out he should have been charged 11,500 points. It is good information for all of us regarding the charges, but best to move on re 3,000 ponts.

 

[Alanslegal]

While Qantas charged OP incorrectly, you've come out ahead as a result of your own failure to get the booking right in the first place.

That's a tough call.

We all make mistakes from time to time and telling the OP to book it right in the first place, is harsh. The OP acknowledges the mistake and was prepared to correct that mistake with the least amount of points necessary. But the key issue here is that the OP relied on bad information, on two occasions, to his detriment.

If the correct information was given then he could have made an informed decision, that is 1. cancel at cost of 5,000 and re-book or 2. change the existing booking names at a cost of 11,500. Assuming if the former was taken, that's a 6,500 net difference and when I give a nominal value of points at $0.02 each ... that's a $130.00 loss.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

IMHO, take it or leave it:
For the sake of 3000 points, move on. There are more important things in life (e.g. the reason for the flights in the first place).
Enough time has already been spent on this issue. However, if you value your time at no cost, then by all means chase QANTAS, as they will probably refund you to appease you. But it all depends on how highly you value your own time. Personally, I wouldn't sweat the 3000 points

 

[thewinchester]

That's a tough call.

We all make mistakes from time to time and telling the OP to book it right in the first place, is harsh. The OP acknowledges the mistake and was prepared to correct that mistake with the least amount of points necessary. But the key issue here is that the OP relied on bad information, on two occasions, to his detriment.

If the correct information was given then he could have made an informed decision, that is 1. cancel at cost of 5,000 and re-book or 2. change the existing booking names at a cost of 11,500. Assuming if the former was taken, that's a 6,500 net difference and when I give a nominal value of points at $0.02 each ... that's a $130.00 loss.

I'm not with you on this one.

Any savvy traveller knows the importance of pax details being correctly spelt, and it's not difficult to confirm the spelling over the phone by having someone read it out from the passport data page, followed by reading back to confirm.

And how on earth could you not know the correct spelling of your parent's surname or the fact it might be spelt a different way on an official document? I find this scenario utterly implausible. Surely the OP would have known this fact beforehand, and their own birth certificate which they need as an identity document which lists the names of the parents would have provided a big clue.

Further, several opportunities are provided to check the accuracy of the details entered, and if the OP wasn't sure at any point then they should have checked before proceeding.

The fact remains that OP would not be in the predicament if they had checked and confirmed the pax name spelling beforehand - and it would have cost no points as an error wouldn't have been made in the first place.

As also stated, the OP took the operator at their word and failed to exercise due diligence to confirm information before proceeding. There's nothing stopping them from reading the QFF T&C's or asking a question on AFF to clarify an issue before they proceeded, the OP suggests they have the requisite intelligence to ask some questions or use networks of educated peers to gather information.

So my view stands: there wouldn't have been a points cost if booked properly in the first place.

You can sit here and moan about incorrect information being given until the cows come home - but we all know it happens from time to time. Any reasonable person would have cross-checked information they are being given, and the OP's failure to do so here cost accordingly. They still came out 3.5k pts ahead of where they should have, so they need to chalk this up as a life lesson learned and move on.

 

[Timba-Jet]

You can sit here and moan about incorrect information being given until the cows come home - but we all know it happens from time to time. Any reasonable person would have cross-checked information they are being given, and the OP's failure to do so here cost accordingly. They still came out 3.5k pts ahead of where they should have, so they need to chalk this up as a life lesson learned and move on.

I think that's a bit harsh. Though I agree people should read T&Cs and double check itineraries, mistakes happen. Plus the ave person is not as savvy as us AFFers.

The OP made an effort to understand the change fee by speaking with QF, and this was confirmed twice QF, before the change. Just like when you make any booking with a QF human, if you ask about cost and are given an amount verbally before making the booking, you expect to be charged what you were told and not what is in the T&Cs.

 

[muppet]

Hang on? Spelling? Seriously?

If it went from Jim Smith to Bob Williams, then sure pay the fee. But if it's Jim to James - they should be waiving that type of change.

Change fees are for change of mind/dates/route/class. Not something small like that.

Why is everyone always on the airline side? "He should have known"
QF do a similar name change all the time - from A380 to 747 - I never charged them 11,000 points!

(yes my four attempts at A380 have all been changed and I'm bitter)

 

[Alanslegal]

@thewinchester

We can disagree on this issue till cows come home and that's perfectly fine with me but ....

If Qantas provided the correct information in the first instance then the OP would be much better off, than the current position he is now.

The OP isn't complaining about booking his parents flights incorrectly, he is not complaining that he should be able to fix his own error for nothing. He understands he made a mistake, is willing to pay a penalty for getting the booking rectified ..... but Qantas gave bad information, which was relied upon, and consequently the OP made a loss. The idea that a flyer should also read/consult/analyse the T&C's after being given advice from Qantas, twice, is also a bit far fetched. However the important fact is that the Qantas staff, especially if its the Premium Desk, should be in a better position to understand the T&C's than the OP, and because of that assumed better position, the OP and most other lay people would, rely on the advice given.

It is irrelevant on how a person can make a mistake during the booking process, because for whatever reasons people still make mistakes even after checking, double checking, triple checking. Mistakes in life happen from time to time, nobody is immune from it, no matter how careful one could be.

 

[dk4]

... the OP took the operator at their word and failed to exercise due diligence to confirm information before proceeding.

This has to be one of the most stupid comments that I have ever seen on AFF. (Notwithstanding any of my own.)

Someone rings Qantas for advice/help/assistance, but shouldn't expect any accuracy from the Qantas representative. :shock: Absolutely ridiculous.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm with the op on this one. you are entitled to rely on the advice given to you by the qantas staff. 3500 for the name change.

they should not later bill you for 8000 without discussing it first. their error.

as to why do so many people take the airlines side? maybe something to do with having a free lunch with all the frills attached

 

[JohnK]

I cannot believe some people. It is never the airline's fault. Is it? Ever? Really!

I have just sent QFF a letter with this information and was just wondering what your thoughts are on this and what else I could have done.

I believe you have a good case in that you were originally told 3,500 QFF points to change and for 5,000 QFF points you could have cancelled the booking and started again.

If you were told the correct amount in the first place then you would not have gone ahead with the change and you would have simply cancelled. Qantas should only charge the 3,500 QFF points mentioned by the consultant and at a worse case scenario refund any excess QFF points over the 5,000 QFF points they have charged you.

In my opinion 3,000 QFF points are points that are hard earned and are worth fighting for. Some people here do a lot more for 100-200 bonus QFF points with Everyday Rewards promotions.