SQ Tips, Trips and Tales

I've been waiting for the northern winter 2023 schedule to load so I can book an award home from Europe next year. Booked my partner over using a Qantas One-World award which ended up taking 7 hours on the phone (and they've already changed it) so I couldn't be bothered stuffing around with QF myself (plus I have SQ miles expiring).

I've been checking the app each morning and yesterday did the same. Flights are loaded! Great. Jump on the website to book them and, of course, error message comes up. Damn it! Call and spend about 3 hours on hold. The phone finally rings and it's silent, followed by the line being disconnected. Call again and, after 4 hours somebody answers in a thick South African accent on a poor quality line. I slowly explain the simple 2 sector booking. There are 30 second pauses between me speaking and a response being received. I am put on hold while he goes to check if his computer is plugged in. He comes back and says "you're asking for flights from Paris to Australia, this is Singapore Airlines. Do you want to fly to Singapore?". I explain again, he puts me on hold and says he needs to speak to a supervisor as his computer has a blue screen with white text on it. He comes back and says he is now using a Samsung Galaxy he found in the taxi this morning and can try to do the booking on that. He seems very confused that I live in Australia but am booking from France. I'm put on hold for 30 minutes while he checks with his supervisor to "see if that is permitted". He comes back and I get the ok! After taking my credit card details, the line goes dead. I do not get a call back. Half an hour later American Express calls and ask if I am using my card to put a deposit on a VW Polo in Mitchells Plain.

I then wake up sweating and shaking. Grab my phone and see the seats on the app. Seats are there, my details are saved in my profile (name, contact and credit card) so the booking takes 15 seconds. An e-ticket is received 30 seconds later. I get up and make a coffee while reflecting on my nightmare.

For all the complaints of late regarding their phone service (which I agree is average), at least the IT is pretty good.
 
i've just booked SQ246 (BNE - SIN) connecting to SQ308 (SIN - LHR) in september.

i specificlly booked this combo due to the timetable - SQ246 departs at 11:50pm, meaning i can work all day friday and fly out friday night, and 308 touches down at 3:40 pm, meaning i can clear customs, jump on the heathrow express and be in my hotel at the hilton paddington station in time for dinner and crash that night
 
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For all the complaints of late regarding their phone service (which I agree is average), at least the IT is pretty good.

Well maybe I was too quick to judge the poor phone service... Decided to get all my SIA tasks out of the way in one day. I had to change a CPT-SIN-SYD to JNB-SIN-SYD a few days later. Saver J availability online but can't be changed due to change of origin.

Call is answered in 15 minutes, agent understands immediately what I want. Confirms availability, confirms slight taxes refund and confirmed there are no change fees. Double checks the dates with me and asks me to hold while she sorts it. Within 2 minutes I have an itinerary, e-ticket and refund receipt emailed to me. Call complete at 23 minutes.

Agent was clearly Filipino but competent, communicated clearly and was obviously well trained. Massive improvement to 6 months ago.
 
I didn’t check power points when I was there but TPR always hod outlets to suit our plugs

Edit: You guys might be onto something here - i was thinking about it o/n and i kinda think old J lounge only had pommie outlets also as I can remember losing a special adapter in their one time - but outlets in showers would suit our plugs to charge shavers etc - go figure
Many recent sockets are multifitting these days.

Other than that, Singapore generally use UK types.
 
Call is answered in 15 minutes, agent understands immediately what I want
This is even better than pre COVID-19. Most agents didn't know the rules.

You have given me confidence to try the phone again. My 'request form' has remained unanswered for two months so that's obviously going nowhere.
 
Hopefully get the SK Lounge back to some form of sanity. I gave Lounge experience a “Poor” rating in my post flight survey yesterday…

Anyway, I thought the KF Gold lounge already was relatively “new”? Just shuttered after the SK lounge reopened? But there was certainly signs of ongoing refurb work near the lounge entrance.
 
I am not convinced SQ have overcome their problems. I have had a request form in for 2 months to try and cancel a flight next week.
Can't cancel online and phone calls hopeless as only got through once and it fell out. Chat when wanting to speak to an agent always self terminated at the 1 hour mark.

So today tried to get things done at the SKL. The fellow got me on to the correct department and I only had to wait 30 minutes. But then told me that they no longer cancel flights over the phone. WTF. He promised me that he had made changes and I could now cancel online. Well I can go further and get to a page that has a continue to cancel button.
No matter how many times I try it won't work. Promises me a ring back tonight.
 
I am not convinced SQ have overcome their problems. I have had a request form in for 2 months to try and cancel a flight next week.
Can't cancel online and phone calls hopeless as only got through once and it fell out. Chat when wanting to speak to an agent always self terminated at the 1 hour mark.

So today tried to get things done at the SKL. The fellow got me on to the correct department and I only had to wait 30 minutes. But then told me that they no longer cancel flights over the phone. WTF. He promised me that he had made changes and I could now cancel online. Well I can go further and get to a page that has a continue to cancel button.
No matter how many times I try it won't work. Promises me a ring back tonight.
Yes I feel like they say anything to get you off the phone, from it is being escalated, I will get someone to call you back, I have actioned the request but it will take three days to show up, blah, blah, blah.
 
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New TPR opening ‘Within weeks’ - we are due to transit SIN May 28 = 19 days from now = 2.714 weeks - what are our chances?

Was there few days ago told them we will transit again on 21st then again on 29th and asked the same question, what’s our chances? They didn’t say nil but the reaction wasn’t encouraging. Apparently the new F lounge is planned to open first then TPR. Maybe you’ll get to see the former🤞
 

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