Vent - QF call centre incompetence

[QF WP]

Hope you get this sorted @Daver6 - that's just smacks of no-one wanting (or being able to because of company policy) to own the problem until resolution.

One of the main reasons I simply use my QFF points for upgrades domestically. Never had a problem

 

[2PAXfly]

Are you referring specifically to Qantas? Because I have found other companies - including airlines - to be very good responding to, say, Twitter. But the Qantas Twitter team - as recently as last week - acted in very bad faith by moving to private message only then to palm me off without actually doing any work, in response to my escalation of something their webchat, phone and email people had all screwed up. So they certainly are appalling.

Yep - I meant Qantas

 

[esseeeayeenn]

After 13 business days I had received no response to either of my complaints so I replied to the initial acknowledgement emails today asking when I could expect a substantive reply.
I received a call about one this afternoon and after some quite sympathetic discussion about the disappointment caused by equipment changes, their failure to communicate them, and the massive difference between the J product on the A332 and the B738, I was given 8,000 points as a good will gesture.
More importantly I did get the feeling that on this occasion my feedback really was being taken seriously.

 

[Daver6]

I've received no follow up either. I'll deal with it when I get home.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I received a second call yesterday about my complaint about the service on QF9 MEL-PER.
This was no drink service at all prior to the meal service over an hour into the flight.
Started by insisting it was PER-MEL which was a sign of the quality of the call to come.
Gave me a lecture about how the service on international flights was different from domestic flights.
I politely pointed out that I did fly QF internationally so I did have a basis for comparison but she soldiered on in the same vein.
When she finished I remarked that it was odd that the crews on my recent QFi flights had not followed what she said was standard service. Including:
QF 92 NOU-SYD in January, QF2 LHR-SIN and QF73 SIN-PER in MAY, QF92 again in September and QF 27 & 28 SYD-SCL and back just this month!
She then sneered "Well you do know that in business you can ask for a drink at any time and have any drink you want.".
I replied yes but I don't think you want the whole cabin doing that, and we are patient when we think the drinks trolley is on the way.
She started so say "I don't think everyone would want alcohol ... " then caught herself and continued with "I mean any sort of drink ..." before the meal.
I responded that water would have been nice.
All in all a very unsatisfactory phone call with a good dose of what one might politely call creative fiction.

 

[N860CR]

I received a second call yesterday about my complaint about the service on QF9 MEL-PER.
This was no drink service at all prior to the meal service over an hour into the flight.
Started by insisting it was PER-MEL which was a sign of the quality of the call to come.
Gave me a lecture about how the service on international flights was different from domestic flights.
I politely pointed out that I did fly QF internationally so I did have a basis for comparison but she soldiered on in the same vein.
When she finished I remarked that it was odd that the crews on my recent QFi flights had not followed what she said was standard service. Including:
QF 92 NOU-SYD in January, QF2 LHR-SIN and QF73 SIN-PER in MAY, QF92 again in September and QF 27 & 28 SYD-SCL and back just this month!
She then sneered "Well you do know that in business you can ask for a drink at any time and have any drink you want.".
I replied yes but I don't think you want the whole cabin doing that, and we are patient when we think the drinks trolley is on the way.
She started so say "I don't think everyone would want alcohol ... " then caught herself and continued with "I mean any sort of drink ..." before the meal.
I responded that water would have been nice.
All in all a very unsatisfactory phone call with a good dose of what one might politely call creative fiction.

Yes some of them have some serious attitude problems don't they. It's a very odd culture at that airline.

Years and years ago when I was WP I put in a complaint about Alliance not offering the QantasLink drinks service when they were operating some of the internal Queensland flights. I basically got ripped into and called an alcoholic by the "customer care" staff member!

One of the many reasons why I don't fly Qantas these days. Their customer service is absolutley awful

 

[Daver6]

So a bit of an update. I've heard nothing back from Qantas. I followed up with an email a week ago and also two days ago requesting an update, but they were ignored.

I've just spent 55 minutes on the phone to Qantas to find out what's happening. Initially I'm on hold for about 15 minutes where someone looks up my case number. They ask me what it is I'm looking for. I pretty much said I'd like it explained to me why different agents give different information. All I get is an apology but no answers. It becomes clear that still no one has actually listened to the phone calls. We have some back and forth where the agent now tells me how things should have worked...which again contradicts previous information. She can't really understand where the problem is.

Eventually after repeatedly asking me what it is I want (I want answers please) she owns up and says the calls haven't been listened to. I outright asked if this is just a waste of time and nothing is going to actually be done. I didn't get a direct answer to that question. She then said she will find out from her coach as to when they will listen to the calls. At this point I said, I'm not too fussed how long it will take, but just give me a firm date. Once someone has listened, then to give me a call so we can have an informed chat. I'm told one more week for that.

Finally, I confirmed that yes, my follow up emails had been received. They just were ignored.

So a complaint that really is about inconstant information causing me to waste my time, is just wasting more of my time.

Now I'm sure I can probably ask for some form of compensation. What I really want is to have answers to my questions. But should that question come up, what do people feel is adequate. Including this call I've just had, I'd say I've spent about three hours on the phone all up. Additionally staying up till the middle of the night in Europe to call QF during SYD business hours which turned out to be bogus advise (although the lady I spoke to today said that was correct advice!).

 

[N860CR]

I found over the years that Qantas can be very good at saying all sorts of things on the phone (apologies that sound genuine), but when it comes down to it they don't actually do anything and will never put a resolution in writing. $300 worth of something seemed to previously be the WP "shut up and go away" payment (I'm going back maybe 6 years).

I wouldn't get your hopes up about getting your issue resolved.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Now I'm sure I can probably ask for some form of compensation. What I really want is to have answers to my questions. But should that question come up, what do people feel is adequate. Including this call I've just had, I'd say I've spent about three hours on the phone all up. Additionally staying up till the middle of the night in Europe to call QF during SYD business hours which turned out to be bogus advise (although the lady I spoke to today said that was correct advice!).

It isn't adequate but I think the current going rate is between 5000 and 10,000 points to make you go away.

 

[Daver6]

5k - 10k points in my mind is worth about $50 - $100. Three hours of my time is worth a lot more than that.

I mean still today, with the lady I spent nearly an hour with on the phone, the answers kept changing in terms of whether they can or can't email/leave a voice mail. Whether they can or can't ring Qatar during SYD hours.

 

[Tropic]

I too had the displeasure of getting "customer service" from QFF recently and feel your pain. After numerous calls, having to repeat myself every time then patiently waiting for the consultant to lecture me on how things work, only for me to then have to explain QF's own rules and procedures to them, and then getting reassurred that someone was looking into matter and they would be contacting me in due course, and then waiting again for that to happen and then having to call again, and on it goes. Frankly, an experience to be avoided if possible. My recent experience has confirmed what I always suspected. All talk and no walk. QF doesnt really care about customer service.

 

[RooFlyer]

5k - 10k points in my mind is worth about $50 - $100. Three hours of my time is worth a lot more than that.

That was what I was going to say : value of your time $/hr x number of hours divided by value of a Qantas point. ( but check my arithmetic !)

 

[Daver6]

That was what I was going to say : value of your time $/hr x number of hours divided by value of a Qantas point. ( but check my arithmetic !)

I somewhat doubt QF is going to agree the value I put on my time...especially time when I'm on holiday!

 

[RooFlyer]

I somewhat doubt QF is going to agree the value I put on my time...especially time when I'm on holiday!

Given the time you have invested so far, Id just go for it. Put in the claim, justify it and see what happens. You already have them admitting that they just ignored you before ( the call will have been recorded). Ask for a copy of the recording ( I THINK you are entitled to a copy -I know with banks you are).

One of my more successful claims against a bank was when I sent my letter of complaint to the MD, the entire board ( to their work addresses) and the relevant Management.

 

[Zanzara]

You have my deepest sympathy! I, like many, had the misfortune to call QF 3 times recently for a number of issues. Unfortunately, none could be resolved by 'manage your booking'...

Firstly the phone takes FOREVER to be answered. I waited (1 and a half hours on one occasion, 2 hours 15 mins for the next). On one occasion, the call back service was actually operational, the call back service btw takes ages too. Literally waited 5 hours for a call back last week. Same time chat was answered faster but the agent had no idea. When I got through the agent over the phone resolved the matter whilst I was concurrently still using chat to explain...

When I asked to speak to a Manager, to voice my concern over wait times, I was put on hold again for 15 minutes and then was told by the same surly agent, 'there's no one available, you'll be on hold for a long time!'

Interesting, in the same 2 week period, I called 3 other airlines over my existing bookings (EK, SQ and CI). Each time, I am waiting just a few minutes to speak to an agent. Must say, the CI agent was by far the most empathetic and professional out of all 4 airlines.

Basically, IMHO, QF as a business, over promises and under delivers way too often, but no one in QF seems to really care any more. They are way, way, too busy. They appear under resourced at the sharp end, inadequately trained or sufficiently motivated to give a damn. If it's possible, I actually avoid them these days.

 

[Tropic]

But to be fair I did end up with my request being resolved eventually. Just need to keep contacting them.

 

[N860CR]

I’m amazed Qantas gets away with these hours long wait times!

I called SQ recently to book an award seat over the phone. Less than 10 minutes and it was ticketed!

 

[exceladdict]

Last week I sent through a friendly but deliberate complaint about the call centre and SMS wait times. I can't fathom how a company thinks it's ok for customers to wait so long - especially when so many of their operators are overseas and presumably on a lower cost base.

But I feel like without a huge volume of this type of complaint actually getting through to someone with decision making power, nothing will happen.

 

[Tropic]

QF just don't care and will only do something to address these and its other customer service failings if/when it starts to affect revenue/yields

 

[Tropic]

Yet is surprisingly expeditious in responding to any virtue signalling opportunity... QF loyalty is really OW loyality once one has secured LTG.