Virgin Australia's Manila call centre closed [expect longer delays]

[Mattg]

Virgin Australia's main call centre in Manila has had to close due to new government self-isolation restrictions in the Philippines. This is going to be a disaster if you need to contact VA urgently.

This notice appears on the Virgin Australia website:

Due to new government restrictions in the Philippines requiring home isolation, one of our call centres is currently unavailable. Please bear with us while our team here in Australia process your enquiry, and please only contact us if your booking is within the next 48 hours. We're doing everything we can to assist you as quickly as possible.

If you have booked through a travel agent please liaise with them directly. If you are not travelling in the next 48 hours, please consider contacting us at another time.

Travel alerts | Virgin Australia

Border restrictions are changing and we are receiving higher than normal call volumes. We also advise guests check the latest Government advice prior to travel.

www.virginaustralia.com

I do wonder if Qantas' MNL call centre is also affected.

 

[ozstamps]

What an ongoing mess rolling out this is.

Wall Street down 3000 points last night.

I can see many airlines globally closing down over COVID-19 issues.

 

[SheikYerbouti]

Sending call centres offshore to save money has really worked out well, huh?

 

[Yipchoi]

Off topic slightly but VA partner related...Europcar call centre which is based in Manila is also closed due to 'lockdown' so would assume Qantas Manila call centre is also affected

 

[Bundy Bear]

Effects calls to Telstra as well.

Wages for Australia are higher than the world average.

 

[mickismick]

VA are really going to have to mobilise to effect these policy changes into their website. I need to change some dates in April, but can't call (due to trip being a month away), and can't change online. As my trip is a redemption trip, I receive this error:

"This booking can only be changed by calling our Guest Contact Centre."

If these changes could be made online, they'd have far fewer people calling their overloaded call centres.

 

[Ktan89]

Saw this from their VA IG account


p.s - i'm waiting on hold with QF.

 

[Max Samuels]

Just heard the same is happening to the Telstra Call Centre in Manila.....
Boy - I bet they wish they'd thought this scenario better through before they decided to offshore everything....

Post automatically merged: Mar 17, 2020

So much for "disaster recovery"

 

[Carrots]

Experiencing the same for some of the insurers who have offshored certain functions.

Amusingly getting emails with notes in them apologising they can't call. Assume this must mean they're working from home remotely but no phone access.

 

[serfty]

Just heard the same is happening to the Telstra Call Centre in Manila.....

... and OPTUS ...

 

[Ktan89]

Happening for TPG too.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

But wouldn't this affect Australian call centres if the same restrictions were imposed here?

 

[fersea]

Just heard the same is happening to the Telstra Call Centre in Manila.....
Boy - I bet they wish they'd thought this scenario better through before they decided to offshore everything....

Post automatically merged: Mar 17, 2020

So much for "disaster recovery"

I reckon that is pretty harsh. I personally hate talking to Manila call centres, but when the decision to offshore was made, I don’t think you could reasonably foresee this.

They would have plans for what to do if something happened to the call centre, but say a building burning down in Manila wouldn’t ordinarily increase call volumes about Australian flights. Similarly one wouldn’t normally associate an issue with the Australian aviation industry as the reason to shut down a call centre in Manila.

In some ways you could argue offshoring is actually a disaster recovery strategy.

One thing though, the airlines do now have a workforce without operational jobs to do. They should be putting a phone in their hand. I know it is not that simple but standing additional call centre capacity is not impossible

 

[Must...Fly!]

No one could have foreseen a pandemic, there's only a reasonable amount you can do.

VA have been calling in anyone who has any experience with SABRE to help. Office staff, cabin crew, airport agents - whoever they can get. There's little more they can do. On the flip side this will help those who will be on reduced flying schedules going forward to perhaps keep some employment.

 

[ja1]

Sending call centres offshore to save money has really worked out well, huh?

Well yes it did actually (ignoring the sarcasm for a minute)

- It reduced costs
- Those call centres aren't on the airlines operating budgets (they are a third party)
- What difference would it make where local call centres may well have similar restrictions..
- It provided employment in a part of the world that was stable/better than factory work conditions/higher paid

 

[SheikYerbouti]

But wouldn't this affect Australian call centres if the same restrictions were imposed here?

Not neccessarily, many Aus call centres have had remote access for years where agents can log in from home or other places and take calls and access systems work seamlessly. Most 3rd world centres can't do this.

Mind you neither can some Aussie places thanks to the clusterfuck of an NBN we have. Thanks Malcolm!

 

[Max Samuels]

One thing though, the airlines do now have a workforce without operational jobs to do. They should be putting a phone in their hand. I know it is not that simple but standing additional call centre capacity is not impossible

100%. Call centers are pretty much all software-based these days - they don't even use "phones" as we know them.
My point was, corporate greed, supported by governments, has seen more and more be offshored.

We can agree to disagree on this point, but I believe that if call centres etc were based here instead of in 3rd world countries who have a very limited and cough health system, and where another government is in control, we would be seeing far fewer closures.

 

[Max Samuels]

Well yes it did actually (ignoring the sarcasm for a minute)

- It reduced costs
- Those call centres aren't on the airlines operating budgets (they are a third party)
- What difference would it make where local call centres may well have similar restrictions..
- It provided employment in a part of the world that was stable/better than factory work conditions/higher paid

All it did was put aussies out of work and line to pockets of the like of AJ... I know it is really really hard to accept, but we have effectively screwed ourselves over... the average aussie bogan not caring where anything is made as long as it is cheap and as long as they can have 10 flatscreen TVs....

Did you know we do not refine our own petrol anymore? There is only 1 refinery left in the country apparently... the smart ones in Canberra allowed that to happen. All our fuel comes form Singapore. Let's hope there is no interruption to supply....

If we survive all of this expect to see a massive swing toward nationalisation. the likes of Trump had it correct - we have become too reliant on places like China and now we KNOW what happens when cough hits the fan.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

All our fuel comes form Singapore.

Australia imports almost all of its oil, and there are pitfalls all over the globe

Australia’s recently announced review of its national fuel stockpiles is timely indeed. The country is almost totally reliant on oil being shipped through some of the world’s most contested regions.

theconversation.com

As of 18 months ago (the date of this article) 53% of Australia’s fuel comes from Singapore.

 

[Max Samuels]

Australia imports almost all of its oil, and there are pitfalls all over the globe

Australia’s recently announced review of its national fuel stockpiles is timely indeed. The country is almost totally reliant on oil being shipped through some of the world’s most contested regions.

theconversation.com

As of 18 months ago (the date of this article) 53% of Australia’s fuel comes from Singapore.

Wow man oh man are we the smart country!! Just think - we were refining fuel and making cars and making clothes etc while Singapore was still a backwater fishing village...