What's your Qantas Chat experience?

[angella44]

When Qantas SMS Chat first started I felt it was a reasonable alternative to waiting on the the phone to get service from a company.

Lately in the last three interactions (since early April) the response times have gone way beyond reasonable with some questions being resolved over three days, or dare I say not resolved after three days. I think it has just been used as a ploy to get people off the phone service.

Is there even adequate resourcing of the chat service because I've tried to be a good user and still it frustrates me. For instance, QF chat agent might take 3-4 hours to reply and then if I don't reply say within 30 minutes my case gets closed, i get a survey and good bye.

I think going to a chat option is good provided you get the attention of a chat agent.. For instance, i remember contacting Amaysim chat and being 88th in the queue. I just left that chat window open on my second screen, carried on working and eventually got to the front of the queue and problem resolved. It seems with Qantas Chat a reply message in an ongoing conversation gets treated the same as a new message.

There seems to be a mismatch with the Qantas expectation and a customer expectation.

Am I being unreasonable? what's your experience?

Alby

Chat has been bugging me when I don't need it, but unavailable when I ask for it.

 

[p--and--t]

I was confused at first a what was being addressed in this thread.

Seems respondents are interspersing two different services. I know of and have used the Online Chat Function (browser related) . It seems there is also a separate SMS function (phone related)??

I have used the chat function in the last couple of days. Took about 30-45 seconds for an agent to join the conversation. I started to feel despondent when he asked me for the same information twice. It was obvious from the responses the agent was not a native English speaker. However the issue was resolved in less than a minute after all the information was collected.

In all, I was happy with the service.

(BTW: The request was - I have two separate BA PNRs for our trip in a few weeks for the two of us on a multi-sector Europe/Asia holiday across 3 airlines metal that I want linked so we get seated together. However, when I contacted BA they told me they can't help!!!! - "call QF because the the first sector is code share on QF metal".)

 

[albatross710]

Seems respondents are interspersing two different services. I know of and have used the Online Chat Function (browser related) . It seems there is also a separate SMS function (phone related)??

My original intention with this thread was the SMS chat experience.

 

[bPeteb]

Now there's three ways to chat - the random pop-up, SMS and now app chat. I tried app chat this week.

We're off to SFO in a few weeks and I'm always looking at what seats are available. I used 'normal' chat last year to get my partner and I seated up in the bubble. Last year I could see and select seats for me as WP but couldn't move my silver points booked partner. It took a while, but eventually it was sorted and we were sat together upstairs.

On Monday I was looking (again) and noticed exit rows (14) were showing available in both directions. I could see them but when I used the app chat I was told the seats I could clearly see as available, and that I could select, were already allocated. What the?

Anyways, I got to work and tried again. New person picked it up. Explained that I could see and select the seats. Wondered if the issue was our two separate bookings (I booked and used my points for partner, rev fare for me). Two minutes later, seat move completed.

I'm going to go with the app chat from now on. The only issue is no record of chat is sent. Going to have to remember to screen shot as I progress through the chat.

 

[ajd]

Tried app chat to ask about some partner award availability - sent a question, got a reply saying they'll search and get back to me, 24 hours later no reply, I ping them asking where things are at... and someone completely different replies "How can I help you?" since it seems they can't see past chats or something.

I explain that I'm trying to continue a past chat, then get a 3rd person replying "Please supply your booking details" at which point I give up.

Sigh. It's a great idea in theory.

 

[mrsterryn]

Waiting on a response from a live agent as opposed to a bot and now well over two hours waiting.
I thought it would be a simple method to ask my question there.
Think much easier to go via the FF line and decline , as others above have done , the SMS service

 

[mrsterryn]

And I had a response within mins of the above post lol

 

[dnmn8r]

4 hours between responses on their facebook chat. 90 minutes on hold on the phone. Hardly a positive customer experience.

 

[TeaKozy]

Spent an hour trying to make a change to the flight that couldn't be done online, only to be told an assistance fee would apply. Called up, resolved in 10 minutes with the assistance fee waived. Not bothering again.

 

[sxc]

Trying the web chat link and you get this on the web page:

Our WebChat service is available 7am-7pm (AEST), seven days a week.
If you're getting in touch during these hours, the WebChat pop up will appear once an agent is available.

Does it ever pop up? Seems strange that you kind of get this web page, and you have no idea if something will happen?

 

[BAM1748]

Waste of time, when I did get 'chatting' they couldn't answer the question. haven't bothered since.

 

[Pushka]

Waste of time, when I did get 'chatting' they couldn't answer the question. haven't bothered since.

Mine just went awol mid convo. Useless. No accountability.

 

[VPS]

Trying the web chat link and you get this on the web page:

Our WebChat service is available 7am-7pm (AEST), seven days a week.
If you're getting in touch during these hours, the WebChat pop up will appear once an agent is available.

Does it ever pop up? Seems strange that you kind of get this web page, and you have no idea if something will happen?

rarely and usually when you don't want it

 

[marki]

My SMS experience has been mixed. I found that they have trigger themes that are not always in my interest. Like "would you like to pay for that now with a CC". The price might not be what I want or the matter has not been finalised to my liking. They act in the companies (Qantas)interest, not mine. This means interrupting the theme and going back to the problem that needs solving at the lowest price possible. Which brings me to the issue of being able to use the Qantas website. I used to be able to manage to change flights with a flex fare. Now, this has become too hard. Or the quote can be ridiculously expensive.