When things go wrong...

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JessicaTam

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I had a potentially very inconvenient experience on my return from KUL on Monday that QF responded to with aplomb.

Part 1

I had booked my return MEL-KUL flight with .br late last year for the HKG lounge run. The itinerary was MEL-SIN(QF)-KUL(3K)/KUL-SIN(3K)-SYD(QF)-MEL(QF) with the 3K flights being QF codeshares on 3K metal. My flight KUL-SIN was due to leave at 1740 so I arrived at KUL at 1500 for check in. by 1600 and no sign of check-in staff I talked to the airport service desk to ask if they knew anything. They could not see my flight on their records at all. :shock:

I used Skype to ring the QF premium desk and spoke to Lorraine. She could also see that flight did not exist, and added it had been cancelled in February and I had been advised at the time that I was now on the 1420 flight. :confused: I double checked my emails from around then and only saw one from .br about another flight - so I had had no notification. I had also been keeping an eye on MMB in an attempt to select seats at T-80 and later. I had also checked the day before in an effort to check in online (which was not possible). MMB showed 1740 as the departure time on each occasion.

When speaking to Lorraine I looked at MMB again and saw the new flight time, for the first time. And I had therefore missed my flight. :evil:

Now remember, this is not a QF flight, nor was it booked through the QF website.

I was ready to buy a cash SilkAir flight to catch up with my itinerary, as long as QF would let me check-in in SIN.

Lorraine spent quite some time talking to her supervisor who managed to put me on the next MH flight KUL-SIN, and subsequently moving me from QF82 to QF6 as I would not arrive in time. They also changed my SYD-MEL flight accordingly.

I was fearing the worst when it came to the Ms Chisset* question and was told there would be an $80 change fee. I have not whipped out my credit card so quickly before - ever! I was extremely grateful, considering that QF would have been within their rights to say "Sorry, that is not our problem".

Thank you QF for helping me recover from a .br stuff-up (by .br not notifying me)

Part 2

I enjoyed my MH flight and then spent a few hours in SIN waiting for QF6 to board. As I boarded, the CSM (Troy) recognised my name on my BP and drew me aside for a chat. He had seen that my profile indicated AVML and no meal had been loaded for me. He had also seen that I had had a few catering failures recently and was not going to let that happen on his watch. I explained that it was a late flight change and I was not expecting a meal to be loaded, so he need not worry.

Little did I know he had already been on the phone to SIN catering ordering a meal, and not taking 'no' for an answer. Apparently SIN catering were quite persistent with their 'nos', but Troy stood his ground. This was an hour before take off, mind you.

I settled into my seat (centre row of 4;)), but was soon told that I was welcome to a more comfortable seat. I thanked him and explained that I was happy with my row of 4, as an exit row or PE seat couldn't lift the armrest. I was advised that the CSM was suggesting a seat in J :D. I graciously accepted and moved just before the door was closed. Troy explained it was the least he could do for the previous failures. We were in fact a little late departing as the captain explained we were "waiting for some catering to be finished loading". :rolleyes:

Suffice to say I had my AVML served on china with a nice sauv/blanc sitting in J.

Thank you QF for employing CSMs with the enthusiasm for providing the best in customer service, such as Troy.


It is situations like this and the recovery that occurs that is the reason I fly QF.

I will be sending a letter to QF with a little more detail so the staff members can be identified and suitably recognised.

*Emma Chisset - geddit?
 
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It's is so nice to hear individual staff making a difference despite the overall issues many of them face on a company wide basis, well done to those concerned.
 
It is good to hear such things still happen with good staff, although I fear some are becoming jaded for good reason. (listening Red Roo)

Just yesterday I was on a dinner flight Sydney to Adelaide and when one of the crew discovered my seat was broken in Y bought down a decent bottle of white from the front.

All thoughts of my broken seat gone I enjoyed the trip. :D

Matt
 
I was advised that the CSM was suggesting a seat in J :D. I graciously accepted and moved just before the door was closed. Troy explained it was the least he could do for the previous failures.

Yes that was very gracious of you :p. "Service recovery" upgrades seem to have been common amongst the lounge crawlers :p
 
Thanks Jessica, for this story. I think it highlights that QF can get it right. My own experience is that their level of professionalism and ability to "make it right" is better than most others

In the last couple of months I've flown. NZ, VA, EK and JQNZ. They ere all fine but QF just gave a little bit more confidence.

It's not something id be concerned about as a casual flyer but when you're flying a lot for work, reliability matters.

Cheers
 
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Yes that was very gracious of you :p. "Service recovery" upgrades seem to have been common amongst the lounge crawlers :p

Wasn't there 1 service recovery upgrade, followed by a number of DYKWIA upgrades? :p

Oops forgot the final DYKWHI upgrade.
 
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I too had a booking malfunction rectified by QF staff in the BNE lounge... The malfunction was completely my fault and yet she was still able to get me home! It's these little things that keep me loyal.
 
I saw a mention of this in the other thread, good to know what happened. Certainly individual staff make all the difference. I was quite surprised at all the free upgrades on the weekend. It is a good thing, particularly when it is service recovery. My experiences with reservations in the last week have unfortunately been quite the opposite to the extent I nearly 'blackmailed' before flying on Sunday, through absolutely no fault of my own. I felt no desire to fight it at the time but worry it will be the third airline this year I will need to pursue all the way..
 
Very heartening story, JessicaTam. It's incidents like this that are resolved so well that remind me why I fly Qantas... just wish it happened more often (i.e. not that I have had that many kinds of problems at all whilst flying Qantas, but when they do happen to anyone else I wish they were similarly handled by staff who are obviously empowered to do the right thing).

As I boarded, the CSM (Troy) recognised my name on my BP and drew me aside for a chat. He had seen that my profile indicated AVML and no meal had been loaded for me. He had also seen that I had had a few catering failures recently and was not going to let that happen on his watch. I explained that it was a late flight change and I was not expecting a meal to be loaded, so he need not worry.

Little did I know he had already been on the phone to SIN catering ordering a meal, and not taking 'no' for an answer. Apparently SIN catering were quite persistent with their 'nos', but Troy stood his ground. This was an hour before take off, mind you.

I settled into my seat (centre row of 4;)), but was soon told that I was welcome to a more comfortable seat. I thanked him and explained that I was happy with my row of 4, as an exit row or PE seat couldn't lift the armrest. I was advised that the CSM was suggesting a seat in J :D. I graciously accepted and moved just before the door was closed. Troy explained it was the least he could do for the previous failures. We were in fact a little late departing as the captain explained we were "waiting for some catering to be finished loading". :rolleyes:

Suffice to say I had my AVML served on china with a nice sauv/blanc sitting in J.

Thank you QF for employing CSMs with the enthusiasm for providing the best in customer service, such as Troy.

Just out of pure curiosity, what was the AVML meal that was served to you? Delicious?

Hats off to Troy - whoever caters QF in SIN (I assume SATS), you would be quite right in presuming that they would be insistent in saying "get stuffed" (pun intended), especially for a special meal. Sometimes the Singaporeans are rather subservient (wrong word) in these recovery regards, but other times they are quite stubbornly firm yet eloquent (again, wrong word). Unless your company is Singapore Airlines or you know the catering company's boss personally. My definition of a "good" recovery in this situation would have been Troy trying to pull together elements from a J meal to make an AVML on the spot! So, he did very well.

I'm not sure about being tempted to tell the company about Troy upgrading you on board. From what I have heard, QF nominally audit all upgrades (which explains why people just can't finagle an upgrade on the ground these days), so not sure if this gesture may get Troy into small trouble or not, though in Troy's defence (and if I were him), I would justify it on the grounds of service recovery.
 
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This is what QF should be like and did have a reputation for.

I'm suprised you got help with the 3K flights on your ticket. Had an issue with QF/EK codeshare and both blamed each other/endless back-forward. I gave the transit in SIN thing a go, rather than domestic to SYD and direct from there. Mistake. The whole 3K thing sucks, generally don't even earn points with QF flight number, QF can't issue BPs or select seats etc etc.
 
This is what QF should be like and did have a reputation for.

I'm suprised you got help with the 3K flights on your ticket. Had an issue with QF/EK codeshare and both blamed each other/endless back-forward. I gave the transit in SIN thing a go, rather than domestic to SYD and direct from there. Mistake. The whole 3K thing sucks, generally don't even earn points with QF flight number, QF can't issue BPs or select seats etc etc.
I was pleasantly surprised with the assistance I received. The fact the flight was a QF codeshare was the only link I had to QF. And I thought a tenuous one at that. As I said above, I would have been happy if QF had just held the itinerary open for me to check in when I made my way to SIN.

Very heartening story, JessicaTam. It's incidents like this that are resolved so well that remind me why I fly Qantas... just wish it happened more often (i.e. not that I have had that many kinds of problems at all whilst flying Qantas, but when they do happen to anyone else I wish they were similarly handled by staff who are obviously empowered to do the right thing).



Just out of pure curiosity, what was the AVML meal that was served to you? Delicious?
It was the same standard Y AVML meal. But I wasn't complaining considering the effort that had gone into getting it. I told Troy after eating that having it served in J on china made it slightly interesting, to which he replied that he had never seen a slightly interesting AVML. :D

Hats off to Troy - whoever caters QF in SIN (I assume SATS), you would be quite right in presuming that they would be insistent in saying "get stuffed" (pun intended), especially for a special meal. Sometimes the Singaporeans are rather subservient (wrong word) in these recovery regards, but other times they are quite stubbornly firm yet eloquent (again, wrong word). Unless your company is Singapore Airlines or you know the catering company's boss personally. My definition of a "good" recovery in this situation would have been Troy trying to pull together elements from a J meal to make an AVML on the spot! So, he did very well.

I'm not sure about being tempted to tell the company about Troy upgrading you on board. From what I have heard, QF nominally audit all upgrades (which explains why people just can't finagle an upgrade on the ground these days), so not sure if this gesture may get Troy into small trouble or not, though in Troy's defence (and if I were him), I would justify it on the grounds of service recovery.
I believe this was a clear use of the CSM's discretion, and in writing to QF I will explain the circumstances. There have been a number of instances when AFFers have received op-ups on board and Red Roo could quite easily work out which flights they occurred on. I have never heard of any repercussions.
 
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