So I have some updates……
2 weeks after successfully returning to Australia, on EK operated, QF codeshares, I see a single ‘transaction’ in my activity statement cancelling 11,000 odd points for one of the 3 codeshare flights on this itinerary. However, I know from the points balance, that more points have been deducted/cancelled, despite no relevant transaction in the activity statement. Send off an email to FF service centre and Customer Care. No response. Submit an online missing points claim and the points are recredited.
Today I receive another email from my best buddy, Mr Fleming, again, via Customer Care, advising that since I ‘disregarded’ the conditions of the 2017 ban (that I never received and didn’t know about) they’re extending the ban by two years. There was a reminder about what I can and can’t do (no Qf/jq flights, no codeshares bla bla bla) and then this little snippet about suspending my FF account and that I’m not allowed to earn or redeem any points. And then the kicker. They deducted 1,085,079 points as a ‘points adjustment due to irregular activity’.
Despite no detailed advice regarding what they were doing or going to do, it appears as though they have gone back and cancelled all the points earned since 2017. And for the record, the vast majority was via credit cards and other legitimate means other than flights.
There are some provisions in the T&C’s for them to do this, but they are quite limited in scope and particularly, only apply to ‘Qantas loyalty’ which is its own separate legal entity. There are specific terms regarding notifying a member of action they intend to take and why, and giving the member 14 days to respond. Once again, this MUST come from Qantas Loyalty and not Qantas, customer care, or corporate security and they just provide specific information regarding what they intend to do and why. This has not been done and they are therefore in beach of their own terms and conditions.
I have emailed customer care and the FF service centre advising them of this and given them 2 weeks to reinstate my illegally deducted points, that they have not provided any explanation, justification or have any authority to deduct, not to mention the fact they accepted payment for those points from the various companies that issued them to me.
I don’t see this being resolved within the next two weeks, if at all. All I see is Qf Digging their heels in even further and deeper until they try to close my account entirely. Needless to say, I will not accept this lying down and the next port of call is to get lawyers involved and hold these scoundrels to account!
The only comfort I take out of this is the fact that so many more people are now experiencing the despicable behaviour and treatment I received all those years ago. It just reinforces the fact that we can’t all be wrong and that qantas isn’t meeting the expectations it sets for itself and how it treats its customers. I was done with them 5 or so years ago, and I’ll remain done with them for the next 50!