Aircraft Madness and QF Customer Care Ignorance
Oct 1, 2014, 9:10 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Perth
Programs: QFF WP
Posts: 560
Aircraft Madness and QF Customer Care Ignorance
OK so there may be a little bit of melodramatic but I am hoping more that someone smarter than me can advise exactly what happened here!
So a couple of months back I flew Gladstone - Brisbane - Perth checking in at GLT and getting boarding passes for both legs. Nothing unusual there.
Landing in BNE off QF2301 I went to the J lounge for a beer to await QF597, nothing new there either!
On boarding my boarding pass for seat 23D was scanned and I boarded. Still nothing new....
However when I went the short walk to my seat I realised that my seat did not exist! Aircraft sub saw a Domestic A330 replace the scheduled service.
With J full no chance of an upgrade (fine) so I was offered 26E. A middle seat is not really an option, but a glance around the curtain saw a 130KG mass in the D seat and 2/3 of E so I asked what their next option was!
CSM came back with a new boarding pass and told me they had found seat 55H available so I made my way back only to realise that H much like 23D does not exist.
Take 3 saw 55J and K offered. My third stroll rear revealed every single pair filled and me looking like an unscheduled night in Brisbane and an ensuing unscheduled divorce! Alas 55J was occupied by a cockroach and a bright light in his eye sent him scurrying back to 54E where he belonged.
I asked the CSM how they managed to give me 2 boarding passes for seats that did not exist and she said she honestly could not answer.
So I sent Customer Case an email asking two questions:
1) the above
2) why was I not paged in the lounge or phoned when they knew I would likely be there (as I had checked baggage and a connection)
Automated response of "we will respond in 15 business days" received and I waited 20 days before 18 days ago asking for an update and still hearing nothing.
Is the answer that they don't know, or don't care?
This is not a DYKHIA moment, though I think I would be entitled to have one! More a genuine concern that had the flight been otherwise full I would have been stuck in BNE and fuming, at which point I can assure you I would have had a DYKHIA moment!
The kicker was in the lounge I looked at the loadings and there were 6 J seats left, I tossed up an upgrade but decided given I didn't plan to eat (the fish and coleslaw roles did me) and I had a bulkhead I would hold the 10,000 points.....
At the end of the day given the issue impacted a maximum of 8 people, I would have thought a little effort could have gone into contacting us to ensure that we were a) informed and b) able to select a suitable chair prior to most people checking in and doing the same. After all had I known I would most certainly have been one of the 6 who took ODU's
So given QF clearly couldn't give a toss I was wondering if, as posed above, one of you very astute people can offer an insight into how my predicament occurred?
So a couple of months back I flew Gladstone - Brisbane - Perth checking in at GLT and getting boarding passes for both legs. Nothing unusual there.
Landing in BNE off QF2301 I went to the J lounge for a beer to await QF597, nothing new there either!
On boarding my boarding pass for seat 23D was scanned and I boarded. Still nothing new....
However when I went the short walk to my seat I realised that my seat did not exist! Aircraft sub saw a Domestic A330 replace the scheduled service.
With J full no chance of an upgrade (fine) so I was offered 26E. A middle seat is not really an option, but a glance around the curtain saw a 130KG mass in the D seat and 2/3 of E so I asked what their next option was!
CSM came back with a new boarding pass and told me they had found seat 55H available so I made my way back only to realise that H much like 23D does not exist.
Take 3 saw 55J and K offered. My third stroll rear revealed every single pair filled and me looking like an unscheduled night in Brisbane and an ensuing unscheduled divorce! Alas 55J was occupied by a cockroach and a bright light in his eye sent him scurrying back to 54E where he belonged.
I asked the CSM how they managed to give me 2 boarding passes for seats that did not exist and she said she honestly could not answer.
So I sent Customer Case an email asking two questions:
1) the above
2) why was I not paged in the lounge or phoned when they knew I would likely be there (as I had checked baggage and a connection)
Automated response of "we will respond in 15 business days" received and I waited 20 days before 18 days ago asking for an update and still hearing nothing.
Is the answer that they don't know, or don't care?
This is not a DYKHIA moment, though I think I would be entitled to have one! More a genuine concern that had the flight been otherwise full I would have been stuck in BNE and fuming, at which point I can assure you I would have had a DYKHIA moment!
The kicker was in the lounge I looked at the loadings and there were 6 J seats left, I tossed up an upgrade but decided given I didn't plan to eat (the fish and coleslaw roles did me) and I had a bulkhead I would hold the 10,000 points.....
At the end of the day given the issue impacted a maximum of 8 people, I would have thought a little effort could have gone into contacting us to ensure that we were a) informed and b) able to select a suitable chair prior to most people checking in and doing the same. After all had I known I would most certainly have been one of the 6 who took ODU's
So given QF clearly couldn't give a toss I was wondering if, as posed above, one of you very astute people can offer an insight into how my predicament occurred?
Oct 1, 2014, 10:03 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LON
Programs: QF Plat & LTG, VA Plat
Posts: 1,434
As you have probably seen, lot's of frustration at QF Customer (Don't)Care response times over on AFF. I am wondering if the team has been massively downsized or offshored. They used to be quite good and now don't even respond to Plats.
Oct 1, 2014, 11:16 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Perth
Programs: QFF WP
Posts: 560
Personally unlike others I don't want any "compensation" from them, I want an explanation as to how on two occasions I was allocated non existent seats!
The CSM and Pilot himself both paid great (and given where I was sitting) unnecessary and embarrassing attention to me in flight, however they couldn't explain it. They mentioned that I was fairly calm, I assured them I was only calm because I was on the plane!
It comes back to their over promise and under deliver attitude though, if you are not going to respond in 15 days don't say you will. I couldn't care if I was a NB, if I have taken the time to write and ticked the "please respond" box it isn't unreasonable to expect a response!
Oct 1, 2014, 11:27 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: used to be PER, now it's nowhere/eveywhere
Programs: QFF NB, AA GLD
Posts: 3,464
Agree.
Personally unlike others I don't want any "compensation" from them, I want an explanation as to how on two occasions I was allocated non existent seats!
The CSM and Pilot himself both paid great (and given where I was sitting) unnecessary and embarrassing attention to me in flight, however they couldn't explain it. They mentioned that I was fairly calm, I assured them I was only calm because I was on the plane!
It comes back to their over promise and under deliver attitude though, if you are not going to respond in 15 days don't say you will. I couldn't care if I was a NB, if I have taken the time to write and ticked the "please respond" box it isn't unreasonable to expect a response!
Personally unlike others I don't want any "compensation" from them, I want an explanation as to how on two occasions I was allocated non existent seats!
The CSM and Pilot himself both paid great (and given where I was sitting) unnecessary and embarrassing attention to me in flight, however they couldn't explain it. They mentioned that I was fairly calm, I assured them I was only calm because I was on the plane!
It comes back to their over promise and under deliver attitude though, if you are not going to respond in 15 days don't say you will. I couldn't care if I was a NB, if I have taken the time to write and ticked the "please respond" box it isn't unreasonable to expect a response!
Oct 1, 2014, 11:30 pm
#7
Moderator: Asiana & Qantas Frequent Flyer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: STR/SYD/SMF
Programs: QF Lifetime SG, LH HON, OZ Lifetime Diamond +, HH Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 14,368
Or send a message to Red Roo here on FT who should respond within a decent time frame.
Oct 7, 2014, 11:36 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Perth
Programs: QFF WP
Posts: 560
Update....
After 3 prods to Customer Don't Care I received an email today.
The email states that a "last minute" aircraft sub meant my seat didn't exist, and I was issued a new boarding pass, and thanked me for my patience and ongoing support.
Did not answer how I was able to board with a boarding pass for a non existent chair.
Did not answer how I was allocated another non existent chair.
Did not answer why I was not contacted when the aircraft was subbed.
All they did was confirm exactly what I told them happening without offering any insight as to why or how.
I feel so valued
The email states that a "last minute" aircraft sub meant my seat didn't exist, and I was issued a new boarding pass, and thanked me for my patience and ongoing support.
Did not answer how I was able to board with a boarding pass for a non existent chair.
Did not answer how I was allocated another non existent chair.
Did not answer why I was not contacted when the aircraft was subbed.
All they did was confirm exactly what I told them happening without offering any insight as to why or how.
I feel so valued