Hi SQ Ftkers
I myself an LH SEN (*A) just experience a problem of a huge dimension with SQ CUstomer service they are useless. Please tell me if the below is normal.

I had an LH ticket from Paris to HKG arriving there 15.50. As I did not know what to do in HKG for a week (had to postpone the flight due to my moms cancer diagnose in Oktober and could not cut it short, since 6 day min)

so I booked an SQ ticket HKG-SIN-SYD v.v. leaving HKG at 20.30, and then 5.30 h layover in SIN and onwards 7 am to SYD. Thus leaving me plenty of time and covered by insurances in case of failure of LH (More than 3h in HKG, so covered)

Then:
SQ for Business Reasons cut the 20.30 flight and put me on the 18.30 leaving me less than 3 hours, thus in case of default leaving me no insurance cover and I would have needed to probably pump more money up SQs but to put me on the flight a day later and loosing me the hotel money.

So I gave SQ (from my point of view) 3 very feasible options:

- Either Put me on the 20.30 United (since they are in*A)
- Or give me a letter of indemnity (general use at LH, Basically a document saying in case Mr. Kiez would miss the 18.30, but could have made it onto the 20.30 SQ would be liable for hotel cost in HKG (as there is no flight after 18.30) and in SYD (Since the new connection would have made me miss my hotel night in SYD) and bear the rebooking cost and responsibility)
- Talk to LH to put me on the earlier FRA-HKG flight


SQ denied all of those and only offered me:

1 Take the flight a day after (no compensation for HKG and SYD Hotel cost) - NO Option for me
2 We can do all that is within SQ route network

After we had a few ZIGZAGS on the telephone and LH even offering them to change the booking if they pay the 50€ fee, SQ still stuck only to their options.

SO I made the following deal with them:


The "mediated solution"
- I will pay LH to get on FRA (earlier flight) and SQ will in return guarantee me to be accepted on any new flight combination on the booked routing. I even got an e-mail from them saying this.

So I did and agreed with [supervisor X] in FRA to contact them in 2 weeks, as I had exams and could not concentrate on the matter for 2 consecutive weeks.

So NOW:

On Tuesday I called them in order to reduce the connection time in SIN wanted to be put on the 00.30 on 28feb to SYD.
Disregarding the E-Mail saying that I was guaranteed a seat on any flight they said they could only put me on waitlist, although I could still book the 00.30 in M-Class in the Internet.I agreed if it would clear within a day.

Now 2 days later they still say they cannot do anything.

My problem is that I want to fly onwards to AKL and if possible on Saturday. If I book it now it would cost me only 110€, but I guess by the time that wl clears (although I still find m-class on the internet) it will be a lot higher.

The other Problem that I will now have to wait 2.5 hrs longer in SIN will also not be solved by them. I asked them if in compensation:

- A) I could be put in a hotel (as they caused the much longe waiting time)
- B) They would offer me any other place to lie down.

No to all again

The point:

I really become mad now.
So far SQ has done nothing since they caused these problems. They deny everything, show no initiative to offer solutions by themselves (except - if you pay us another 7000HKD we will put you in a higher fare class and - solved WHAT A RIP OFF CONSIDERING THEY CAUSED IT)

Is this normal? Is there no initiative to be shown to a young customer hence destroying future contribution margin by me!

I can only say on LH, LX, EK and others rebooking and solution of hassle due to cancelled flights takes minutes and not weeks. I guess by the whole customer contact and telephone cost SQ already lost more money than they earn on me. So they would have been a lot better off finding a sufficient solution in the first place.