I wanted to share this horrid experience that I had with Qatar airline staff.
My wife and I flew Qatar from IAD to BOM, I am back in the US but my wife needed to postpone her ticket as she is undergoing medical treatment and the doctor had advised her not to travel for a month. I had provided medical certificates to substantiate this to both the US and the India office.
I called up reservations which always takes more than 30 mins and I must add they have a bunch of very rude agents sitting there. I was then transferred to customer service and was told that my ticket is valid only for 3 months which I wasnt aware of and that a change of date would cost me 950$. Nowhere on the ticket or in the terms and conditions did it say that the ticket is valid for 3 months. I was ok with paying for the change in fare of 250$(which was known to me when I bought the ticket) but the 700$ to extend the validity was very unfair and I requested for that to be waived on medical grounds. I was then asked to email the consolidator which I did twice but got no response. I was in a catch 22 situation as CS in the US told me to contact CS in India as the passenger was in India and the CS in India asked me to talk to US office as the ticket was booked here.
I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in Qatar's customer service and the way my request was handled. Having a medical emergency was bad enough but dealing with Qatar was worse.
Worst customer service and policies ever.
First of all, I hope your wife is better.
When buy or purchase your ticket, you should always ask the agent:
1. What is the cancellation policy?
2. How long is the ticket valid for?
3. Can i change the date of my ticket? If so, what are the fees/penalities?
I know you had a hard time with emergency medical circumstances, but it was not QR's fault that they made you pay extra. You get what you paied for. If i bout your same ticket with a higher price, but chose a flexable option, I will have the liberty to change the dates. However, you didnt pick this option. As for rude customer service, I am not sure how they reacted, but i am sure they told you the first time that there is a penalty tarriff for a change of date in a kind way.
Next time, remember what ticket you choose, cause not all tickets are the same.