jimbo99

Request
TPE - LHR 11JAN2012
03JAN in person at Vietnam/Hanoi office.
Request reservation Q Elite at same time as upgrade to Premium Laurel.
Diamond status.

Outcome
Both were waitlisted. Q Elite cleared within a few minutes. Upgrade cleared 2 hours later and they phoned me. Flight was full in all classes according to website, though later availability showed in PL.

Request
SGN - TPE 10JAN2012
04JAN in person at Vietnam/Hanoi office.
Request Q Elite upgrade to Premium Laurel.
Diamond status.

Outcome
Upgrade cleared about 1 hour later and they phoned me.

Note: I returned to have the ticket issued for both. Hanoi had already deducted mileage for the TPELHR upgrade. I thought it strange that they had done this despite the ticket not being issued or paid for. I wanted to use a Diamond voucher to upgrade. They insisted this was not possible without cancelling the ticket and probably losing it. I said that in that case they should have phoned me first to check how I wanted to upgrade first. Moreover in the past it has been no problem to hold an upgrade reservation a short while and didn't see why that had to immediately deduct the miles. I said that if they couldn't fix it, I'd ask Taiwan to sort it. I suggested that I pop out for a cup of tea to give them a chance to investigate. An hour later they had it fixed. Certainly London have credited back mileage and taken a voucher without cancelling.

The Hanoi office is friendly and very small. But they do struggle and have a tendency to give out bad information. Allow plenty of time when you deal with them. They will get there in there in the end and everyone is happy. Deal with SGN if you can. The woman who is usually on the Silver/Gold/Diamond/Business desk there is very experienced and knows the ropes.