TeamStorm

This is where the fact that 'your call may be recoreded for training and quality purpose' comes into it's own - and this is something I have done (with BA) in the past.

Call up and ask to speak to a supervisor.

Explain to them in as basic, dispassionate terms as you can what has happenned. I usually write myself three or four short bullets that communicates what has happenned.

Then request that they identify from your PNR at what time you called, and they pull the call recording - I've had them do this before in a matter of hours with no complaint, and any call center solution worth it's salt will enable them to do this.

They can then take a view on

1) Should the agent have asked further questions to determine the elegibility of the upgrade
2) Did the passenger ask appropriate questions in good faith resulting in misleading advice

It sounds to me like the OP asked questions in good faith, and the agent responded in good faith.

In that situation (very similar to one I've had before) I'm sure that having reviewed the context, BA will be happy to resolve. But banter and conjecture on here won't solve anything.

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.com

ColdWalker

@FrancisA. I understand what you are saying - most FTers would. However the agent cannot assume the person they are talking to understands the subtlety and intracies of buckets and fare rules. In my working life I have lots of people ask me questions where they don't understand the implications of what they are asking, and it is part of my job to question and tease out exactly what they really mean to ask! In this case the OP is a newby to FT so may well not understand all the subtleties, but that is not their fault and nor is it relevant. He asked if he could do something to his fare, the agent had the chance to look at his (assuming OP is a dude) booking and confirm with him exactly what he meant, and confirmed he could. Based on that advice he parted with his money.

What the OP wanted to do was never possible in fact. But he has explained pretty exactly how it happened & I think he has a good cause for complaint, although not to get the MFU but to get his upgrade money back. As it happens I think he was also misadvised about the ability to PUG on the phone too, but ISTBC. But I think he needs to get the complaint in ASAP as if he flies WT+ then I don't believe a refund would be appropriate - he has taken the goods so must pay for them.

OP - contact Nicky.

Jenbel

ColdWalker, that seems a pretty fair summation of the situation to me ^

henry999

Looking at the OP, hasn't he done this already?!?

How could they have 'confirmed' that the agent had given him 'false information' other than by listening to the tape?

Post Scriptum

Thanks for the supporting comments, I was unable to call the customer service on Friday but I'll try again on Monday and see whether they have any good solution for this. Refund is probably out of question and it wasn't that much of money that it is a problem. I actually could settle for WP+ but what I'm pissed is the false information and then the useless (and not even free, only the "local" EC service numbers are free to call) call to UK offices.
What would actually make me a pleased customer would be 10 extra TP's as a good will gesture, it would then benefit me and gf for the travel back (as I would be going to silver level after that) and essentially would then somewhat compensating the money spent, whether that is possible, dunno.

HIDDY

You don't seem to be in much of a rush to get this sorted out.

As for getting tier points as compensation.....I would think that would be very unlikely. In this thread you said you'd be Silver this month....what happened?

starlight

I have flown with BA all my life and been a member of the EC more or less since it started. Ok, I am lucky enough to fly in the highest cabin so never get offered an upgrade but I would (despite being on FT!) have any idea what a 'proactive UG' was compared with any other upgrade offer.

It never ceases to amaze me how a number of members instantly jump to BA's defence instead of thinking how a customer in any other commercial environment would be treated.

It seems to me the telephone call to the EC centre was very clear and the FTer was told they could upgrade. I would take that at face value and be very upset if I found out I could not. I simply do not accept the repeated argument on this site that the rules are complex and different agents have differing levels of knowledge: that's BA's problem, not the customer's. If a member of BA's staff has promised the customer something incorrectly and the customer has acted on that information, tough, BA need to stand by it, learn from it and get on with some training or employ simpler operating systems.

globalste

The agent should have been aware as it could not be done over the phone but on the internet only (as mentioned by the OPs other post). Pro-active upgrade to me is on-line or at-desk only, I could be wrong, but that is how I interpret it.

It does sound like the agent got things mixed up slightly.

I never actually realised that a double-upgrade was possible, I thought that one could only upgrade a single class.

LeisureFirst

I don't think the period of time is that short. The one time BA retrieved a recording of a call where I made a booking, it was about a month after the call was made, and it took them less than five minutes to track down the call, listen to the recording, and call me back.

papabear

I can't help my self thinking on this is a historic perspective. Before internet booking and e-tickets became the prevalent way of booking air tickets, we usually relied on an travel agent independent to the airline to book, pay for and change our tickets. Although the travel agents had incentives and paybacks from the airline, they would mostly rely on good customer service of 1) knowing the rules of airlines, 2) understanding the customer and 3) provide the tickets the customer wants in compliance with airlines terms of condition.

Then the internet came and credit cards became widely accessible for most if not all of the travelers and airlines saw the potential of getting rid of the travel agents. The customers were mostly happy too, the got access to fairly easy to use booking processes and the ability to research, compare and make decisions at their own leisure.

Now the airline is putting cheap labour in the front lines, doing the job the travel agent used to do. Given that we mostly call the call centers to sort out more complex issues the airlines should put sufficient measures in place to handle issues of misunderstanding and customers acting on false and incorrect awnsers.

Taking the OP's account in this instance on his word (and there seem to be no reason not to) this is poor customer service and a terrible customer experience. The OP request should have been dealt with when he first called back to sort out the issue. If (and I stress: if) the OP was told something differently than what has been relyed here, it would still be the airlines responsibility (within reasonable measures) to respond to issues that has been addressed by customer complaints.

As henky correctly says, 99% of the customers are not aware of the intricacys of fare buckets or would understand the complete terms of conditions and fare rules.

If a travel agency performed poorly, they could increase company competence, or eventually loose the custom.

If the airlines wants to play travel agents, they should behave like one, and take responsibility for the action caused by their front line staff.

This if of course not the fault of the front line staff, the company is responsible for the training, competence and actions of their employees.

Post Scriptum

Well, I'd be in a hurry but as I mentioned, Friday was a national holiday and there was this minor storm back here on boxing day which caused quite many trees to fall in the forests-> slave labor on parent's summer cottage for the whole 6th of Jan with not really proper time to start calling for custom services.

And the case in question is the same trip (but the upgrade in question here is the LH flight ex-LHR/to LHR whereas in the other thread the discussion was on SH-flights HEL-LHR-HEL), this is "that" month

Hubbabridge

You know that most days at work I would not have anytime to be calling the BAEC customer service line to be discussing anything, never mind the inevitably lengthy discussion this would entail. The OP is cross, it is not consuming his life. He feels that BA has misled him so let him have his say without the unsubtle innuendos. I hope that BA listen to what is said and come to a reasonable decision whatever that might be.

HIDDY

At least they have admitted to making a mistake so you'll get the money returned if you don't want to fly in WT+.

ColdWalker

....and sending a PM to Nicky isn't a huge time commitment. I'm sure she would deal with your concerns very quickly, as she would for any silver

Post Scriptum

Okay, a minor update.

I filed the complaint on Monday and the called BA customer service on Wed and explained the situation, they said they couldn't do anything, not even change the booking class so that I could use my avios to MFU. Nothing could be done, that was their answer, even after the agent confirmed it with his supervisor.
So, in my mind I settled with the fact that I spent some money and essentially will get better seats etc. for a long flight.

Well, at the BP check at T5 happy surprise waited, me and my gf were upgraded to Club (upgrade authorized by SS was printed in the new BP..I doubt the german version...). So obviously upgrade was possible after all, now I just wait whether they took my Avios (no problem for me) or was this a good will gesture. Nevertheless, well played by BA, though maybe the surprise-upgrade wasn't really the best (a good way definately, I do see the strategy behind this) way to handle the situation, which was at least partly my own fault.

So, thank you BA.