And how do you think people got the Avios?

Seriously, if this is your perception of customer service then it is easy to see why we get regular threads about inconsistency in F. Unless of course you are one of those who miraculously gets perfection on every flight 😉

Yes I think the comments you refer to revolved around the fact that the all-new CW hard product will - according to Alex C - prove to be so strong that significant improvements in the First Class proposition will soon follow, specifically to create a suitably clear distinction between the two cabins (even though F capacity on BA overall is set to diminish over time, as has been happening with most other high volume carriers). Hopefully, Alex is right on both counts.

Meanwhile it is this sheer inconsistency in service standards which continues to baffle a good number of BA travellers, and the fact that such variations can be so dramatic within the same product and organisation. Even though many of us are now used to it, an element of surprise remains. It is akin to, say, shopping at Waitrose one day and finding the staff to be highly efficient and courteous ; and then, the following day at the same (or perhaps different) branch, staff turn out to be casual, disinterested, and unhelpful (not that I have ever known any cases of the latter in Waitrose)

The OP’s report has prompted a range of views / experiences from F flyers : some very positive views, but many not .... some very good experiences, but some far from good. This is the fundamental, almost inescapable, issue that crops up time after time : inconsistency in onboard standards.

When a thread continues over several days as this one has, it can be worth taking a step back to remind ourselves just why the OP had reason to feel let down by the airline. In this particular case, we’re not talking about trivial gripes to be casually dismissed - but clear-cut failures directly impacting on the overall inflight experience including :
“sloppy and inattentive” service ; call bells unanswered whilst CC are stood around doing nothing ; and an unwelcome sense of being “rudely interrogated” rather than addressed with a modicum of courtesy, by name.
All this in First, remember.

During his WTM speech back in November 2017, Cruz himself said that they would need to do something “very special” with First in the future. He did not refer to inconsistency, but perhaps that is a tougher nut to crack. I believe the solution lies ultimately in a more rigorous approach to recruitment, coupled with increased investment in training and greater focus on performance measurement. In truth, a reliably first class service for ALL first class passengers is one of the defining characteristics of a premium airline.

BA may be happily filling many of their planes, but suffice to say there is much work to be done by senior management if the sort of experiences reported by the OP (and of course by many others here on FT or elsewhere on the web), are to become much more rare and far less commonplace.

Having worked for a gulf carrier I can certainly attest for what works there to ensure consistent, high end service in First. For example, crew that are solely trained to work in the first cabin. At BA, crew may find themselves working in any cabin on the aircraft on any given day, whereas in the Middle East, crew will work in the first cabin day after day, therefore becoming specialists. There is also a slightly higher pay grade and therefore feeling of prestige and responsibility for the first class crew - another trick missed by BA MF. Training and updates certainly comes into it too, with short, rushed briefings at BA not leaving enough time for service updates and reminders. In the gulf, it was common for crew members to have to list off names of recent wine changes and to recount such details like what scent was being used in the hot towels that month! You may scoff, but such attention to detail has its rewards.

I read an interview with Alex yesterday in which he wrote.
“What we will do in the first phase is choose our best First seat, upgrade it slightly and roll it together with the new Club seat”.

I think together, logistically it makes sense will the aircraft in the hanger to do both.
And on the subject of First, the 1st March will see the introduction of new China, cutlery, glasses and menus.

I might have got this wrong but I’m pretty sure that is what I read, I have looked at random menus for March and they don’t show what I would be expecting to see with the new menus.

This makes a great deal of sense. Attractive pricing and you manage expectations accordingly. A sort of premium version of no frills.

Perhaps it’s the date you have misremembered? Wasn’t this pencilled in for 1st May?