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Possible to short cut listening to the recorded messages

Possible to short cut listening to the recorded messages

Old Aug 26, 2021, 5:23 am
  #1  
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Shoreham By Sea
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,301
Possible to short cut listening to the recorded messages

Like many, I've having to make way more calls to the gold line than in usual. Depending on whether it's a reward, cash or holiday booking means different numbers need to be pressed. I notice you can't push the numbers in advance of listening to the same blurb I've listened to literally hundreds of times over the past year. Any tips to avoid to 2m 30 second wait to get in the queue?

Also, for those who didn't know. When it asks if you have used Avios, say no, even if you have used Avios as part payment of a cash fare, or the agent won't be able to help!
kingcole974 is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 6:57 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2017
Programs: BA Exec Club, Accor Diamond, other airline programmes very basic
Posts: 193
I too am frustrated that I haven't found a way to avoid listening to the 'blurb'. All Avios related bookings are I understand answered by the Exec Club rather than BA, hence I thought it was important to press either button 1 or 2 as requested. Happy to be corrected if I am mistaken though.
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BarelyBAGold is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 7:02 am
  #3  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: London
Programs: Mucci Petit Four de Pucci, RedVee's Navigator Badge, BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,123
Very interesting point. The blurb is very long.

Another thing about this - I am never sure whether to press new booking or change booking, as often at the moment there's a bit of a grey area on that, and I'm not sure it makes much difference to the service you eventually get. Traditionally 'make booking' might be expected to be quicker to answer, but not sure about that now.
Fruitcake is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 7:06 am
  #4  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 210
I look after systems such as these for my work and the option to allow people to press an option before the end of the message is configurable. BA have obviously decided they want people to listen to all of the message before allowing an option to be selected!
DelTroon is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 7:11 am
  #5  
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
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There are great many helplines that exist solely for the purpose of reminding people that everything is available on the website, which of course is not the case.
RB211, kingstontoon, T8191 and 2 others like this.
LondonElite is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 7:26 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: UK (currently)
Programs: BA Gold (and many other greater and lesser distinctions)
Posts: 7,192
Originally Posted by kingcole974
Also, for those who didn't know. When it asks if you have used Avios, say no, even if you have used Avios as part payment of a cash fare, or the agent won't be able to help!
I made this mistake the other day, but it ended up being a positive rather than a negative. Having selected the Avios option for a part cash / part Avios booking and waited on a 45 min hold (yes 45 mins on the Gold line !!) the very helpful agent - who said she had never heard of more than a 15 min hold on the Gold line and was more shocked about the wait than I was - said she did not think she could do anything with the booking but would give it a try. She was in fact able to make the necessary changes with no problems. She told me that I had been in luck as the wait times for cash booking calls were significantly longer than for Avios bookings.

She also told me that this was not down to BA cost cutting but because so many people had left the company and the travel industry as a whole. She said the call centre staff had being offered more overtime hours than ever before and that they had a whole team of newly trained people starting this week. Good luck to anyone with a complex problem who gets one of them !!
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Frequentflyer99 is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2021, 8:29 am
  #7  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Programs: BA Gold, Mucci
Posts: 2,057
Originally Posted by kingcole974
Like many, I've having to make way more calls to the gold line than in usual. Depending on whether it's a reward, cash or holiday booking means different numbers need to be pressed. I notice you can't push the numbers in advance of listening to the same blurb I've listened to literally hundreds of times over the past year. Any tips to avoid to 2m 30 second wait to get in the queue?
None, I'm afraid. It's particularly galling when calling from abroad, as I have to do from Dublin to get the Gold line. Lately I've just been calling the general Irish number and putting my phone on my desk during the long wait. That being said, it's rare enough I have to call, I prefer to do everything online and only call when I absolutely have to. Just like you though, have had to make some more calls than usual the past 12 months or so.
FlightDetective is offline  

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