Agree 100% with your 'regardless of cabin' point, RadioGirl.

Ok, so there is an (understandable) expectation of a more personalised service where J & F are involved (if only because of the numbers) but there should also be a respectable level maintained for pax in ALL cabins.

Whether you choose to book the most basic hotel room in a quality hotel, or order the cheapest menu item in a quality restaurant, there is no excuse for slipshod standards / service.

And in the interest of balance....
Just got of the DXB-MEL flight and the experience couldn't have been more different. The crew were engaging and welcoming and managed the trick of anticpating needs and unobtrusively tdying up when you went to the bathroom etc. An excellent flight with superb service.

I did send a complaint to EK about the LHR flight (much the same content as the posting here) and am about to send a complment for this crew.

^

I think it's extremely important to send both complaints when it's poor but also compliments when it's great to have a balanced file of feedback on your record. (And of course, to be as fair as you can!)

I can just about guarantee that the crew on your LHR flight are going to get a call in from their managers because a Platinum complaint, so don't think it doesn't get tossed in the bin!

Quick update. EK have responded to me having spoken with the purser. Apparently I made it all up. My wife and I weren't given menus etc as our suite doors were closed (they weren't) and the early service was disrupted due to a medical emergency about which we were informed and apparently understanding (we weren't but would of course have been). Left feeling unpleasantly as though I have been accused of lying. I have penned a brief response disputing the differing recollection of the facts but will now move on - possibly less often with EK than I might have done.

:td: for EK

As you say, I would reply with the subtext that the report that they received from the crew (clearly though someone has gone to the trouble of calling in the crew from that flight to ask them what happened) is inaccurate and you stand by your story.

For your own sanity though, I do think that there is not much you can do apart from raising in your reply "I know it's my word against the crew's but I know what happened on that flight", and then moving business to another carrier!

Thanks for the update though!

Shame on you Emirates.

I'm always inclined to think there's something rotten in the state of (any) management when hitherto loyal premium cabin customers - with no record, I assume (?) of previous/regular complaining - are disbelieved in favour of staff.

Even if they do not wish to take everything you say at face value, it would make commercial sense to at least offer a more measured response with an expression of regret that the service provided was a disappointment to you & your wife. They could have done so whilst still maintaining a no-liability-accepted stance - if they were anxious to protect the Purser.

But this clear implication by EK that you somehow found reason to invent the whole thing is, no doubt, far more of an insult than the actual shortcomings you experienced on the day.

They ask the crew for a report and they are hardly going to admit what could get them fired or disciplined.

Just don't ever expect much from customer services unless your ife is broken!

I was already well aware of the process followed (give me some credit please !) and also the fact that crew members are unlikely to choose to incriminate themselves.

My essential point was much more about the nature of the fundamental culture created by the most senior management at EK ; a culture that seemingly allows lower level administrative back office management (the level concerned with day-to-day customer service issues) to feel comfortable in responding to pomkiwi's formal complaint in the manner they did.

In organisations that are truly and consistently customer-focused (ie those that don't simply pay lip service to the philosophy) the issues experienced by pomkiwi would, most likely, not have happened in the first place. But then on the rare occasions when things DO go wrong (stuff happens after all) the first instinct would be to placate - rather than insult and thus further annoy - the passengers affected by denying all responsibility.

My own (and, to date, my one) formal complaint concerning unacceptable performance by an EK Purser did in fact yield an adequate apology and goodwill gesture by customer services. But I suspect that was perhaps because the issue was more generic, and I had let it be known in my letter that other passengers I spoke to were similarly affected by the incident.

I know you know!

I love the first product and service 99% of the time high leads to high expectations which are when not met disappointing. I get annoyed when there are lots of op ups and the service is not good in first or when people move freely through cabins.

EK needs to improve its first product as the apartment on ey looks very good. Expect this to be announced at the air show this week. The customer service is horrific (so are most airlines) and the ground services except for the lounges are poor.

Room for improvement yes for sure but the rapid growth seems to be inhibiting the ability to keep exiting customers happy. People are still paying so until that changes I expect zero change.

At the Etihad stand at the annual World Travel Market exhibition held in London this past week, I examined a (full-size) mock-up of their latest First apartment. Seemed to me to be significantly above the standard of EK's current equivalent (which now feels somewhat dated by comparison).

As many will be aware, this EY First suite incorporates a separate seating area which can remain in place when the bed is being used. Plus, only 9 v 14 in the cabin.

As for The Residence .....there was a constant flow of industry people wanting to tour it (again, a full-size mock-up was available). I had already viewed it in detail last year, so I didn't need to bother again ! But despite the interest/publicity generated, I myself don't believe EK should worry themselves about The Residence given just how miniscule is the target market. They must, however, look at everything else EY does - as I'm sure they do.

Agree the residence is a waste of time. The apartments are more than good enough.

Still looking forward to all my f flights the next three months it's a fun product no doubts. Wonder how many remote gates I will get! :D

Given the frequency of your travel m3red, methinks you need to start spreading your business around rather more.

There's a lot of choice out there !

And as you say yourself, if you/others simply keep handing them lots of cash, Emirates will have little incentive to stay razor sharp in the way they generally did when cleaning up all those industry & consumer awards in years past.

I wonder if this is actually true? The CS could easily just respond with these "facts" without ever contacting the crew. It would save them a lot of hassle, and who would know any different?

Maybe the CS agent has a list of "facts" that he/she uses as responses?

"Your suite door was closed"
"There was a medical emergency"
"There was a lot of turbulence, so service was reduced"
"There were disruptive passengers in Y"

Throw a few of these into the reply...

With a reply like that, I would seriously consider moving my business elsewhere. As a frequent traveler (Plat) and in premium no less, this kind of reply is hardly what I would call treating your loyal customer well.

If you have constantly send complain letters, I could understand them taking things with a pinch of salt. But otherwise it's just plain rude.

In my experience (on both sides of the fence) Platinum complaints do all get passed on to the relevant managers (whether that's someone complaining about food provision in lounges where the local supervisor gets an email passed on from the regional vice president (!), or on board service) - in fact CS I think find it easier just to click forward rather than compose a reply with "facts"!

When a reply comes back, then someone (someone else in CS) just incorporates that into the reply. YMMV with the response though: I agree with subject2load in that it is always unacceptable to question the integrity of customers complaining in, no matter how unbelievable you think their story is - the only way you can do this is if you have verifiable independent facts, which hearsay isn't; it's also telling of the corporate culture that would tacitly allow this kind of response to be made.