tt7

Utterly atrocious customer service is more like it.

AnonymousCoward

I'm in agreement with Dave Noble here.

OP knew that CC verification is something that might be enforced, and if they are unable to meet the requirements, then the flight might not be ticketed.

If you want to ticket the flight out of another location, the costs may be different. If you need assistance doing that, there's a fee that QF charges.

Dave Noble

How on earth is it bad customer service.

QF London were prepared to ticket it
QF London ticketing will price according to London Rules and so UK Surcharges apply
The passenger was booking over the phone and so was correctly charged the 2500 fee

Seems like the customer service had no fault at all; atrocious expectations by the customer seems more appropriate to me

They were providing service according to the terms; if not liking the terms then perhaps credit to another scheme or fly another carrier

Dave

Austman

Um, in my case I booked BKK-MEL one-way and the first I knew of the credit card verification requirement was the email. But it all got solved by email to Qantas FF in Australia.

But I just checked and now this warning comes up:

And this happens for bookings from Shanghai:

david870mdg

Why all this rubbish credit card signature verification crap?
And within two days?

That is a joke...

drewbles

Not at all crap. The company I work for often requests verification of credit card, but not like QF do. We only request for txn's that raise flags in our system. In order to verify we request a fax or scanned copy of certain details. There is no requirement for them to do it in person for us.

We see a pretty high number of potentially fraudulent txn's. It's easy to weed them out though (and in the OP's case, they used the same CC for similar bookings on multiple occasions, this would be enough for most organisations to accept the card - but it's not QF's policy so the OP should have know what the go would have been).

LTN Phobia

While I understand their wanting extra layer of security against credit card fraud, expecting people to turn up at their office within 2 days sounds rather demanding to me. People have better things to do than to trek into town - what if they don't live anywhere near Bangkok or Shanghai?

Some flexibility for non-locals would be needed, and should be expected.

Inflexible attitude towards customers when the customer is likely to be innocently and legitimately trying to pay for goods and services is poor customer service.

Dave Noble

Um, they allow the ticket to be sold by other offices. they do not put a restriction that states that it must be issued in the country of departure.

if wanting to avail of this , then need to pay accordingly.

Dave

markis10

Hmmm, OP wants to save money by getting the ticket issued in PVG but does not want comply with the conditions of such a purchase - and this is being called bad customer service - I dont think so, its called failing to comply with the conditions of sale.

Give the office a call and fax them a copy of your card, probably quicker than typing the first post of this thread!

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

The intention of requiring the passenger to show up with the credit card is purely to prevent fraud - not to collect extra fuel surcharges.

So in this case - a visit to the London office with said credit card solves the issue of fraud. There shouldbe no additional charges.

At the very least I would have expected an offer be made for a scan of the credit card to be sent (as I have done many times with CX and KA when purchasing tickets ex China but haven't turned up in person).

I agree with the OP - it should be a non-issue. Especially as the person is a plat, travelling in their own name (this is not an australian domestic ticket where it would theoretically be possible for someone other than the account holder to go in, make a booking and fly before it was possible for the account holder to notice the mistake).

Clearly qantas has allowed it for tickets ex BKK when verification was possible another way.

If, at the time of making the booking the passenger has paid the relevant fees and charges (the CNY509) then I don't see how it is the passenger's fault that a second level of fraud verification is required. In any event, the airline could simply ask for the credit card used for the booking at any time prior to boarding (as they do with many airlines in asia - but it only has to be at check-in).

m320au

Not quite correct,

The flight was booked on qantas.com.au with me sitting in Sydney,

It was a rep in Melbourne who answered my call,

Why the London office suddenly needs to be involved in ticketing the flight makes no sense to me - apart from the fact I was standing in london when I phoned, it's irrelevant to the booking - although I admit it does attractively earn the airline a very high rate of tax if they can find a reason to do it.

The purpose of my phonecall was card verification. At no point was there any suggestion from Qantas that card verification was even required.

I don't understand how twice the taxes and an assisted booking fee suddenly waivers the need for an apparently crucial security check?

I don't need my ticket rebooked, or issued elsewhere. I hold a booking with a reference number that requires 509CNY be paid to complete it. Qantas have asked me for card verification - I am looking for a method to provide it. I am dealing with a global transport company who rewards me for travelling alot - they should therefore understand I am not always in Shanghai.

The fact that an allegedly crucual security check can suddenly be bypassed by paying a little extra and a few extra miles comes as both an insult to a regular customer and a laughable, transparent, rip off.

m320au

Sorry - erroneous post, hit 'quote' instead of 'edit' on the above. Disregard.

Dave Noble

The method is to go into the office in Shanghai as would have been stated as a requirement on the website

The security requirements by the CC companies in the UK may well be different to those in China and so , when booking over the phone in UK the requirements may well be quite different. In the UK , they will protect themselves in the appropriate manner for the UK

Dave

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Interesting issue - although CTRIP, based in China, only requires a scan of the credit card. CX and KA, while based in HK, only require a scan of the card for tickets booked via their China site. Korean Airlines, issuing a ticket for me in China via their china site only required me to present the card at check-in.

So unless Korean Airliens is treated differently to Qantas it's not immediately clear that this is even a Chinese Government restriction on foreign airlines (to produce a valid card).

Even if I accept that an assisted booking fee is required (which I don't as the booking has already been made - and there is direct evidence to support that a booking fee does not apply to changes or service on an 'already made' booking) I don't understand how the fees and charges are more when travel does not involve departure from the UK and the problem doesn't seem to be one down to the passenger.

Edited to add that I think in this case the customer service should extend to make the exception that the passenger themselves is travelling and as a plat is clearly known to the company. If perhaps the ticket being sought was for one of the multitude of allowed beneficiaries under the FF scheme, where perhaps verification of the traveller and their relation to the account holder was not immediately clear then maybe yes, require the credit card be produced for verification. But even that's stretching it a tiny bit given the PIN is required for the transaction.

DownUnderFlyer

The assisted booking fee is payable each time the ticket is changed. So date/routing/POS changes etc could all trigger 2500 points. YMMV of course.