Cubiscus

It's never good customer service if you have to pay a fee to book over the hone when you can't book online, no matter what the policy. A good customer service manager will waive the fee under these circumstances.

And since these fees are often waived for higher level customers it's hardly universal policy anyway.

Dave Noble

That's what they charge if you phone up and make an international booking over the phone. Taking the link from a red-e-deal for SYD-LHR as an example

From http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/ama...ARY/index.html

Dave Noble

There I disagree entirely. It is not good service to waive for some people and not for others. Either it is the policy to charge and all should be charged or it is policy not to charge and it should always be waived

It is v poor service imo for it to be down to the whim of an agent

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

yes... I know that... but that talks about making a booking.

if you have made the booking on line as the OP did... there is no assistance to make the booking. all they are doing is ticketing. I want to know where the fee is for ticketing??

the link you provide also talks about award assistance fees... the link takes you to the QFFF terms and conditions and the fee table. the fee again talks about award bookings... and it says 'the fee must be paid at the time of making the reservation'. by deduction, this 'fee for ticketing' cannot be the same fee for award booking assistance, because the award booking assistance fee can ONLY be collected at the time if reservation according to the rules.

so still trying to find out where this ticketing fee comes from?

Dave Noble

Regardless of how wanting to interpret it, Qantas does charge the fee for Consultant Assisted Bookings where a consultant assists with the booking ( such as taking payment and issuing tickets )

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...-of-fees/au/en

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

oh the irony!!

you say it is bad customer service to vary things, yet you seem to imply we should just accept when they tell us there is a ticketing fee even though it is not specified anywhere in their extensive schedule of fees? you seem to be saying it is ok for a company to vary their contract (and the frequent flyer program is a contract) as and when they please? with nothing in writing?

the fees are for assistance to make a booking. that is logical give the length of time it can take to make a booking. there is no such length of time required to simply take payment... all the work is done.

sales staff (and you) seem to have make up the terms 'taking payment' and 'issuing tickets' in respect of the schedule of fees.

I am still to see anywhere that anything outside of assistance to make a booking, or assistance to change a booking attracts an allowed fee. I'm not saying I'm right... I'll be happy just to find the relevant clause.

Dave Noble

Why not phone Qantas then and ask for yourself.

If the agent processes payment , then they are assisting with the booking. Qantas does charge a fee for handling bookings over the phone as discovered by the OP. If you phone and ask, you will get the information

It is termed in the schedule online as Consultant Assisted Booking ; whether it gets known by other names does not take away that it exists

Can you find something that contradicts that there is a $60/6000 point fee for Consultant assistance and something to argue that taking money for ticketing is not somehow related to making a booking. If so, please post it


Fees for making Bookings

There are no booking fees for making bookings online at qantas.com.
The following fees apply when making a booking through Qantas Contact Centres, Qantas airport locations and Qantas Travel outlets.

Bookings in Australia

Fee - per passenger per booking
Australian Domestic A$35
Australian trans-Tasman A$35
Australian International A$60

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

no. it is explicit that the fee is for making a booking. not processing payment. not ticketing. but making a booking.

qantas may choose to interpret it differently, but that doesn't mean they are right in doing so.

a case in point was when I had to change a booking a few years ago... I asked at the time if there was a fee for call centre assistance... the reply was 'oh no... you've already made the booking'... so there was a clear distinction. since then they have introduced the charge for changing bookings... but at the time it was quite clear... existing booking and there was no fee they could attach.

I think the OP has a point. and it seems the letter the OP was sent was also correct in not identifying any additional fees for calling to ticket, it seems it was a verbal relay about the fee applying.

you can't just add things into a contract as you see fit, or expand the operation of a clause to suit yourself (for example imply that 'make a booking also equals ticketing'... the two are independent as the booking fee needs to be paid at the time of making the booking, yet you don't need to ticket then... you can place it on hold). so by the letter of what I have been able to find so far I think the OP would be right to make further enquiries.

Dave Noble

The OP made a booking online
The terms of that booking requires that the passenger attend the office and get the credit card processed there

OP did not want to do that which he had agreed to as per the terms of the booking - This was not provided as a book and phone to ticket. The passenger is explicitly told the ticketing requirements before being able to even select flights. See post 2
OP then phoned Australia to handle the booking

If then wanting to handle the booking over the phone
Qantas quoted the Assisted Booking fee

Passenger has choice to accept to pay the assisted booking fee or complete the booking process as per the agreed process

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

there are no fees for booking on line.

OPs confirmation email varied the terms of the web booking by saying telephone payment was possible, no mention of fees.

passenger rings and is quoted fee which is not related to making the booking (booking is already made).

charge is quoted to ticket booking.

there is no charge listed under which qantas can charge a fee for ticketing (so far that we can find).

a fee for making a booking, and a fee for assistance with an existing booking are two completely separate concepts. otherwise if you rang to request a special meal or seat assignment they'd charge you $60!

Dave Noble

CBF with this anymore

I cannot see how it is not correct to charge the fee. Contact Qantas and ask what the policy is and where it is documented if you like and then come back with the info

I think that the info documented sufficiently supports that there is a charge for booking where there is assistance provided; perhaps the agent should have simplified it and charged the cancellation fee if the customer no longer wanted to meet the customer's side of the agreement and then charged the fee for making the booking again

The OP has the benefit that QF AU is prepared to assist with the booking, albeit at the normal offline fee

Lucky_man

I have to say I agree with what David has said and that is not always the case.

When I first encountered this problem (needing to pay for a ticket or show credit card at an away from home office) I contacted Qantas and thought they were doing me a great service by overcoming the problem for $50 (I think it was $50 then).

I think there really is a mixing or two issues here. The first issue that is morally hard to sustain is differential pricing for customers in different countries.

This all stems from a time gone buy when one lived in the wealthy country and visited a foreign country before returning home. The reverse fair is cheaper given the limited spending power of the poor foreigner. The clever person in a high priced country though buys only one return ticket to a foreign country and then buys inward return tickets at the reduced price. The airlines do not like losing revenue to such scammers. There are all sorts of opportunities for the savvy traveler to unwind the airlines scams and gouging when one can operate in a global world as easily as the airline can. The airlines don't like giving up their advantage.

The second issue is how Qantas chooses to recover it's costs. That is their choice with in the law. If they'd stuck to their original terms you'd need to present the credit card at the remote location. They have provided a concession for $60 as an option. Seems fair.

David, I can only guess at the meaning of in your post. But those of us who are always right owe it to rest to be as patient as possible :-)

As an aside, when I book inward Anyseat awards I pay fully with points. You still get the warning about the credit card but it has never caused grief as their is no money to pay.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

what 'problem' did you think was being overcome by paying the $50? a commercial decision by qantas to not allow ticketing without going into the downtown office? in no way is it fair for a company to entirely create a problem of its own doing, then charge you $$$ to get around a problem it has created. that's nonsense.

secondly... the QFFF program has a set of terms and conditions. at no place in those terms and conditions does it state that tickets ex china will require a passenger to turn up at the office. the first time a passenger ever hears about this is when they go to make a booking for the first time. qantas could easily state in their terms and conditions that tickets from x/y/z countries will require and additional stage before they can be completed. I think it is an unfair condition to spring on a passenger without advance notice.

thirdly... we still haven't found the exact clause in the schedule of fees that allows QF to charge for anything other than assisting you to MAKE a booking, or to CHANGE a booking. a fee for both of those could almost be justified given the amount of time an agent might need to spend assisting someone. taking a credit card number in one minute is not the same.

there is a difference between 'assistance with a booking' and 'assistance to make a booking'. qantas has chosen the latter.. and can't just read up the clause to include the former because they want it that way.

Mwenenzi

Buying tickets in China has nothing to do with the QF ffp. Buying tickets is just buying tickets with cash or points. From my understanding this issue happens if buying the full fare with cash (via a credit card) or with points

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

correct.... but the OP was redeeming an award ticket. that us governed by qfff.

if you were buying a revenue ticket you'd hardly bother... you'd just fly another airline.