Are the VA call centre staff now less helpful? Refused a Platinum benefit.

[Deleted member 29185]

After reading a post about VA call centre staff not delivering accurate information re: the global wallet, I started thinking about whether the call centre staff training/motivation has slipped of late.

I tried (recently) to have the platinum desk staff assist me in doing a slightly "out of the box" change recently and was just repeatedly told No, without any reason given. My proposal to them was this....

Held flexi seat on 737. I desired a change to the day before but was told the only seats available left for booking were 2 J seats, one of which I could buy at full J rate. Having upgraded at the airport from flexi to J (on a flight also with only 2 J seats left) previously, I knew an upgrade should be possible using points or complementary upgrade (of which I have 4 remaining), so my suggestion was that my flexi be altered and upgraded simultaneously, to which I was told it could not be done as there were no flexi seats left for sale on that flight.

I mentioned the platinum benefit of priority economy seat purchase and asked whether that could be used to gain the flexi seat to then upgrade to J (effectively not displacing anyone already holding a booking). I was told that was not possible and my only option was to purchase the J seat outright. I cannot see why I could purchase the J seat but not the Flexi seat.....that is after all, a platinum benefit. Even if she could not do the upgrade, I could have fronted up to the lounge and requested the J upgrade, which if J was still available, I'm pretty confident I would have been able to secure it with points. Given this was a day and a half before the intended flight day, there was a reasonable chance of at least one J seat being available and even if there was not, I'd still have my flexi seat secured (except someone would be displaced...or previously upgraded at my expense :shock. In any respect, as I fly so much, I like to experiment with some of these status options to make my flying easier but I've now tried two status benefits and been refused twice. Just seems to me that a few years ago we used to hear "yes" quite a lot, but these days it seems to be replaced with "no" and I suspect it's lack of training or apathy or both.

I'd be interested in hearing how others are finding the GCC at VA. Has it gone downhill or still delivering the same old service standards? By all means discuss the international GCC as well, as they've long been problematic (IMHO).

 

[stoneman]

My experience went like this..

As instructed by the PAD section previously, when booking a comfort seat, please call the GCC and ask to be put through to us.

Attempted this - to be snapped at by the cust rep " I AM PAD TRAINED, WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU " On explaination of what I required she instructed me to just buy 2 tickets ?? When I politely queried this, and explained my previous conversation on another booking, she replied there was no need, just buy the 2 tickets and it will be fine... So I did.

The next morning on thinking about this conversation and feeling that in hindsight she didn't really sound that confident in what she was telling me and also I couldn't see how that would work at checkin I called the GCC back asked to be put through, went through the story, got put through ( eventually ) to someone there who was absolutely mortified and very pleased I called back due to the problems it would of caused. This cust rep was really helpful and it took her 2 phone calls and over an hour on the phone to fix it all up.( Part of the long long phone call was because the seats had been bought in Happy Hour and they had terrible trouble replicating the price )

Eventually it was all fixed up and I was asked to provide the time of the call and what phone number I called from to try and track down the rep.... ( Oh and if they sounded 'Australian' ) through there phone recordings.

I'm pretty sure Miss Australia was in for some serious training when they heard that phone call ......

 

[anat0l]

For the Priority Economy Seat Purchase, the T&Cs say that VA can restrict this benefit at any time without notice. I guess that means if the flight is genuinely full, then there's not a lot they can do. There are also time limits - you need to call by at latest midday of the proposed date of flight, but I assume you are fine with this requirement.

On top of that, the approach you suggested might have already put the agent off guard to consider your idea. If you called back and just said I want to purchase this ticket (using that benefit), it may or may not yield a different result. I'm not sure if they could just change an existing Flexi into a Priority Economy Seat Purchased seat, or if you have to create a new itinerary (i.e. cancel your existing Flexi to Travel Bank, or pay for it anew).

If they did allow you to change your existing Flexi into a seat obtained through the Platinum benefit you described, there could also be fare difference to contend with.

Maybe try again?


As generally for service as it goes, I've not much experience with the Australian centre, although my few interactions with them have been OK - not fantastic, but not problematic. Admittedly, all were easy things to handle (relatively). The international / partner centre is a different matter. I don't know if they have improved, but they are terrible, or at best a very hit and miss. Different information, sometimes a supervisor and sometimes not... reminds me of the British Midland days with the Indian Call Centre; you'd play a little roulette to see if you could finagle more out of the agent (or just get something booked at all!). I'd imagine for a VFF Platinum member, dealing with the non-Australian call centre is not a case of not understanding what they say, just that they seem to lack much empowerment to get things done, which for a frequent flyer who may have plenty of things to handle with partner bookings (including the booking process itself in some cases!), this is not a satisfactory situation.

 

[strtrek]

I'm glad it isn't just me......just booked PE syd-lax (at an amazing price), my friend did as well, same flights(she is red) so we can travel together to Disneylands 60th celebrations in July....anyway, I rang first to see if we booked our tickets separately, then could i get her ticket # attached to mine so we can sit together in row 11 (plat benefits)....no probs the lovely lady said.

so we booked our tickets , I then rang to get bookings attached.....the woman on the phone (plat line) was too concerned trying to upsell me future code share flights on etihad, and telling me how awesome they are etc, that she not only put my friend in 10K, while I was in 11H, (she said we were both in row 10, and i did ask her to double check as seat map said row was semi full, but she assured me we were in 10HK so I just moved on) but she also didn't clear properly my syd-bne comp upgrade. This woman seriously just talked on and on and on.

So once I saw my seats were not done properly I had to call back, the lovely lady who answered was not impressed with previous person and kept saying she was "correcting the mistakes" as she was going thru our bookings....I am so glad I am OCD re my bookings.....would not have been impressed to rock up with her sitting in front of me.

Total time on the phone , just under 40 mins....

 

[kevrosmith]

Yes, I've had some recent experiences which haven't left me with a great impression of the Platinum desk. (Mind you, I've also had some good experiences which leave me knowing that it really does depend who you get on the day, and that often HUACA is the best approach).

I'm particularly not fond of the ones that talk with a patronising tone. I am always polite and professional, though I don't like it when the agent treats you with an an air of arrogance, "You don't know as much as I do, and you possibly couldn't know more about the options of what I can offer you...", especially when I do know the rules, T&Cs and the available options.

In your circumstance, were Reward seats available on both your original flight and the one you wanted to move to? (You do mention about simultaneously upgrading and switching flights, but it wasn't clear if upgrades were available on both flights). In this instance, even if they wouldn't offer to do the upgrade and switch in the one call, this is where HUACA would come into play. Do the upgrade on the original flight, then call back and do the switch to the upgrade seat on the new flight. I've been able to move Upgrades around on flights even when the original fare class wasn't available on the new flight. (I hope this hasn't changed). Obviously, none of this helps if the upgrades weren't actually available on one or both flights. (If an upgrade was available on the destination flight, but not on the original flight, use a third flight to perform the operation. Might take a few phone calls, but it should be possible...?)

 

[Deleted member 29185]

For the Priority Economy Seat Purchase, the T&Cs say that VA can restrict this benefit at any time without notice.

Yep, I read that and I guess that's their get out of jail free card. I was certainly compliant with the time requirements and the plane was not full (2 x J seats left) and the weather was not an issue (the example they give in the T&Cs as to why they may need to restrict the benefit), nor was it school holiday, public holiday, festival of eternal light or any other excuse, so I'm left wondering, why refuse? If there was a genuine reason, surely that could be relayed on to the client (me in this case), rather than saying "No, that can't be done" which is exactly what she stated (multiple times). I agree with you that she possibly got lost in the proposal I put to her and became confused, but that's lack of training. We didn't even get to the point of speaking of a fare price as she kept claiming it just can't be done. Buying another flexi was not a concern for me, as the one I already had would simply get shifted to another date, but the cost of the flexi would have been a consideration (if they tried on a ridiculous fare)......except I couldn't even reach that stage. Calling back multiple times was not an option as the calls are difficult from the PNG highlands, where I was at the time!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Obviously, none of this helps if the upgrades weren't actually available on one or both flights. (If an upgrade was available on the destination flight, but not on the original flight, use a third flight to perform the operation.

I'd say upgrades were probably not available as there were only two seats left. However I was happy to buy the flexi (under the plat benefit) and hope at least one J seat was still available when I got to the lounge. Due to flight times I arrive at Int about 17.30 and VA flight CNS-BNE is at 19.55, and I've twice before upgraded at the lounge using points within that time frame and on flights with no more rewards seat availability, but that's not really the issue.....that was a gamble I was prepared to take.....the issue was not being permitted to buy the plat guaranteed flexi fare. It can't be done was all I was told.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Not WP myself, but as SG, phoned the 'Gold' line to enquire about pricing on VA marketed flights from ADL-PER-SIN-BKK-SIN-ADL. Had found this itinerary via skyscanner and wanted to see what price I could get direct with VA. Well, apparently it's not possible through VA . I was told that the only option I had was ADL-BKK (via SIN) return. That's it, oh 'and you can book it yourself via the website'. I asked why I couldn't get the itinerary I wanted and was told that it 'doesn't show up on our system'. So confused. If the flight is VA marketed, shouldn't VA be able to price it??? I gave her all the VA marketed flight number, times etc - not quite getting it. We've been loyal to VA for many years, and continue to try and fly VA whenever we travel. If this is the way customer service is going, my partner (who is WP) and I are going to have to seriously consider looking at alternative airlines/programs.

 

[Revolio]

Overall, the Platinum-coated feeling I get when making a call (compared to say 12 months ago), the vibe seems to be 'get rid of' rather than 'provide a deeper level of assistance to'. Don't think the lounge enthusiasm has deteriorated, but the only skill level improvement I have noticed over the phone, is centred around the goal posts moving; conveniently it's always another area of Virgin, great clarity and detail is provided re: explaining the Virgin boundary lines (that you as a Virgin flyer should be able to extrapolate from the smiling glossy ads) - but the whole overall Platinum experience devalues month by month, year by year. For me, I'm getting reluctant to call - easier to work it out yourself or go through other channels.

 

[drakcir]

It really does depend on who you get; I recently had to pay the $100 stopover fee to fly MEL/BNE the night before a BNE/LAX leg, as I've had issues with morning cxl/delays in DOM. Last time the agent was happy to accommodate my request, but this time I had to pay... He was rigid and reading straight from the manual, so possibly new?

Then today I phoned to request a flight change on a saver fare to 3hr later (last flight of the day). I know the rules and I was prepared to pay the difference, but I was refused and advised (upon request of availability on later flight/s) that only "high end economy fares" would be available for new ticket purchase. I explained that my cousin had died in an accident on the weekend and I simply hadn't considered moving my flight home as a priority, but now needed a few extra hours to be with my family. I knew it was 50/50, but I won't say that I wasn't disappointed by the lack of even an attempt to see if there was an option. I'm a VA Platinum and rarely ask for favours for myself, but almost always get them when phoning for my boss.

Good luck on your next call/request!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

There's another VA thread running concurrently about gaining row 3 for red guests on a same flight as a plat but different PNRs. From the responses in that thread, it seems many have been successful with doing that............but not me. I think it is true that it depends on who you get on the day.

 

[JohnK]

............but not me. I think it is true that it depends on who you get on the day.

You should be experienced enough to know never to accept lame excuses for not doing something.

Keep calling back until you get the desired result. Yes I know time is wasted but it makes me feel better.

 

[Eggsbenedict]

There's another VA thread running concurrently about gaining row 3 for red guests on a same flight as a plat but different PNRs. From the responses in that thread, it seems many have been successful with doing that............but not me. I think it is true that it depends on who you get on the day.

Yep done this many a time, pretty much on a monthly basis. Never once even had a hint that it would be a problem.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

You should be experienced enough to know never to accept lame excuses for not doing something.

Keep calling back until you get the desired result. Yes I know time is wasted but it makes me feel better.

This was a once off (I've only attempted it once, so I guess I could also say I've had a 100% failure rate ), but I have three issues with your suggestion:

1) The GCC telephone lady was actually perfectly correct in her answers....hard to chastise someone for being correct.....
2) At the time, I (the plat member) was in the PNG highlands where communications are expensive and difficult at some times and impossible at other times........I had no desire to ring back multiple times.
3) I've done the ring-back-until-you-get-a-helpful-operator gig before (trying to invoke the guaranteed international family holiday platinum benefit) where from memory, I tried twice with unhelpful operators who's entire vocabulary consisted of NO and then scored a winner with an operator who took a long time to secure said benefit but did manage to do it..........only to find the next day the win was reversed and I was back to no benefit and no booking! If someone is not on the ball and checking constantly, that so called "win" may result in someone turning up to an airport (in my case it would have been MLE) expecting to jump on an aircraft, only to be told sorry, you have no booking!

 

[JohnK]

3) I've done the ring-back-until-you-get-a-helpful-operator gig before (trying to invoke the guaranteed international family holiday platinum benefit) where from memory, I tried twice with unhelpful operators who's entire vocabulary consisted of NO and then scored a winner with an operator who took a long time to secure said benefit but did manage to do it..........only to find the next day the win was reversed and I was back to no benefit and no booking! If someone is not on the ball and checking constantly, that so called "win" may result in someone turning up to an airport (in my case it would have been MLE) expecting to jump on an aircraft, only to be told sorry, you have no booking!

That's poor beyond belief.

We are all way too kind. Some of these people don't belong in this job. They should find a job they can handle.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

That's poor beyond belief.

We are all way too kind. Some of these people don't belong in this job. They should find a job they can handle.

It was a case of interpretation of the T&C wording. Once again, VA T&Cs are poor but we suffer.

 

[anat0l]

Who handles the booking of guaranteed Platinum seats for family holiday benefit? An Australian based call centre, the international based one, or does it depend on whether you want the seats for international, domestic or partner flights?

In theory, if I was in a sticky situation phone wise, I might just PM Virgin Australia to expedite assistance in some way, though it's unfair in two respects: (1) saddling the rep with a request which should be easily filled by other staff for that role, and (2) it demonstrates a failure of the staff for that role to be able to service such requests.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Who handles the booking of guaranteed Platinum seats for family holiday benefit? An Australian based call centre, the international based one, or does it depend on whether you want the seats for international, domestic or partner flights?

In theory, if I was in a sticky situation phone wise, I might just PM Virgin Australia to expedite assistance in some way, though it's unfair in two respects: (1) saddling the rep with a request which should be easily filled by other staff for that role, and (2) it demonstrates a failure of the staff for that role to be able to service such requests.

I actually think the GCC was the local one. I seem to recall explaining the situation and the GCC (local) operators helped to resolve the situation which after the 2nd or 3rd call seemed to get it done. The flight booking appeared without issue. I checked a few days later as I was doing other bookings, only to see the point redemption booking listed as 'cancelled", without any notification through to me. There is a thread on it somewhere here on AFF.