Best pathway to whinge that might get a positive outcome?

[Vic]

A bit late now, but you would have been better off not calling and just going to the airport as planned.

Exactly this. Wake up get to the airport in time for your flight. They have to deal with it. It's pretty easy to tell them no if they say call up or use app.
The OPs wife was checked in already, as well.

Doesn't help the OP, but hopefully it helps someone else who reads the thread.

I see, so really, your out of pocket is $350 - $50 - 10k ~ $200, assuming you value 10k at $100 (valuation can go anywhere between $50 to a few hundreds, depending on how you use them).

Points have no value, according to Qantas. OP is out of pocket $300.

I think QF would be on the hook here. They made a schedule change at the very last minute and so far as I could tell you didn't accept the new flight schedule. In theory you should have been able to arrive at the airport, try checking in (which obviously would fail) and then have the person at the desk put you on a later flight. At a minimum I would expect them to either refund the ticket or cover the money you spent out of pocket to get the new flight. In future though, when this happens, you should have a giant grin on your face since that means QF is now on the hook to get you where you need to go by your rules.

-RooFlyer88

They were already checked in...

 

[Mattg]

Fair point. But does this incompetence and ineptitude extend to the Hobart and NZ call centres? If not, one possibility is for an AFFer who has Platinum One status (and thus access to these call centres) to three way call the OP and QFF customer service to get the issue resolved for them.

At 5am when trying to get to the airport for a 6am flight that they were rebooked onto during the middle of the night?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

At 5am when trying to get to the airport for a 6am flight that they were rebooked onto during the middle of the night?

I mean that situation is insane and in my mind would amount to involuntary denied boarding. You can't just change the schedule like that at the middle of the night when people are asleep and expect them to act on it. In addition, when such a change happens, it's not automatic acceptance, it's up to the passenger to decide if they want the new flight and if not, it's on the airlines to make it right.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

Thank you all for helping me vent my frustration.

Mrs_G is going to use her tenacious wombat personality when she gets back from Canberra on Wednesday (flying VA!...)

And I have filed away just go to the airport for any future, similar issues.

 

[TomVexille]

I mean that situation is insane and in my mind would amount to involuntary denied boarding. You can't just change the schedule like that at the middle of the night when people are asleep and expect them to act on it. In addition, when such a change happens, it's not automatic acceptance, it's up to the passenger to decide if they want the new flight and if not, it's on the airlines to make it right.

-RooFlyer88

Yet QF have been doing that for at least 7 years. Happened to us back in 2015. At least their full service arm JQ saved the day

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Yet QF have been doing that for at least 7 years. Happened to us back in 2015.

They can do whatever they want, but when they change stuff they are on the hook for that.

At least their full service arm JQ saved the day

I thought JétStar was the luxury arm of QF? Regardless, I've found they run a pretty tight operation.

-RooFlyer88

 

[TomVexille]

They can do whatever they want, but when they change stuff they are on the hook for that.

I thought JétStar was the luxury arm of QF? Regardless, I've found they run a pretty tight operation.

-RooFlyer88

Difference was that in 2015 you could speak to someone to get help sorting out your issue, whether that was the call centre or at the airport. Not an outsourced agent who makes things worse.

And my apologies, Luxury not full service

 

[mauriciodm]

Not sure if this was mentioned already and if still works under the current aviation chaos we've been living in, but have you tried lodge a complaint with www.airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au? In 2018 I had a TigerAir flight cancelled a few hours before the departure time and had to book a Virgin Australia flight on the same day to make it to my final destination on time. TigerAir offered to refund the cancelled flight but after lodging a complaint with the Airline Customer Advocate I got them to instead pay for the new Virgin Australia flight I had to book that day, since it costed me 3 times more than the cancelled one I had purchased months in advance. Impressively, they asked for 20 working days to process the complaint, but everything was sorted in 4 days and I got the money in my bank account a few days later.

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

I thought I would post back. If anything, I am even more annoyed after getting a patronising response from their complaints team. I wasn't expecting anything to change but I was hoping for a a fake apology.

"I can assure you that we will always rebook you onto the next available eligible flight at no cost to yourself in order to make your journey as seamless as possible."

Presumably they will argue none of the six other flights the same day going to Canberra was 'eligible'.