Customer Care Don't Care?

[Brettmcg]

Sorry to hijack your thread penegal, but I've recently had a less than satisfactory interaction with QF.

I'm a member of the QF Feedback Panel and flying basically every week means that I receive weekly surveys to complete. After returning from HKG recently I was very keen to submit my comments on the outstanding service I received both in the new HKG lounge and onboard from the CC. At the end of each survey there is the option to request a phone call from various areas of management. Because my experience was so exceptional I felt that the written comments probably didn't properly convey my praise and appreciation and so I chose to request calls from both crew and lounge managers. There was even the option to nominate a preferred contact number and time/day. I submitted the survey and awaited my call.

It's now been almost three weeks and nada, nothing, zilch! Apart from making me question whether it is worth filling out the surveys moving forward (seems as if no one reads them anyway) it makes me think that if this is how management deal with positive feedback that maybe some of the gripes on Facebook and Twitter about lack of response are warranted.

God* knows I'm QF's biggest fan - to the point of near financial ruin - but please don't tell me my feedback is valued and then don't bother to follow it up!

(For the purposes of this post God = Red Roo )

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sorry to hijack your thread penegal, but I've recently had a less than satisfactory interaction with QF.

I'm a member of the QF Feedback Panel and flying basically every week means that I receive weekly surveys to complete. After returning from HKG recently I was very keen to submit my comments on the outstanding service I received both in the new HKG lounge and onboard from the CC. At the end of each survey there is the option to request a phone call from various areas of management. Because my experience was so exceptional I felt that the written comments probably didn't properly convey my praise and appreciation and so I chose to request calls from both crew and lounge managers. There was even the option to nominate a preferred contact number and time/day. I submitted the survey and awaited my call.

It's now been almost three weeks and nada, nothing, zilch! Apart from making me question whether it is worth filling out the surveys moving forward (seems as if no one reads them anyway) it makes me think that if this is how management deal with positive feedback that maybe some of the gripes on Facebook and Twitter about lack of response are warranted.

God* knows I'm QF's biggest fan - to the point of near financial ruin - but please don't tell me my feedback is valued and then don't bother to follow it up!

(For the purposes of this post God = Red Roo )

you're writing to praise the crew and are concerned you're not getting a call?

positive feedback doesn't detract from QF's bottom line, negative feedback potentially does.

i think the question is what are you, personally, hoping to get out of the situation by speaking to someone rather than write?

 

[Brettmcg]

you're writing to praise the crew and are concerned you're not getting a call?

positive feedback doesn't detract from QF's bottom line, negative feedback potentially does.

i think the question is what are you, personally, hoping to get out of the situation by speaking to someone rather than write?

Unlike you MEL_Traveller I'm not always concerned about personal gain. Also, unlike you I'm keen to see QF prosper and succeed and they can only do that if they know what they are doing well and poorly. In this case I wanted to make sure that management properly recognised the excellent job these particular staff members are doing.

If you actually read my post you'd have seen that the reason for me requesting a phone call was actually mentioned in the original post.

 

[dfcatch]

I had two surveys last week. One international and one domestic.

As it happens my feedback was exceptional on one and questionable on the other.

I received one call the very next day to thank me for my feedback and to assure me that the relevant crew members had received a pat on the back.

A few days later I received the second call from the crew manager to assure me that my feedback was valued and that the crew in this instance had been spoken to, and that such feedback was invaluable to improve the service offering.

In this instance I have to say I was quite impressed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Unlike you MEL_Traveller I'm not always concerned about personal gain. Also, unlike you I'm keen to see QF prosper and succeed and they can only do that if they know what they are doing well and poorly. In this case I wanted to make sure that management properly recognised the excellent job these particular staff members are doing.

If you actually read my post you'd have seen that the reason for me requesting a phone call was actually mentioned in the original post.

I read that, and perhaps didn't understand why writing couldn't achieve what a phone call could. I was exploring the extra element of needing to talk, rather than write. I had an exceptional experience on an airline a couple months ago and emailed the CEO. I received a personal reply - just five words - copied to the head of the relevant department. Having it written means it was easy for them to pass on, rather than have to take notes as I was talking.

I am keen to see Qantas prosper: if for nothing else, for the employment opportunities that will be lost if it doesn't.

But I disagree with the approach Qantas is taking to try and help itself to succeed. Cutting services, having staff unwilling to answer strategic issues as they emerge here on AFF, cutting the FF program, badly written text and grammar, social media campaigns that lack foresight (blackface as an example), unfair fees and charges, unwillingness to waive fees that are incurred through no fault of the passenger, actions for pure commercial gain that leave passengers worse off.

I have been raising all those issues for a long time, and very little seems to be done, which to me feels sometimes like they aren't really interested in building revenue by making the passenger experience better - just through cutting costs.

Personal gain? Absolutely... if decisions are being made to cut services for pure commercial gain that leave a passenger in a worse off position we should not be left to carry the can. If we buy tickets we should expect to get what we paid for. If they cut a service I want adequate compensation in line with what I originally paid for. A company shouldn't get to pocket the money I paid for nothing.

 

[drron]

So I have just messaged BA's customer care via their website with Praise for last flight.Interesting that when you press the submit button this message comes up-
[h=1]Thank you[/h][h=3]Thank you for your compliment[/h]Thank you for taking the time to send us your comments. We value your feedback and will use it to help us recognise colleagues at British Airways for the exceptional service they deliver.

I will ensure your comments are passed on to the team and we all look forward to you flying with us again soon.

Frank van der Post
Managing Director, Brands and Customer Experience

 

[penegal]

Just as an update on this thread, I still haven't heard anything from QANTAS yet...

Red Roo?

 

[marki]

Just as an update on this thread, I still haven't heard anything from QANTAS yet...

Red Roo?

Still haven't heard are you still on hold? ...Wantas to be heard. A new consistency ?

 

[penegal]

Still haven't heard are you still on hold? ...Wantas to be heard. A new consistency ?

haha, QANTAS eventually reached out. Whilst I really appreciate Red Roo reaching out to customer care in the background, it was a bit disappointing that it took several weeks, and a whine on social media just to get a phone call. As a high status (WP or P1 at the time) passenger flying First Class this was very poor IMHO.


The eventual conversation with customer care was fine. As much as anything I remember the delay and coughpy service recovery, rather than the original issue/complaint.