Disappointing P1 Service Team

[Feper]

Would like to share my first disappointing experience with the P1 service team.

I was in Indonesia last week and had a Garuda flight from Surabaya to Jakarta to meet with the QF flight down to Sydney, my flight out of Surabaya was delayed due to late arrival of the aircraft and as such I missed my connecting QF flight tons deny by about 5 minutes.

The Qantas agents on the ground in CGK where hopeless and offered absolutely no assistance to me so as the next scheduled QF flight was not for 48 hours, I rang the P1 hotline.

My first call went unanswered and was diverted to a voice mail, 15 minutes later I managed to find a warm body who informed me that as both flights were on the same ticket it was Garudas responsibility to get me home as they had caused me to miss my connection, so off to Garuda customer service (a very loose term) and 90 min later still no help from them, I rang the p1 team again only to be told that there was nothing they could do and I would need to deal with Garuda myself. By this time I had lost all patience and told Garuda where they could stick their customer service and I booked myself on a Valuair flight to Singapore connecting to a SQ flight to Sydney.

My point here is that I had always thought that the one real value of P1 was that if things turned pear shaped then they would be there to handle if for me, to be told that I would need to deal with Garuda myself is nothing near premium customer service.

Just quietly I really enjoyed the SQ J flight back to SYD and have rebooked my next 4 J trips in the next 6 weeks to SQ

 

[Peabody]

Sorry to hear about your experience, I hate missing connections however in this case I am not sure what QF P1 could have done? It wasn't their fault you missed the flight. If you book a hire car or transfer bus through the QANTAS website and it causes you to be late to the departing flight there is nothing they would be able to do. Not the P1 desk's fault you had a tight connection.

 

[bugayev]

I'd have to agree.. whilst it's disappointing, what exactly did you expect that Qantas would do with another non-partner non-aligned carrier when they aren't the ticketing carrier?

 

[simongr]

I guess the assumption re P1 is that they would see you outbound on your flight to Oz and know your inbound connections? I can understand that when you have OW bookings (maybe) or TIM booked through QF but they wouldn't even have known you were flying surely?

I actually think it is unreasonable to expect QF to book you onto another flight at their expense (not sure you were looking for that) when you missed your flight due Garuda's problems.

Maybe one lesson for the P1 team is to ask P1 whether they have any travel other than booked through or visible to QF so they can monitor that...

 

[Deleted member 18152]

Was this on Qantas ticket stock?

If so, I would imagine they could have pulled a few strings.

 

[docjames]

I would have thought "leave it with us and we'll sort something out. What number can w call u back on?" would be a more premium response.

If you had zero qanats flights in the itinerary i could understand.

So I think you were hard done by.

 

[oz_mark]

I guess the assumption re P1 is that they would see you outbound on your flight to Oz and know your inbound connections? I can understand that when you have OW bookings (maybe) or TIM booked through QF but they wouldn't even have known you were flying surely?

IME, if you are on a single ticket, Qantas have visibility of any sectors before or after the Qantas sector. In this case, though, that would just explain why the passenger hadn't shown up.

 

[Feper]

Was this on Qantas ticket stock?

If so, I would imagine they could have pulled a few strings.

Yes it was, it was all on the same PNR number.

Yes I realise it was not Qantas's fault I missed the flight, what I would expect as "one of Qantas's most valued flyers" and "ultimate level of personalised service via the dedicated Platinum One Special Service Team. We're on call to offer assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." (their words not mine) is for them to have handled Garuda airlines for me, simple.

IME, if you are on a single ticket, Qantas have visibility of any sectors before or after the Qantas sector. In this case, though, that would just explain why the passenger hadn't shown up.

Correct, QF had full visability of all my Garuda flights, the GA flights showed up when I did seat selection for the QF flights, the lady at check in at Sydney reminded me that my baggage was only checked through to Jakarta and that i would have to recheck for my forwarding flight. and Garuda saw my connection to Sydney when I checked in at SUB, so it was fully visible to all.

 

[v8Statesman]

I'd have to side with the OP here. I would like to think that at P1 level, it is less about assigning blame and more about keeping your "most valued" customers happy. Back in the AN days, I know of may instances where AN would rebook VIP clients on any metal they could just to keep the clients happy.

 

[Deleted member 18152]

Yes it was, it was all on the same PNR number.

Yes I realise it was not Qantas's fault I missed the flight, what I would expect as "one of Qantas's most valued flyers" and "ultimate level of personalised service via the dedicated Platinum One Special Service Team. We're on call to offer assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." (their words not mine) is for them to have handled Garuda airlines for me, simple.

That's disappointing. They should have policies devised for all situations for CIP's and should have instantaneously communicated what they can or can't do.

 

[Mal]

I'd have to side with the OP here. I would like to think that at P1 level, it is less about assigning blame and more about keeping your "most valued" customers happy. Back in the AN days, I know of may instances where AN would rebook VIP clients on any metal they could just to keep the clients happy.

I don't know what response I would expect. It depends on how the ticket was booked, which airlines paper it is on, and a few other factors. However, for a 5 min delay, I would have hoped QF would hold the flight - esp. Since it was likely that there was more than one passenger involved.

Other options I could see as feasible is QF rebooking the pax from SIN (as an example), then arranging a flight to SIN with minimal charge.

But I'd certainly expect something other than "shrug"...

 

[harvyk]

I personally think the P1 team should have done better regardless of how the ticket is booked. Considering the sheer number of SC's which need to not only be earnt full stop, but the sheer number which MUST be on QF metal (thus a AA YUPP run doesn't cut it), surely a 5 minute phone call to GA from their end could not have gone astray.

Personally if someone spent the kind of spend with my airline which is required at a minimum to earn P1, 5 minutes of my time would not be too much to ask for to keep their travel plans running smoothly.

 

[Feper]

I personally think the P1 team should have done better regardless of how the ticket is booked. Considering the sheer number of SC's which need to not only be earnt full stop, but the sheer number which MUST be on QF metal (thus a AA YUPP run doesn't cut it), surely a 5 minute phone call to GA from their end could not have gone astray.

Personally if someone spent the kind of spend with my airline which is required at a minimum to earn P1, 5 minutes of my time would not be too much to ask for to keep their travel plans running smoothly.

Couldn't agree more, below are direct cut and paste from the QF website as to to what the P1 program is all about, sounds great in advertising, certainly wasn't delivered when required.


[h=3]When things don't go as planned[/h]We are proud of our on time performance however sometimes bad weather, natural disasters, technical problems and other operational issues can cause flight delays and even cancellations.
Whilst we do all we can to minimise disruptions, it's an inevitable part of regular travel. If your plans are ever affected, the Platinum One Special Service Team will be on hand to help personally manage any flight changes or re-routes and provide support to get you back on track as soon as possible and minimise any inconvenience.


[h=3]Platinum One Special Service Team[/h]We've created the Platinum One Special Service Team to complement the existing special services you receive through your Platinum privileges.
Dedicated to supporting Platinum One members, the team provides assistance when you need help beyond routine requests or where you need urgent assistance.
The team will also proactively monitor, support and enhance your travel experience every step of your journey.

 

[cmon0005]

I am not biased either way, but I see the P1 desk as a team to help you if you have a booking with Qantas with Qantas as the ticketing airline and any travel based around that, they're not personal assistants for any situation?

It'd be like going Coles and buying a bottle of Coca Cola, if something was wrong with it, you wouldn't take it back to woolworths would you, even though a coke is still a coke, but Coles sold it to you.... I know not exactly the same situation but that's just my thinking.

However I agree maybe a bit more help or at very least try and sort you out with some contacts or flight options with QF (paid).

 

[jb01]

It'd be like going Coles and buying a bottle of Coca Cola, if something was wrong with it, you wouldn't take it back to woolworths would you, even though a coke is still a coke, but Coles sold it to you.... I know not exactly the same situation but that's just my thinking.

That's not quite the same.
I think Garuda were paid to get the OP to CGK. their part was done (albeit late). I don't see how it should then be Garuda's responsibility to find a way to get the OP all the way through to SYD.

It's more like the cab on the way to the airport being late causing you to miss your flight - would the P1 desk then tell you to contact the cab company for them to get you to your destination?

 

[TheInsider]

That's not quite the same.
I think Garuda were paid to get the OP to CGK. their part was done (albeit late). I don't see how it should then be Garuda's responsibility to find a way to get the OP all the way through to SYD

But it is though. It's the responsibility of the carrier who is delayed to get the passenger to their final destination as per their ticket. It's all part of airlines Interline agreements.

 

[cmon0005]

That's not quite the same.
I think Garuda were paid to get the OP to CGK. their part was done (albeit late). I don't see how it should then be Garuda's responsibility to find a way to get the OP all the way through to SYD.

Ok maybe not the best example, but Garuda are the ticketing airline, they sold the fare all the way through to MEL although one of the legs was QF, they collected the money, they interlined the ticket so they are responsible surely?

It's more like the cab on the way to the airport being late causing you to miss your flight - would the P1 desk then tell you to contact the cab company for them to get you to your destination?

The P1 desk no-doubt would help you if you were booked on Qantas through Qantas, if booked through a different airline then I would expect not. As I mentioned in my previous post I am sure they aren't there to act as personal PA's for any situation that arises outside of travel booked through them..

 

[serfty]

I am not biased either way, but I see the P1 desk as a team to help you if you have a booking with Qantas with Qantas as the ticketing airline and any travel based around that, ...

Given this was in relation to a connection to a QF flight I agree with the OP:

When things don't go as planned

... If your plans are ever affected, the Platinum One Special Service Team will be on hand to help personally manage any flight changes or re-routes and provide support to get you back on track as soon as possible and minimise any inconvenience.

Is there any caveat on that in applicability ...?

 

[Feper]

The P1 desk no-doubt would help you if you were booked on Qantas through Qantas, if booked through a different airline then I would expect not. As I mentioned in my previous post I am sure they aren't there to act as personal PA's for any situation that arises outside of travel booked through them..

Final clarity, the ticket was booked through QF and issued on QF paper, the internal Garuda flights were only a minor part of the trip.
As stated by earlier posters under the interline agreements it is was Garudas responsibility to get me home as they had made me miss my connection, they were doing nothing, my expectation was for QF to surely have a contact within GA to get issues fixed, both GA and QF were navel gazing and doing nothing.

As a result QF have forced me to reach out to their biggest competitor in Asia to get me home.

I am in sales and I would be horrified if my customer service team let one of my top 99.5% customers (that is where the p1 members fall into) be exposed to my competitor and they delighted him with their service.

 

[markis10]

But it is though. It's the responsibility of the carrier who is delayed to get the passenger to their final destination as per their ticket. It's all part of airlines Interline agreements.

I agree, and realistically QF were in no better position to facilitate than the OP, having had a similar issue where I was able to get my carrier to negotiate on my behalf with an Asian airline, the end result was no different and in fact a complete waste of time.