Eligible flights for status?

[serfty]

As an example, to qualify for Air NZ Gold Elite status 2/3 of your status earning must be on "Air New Zealand Flights".

The T&C's did specifically define an "Air New Zealand Flight" as one which is both operated and marketed by Air New Zealand.

 

[cssaus]

As an example, to qualify for Air NZ Gold Elite status 2/3 of your status earning must be on "Air New Zealand Flights".

The T&C's did specifically define an "Air New Zealand Flight" as one which is both operated and marketed by Air New Zealand.

No ambiguity there!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Any company can have oversights and mistakes,

Yes, of course they can! A more aft description would be "any company can get it right if they so choose, but occasionally can have oversights and mistakes". VA more recently, seem to consistantly have oversights and mistakes but occasionally get it right. This is not an isolated incident. It's seems pretty much every time they write T&Cs, they write them in a way that can be misconstrued and that is combined with what seems to be absolutely NO uniform training of call centre and front line staff. Offering sale fares on-line where no sale exists (and then not honouring the fare), the "partner status" offering has suffered twice from poorly worded terms, the "sector" definition for SC earn was an absolute fiasco with no one at VA actually knowing what the hell they meant or intended and now these "elegible" flights are being debated where no debate should exist as the wording is very clear and is being argued by untrained VA staff. How many non AFF flyers are losing their rightful earnings because VA haven't trained their staff?

By all means support the airline, but making excuses for continued pathetic performance in customer service is dubious at best.

 

[oz_mark]

VA more recently, seem to consistantly have oversights and mistakes but occasionally get it right. This is not an isolated incident. It's seems pretty much every time they write T&Cs, they write them in a way that can be misconstrued and that is combined with what seems to be absolutely NO uniform training of call centre and front line staff.

I actually disagree, and overall find their T&Cs to be quite clear. It seems, though, that their support staff are working from a different set of rules.

Not including VA marketed flights on other carriers as an eligible flight is quite simply a breach of the terms and conditions as posted on their website.

 

[markis10]

By all means support the airline, but making excuses for continued pathetic performance in customer service is dubious at best.

Begs the question as to whether you will put your money where your mouth is and move camp or stay so that you can continue to have something to post about? I continue to enjoy the best of both worlds, enjoying the choice competition brings to the table.

I don't think their service is pathetic in the least, and I have no issues with their sectors and qualifying at all, 8 VA flights on their metal is hardly a barrier to the truly frequent flyer living here who is arguing the toss over partner gold wording etc etc.

What your seeing is a cost of being a program that is youthful and dynamic, in simple terms, growing pains, while its easy to list those pains, don't forget your gains as well! After all the Hilton status and rental car status is not something another program gave you, nor did we all hate those painfull J flight redemptions at 6800 points that were also a mistake along the lines of these ones, or the tasters that could be used on sale fares etc etc. Swings and roundabouts.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I actually disagree, and overall find their T&Cs to be quite clear. It seems, though, that their support staff are working from a different set of rules.

Which would make their T&Cs useless if that's the case but isn't that the second part of my comment........."absolutely NO uniform training of call centre staff" or are you suggesting they are fully trained..... just to a different set of rules than the advertised T&Cs (which BTW would represent a far greater concern than simple incompetence). The fact that VA have moved on a number of occasions to "clarify" their T&Cs suggest at least enough of their FFers are confused to warrant that action and there are a number of AFFers whom I believe to be pretty knowledgeable that have also sought this forums advice over those same T&Cs actual meaning.

 

[oz_mark]

Which would make their T&Cs useless if that's the case but isn't that the second part of my comment........."absolutely NO uniform training of call centre staff" or are you suggesting they are fully trained..... just to a different set of rules than the advertised T&Cs (which BTW would represent a far greater concern than simple incompetence). The fact that VA have moved on a number of occasions to "clarify" their T&Cs suggest at least enough of their FFers are confused to warrant that action and there are a number of AFFers whom I believe to be pretty knowledgeable that have also sought this forums advice over those same T&Cs actual meaning.

I have no idea what rules they work from internally, but we are bound by the rules as laid out on their website.

The problem seems, to me, to be when there is something different that in their processing, they go with what the system is saying, rather than going back and reading what the rules actually say. In this particular instance, they should either fix their programming to match the rule, or fix the rule to match the programming.

I don't dispute their have been some missteps in their articulation of the rules, but in an overall sense I find their rules more clearly written than some other programs I am in.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Begs the question as to whether you will put your money where your mouth is and move camp or stay so that you can continue to have something to post about?

So true, but to be honest, moving away from VA is far easier then a move away from DJ would have been. VA themselves have sealed my decision and I also agree I whinge far too much about their "new and improved" offerings, but no one yet has said here that my gripes are not based on fact. To answer your question, I'll be requlifying for gold again this year (my review year just rolled) predominently on pre-booked flights so I'd be mad not to, but I've no intention of providing VA with any fares they don't earn. If they represent best value on the day, I'll buy them, if not I won't. Pretty simple really. If I end up with no status......it really is not the end of the world. The VA lounges aren't that flash, the food is ordinary and I'm sick of the same tired offerings (in fact for breakfast I actually prefer to buy a full cooked breakfast in the terminal) and the number of drinks I consume is minimal (two to three maximum). I rarely check luggage, my most used terminal does not have priority screening, priority boarding I can live without and sitting up the pointy end, although preferred, is also not a life or death requirement (for me). I will miss fly ahead but with no status, family pooling is no point either.

As for the other intangibles, Europcar only just introduced their loyalty scheme about the same time as VA offered it and I qualify for the executive level regardless and as for HH, I have enjoyed the DYKWIA for a bit, but let's be honest.......it ain't no freebie and I only intend to requal that for another year and I'll go back to normal nobody life. Secure sentinal is worthless to me and I honestly struggle to see value in a flexi fare, let alone business fares so that side of this "youthful and dynamic" airline is lost on me and since VA have decided to show absolutely no gratitude to me for dedicating basically every flight I've made over the past four to five or so years to them, whilst showering non-loyal flyers with frankincence and myrrh (so to speak), VA themselves have decided that I (and others like me) are worthless to them, so why not?

Am I angry? Yes.

 

[pagingjoan]

So true, but to be honest, moving away from VA is far easier then a move away from DJ would have been. VA themselves have sealed my decision and I also agree I whinge far too much about their "new and improved" offerings, but no one yet has said here that my gripes are not based on fact. To answer your question, I'll be requlifying for gold again this year (my review year just rolled) predominently on pre-booked flights so I'd be mad not to, but I've no intention of providing VA with any fares they don't earn. If they represent best value on the day, I'll buy them, if not I won't. Pretty simple really. If I end up with no status......it really is not the end of the world. The VA lounges aren't that flash, the food is ordinary and I'm sick of the same tired offerings (in fact for breakfast I actually prefer to buy a full cooked breakfast in the terminal) and the number of drinks I consume is minimal (two to three maximum). I rarely check luggage, my most used terminal does not have priority screening, priority boarding I can live without and sitting up the pointy end, although preferred, is also not a life or death requirement (for me). I will miss fly ahead but with no status, family pooling is no point either.

As for the other intangibles, Europcar only just introduced their loyalty scheme about the same time as VA offered it and I qualify for the executive level regardless and as for HH, I have enjoyed the DYKWIA for a bit, but let's be honest.......it ain't no freebie and I only intend to requal that for another year and I'll go back to normal nobody life. Secure sentinal is worthless to me and I honestly struggle to see value in a flexi fare, let alone business fares so that side of this "youthful and dynamic" airline is lost on me and since VA have decided to show absolutely no gratitude to me for dedicating basically every flight I've made over the past four to five or so years to them, whilst showering non-loyal flyers with frankincence and myrrh (so to speak), VA themselves have decided that I (and others like me) are worthless to them, so why not?

Am I angry? Yes.

It must be exhausting!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

It must be exhausting!

No, just frustrating!

 

[iambents]

It must be exhausting!

I know I'm risking something here - but exactly what gratitude were you expecting?

 

[pagingjoan]

I know I'm risking something here - but exactly what gratitude were you expecting?

Are you asking me?
No expectations of gratitude at all.
pj

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I know I'm risking something here - but exactly what gratitude were you expecting?

Presumably you're asking me and on that assumption I'll simply say, nothing.

Nothing more than the same offers showered on all those whom for years have chosen to ignore DJ and gain/keep status elsewhere. Had I known a year ago that I'd be discriminated against so blatantly because I have shown VA loyalty, I would have tried to gain a Velocity status match with my Velocity status. Perhaps then I may have received at least some of the "love" being bestowed on those with no history of VA/DJ loyalty and little or no chance of showing future VA loyalty.

PS- my postcards also have not arrived...................but we weren't really expecting them, were we?

Now at the risk of a wrist-slap, may I suggest we return to the topic of the thread?

 

[iambents]

Any advice?

BJ - hopefully you've managed to get this sorted out in the meantime. I just wanted to update on my scenario which will help if you are still going back and forth with Velocity.

As I mentioned the other day - VA agreed that my two flights on EY metal (SYD-AUH-BRU) on a VA purchased tickets were eligible sectors and should be awarded points per the VA table and not the EY table. At least in my case it seemed related to the way EY checked me in; but I suspect the underlying problem is VA's hodgepodge of computer systems - which hopefully the current migration to Sabre will resolve these issues.

They reversed the previous points/status credits and today they have recredited me with the correct points and counted the flights towards my eligible sector balance. Priyal from Velocity has been excellent in following this up and making sure that was applied correctly - she followed up each of my emails and rang me a couple of times to update me on progress.

Hope this helps in sorting our your issue.

 

[cssaus]

BJ - hopefully you've managed to get this sorted out in the meantime. I just wanted to update on my scenario which will help if you are still going back and forth with Velocity.

As I mentioned the other day - VA agreed that my two flights on EY metal (SYD-AUH-BRU) on a VA purchased tickets were eligible sectors and should be awarded points per the VA table and not the EY table. At least in my case it seemed related to the way EY checked me in; but I suspect the underlying problem is VA's hodgepodge of computer systems - which hopefully the current migration to Sabre will resolve these issues.

They reversed the previous points/status credits and today they have recredited me with the correct points and counted the flights towards my eligible sector balance. Priyal from Velocity has been excellent in following this up and making sure that was applied correctly - she followed up each of my emails and rang me a couple of times to update me on progress.

Hope this helps in sorting our your issue.

That's encouraging to know. Now there's a precedent that others can refer to if they encounter the same issue. You might encounter a few PM's

There's still a lot of dis-satisfaction out there with the timeliness in the crediting of partner miles and SC's and is something that VA needs to get sorted out fast if they want to have happy campers.

 

[iambents]

There's still a lot of dis-satisfaction out there with the timeliness in the crediting of partner miles and SC's and is something that VA needs to get sorted out fast if they want to have happy campers.

Not really been my experience. I've had far longer delays on getting LAN or JAL miles credited at Qantas than I have with VA partners - but from what I read the experience is variable at best. I don't think the DJ vs VA code issues at SQ or EY help (the Etihad website online checkin for example still lists Virgin Blue as the the only partner). Again, hopefully Sabre will help.

 

[bjaust]

BJ - hopefully you've managed to get this sorted out in the meantime. I just wanted to update on my scenario which will help if you are still going back and forth with Velocity.

As I mentioned the other day - VA agreed that my two flights on EY metal (SYD-AUH-BRU) on a VA purchased tickets were eligible sectors and should be awarded points per the VA table and not the EY table. At least in my case it seemed related to the way EY checked me in; but I suspect the underlying problem is VA's hodgepodge of computer systems - which hopefully the current migration to Sabre will resolve these issues.

They reversed the previous points/status credits and today they have recredited me with the correct points and counted the flights towards my eligible sector balance. Priyal from Velocity has been excellent in following this up and making sure that was applied correctly - she followed up each of my emails and rang me a couple of times to update me on progress.

Hope this helps in sorting our your issue.

I've been holding back on updating this thread in the hope that I could report a better resolution. I've now made two telephone calls and three emails, and still haven't gotten an answer. I've been too busy to ring again to express my dissatisfaction, but am going to try to do it tonight.

By the way - has anyone had any luck getting emails to the premium enquiries address answered? I've gotten nothing back other than an automatic email acknowledging receipt

 

[bjaust]

A final update - I was contacted by Velocity and they have now resolved the problem. My account is now showing the right number of eligible sectors and they have allocated points according to the VA table. So, all resolved albeit with several phone calls and emails needed.