FF With Over 500 Flights Votes jetstar worst Service award.

[Opalauctions]

FF With Over 500 Flights Votes jetstar worst Service award.:shock:

Having travelled on well over 500 flights over last 25 years I would like to award jetstar with Australia’s, worlds worst Customer service awards ,or even worlds worst service awards..

My conclusion is based on my personnel travels and my observations in check in lines and other passengers’ experiences.
As business man am appalled at any company that ranks customer service as low as this company so I will air my views.
I have only travelled say 20 times on jetstar n virgin and mostly fly Qantas, Thai .Emirates, Singapore and have travelled on BA, Air Asia etc

So I am well travelled from economy to business class, never first class.

I rank JS low not only because of common time delays of scheduled flights but in how they handle a customers situation.

Next time you are in line checking in you might notice a counter with 2 staff standing beside a check in staff who has a customer who has a situation.
Have you noticed this before?
It is a stand over tactic to intimidate the customer, as in check in if check in staff has a dissatisfied customer they will press and assistance button and 2 staff members stand beside to give moral support and to intimidate the customer who is now considered to be a problem customer
This is where their attitude and actions turn a customer into a problem customer.
The check in staff can now inform problem customer that the staff has power to stop them from boarding their flight.

The Js staff have a standard manual to follow and where did it come from?

The staff are brainwashed from same manual as PRISON WARDERS MANUAL FOR CROWD CONTROL AND INTIMIDATION.:evil:
so I was informed by prison officer who works in prison and makes perfect sense to me.

As business man im appalled at such low customer service and maybe Js and other airlines are on the verge of eliminating your personnel rights when you agree to their terms and conditions.
Maybe a lawyer could make case in travellers losing their Australian citizen rights when they board a airline that clearly believes passengers have no rights.
What happened to those old terms and conditions Geneva travel documents that we used to have .
I could give dozens of stories on how in December 3 of my business associates were late for meeting n all delayed on different Js flights, or I could mention school of 30 children stranded in Tokyo and were on standby on flight I caught next day.
Or local footy team who were in queue but didn’t reach in time and all paid extra, but everyone has heaps travel stories,
but intimidation is highly unprofessional and unethical for modern day airline .
company.
If you don’t value your time or rights ,fly on that cheap ticket, but I value my time and my rights as a citizen
Wayne Sedawie

 

[samh004]

Have you tried Tiger?

While I agree their checkin staff in MEL are pretty pathetic, I’ve found onboard service, considering the type of airline they are, to be very good. I even received a free panadol and glass of water a couple years ago when I boarded with a very bad hangover

Also, welcome to AFF!

 

[nlagalle]

Hi Opalauctions and welcome to AFF.

While certainly not the best, I can't say Jet* are the worst either. I've had a couple of flights with them this year and I couldn't complain about the service I had. And both flights last year were on time too.

I am sure there are cases where "standover" tactics might be used, but on the same token I have seen where they are required due to an angry pax ranting and raving as some do when they have mucked up and want the airline to fix it (aka tiger).

But as with everything with airlines, YMMV.

Nick
http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/members/opalauctions.html

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Next time you are in line checking in you might notice a counter with 2 staff standing beside a check in staff who has a customer who has a situation.
Have you noticed this before?
It is a stand over tactic to intimidate the customer, as in check in if check in staff has a dissatisfied customer they will press and assistance button and 2 staff members stand beside to give moral support and to intimidate the customer who is now considered to be a problem customer.

This is where their attitude and actions turn a customer into a problem customer.
The check in staff can now inform problem customer that the staff has power to stop them from boarding their flight.

No, but if l have to fly JQ again (please no), I'll make sure l keep my eyes peeled.

I guess it comes down to how you handle the situation and every situation is different. Regarding your comments about problematic customers, it happens everywhere, but l guess more so on LCC's. If you hate JQ that much, set up a website like the guy who hates Ryanair did.

As Sam said previously, have you tried Tiger? 2+ day delay mean anything to you? I had 1 return flight and 2, one way flights with JQ last year and had no problems with them regarding; checking in, leaving and arrived on time. I just wish that QF would give more perks to QF FF members on JQ, but that's another topic.

 

[Cocitus23]

Hi Opalauctions,

Welcome to AFF. Wow, that was sure a withering blast for an opening salvo! I guess I have travelled as much as you have, in fact a lot more so, and my travels have occasionally included Jetstar. And conversely to you, I have never had a bad experience with them. They have been cheap, and I feel that they have delivered good value for what I paid. I recently booked a couple of return flights to Tassmania with them, without any apprehension whatsoever.

Maybe I'm just an easy customer to please, or perhaps I'm just lucky, but I really cannot support your comments.

Do you have any happy airline experiences to share with us?

Cocitus23.

 

[blu]

There's not many LCC's in that list, it's a bit of an unfair comparison. JQ is well regarded amongst LCC's.

 

[Archphoto]

From experience, JS International check-in in Melbourne staff are not only woeful, but downright rude and extremely unhelpful.

Case in point: we had to fly to Bali for business and our flights were booked via our usual agent. Myself and 1 colleague, had tickets to fly to Singapore/Thailand whilst the 3rd member of the group did not have a valid ticket at that point for return, due to not being sure if he was to fly to Beijing, Tokyo or back to Australia for more business.

We had been assured that this would not be cause for concern when booking by both J* and our agent, however upon checkin she flatly (and rather rudely) declared there was "no way" he was being booked onto the Bali flight without a return ticket.

We politely asked how we could resolve this problem - she couldn't care less: basically it was our problem and we had to deal with it. I even called J* service centre to confirm he needed a return ticket - guess what? They told me flat out that he did not.

She wouldn't budge, refused to give us a fax number to send a ticket confirm to and I had to physically thrust the phone into her face to get her to speak with our agent to even explain the situation at hand.

After 30 minutes of b*******t, she finally coughed up a fax number to send the ticket details to.

The craziest thing - she checked his luggage and sent it down the belt 45mins before that ticket confirm was faxed to her. Security? What security??:shock:

Oh, and we were all WP - so much for status! (And yes we asked to talk to her supervisor - conveniently gone home for the day.)

On the scale of low-cost flying, I think AirAisa beats them hands down with regard to pricing and flight availability here in Asia. (Admittedly, I'd rather fly CX than J* (or AirAsia) BKK-SIN, but when I need to do it quickly and cheaply, these days, J* is 2nd preference to AirAsia.)

 

[JohnPhelan]

"Intimidation tactics" that are "from the Prison Warders Manual" that remove "our Australian citizen rights" ???????

Just a slight touch of hyperbole? :shock:

 

[FlyboyAl]

I'd fly J* over Tiger any day, and so far my experiences, although limited, with J# have been good.

As have the experiences of my wife.

Dare I also suggest "a one post wonder" :shock:

 

[munitalP]

From experience, JS International check-in in Melbourne staff are not only woeful, but downright rude and extremely unhelpful.

Case in point: we had to fly to Bali for business and our flights were booked via our usual agent. Myself and 1 colleague, had tickets to fly to Singapore/Thailand whilst the 3rd member of the group did not have a valid ticket at that point for return, due to not being sure if he was to fly to Beijing, Tokyo or back to Australia for more business.

We had been assured that this would not be cause for concern when booking by both J* and our agent, however upon checkin she flatly (and rather rudely) declared there was "no way" he was being booked onto the Bali flight without a return ticket.

We politely asked how we could resolve this problem - she couldn't care less: basically it was our problem and we had to deal with it. I even called J* service centre to confirm he needed a return ticket - guess what? They told me flat out that he did not.

She wouldn't budge, refused to give us a fax number to send a ticket confirm to and I had to physically thrust the phone into her face to get her to speak with our agent to even explain the situation at hand.

After 30 minutes of b*******t, she finally coughed up a fax number to send the ticket details to.

The craziest thing - she checked his luggage and sent it down the belt 45mins before that ticket confirm was faxed to her. Security? What security??:shock:

Oh, and we were all WP - so much for status! (And yes we asked to talk to her supervisor - conveniently gone home for the day.)

On the scale of low-cost flying, I think AirAisa beats them hands down with regard to pricing and flight availability here in Asia. (Admittedly, I'd rather fly CX than J* (or AirAsia) BKK-SIN, but when I need to do it quickly and cheaply, these days, J* is 2nd preference to AirAsia.)

Have I missed the point here where Jetstar are to blame for your work member not being issued a ticket to Indonesia because Indonesia require an exit ticket from the country?

Im confused...

Passport/Visa Note: All passports must be valid for six months from date of entry. Return tickets, documentation for onward travel and proof of sufficient funds (US$1,000 or valid credit card) is essential to be considered for a visa on arrival. Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival for a fee of US$10 for seven days or US$25 for a stay of up to 30 days, provided the passport contains at least one unused visa page for the visa-on-arrival sticker. A visa can also be purchased prior to arrival. Passengers holding an APEC Business Travel Card do not need a visa provided the back of the card affirms that it is valid for travel to Indonesia. It is highly recommended that passports have at least six months validity remaining after your intended date of departure from your travel destination. Immigration officials often apply different rules to those stated by travel agents and official sources.

Links
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/Indonesia/Visa
http://www.balidiscovery.com/other/visa_policy.asp
www.google.com.au

 

[munitalP]

I'd fly J* over Tiger any day, and so far my experiences, although limited, with J# have been good.

As have the experiences of my wife.

Dare I also suggest "a one post wonder" :shock:

Im with you FlyboyAl - I have flown JQ many times and have had more delayed flights and shirty staff of QF and DJ than ever on JQ

I have never flown Tiger, but have flown Aisa - Asia compare equally IMHO to JQ, but have also flown Easyjet and Ryan and truly know what poor customer service is (Ryan)

Averaging 20 flights a year (the OP), Jetstar have been about since 2003 - so that would make a maximum of 140 fights he could have taken with them, however, he has taken 20 combined with DJ - so assuming 50% of his flights are with DJ and the other with JQ, that leaves of the possible 140, he has taken 1.4 flights per year with JQ!

There is some issue I feel with the .4 bit and hope the OP comes back and explains himself fully! :shock:

Hmmm



munitalP

 

[samh004]

Have I missed the point here where Jetstar are to blame for your work member not being issued a ticket to Indonesia because Indonesia require an exit ticket from the country?

Im confused...

Passport/Visa Note: All passports must be valid for six months from date of entry. Return tickets, documentation for onward travel

I believe the blame stems from the fact he had called the service centre numerous times to confirm he didn’t need an onward ticket, to be told that was the case. Sure, he could have read it on the same website you failed to post a link for, but if you’re making a booking direct with the airline you’d think they’d let you know everything you need to know.

Further, he then got incredibly bad customer service and a bad attitude from the checkin agent who wouldn’t help him work out the issue for ~30 minutes. A more appropriate response would have been to help them get on their way as fast as possible by providing them with the information they needed.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Sure, he could have read it on the same website you failed to post a link for

Actually he could have found it on the Jetstar website.

International flights to/from Australia or Intra-Asia

All passengers travelling on Intra-Asia flights operated by Jetstar Asia (3K) and Valuair (VF) and International flights to/from Australia operated by Jetstar (JQ), must present their valid passport (with required validity period) for check-in at the airport. It is the passenger's responsibility at all times to have appropriate travel documentation and entry permits such as visas. Some countries may require proof of onward or return travel

At the airport - Travel information - Jetstar Airways
I do agree however that there is no need for rudeness.
I think the issue here should be with the call centre who has given him apparently incorrect information-and on more than one occassion.

 

[munitalP]

I believe the blame stems from the fact he had called the service centre numerous times to confirm he didn’t need an onward ticket, to be told that was the case. Sure, he could have read it on the same website you failed to post a link for, but if you’re making a booking direct with the airline you’d think they’d let you know everything you need to know.

Further, he then got incredibly bad customer service and a bad attitude from the checkin agent who wouldn’t help him work out the issue for ~30 minutes. A more appropriate response would have been to help them get on their way as fast as possible by providing them with the information they needed.

Well you see thats where you are wrong. Ignorance is not excuse of the law, especially when you check a box that says you have read and accepted the Fare Rules and Conditions of Carriage which is required when purchasing a fare from most airlines. There is also a link to the right side of the screen on JQ's flight option page stating similar.

As for not posting a link to the cut and paste, a learned person such as yourself would have realised immediately that this was from a Indonesian government site - but I do thank you for pointing out my error and in fact, I will now add the link.

 

[samh004]

As for not posting a link to the cut and paste, a learned person such as yourself would have realised immediately that this was from a Indonesian government site - but I do thank you for pointing out my error and in fact, I will now add the link.

Thank you, I did think it could have been Jetstar’s website, or an Indonesian immigration website, though I just looked at your posted links and neither seem to be from an official source, though it is slightly more helpful.

Though if you compare a third party websites travel guide, to an official line from call centre staff, you’d want to hope the call centre was getting it right, especially if they repeatedly had the same answer.

JQ in this case does deserve some of the blame, as would any airline if you called them up and they repeatedly told you one thing, and then when you got to the airport another thing.

 

[munitalP]

Thank you, I did think it could have been Jetstar’s website, or an Indonesian immigration website, though I just looked at your posted links and neither seem to be from an official source, though it is slightly more helpful.

Though if you compare a third party websites travel guide, to an official line from call centre staff, you’d want to hope the call centre was getting it right, especially if they repeatedly had the same answer.

JQ in this case does deserve some of the blame, as would any airline if you called them up and they repeatedly told you one thing, and then when you got to the airport another thing.

I disagree

If you purchase something based on a very concrete set of conditions, agree digitally that you have read and understood these conditions, then go ahead and try to breach these conditions and lay blame on the person denying you your purchase because you feel that these terms and conditions shouldn't apply - the OP even states that the PAX in question didn't have a VALID ticket!

Get real sam, then only one to blame is the PAX who after stating they agreed to the terms and conditions of the fare, felt they had the right to not follow them.

Based on your theory of blame should lay with JQ, business in Australia would be in tatters in days...

pacta sunt servanda - arrangements are to be kept - the basic spine of the law of contracts.

Maybe a read of Principles of Australian Contract Law (Peter Radan, John Gooley, John Gooley (LLM.) ) - it is year 1 Uni Business & Contract Law, maybe it would help a better understanding of the fundamental principle

 

[medhead]

Well you see thats where you are wrong. Ignorance is not excuse of the law, especially when you check a box that says you have read and accepted the Fare Rules and Conditions of Carriage which is required when purchasing a fare from most airlines. There is also a link to the right side of the screen on JQ's flight option page stating similar.

Your right that ignorance of the law is no excuse. However a superficial response is that Jetstar doesn't enforce the law. Then a more detail expansion on that is that Jetstar is the one that will be penalised if the passenger gets rejected by indonesian immigration. Yet the OP has reported that the jetstar call center is ignorant of the law in the information they are providing to customers. Yes obviously the customer is responsible for reading the conditions and following them, I think we can also agree that it is extremely poor customer service that Jetstar can't provide correct information when the customer calls to clarify the rules. Given Jetstar's target market it is highly likely that they will have a number of customers who are not able to read and understand the rules.

If you purchase something based on a very concrete set of conditions, agree digitally that you have read and understood these conditions, then go ahead and try to breach these conditions and lay blame on the person denying you your purchase because you feel that these terms and conditions shouldn't apply - the OP even states that the PAX in question didn't have a VALID ticket!

As per above Jetstar should also be able to correctly explain the meaning of the conditions. That doesn't leave Australian business in tatters. In addition when at the point where someone enforces the conditions, what is the problem with assisting the customer to meet the required conditions, like a fax number so that flight confirmation can be provided. That is very poor service IMO, yes the customer made a mistake (by relying of the advice of jetstar) but that is not reason to not assist getting them back on track by doing a simple thing like providing a fax number.

pacta sunt servanda - arrangements are to be kept - the basic spine of the law of contracts.

Totally agree, especially relevant to Tiger ......

 

[munitalP]

Your right that ignorance of the law is no excuse. However a superficial response is that Jetstar doesn't enforce the law. Then a more detail expansion on that is that Jetstar is the one that will be penalised if the passenger gets rejected by indonesian immigration. Yet the OP has reported that the jetstar call center is ignorant of the law in the information they are providing to customers. Yes obviously the customer is responsible for reading the conditions and following them, I think we can also agree that it is extremely poor customer service that Jetstar can't provide correct information when the customer calls to clarify the rules. Given Jetstar's target market it is highly likely that they will have a number of customers who are not able to read and understand the rules.



As per above Jetstar should also be able to correctly explain the meaning of the conditions. That doesn't leave Australian business in tatters. In addition when at the point where someone enforces the conditions, what is the problem with assisting the customer to meet the required conditions, like a fax number so that flight confirmation can be provided. That is very poor service IMO, yes the customer made a mistake (by relying of the advice of jetstar) but that is not reason to not assist getting them back on track by doing a simple thing like providing a fax number.



Totally agree, especially relevant to Tiger ......

Im not actually villifying Archphoto, I am trying to point out that a contract has been completed and the PAX has not upheld his end of the contract. There is no caveat emptor after the contract has been agreed upon (darn this is hurting my head, going back to law studies a long time ago ) and the contract would be binding - there has been a promise to do something in return for a benefit.

The call centres are just that, call centres, and I would bet my last dollar that J* would be horrified if they were aware of these call centres offering information to PAX which differs from the legal binding agreement that J* and the PAX have entered into, namely the airline ticket.

This is C&P from my JQ35 itinerary...

02 I IDENTIFICATION AT CHECK-IN
For Domestic flights:
All Passengers travelling on Domestic flights, including children, must present identification at check-in. For adults, valid
photo identification will be required, such as a driver’s licence or passport. For children, examples of acceptable forms of
identification include passport, birth certificate and school identification. For infants not requiring their own seat, proof of
age (under 2) may be required, such as birth certificate.
For Domestic Australian flights that depart from an international terminal:
Valid photo identification must be presented at check in. Acceptable forms of identification include a valid passport,
Australian driver's licence or an Australian government issued photo identification. Non-photographic identification is not
acceptable, except in the case of children who are travelling with an adult who presents photographic identification, in
which case an Australian student ID or birth certificate is acceptable.
For International flights:
All passengers travelling International flights must present their valid passport (with required validity period) for check-in at
the airport. It is the passenger’s responsibility at all times to have appropriate travel documentation and entry permits such
as visas. Some countries may require proof of onward or return travel or proof of accommodation. All children and infants
travelling with an adult require their own passport or should be registered in either parent's passport.

So even after the contract is formed, J* have again (3rd time) warned the PAX he may need an onward ticket.

Who's responsibility is it to do this - not Jetstar but the PAX travelling. Not trying to pigeon hole the PAX, but if travelling for work overseas, it sounds like he may have done this previously, and the fact he's a OWE flyer suggests he should have the smarts to know that if you are travelling somewhere you are unfamiliar with, find out what to expect once you get there VISA wise and entry requirements.

I wonder also if J* reaction at the airport was from having 3 OWE doing a Maori Haka at them chanting DYKWIA?

We will never know, but in summary, we do know, the PAX was warned by JQ 3 times, once as a friendly on the screen showing the flight timetable/prices, once when the contract was formed in the terms and conditions, and again, once on the itinerary.

Please, if I have missed the point, tell me where, because for the life of me, I cannot see how this is remotely jetstars fault.

 

[Archphoto]

Have I missed the point here where Jetstar are to blame for your work member not being issued a ticket to Indonesia because Indonesia require an exit ticket from the country?

Im confused...

Passport/Visa Note: All passports must be valid for six months from date of entry. Return tickets, documentation for onward travel and proof of sufficient funds (US$1,000 or valid credit card) is essential to be considered for a visa on arrival. Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival for a fee of US$10 for seven days or US$25 for a stay of up to 30 days, provided the passport contains at least one unused visa page for the visa-on-arrival sticker. A visa can also be purchased prior to arrival. Passengers holding an APEC Business Travel Card do not need a visa provided the back of the card affirms that it is valid for travel to Indonesia. It is highly recommended that passports have at least six months validity remaining after your intended date of departure from your travel destination. Immigration officials often apply different rules to those stated by travel agents and official sources.

Links
Indonesia Visa and Passport entry requirements, Indonesia Travel Guide
Visa Guide for Bali and Indonesia
www.google.com.au

The point I was trying to make, was the lack of customer service provided by J*, once our error was indicated to us. My post was not stating we were in the right - it was our error, but more-so that once it was pointed out to us, she flat out refused to assist us to achieve the necessary outcome. She needed that ticket to check him in, she didn't want to help us achieve that result.

We requested a fax number to send the needed documentation as proof of an onward ticket - she refused.

We asked if we could speak with her supervisor to get a fax number to send to - again, she refused.

We asked if she could explain to our agent exactly what was required, along with a fax number for him to send the documents to - she refused.

Yes, it was our problem and we were trying our best to resolve as she had pointed out our error, my gripe is she refused point blank to assist us in any way to resolve the situation instead expected us to race around Melbourne airport to fond a fax machine?

(She eventually did cough up a number - to the fax behind the check-in desk!!)

Customer service? Sorry - but there was no such service offered that day, other than pointing the finger and being basically told "Fix it yourself, I don't give a s***! Your problem, not mine."

If that's how J* treats WP customers, how do they treat the average once-a-year holiday flyer?

 

[samh004]

Please, if I have missed the point, tell me where, because for the life of me, I cannot see how this is remotely jetstars fault.

Okay, say they did go through the whole booking online and were given the warning 3 times (as oppose to quite possibly over the phone where they’d only be given advance warning (other than general knowledge) when they received their itinerary - as we already know they were told over the phone there was no problem not having a return ticket so I think it might be fair to assume the booking was made that way too), then do you not think Jetstar should accept some responsibility, as the carrier, for giving the pax conflicting or wrong information?

I’ll agree, it’s fairly obvious for some countries that you need a return ticket, and how anyone could miss that after getting to be a OneWorld Emerald is beyond logic (no offence to Archphoto), but I’d expect to take the airlines word on matters such as these, and not have them repeatedly tell me the wrong thing. Wouldn’t you?

If you do something wrong, you’re the one to blame, but Jetstar also did something wrong in this case, yet they deserve no blame? How will they learn if they’re not shown to be doing the wrong thing too?

And then of course, the customer service as highlighted above.