Has anyone had success with the call-up "Marginal" xASA's?

[jimmyk]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Looking for J from BNE to PER at end of August for my wife. 72k return plus $79 with classic award. Rang them to see what cost would be on ASA. Quoted 118000 points and $450. SC not important for my wife.

 

[gizzard]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Further to my earlier post http://www.australianfrequentflyer....anyone-had-success-call-51720.html#post850938

The call centre got back to me and after checking a couple more things went away again and called later, finally able to quote me the points that I needed to pay. I wasn't in a position to finalise the booking.
I then determined my travel dates and called the centre again to make the bookings. Once again I was speaking to someone who had no idea what I was talking about and the person that I had spoken too had left for the day.

After 30 minutes more on hold they finally came back to me with a points quote that was 25% more than the one that I'd got that morning and told me that they had checked and the figure was correct.

I gave up. Clearly very few people know how to handle the ASA. 3 phone calls and over an hour on the phone and 2 call backs and still I haven't made a booking. In each case the supervisor at the call centre had to be asked to help with the process.

For anyone trying this for themselves the key words to use were "marginal ASA"; "U fare class" (for J class domestic award and, yes, the fare class seemed to be very important in helping identify what I was after, at least, with the first operation) and "the new procedure when the user can't make the booking online themselves".

Good luck.

 

[Princess Fiona]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Ok we appear to have different experiences here of the process for telephone booking classic priced ASA's
Mine, diverted to Premium desk. Easy, and efficiently done
Others have encountered Agents with no clue ( likely secondary to no prior warning or training) and unable to complete the booking.

There appears to be no separate award team handling this despite what some may have inferred from information given by QF at the Media Conference.
The separate telephone number seems to divert to the relevant QFF desk based on status.

Some input from Red Roo would be helpful here as it seems the process is proving a little variable in execution.

 

[jimmyk]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Ok we appear to have different experiences here of the process for telephone booking classic priced ASA's
Mine, diverted to Premium desk. Easy, and efficiently done
<snip>
The separate telephone number seems to divert to the relevant QFF desk based on status.

I'm gold and got a person who said I don't think you can do that.

 

[gizzard]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My first 2 calls went through to the general customer service centre. My final call went through to the premium desk. In all cases, noone had a clue and had to get their supervisors involved. It was the premium desk that had me on hold for most of the 35 minute call and they came up with the inflated points. I found the person on the general customer service desk far more helpful and easier to deal with.

 

[ozflier]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Hi,

I hope I have not left my run too late. I am currently Bronze.


Have finally accumulated 400,000 QFF miles and how have the time availability to take overseas holidays.

This previous thread is pretty long but I am wondering if you can advise me how to identify a likely candidate for a JASA seat so I can ring the magic number to check on the best points and price.


I can check on Expertflyer to see if P or U are available on various dates and routings. If one is, does that suggest a reasonably priced JASA would be available by calling?


I’m trying to get a handle on when it is worth calling the number.

 

[Benn49]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I called yesterday and told the agent I want to book an any seat award at classic level as that can no longer be done online. He said that this would be the first time he had done this but he should be able to work his way through it. Told him the flight I want and he quotes the correct level of points with no tax straight up. A bit of back and forth with different amounts of cash to reduce the points but it was a reality easy process. About 4-5 mins speaking to the agent

 

[anchew]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Hi,

I hope I have not left my run too late. I am currently Bronze.


Have finally accumulated 400,000 QFF miles and how have the time availability to take overseas holidays.

This previous thread is pretty long but I am wondering if you can advise me how to identify a likely candidate for a JASA seat so I can ring the magic number to check on the best points and price.


I can check on Expertflyer to see if P or U are available on various dates and routings. If one is, does that suggest a reasonably priced JASA would be available by calling?


I’m trying to get a handle on when it is worth calling the number.

That's correct. If there are P, U, or X available then you can book a marginal ASA AKA a cheap ASA

 

[Aus ATC]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Hi,

I hope I have not left my run too late. I am currently Bronze.


Have finally accumulated 400,000 QFF miles and how have the time availability to take overseas holidays.

This previous thread is pretty long but I am wondering if you can advise me how to identify a likely candidate for a JASA seat so I can ring the magic number to check on the best points and price.


I can check on Expertflyer to see if P or U are available on various dates and routings. If one is, does that suggest a reasonably priced JASA would be available by calling?


I’m trying to get a handle on when it is worth calling the number.

Ozflier,

I'm not as wise as many others here, but I would suggest "searching for Classic Awards only" on the QFA web site - then having identified the flights you wish to take, call the relevant number and ask to book in the relevant fare bucket, as listed by anchew, ask for an ASA at Classic Award prices, or asking for a Marginal ASA.

Good luck...

 

[DC3]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Some of this is sounding very amateurish at the Call Centre.

 

[Mardi]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

This is sounding really scary to me. I don't like doing things on the phone because unless I can see them in front of me I find it hard to fully comprehend the details*. It is so much easier for me to book things on a Web site so i can look at it, compare a the cash/classic award alternatives etc. I could get husband to do it but I'm the points/booking expert in the family.

*I understand by seeing not hearing. When husband and I had a computer training business I could NOT do phone support, because I couldn't visualise what they were asking. Husband is the opposite and was brilliant at it.

 

[gizzard]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Following on from my earlier 2 posts in this thread....

The person that I had been dealing with initially at the QF general desk called me back this morning. She explained to me that she had been in contact with the Premium desk personnel that had tried to handle my booking that afternoon. She confirmed that the person on the Premium desk, along with the supervisory help that she had been getting, had been wrong in what they found and what they told me. She told me that they were being re-shown the procedure (which they had insisted that they had been following).

The person from the general desk went ahead and booked the 4 flights that I wanted at the rates that she had quoted me before (30% less than those quoted by the Premium desk).

Remember that the new "special" phone number goes through to the Premium desk. My experience tells me that you could receive an inaccurate quote. If you know what the points should have been for the old xASA it will help you determine if you are being told the right thing. In any case, it might be worth getting the same quote a couple of times from 2 different people....if you can be that patient.

I have emailed QF with the problem and then again with the success and helpfulness of the general desk over the Premium one.

 

[Dmac6345]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My goodness !!!!

I just got off the phone to Qantas Premium Desk and was informed there is no such thing as an ASA anymore. It now called Points + Pay. I was also informed that I can book this (SYD-HKG in Feb) online using the search engine.

What have the staff been told/trained in saying. She quoted me the exact same points / cash I could have done myself.
I asked about Classic Awards rates and Marginal ASA and she spoke to her supervisor. They came back with what I mentioned above. 495,000 points and some stupid amount of money.

The staff member i spoke to also mentioned that she HAD NOT been on the website since they have changed it, and it seemed a little confusing....!!!!! "Your telling me"

 

[k3nnis]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

LOL at the staff response! Hang up and call again

 

[NM]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

My goodness !!!!

I just got off the phone to Qantas Premium Desk and was informed there is no such thing as an ASA anymore. It now called Points + Pay. I was also informed that I can book this (SYD-HKG in Feb) online using the search engine.

What have the staff been told/trained in saying. She quoted me the exact same points / cash I could have done myself.
I asked about Classic Awards rates and Marginal ASA and she spoke to her supervisor. They came back with what I mentioned above. 495,000 points and some stupid amount of money.

The staff member i spoke to also mentioned that she HAD NOT been on the website since they have changed it, and it seemed a little confusing....!!!!! "Your telling me"

What number did you use to call QF to make this enquiry? Did you call the new dedicated 1300 366 587 number that has been established for this purpose? Or did you call the regular reservations number?

 

[Dmac6345]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I used the dedicated number (1300 366 587), which then answered Qantas Premium after I keyed in my QFF #.

 

[Princess Fiona]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I used the dedicated number (1300 366 587), which then answered Qanats Premium after I keyed in my QFF #.

And I did the same and managed to book successfully.

 

[footy99]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

There is every chance they are gone already. They gave us a few days to get our final flights booked at the old level before the end of financial year when they permanently disappeared. I can't really see the point dragging it out another 3 months. The staff aren't being trained to take them and there is no points penalty for booking so it seemed like a little interim solution to allow us AFFers to get what we wanted before the permanent transition off ASAs (which has already happened for everyone else).

 

[Nizar]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

There is every chance they are gone already. They gave us a few days to get our final flights booked at the old level before the end of financial year when they permanently disappeared. I can't really see the point dragging it out another 3 months. The staff aren't being trained to take them and there is no points penalty for booking so it seemed like a little interim solution to allow us AFFers to get what we wanted before the permanent transition off ASAs (which has already happened for everyone else).

I agree. Could well be the case.

 

[RooFlyer]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

<snip>

Some input from Red Roo would be helpful here as it seems the process is proving a little variable in execution.

You have a wicked sense of humour, Princess Fiona. The old red jumper hasn't been seen since the 'enhancements' were announced. Red Roo = a Norwegian Blue by any other name: The Parrot sketch

The thread here shows that QF simply hasn't bothered to do the training to implement phone assisted 'marginal ASAs'. You might strike some-one who knows about it (as you did), but likely not.

My read is that the whole process is a cynical devaluation in the FF program. Squeeze it to a call centre, don't train the call centre, squeeze out the benefit, everyone gives up, benefit permanently gone.

I wonder if this was how it was explained to work to those on that notorious QF briefing call? Wonder if the briefing participants are feeling used now?