Has Qantas lost your business due to its failure to provide customer service?

[ferntree]

So, after all that it appears QF can’t distinguish between blatant lies and the truth.
Just had a knock at our hotel door and low and behold there is our luggage.
The attached stickers clearly show the luggage left MEL this morning and arrived in CBR at 0945 and has been sitting there all day.

Glad you got your bags. As the saying goes, if you're not sure whether it's conspiracy or stuff up it's most likely stuff up.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

QF haven't lost my business...tbh I've had mostly positive experiences with the odd exception such as the catering on my MEL-SYD on Thursday but last couple of J flights I haven't eaten anyway. Lately, I've been able to fly ahead, had great crews and its got me from Point A to Point B perhaps with a little extra stress the last couple of weeks.
I fly HLO, usually for work, no need to call a contact centre and as we all should know, fly other airlines internationally unless you're a sucker for punishment.

If you're flying for leisure, using complicated payments such as credit + pay and have high expectations, Id probably avoid QF for a while

 

[RichardMEL]

I think yesterday or maybe Thursday QF admitted (per one of the major tv news services.. maybe 7. I forget which one I saw lol) that a "number" of flights left MEL without bags to try and ensure an on time operation as much as possible (funny I have seen a number of delays on random flights I have looked at during the week, but I digress).

My own experience a week or so ago in MEL confirmed staffing, specially on the ramp, is really bad at MEL. I think VA and QF quoted a 20% staff shortage dur to covid / iso protocols (which I know some places have changed rules about but I think Vic has resisted so far).

It's pretty dire and at Easter of all times is just so bad as everyone here well knows who have been affected directly.

Some of this is outside the carriers (mutiple) control - ie staff having to iso/close contacts etc but that's not going to matter one little bit when you're missing your bags over your easter break and you can't communicate with the company to have any idea as to if you'll see them before you get home/

sad.

(aside: hands up who remembers the AN Easter disaster where 767's were grounded.. oh boy)

 

[OATEK]

I think yesterday or maybe Thursday QF admitted (per one of the major tv news services.. maybe 7. I forget which one I saw lol) that a "number" of flights left MEL without bags to try and ensure an on time operation as much as possible (funny I have seen a number of delays on random flights I have looked at during the week, but I digress).

My own experience a week or so ago in MEL confirmed staffing, specially on the ramp, is really bad at MEL. I think VA and QF quoted a 20% staff shortage dur to covid / iso protocols (which I know some places have changed rules about but I think Vic has resisted so far).

It's pretty dire and at Easter of all times is just so bad as everyone here well knows who have been affected directly.

Some of this is outside the carriers (mutiple) control - ie staff having to iso/close contacts etc but that's not going to matter one little bit when you're missing your bags over your easter break and you can't communicate with the company to have any idea as to if you'll see them before you get home/

sad.

(aside: hands up who remembers the AN Easter disaster where 767's were grounded.. oh boy)

I saw a report tonight that QF had run a baggage only flight to MEL today, using a 787.

 

[AIRwin]

I saw a report tonight that QF had run a baggage only flight to MEL today, using a 787.

But the only domestic flight operated by 787 today was QF438 from MEL to SYD?

 

[Daver6]

I saw a report tonight that QF had run a baggage only flight to MEL today, using a 787.

Qantas to outsource ground handling across Australia

And larger international aircraft have already been flying on some domestic routes (e.g. Jetstar 787 Dreamliners are flying from Melbourne to the Gold Coast and Cairns).

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[OATEK]

But the only domestic flight operated by 787 today was QF438 from MEL to SYD?

Not saying the reporter got it right, but that was what was said.

 

[TheInsider]

So, after all that it appears QF can’t distinguish between blatant lies and the truth.
Just had a knock at our hotel door and low and behold there is our luggage.
The attached stickers clearly show the luggage left MEL this morning and arrived in CBR at 0945 and has been sitting there all day.
View attachment 274781

Doesn't mean it went on that flight tbf.

 

[jase05]

Doesn't mean it went on that flight tbf.

But when I spoke to them they said that there was no room on flights to ADL. Then in my next conversation they said I wouldn’t get my bags until the next day most likely and that there was no room on the CBR flights, then a hour or so later they magically appear at my hotel.
The whole thing was just a complete lie on their behalf

 

[Matt_01]

The jury is still out, without much flying over past 2 years my priorities have changed. This post may just turn into a long winded ramble and my opinion only. Reading through these posts and other threads there are those who will voice their opinions 'QF is at fault/ blame’ etc. but when I think back to some of the posts, I read prior to covid the QF call centre waiting times and general customer service has been an issue for a while. However, this has not been my experience (due to status) and getting through to QF pre or during Covid be it reservations or VIP/ SST was significantly easier than getting through to VA (WP) or SQ (*G) or any other carriers I was flying with. Based on my recent experience the VA call centre seems to be the easiest to get through too and resolve issues, QF is second and SQ third. As a side note I ditched QF in late 2010 in favour of VA however within 3 years was back with QF and from memory 2010/11 was also the time that VA rebranded and JB/VA seemed to go head-to-head with AJ/QF. Initially things were good with the new VA, prices where cheaper in Y and J and the service seemed better, QF must have realised this and seemed to up the ante, the QF prices fell and the overall service improved. Then VA and QF prices started to increase, the VA Y service dropped back and the VA 'snack' etc came into the mix.

The other reason I went back to QF was my international travel increased and QF just had better reach using QF metal or OW and I have a better understanding of the OW rules and partner rules be it limited to EK. The VA mix of partner agreements was something I just did not bother to look into other than my ability to earn points with SQ or lounge access with DL and to this day I am unsure if access to the Delta lounges was based on flying J, my VA number being in the booking, my AMEX platinum charge card and/or the free Priority Pass membership, we were allowed access and that is all that mattered.

All my flights during the past 2 years have been booked with points as if I needed to change or cancel it was easy and no requirement to have cash tied up in the bank of QF or VA. Our current international bookings have been booked on SQ (KF) and EK (QF) via points as these airlines seem to be working on consistent patterns without to many issues other than normal IRROPs.

Also the QF VIP team has been quite accommodating in dealing with some of my more unusual requests, the latest being for my parents (both NB) getting my Grandmother back to PER and happens to be older than QF and in her 103 years (104 in 13 days) has only travelled by air 5-6 times. As I made all the bookings on behalf of my parents I included Dad’s QFF number so he could see this booking. He did call me a few times concerned that he could see his booking but not my Mums or Nans, I informed him it would be OK and as their travel was in two bookings (linked) it would just work. After making these bookings I called the VIP team and arranged lounge access for all the NB flyers, the wheelchair (Nans) through security at the start and end points. When dad called me a few days back it was just to say ‘everything went as planned off without a hitch’.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

There are a number of decisions and importantly cutbacks airlines have made due to COVID, QF is certainly not immune from any of this. I suppose the real question is whether some of these decisions will be reversed once the pain caused by the business is too great for management to ignore. I highly doubt we'll see QF stick to only phone calls in 5 years time given the number of travellers and most importantly high profile frequent flyers they have. So far as I can tell no major airline has done a similar thing for obvious reasons. Similarly, whilst QF uses COVID as an excuse to cutback on catering (and particularly PDB in J), it's only a matter of time before this cost cutting by uncle Alan comes back to bite QF. VA in many respects is outshining QF in the catering department, domestically, and now that many international airlines have returned to AU, they will need to stand on their own two feet when it comes to catering lest customers book their flights with JAL or other alliance partners who treat them well.

-RooFlyer88

 

[Anna]

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, I was in the QF dom terminal at MEL and there was a service desk open. It is located just before the gates. I was so surprised to see it that I went and spoke to the CSA, who told me that the desk is always staffed until the last QF departure every day. She was surprised that I was surprised

 

[Brissy1]

But when I spoke to them they said that there was no room on flights to ADL. Then in my next conversation they said I wouldn’t get my bags until the next day most likely and that there was no room on the CBR flights, then a hour or so later they magically appear at my hotel.
The whole thing was just a complete lie on their behalf

Customers are not match fit if they check in luggage during busy periods and then expect it to travel with them! Not qantas fault, its the customers, and the inefficient service providers we outsourced to
Seriously though I feel sorry for staff trying to fix a CEO's failure to plan and take responsibility for his failures. There's a time and place for a slash-and-burn CEO but it is not during recovery phase

 

[pangwen]

Although a significant amount of this thread's discussion has been centred about the customer's perception of the customer service failings of QF, I thought I'd share a story from 9News which details some of the struggle from the agent's point of view whereby they claim to bear the brunt of abusive calls day in and day out:

The stream of abuse, day after day, has taken a mental toll, Tom said.
He described call centre staff as being in "crisis mode" since the start of the pandemic, way back in March 2019.
"You're exhausted before you even start a shift," he said.
"You have to physically push yourself to go in there."

Perhaps it's a freudian slip - I guess even the call centre staff acknowledge that they have been in crisis since March 2019, a year before the pandemic hit.

 

[I love to travel]

Well they certainly don't want my frequent flyer business. Not 1 seat in J or F 353 days out for a plat to anywhere in Europe or US. Not sure if this is being discussed in another thread but the lack of any seat is unreasonable

 

[blackcat20]

Well they certainly don't want my frequent flyer business. Not 1 seat in J or F 353 days out for a plat to anywhere in Europe or US. Not sure if this is being discussed in another thread but the lack of any seat is unreasonable

We got three F seats to the US later this year

 

[I love to travel]

We got three F seats to the US later this year

Insert "I no like you button" here.

 

[justinbrett]

Insert "I no like you button" here.

This is getting off topic but keep looking. I booked SYD-LHR in September a few weeks ago on Finnair, and the following day there was a better option all the way on BA which I changed to, but wasn’t there the day before when I booked.

 

[VPS]

Well they certainly don't want my frequent flyer business. Not 1 seat in J or F 353 days out for a plat to anywhere in Europe or US. Not sure if this is being discussed in another thread but the lack of any seat is unreasonable

I booked one from ADL to LHR this week for November and there were still some available in J

 

[willclan]

Unlike a lot of others on this forum, I am not a business traveller but just an average punter who enjoys travel.

Having said that I can definitely state that my experience with Qantas in recent times has been terrible, and for the first time my wife and I actively look at other airlines for our travels.Qantas is meant to be the flagship carrier, yet it's recent behaviour has been deplorable.

Customer service is an essential component of a company like Qantas, yet it is now non existent. The website is next to useless, the App also works intermittently, not showing booked trips, and their checkin machines at the airport also often don't work! Then you can't get through on the phone, so why do we bother. Whereas Jetstar and Virgin can answer phones, and their technology seems to work better than Qantas.

It seems Qantas management are completely out of touch with the reality facing their customers, this is the way you lose business, and from talking to many of our friends there are many people who will take their business elsewhere.