Incorrectly upgraded to Plat due to Flybuys issue plus poor support

[lobo76]

Back in June I unlinked my Flybuys account as I was only 2 SCs away from Platinum and I was aiming to qualify with some flights in early December and wanted to use up some for my half a million points balance in the meantime (my review date was March)

For some reason 2 SCs from June were credited to my account at the start of August (and one expired) and Velocity upgraded me to Platinum.
I got a confirmation email back in June from Velocity of the disconnection.

I raised a request via the web form on the weekend (attaching the email from Velocity) and last night I got the below barely cogent reply. Part canned answer and part nonsense that show they either didn't read or didn't understand the request.
PS I requested they either drop me back to Gold or if that was too hard to extend my review date to Dec 2025 (when my forward booked flights would have properly pushed me over the line)

"Thank you for reaching out to us about your Membership.

I understand you want to upgrade to Platinum in December due to your upcoming flight. However, we are unable to process your request because our system automatically processed the benefit period.

Please know that Status Credits are only valid for 12 months from the date they were earned. If your account will be downgraded back to Gold status, it is possible that some of the Status Credits you earned in 2023 will expire before you can earn on your upcoming December flight.

This may result in a large number of Status Credits that you will need to earn before upgrading to Platinum status. As much as we'd love to process this for you, however we're also unable to extend review date as Velocity strictly follow our 12 months benefit period.

We're truly sorry and we hope you understand why we can't proceed on your request.

If you have Velocity membership related enquiries, please visit www.velocityfrequentflyer.com or call the Membership Contact Centre on the number below."

Has anyone experienced this kind of SC misfire before? Is the online support usually this poor? Any advice?
TIA

 

[Mattg]

I've seen a few similar stories on AFF over the years of Velocity upgrading people early when they were only a few status credits off Gold or Platinum. It may not actually have anything to do with Flybuys.

In general, I don't think people have had much luck with getting Velocity to downgrade them.

I think in 95% of cases, most people are happy with the surprise upgrade. But for people like you who have planned meticulously when they want their review date to be, it's annoying and it's a shame that Velocity won't honour the advertised terms of their program when people in your situation request it.

My personal view is that pushing Velocity further on this will probably be a waste of your time, sorry.

 

[lobo76]

I've seen a few similar stories on AFF over the years of Velocity upgrading people early when they were only a few status credits off Gold or Platinum. It may not actually have anything to do with Flybuys.

In general, I don't think people have had much luck with getting Velocity to downgrade them.

I think in 95% of cases, most people are happy with the surprise upgrade. But for people like you who have planned meticulously when they want their review date to be, it's annoying and it's a shame that Velocity won't honour the advertised terms of their program when people in your situation request it.

My personal view is that pushing Velocity further on this will probably be a waste of your time, sorry.

No I can see the Flybuys credits getting applied and I got upgraded that day - and one expired leaving me at 999 - so it's definitely an error there given I cancelled the link to Flybuys over 6 weeks ago and got an acknowledgement from Velocity.

I've written back (if even just to let them know it's poor form to not properly read a customer complaint). I can understand them upgrading people if they are close and ask for it. That's a great customer service thing to do. Ditto for people a couple of credits short and coming up to their review.

But doing it 4 months after I've requalified for gold on the back of an IT systems error just has to be corrected IMO as they're effectively robbing me of months of Gold even if they don't agree with my view that it's a waste of months of Platinum for me.

 

[oz_mark]

Had you already spent $200 (for the 2 SC) during June at the time you unlinked?

 

[lobo76]

Had you already spent $200 (for the 2 SC) during June at the time you unlinked?

Yes but the points and SCs never transfer until the end of the month, not when you do the spend.
And in this case they didn't transfer until the start of August for some reason.

 

[Steven of Mysore]

Yes but the points and SCs never transfer until the end of the month, not when you do the spend.
And in this case they didn't transfer until the start of August for some reason.

I have had some transfer 6 weeks after EOM

 

[lobo76]

You've got to wonder about the IT integration for this - it's not exactly rocket science.

But yea clearly an issue on the Velocity side here. Still waiting on another reply, wondering if I should bother trying to call the help center (which I try to avoid for non-urgent issues)

 

[andye]

Not a help for you but one way of avoiding SCs crediting inadvertently is to family pool away from account for the time you don't want them. Assuming of course that you have an eligible recipient

 

[oz_mark]

Yes but the points and SCs never transfer until the end of the month, not when you do the spend.
And in this case they didn't transfer until the start of August for some reason.

I have not hear of anyone unlinking before, but my thought is that you would get SCs for the time up to the unlinking,
Velocity and Flybuys are a bit all over the place when it comes to the SC appearing.

 

[lobo76]

Not a help for you but one way of avoiding SCs crediting inadvertently is to family pool away from account for the time you don't want them. Assuming of course that you have an eligible recipient

Unfortunately I don't have an elligible recipient at the moment #foreveralone

Post automatically merged: Aug 8, 2024

I have not hear of anyone unlinking before, but my thought is that you would get SCs for the time up to the unlinking,
Velocity and Flybuys are a bit all over the place when it comes to the SC appearing.

Yea they always have been all over the place - I've had to chase SCs more than once in the past.

But if the account is unlinked then there should be no further transactions. They in fact should not really keep the account link information technically.

EDIT: I've actually been told by Flybuys support in the past that they only send the data after end of month (which makes sense, it's likely a CSV export given how clunky the system is)

 

[Steven of Mysore]

You've got to wonder about the IT integration for this - it's not exactly rocket science.

But yea clearly an issue on the Velocity side here. Still waiting on another reply, wondering if I should bother trying to call the help center (which I try to avoid for non-urgent issues)

FlyBuyd and IT integration? Anything to do with loyalty connected with Wesfarmers is a joke.

 

[lobo76]

FlyBuyd and IT integration? Anything to do with loyalty connected with Wesfarmers is a joke.

Amen

 

[odysseus]

But if the account is unlinked then there should be no further transactions. They in fact should not really keep the account link information technically.

Not seeing it that way myself.

The significant event is the accrual, not the posting. So as they were linked when points were accrued, they [eventually] flow through. This is consistent with many other aspects such as promotions and even SC and points earning on flights. i.e. you register your FFP for the flight, and they look at what is on the ticket when you fly, not that you register it afterwards. (yes, I’m aware points can be registered retrospectively if not linked at time of flying, but that is a variation to the standard, not the standard itself).

There’s likely some revenue model that applies in terms of logging SCs awarded by flybuys when linked, so if a linkage existed, and flybuys awarded these SCs during the linked period, but were then rejected by Velocity when sent through, they’d become orphans and not reconcile.

So the timing of posting is a separate matter to whether SCs were earned while linked. There's nothing to suggest that Velocity should have rejected the feed of status credits from flybuys.

 

[lobo76]

Not seeing it that way myself.

The significant event is the accrual, not the posting. So as they were linked when points were accrued, they [eventually] flow through. This is consistent with many other aspects such as promotions and even SC and points earning on flights. i.e. you register your FFP for the flight, and they look at what is on the ticket when you fly, not that you register it afterwards. (yes, I’m aware points can be registered retrospectively if not linked at time of flying, but that is a variation to the standard, not the standard itself).

There’s likely some revenue model that applies in terms of logging SCs awarded by flybuys when linked, so if a linkage existed, and flybuys awarded these SCs during the linked period, but were then rejected by Velocity when sent through, they’d become orphans and not reconcile.

So the timing of posting is a separate matter to whether SCs were earned while linked. There's nothing to suggest that Velocity should have rejected the feed of status credits from flybuys.

OK if that's the case then it shouldn't be a problem to get the SCs earned BEFORE you link an account too, right?

You need to remember these are two completely separate companies - sharing your data under an agreement. The point is that when you unlink the account link you've terminated the agreement to transfer your data to a third party. End of.

Also the transfer was delayed 1 month.

Also 1 SC expired on the 30th July and the 2 SCs were added on the 31st - so I should never have reached 1000 under any scenario here.

Activity date	Process date	Description

30-Jun-2024

31-Jul-2024

flybuys 2 Status Credit Earn

I unlinked the account on the 25th

 

[Stone]

OK if that's the case then it shouldn't be a problem to get the SCs earned BEFORE you link an account too, right?

You need to remember these are two completely separate companies - sharing your data under an agreement. The point is that when you unlink the account link you've terminated the agreement to transfer your data to a third party. End of.

Also the transfer was delayed 1 month.

Also 1 SC expired on the 30th July and the 2 SCs were added on the 31st - so I should never have reached 1000 under any scenario here.

Activity date	Process date	Description

30-Jun-2024

31-Jul-2024

flybuys 2 Status Credit Ear

I unlinked the account on the 25th

The activity date for the Flybuys status credit I what is important though, not when they post (activity date). You would have reached the 1,000 threshold because of this.

I don't think you will win the battle as the have followed their Ts and Cs appropriately.

 

[oz_mark]

OK if that's the case then it shouldn't be a problem to get the SCs earned BEFORE you link an account too, right?

You need to remember these are two completely separate companies - sharing your data under an agreement. The point is that when you unlink the account link you've terminated the agreement to transfer your data to a third party. End of.

Also the transfer was delayed 1 month.

Also 1 SC expired on the 30th July and the 2 SCs were added on the 31st - so I should never have reached 1000 under any scenario here.

Activity date	Process date	Description

30-Jun-2024

31-Jul-2024

flybuys 2 Status Credit Earn

I unlinked the account on the 25th

You start earning SC from the day you link the accounts. It would appear that you stop earning SC from the day you unlink the account.

Not sure unlinking an account would stop them sending across any accrued SC

 

[lobo76]

You start earning SC from the day you link the accounts. It would appear that you stop earning SC from the day you unlink the account.

Not sure unlinking an account would stop them sending across any accrued SC

Terminating the link removes the agreement to share data IMO
Maybe I should test this with the ACCC and see what they say

 

[odysseus]

Terminating the link removes the agreement to share data IMO
Maybe I should test this with the ACCC and see what they say

Where does it say it terminates the agreement to share data - which in any case is company wide (across all members), not individual.

I don't see anywhere that it backdates and overrides linkages in effect for transactions prior to the termination.

Post automatically merged: Aug 9, 2024

OK if that's the case then it shouldn't be a problem to get the SCs earned BEFORE you link an account too, right?

Why would that be?

The linkage occurred after the transaction so can't see any rationale justifying a linkage on transactions before they were linked.

You need to remember these are two completely separate companies - sharing your data under an agreement. The point is that when you unlink the account link you've terminated the agreement to transfer your data to a third party. End of.

I don't see that the tinkage process states anything about sharing. This is more likely covered in the general membership terms, which typically say sharing is agreed to for necessary or agreed activities. And linkage would be one of those - which means if the transfer is during the linkage time then it is compliant.

Also the transfer was delayed 1 month.

As said earlier, time of posting is a separate issue.

Activity date	Process date	Description

30-Jun-2024

31-Jul-2024

flybuys 2 Status Credit Earn

I unlinked the account on the 25th

That would be the only grounds I see an argument here - if the transaction occurred after the account was unlinked. Which you hadn't said earlier.

 

[Cynicor]

Man, get over it.
You earned the 2 SCs and should have done the maths a month early and disconnected then. Some times you miss out.