Those who have dealt with customer care will know that you usually get a quick response from a very well trained "yes man" who will say over the phone how bad said situation is and how they'll work so hard to fix it, but if you ever push for more info or ask for a real resolution, you won't get one. Calls will go unreturned and the issue will be stretched on for months until you can't be bothered dealing with it anymore.
The problem is of course that staff are not controlled and those who don't really want to offer good service simply won't, because they know they won't ever be pulled up.
The new, younger crews on the TT and A380 routes are a lot better, but it's the older crews who have developed this attitude that they are doing the customer a favor by showing up for work - and unfortunately Qantas have no desire to fix it.
If there's a problem with the attitude of cabin crew you need to look right at the top of the food chain. If management are continuallly trying to whittle away elements of the award whether it be a simple thing like a crew meal (100% of cabin crew are not catered for) or rest periods between duties, slip times, number of cabin crew on an aircraft etc it's the pax who ultimately bear the brunt of it by way of poor service.
Flight attendants fall into two groups -
a) those who get on with the job despite being screwed by management because they have a good work ethic and are professional enough to not let their feelings towards management impact on the customer, or
b) those who think stuff it, if the company is going to screw me then I'll screw them back by way of poor customer service to pax.
I don't disagree with Richard Branson's philosophy of looking after employees first, customers second then shareholders last. QF look at the above in a different order.
The problem with aviation & this applies to many airlines, is that bean counters with zero aviation experience are given way too much power when it comes to major decision making. They never understand the short term loss for long term gain principle as many are on short contracts with generous bonuses for 'saving money'.
By the time it's discovered that these decisions are actually costing money 3 years down the track, these consultants have long gone yet hansomely rewarded for their carnage.
It's a shame that customer goodwill is subjective and it's very hard to display on balance sheets, graphs and grids what would happen to the bottom line if a company implemented unpopular changes amongst staff.
How can employees take management seriously when they are told sorry, no bonus this year we're doing it tough, not even shareholders are being paid dividends. Staff received a $250 travel voucher for their hard work. Yet according to the Australian Services Union, QF Execs received up to $5,000 in cash bonuses and shares worth $20,000. Obviously the airline is doing okay after all.
