New Virgin Platinum Phone Service

[markis10]

I'm pretty sure it's 0500-2300 7 Days a week.

0500-2230 http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ority-assistance-desk-31967-4.html#post486700

 

[Simo]

I have rang QF plat service a few times and have been awesome.

I had some issues with a booking which they had to fix up and did it all e mailed the new info to me and then got a follow up ph call to ask if it is all correct.

I haven't yet had to ring Virgin Plat service so i look forward and then can grade them against QF.

 

[pauly7]

Meanwhile, this Gold member called the Velocity number the other day to enquire about Malaysia Airlines / Etihad redemption, only to be told that I had to be put through to the "international team" - which was based overseas. It was impossible to hear / understand them, so gave up after 5 minutes of trying to explain the situation*. Sigh.

* Note however that the chick I spoke to in the Brisbane call centre was fantastic.

Had exactly the same experience!

The VA WP staff are lovely I agree but haven't been able to answer or action anything for me. They've either put me on hold and asked someone else or transferred me to the dreaded 'international team' who sound like they are on the end of the cheapest skype line VA could find and with accents so thick I literally could not understand them.

I'm sure VA will train up the WP people as they are very new, and I hope the jobs coming back to Australia are the international team!!

 

[pauly7]

I have rang QF plat service a few times and have been awesome.

I had some issues with a booking which they had to fix up and did it all e mailed the new info to me and then got a follow up ph call to ask if it is all correct.

I haven't yet had to ring Virgin Plat service so i look forward and then can grade them against QF.

QF WP are far superior but to be fair VA WP staff are obviously very new and need time to be trained up.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

the dreaded 'international team' who sound like they are on the end of the cheapest skype line VA could find and with accents so thick I literally could not understand them.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has problems with O/S call centres. I really thought I must fail as an "international" traveller when I can't even understand staff in an O/S call centre, supposedly speaking the same language as I am :shock:

 

[lazybones1987]

Currently, their call centers have been set up in the following way:

• Domestic, Pacific & Polynesian Blue- BNE and MNL
• VAustralia- Outsourced to an on shore call center
• Velocity-KUL

VA is looking to bring most (if not all) call centers on shore. Their biggest challenge would be to train their current staff with the different reservation systems (Newskies, Amadeus) and the velocity system.

As others have mentioned, the current Plat service people are quite new, so give them some time before they become "experts" in the field.

 

[anat0l]

I'm pretty sure it's 0500-2300 7 Days a week.

Why can't it be 24/7? Gotta be thinking about Platinums on the other side of the world too.....

 

[Mal]

Why can't it be 24/7? Gotta be thinking about Platinums on the other side of the world too.....

I don't think the QF one is ...

 

[anat0l]

I don't think the QF one is ...

Pretty sure the QF one is... or was. I can remember calling up QF Premium at around 2am Brisbane time at some point. Unless it is a general QF line (but I thought that service for non-Platinums was business hours only).

 

[LiamR]

Why can't it be 24/7? Gotta be thinking about Platinums on the other side of the world too.....

Maybe you get put through to the regular line after hours?

 

[serfty]

Pretty sure the QF one is... or was. I can remember calling up QF Premium at around 2am Brisbane time at some point. Unless it is a general QF line (but I thought that service for non-Platinums was business hours only).

I believe there is a special premium group who work reasonable hours (M-S, 9-5).

Outside of those hours your call goes to the normal call group - operators are supposed to answer "premium" as prompted by their screen showing incoming call detail - many do not.

 

[markis10]

I have had the odd weekend call go through to normal QF service centre.

 

[ozmille]

I believe there is a special premium group who work reasonable hours (M-S, 9-5).

Outside of those hours your call goes to the normal call group - operators are supposed to answer "premium" as prompted by their screen showing incoming call detail - many do not.

Haven't heard "premium desk" for a long time, even Mon to Sat normal business hours


Sent from my iPad using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[Mal]

Had my first dj plat desk experience today. Was pleasurable, altho yes the requirement for hold for something unusual needed to happen. Staffer was helpful, bubbly, happy, and customer focussed.

Look forward to the experience once the training is completed.
---
This post was made from my mobile.

 

[tinkybelle]

I called the other day for a friend who is gold and the phone rang for ages so I hung up called back and plugged my plat no in and it answered first ring
Im impressed by their service and helpfulness . I wont go back to the dark side.

 

[moa999]

Upgrade over the weekend doesnt seem to have changed much to the phone system (much like the website).

Still the Press 2, enter in your 10 digit number.
Then after getting an operator I had to provide the following just to check upgrade availability on a flight change:
PNR
Velocity number (hadnt come through automatically, although it recognised I was Plat :-(
Full Name
DOB
Address
Email

A crazy amount of information (as I have complained about previously) and not good from a personal info security viewpoint.

 

[lovestotravel]

Rang late last week to request a refund for a flight and was put through to an "overseas call centre"

Took about 5 mins of pushing to get a refund on a J fare...... They insisted it could only be a "credit"

Sigh

 

[straitman]

Rang late last week to request a refund for a flight and was put through to an "overseas call centre"

Took about 5 mins of pushing to get a refund on a J fare...... They insisted it could only be a "credit"

Sigh

Did you press 2 as your first option?

 

[Fruitcake]

A crazy amount of information (as I have complained about previously) and not good from a personal info security viewpoint.

Personally I'd be more nervous about a call centre that didn't want that info confirmed before going ahead with a transaction. They know the personal details already... they just want to make sure you know the personal details on file. Otherwise someone could pick up a carelessly discarded boarding pass and call up using your name and velocity number. If something else wasn't used to verify it would be quite easy to ask, "What's my points balance? Well, I'd like to transfer 150k points to my brother-in-law, Mr xx_x." Or they could just be a joker - "I'd like to cancel my next trip." In both these examples you're relying on the phone operator to give away enough info in their initial response to you but in quite a lot of cases I reckon you'd get it (the first example is rather weak because it's also rather easily traceable!).

Of course, if you do know someone's name, address and DOB you can still cause mischief by doing what some colleagues did - calling up QFF and ordering vegetarian meals for all nine sectors of a round-the-world business trip a member of their team was about to embark on. :!:

The only "unusual" piece of info requested by Velocity is the e-mail address - but I think this is just a proactive way to make sure that the lowest cost customer contact method is as up-to-date as possible.

 

[moa999]

Agreed that it is useful in protecting the colleague or stolen boarding pass situation,

but it also means the Virgin call centre operator can see that information unencrypted on the screen - from the way they confirm
- quick snapshot of the smartphone and a good deal of private info that can be used elsewhere.
- combination of fullname, address and date of birth.

I would much prefer them to ask for a codeword, or have you enter a pin.