Only $27.50 for the pleasure of ringing Qantas

[Pointburner]

From their last frequent flyer newsletter:

Order by phone at the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store
You can redeem your points for over 1,300 products from the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store by phone, as well as online. To order by phone, call the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store Contact Centre on 1300 308 377 and quote your name, membership number and PIN. From 15 April 2010, all orders placed by phone will incur an Award Assistance Fee of 2,500 points or $27.50. To avoid the fee, you can order online at qantas.com/store.�


Am I to believe their arrogance? Being charged $27.50 for the pleasure of calling them (and presumably waiting) - and they actually promote it as some kind of benefit?

 

[samh004]

I’m not sure they’re promoting it as a benefit, but if you want to call them up it’ll cost extra, like it always has? If you can argue what you wanted wasn’t available to get on the online store your fees may always be waived I guess.

Also see here.

 

[Pointburner]

Two aspects annoyed me:

• the call to action - "Order by phone at the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store" - actually encourages members to use the phone option. For the cost, who in their right mind would?
• I'm unaware for how long the $27.50 charge has applied, but by any reasonable measure the fee is exorbitant. I would doubt the actual incurred cost by Qantas would exceed an absolute fraction of the cost, and even allowing for their usual massive margins, $10 would line their pockets by more than is reasonable.

 

[samh004]

• I'm unaware for how long the $27.50 charge has applied, but by any reasonable measure the fee is exorbitant. I would doubt the actual incurred cost by Qantas would exceed an absolute fraction of the cost, and even allowing for their usual massive margins, $10 would line their pockets by more than is reasonable.

You should see the fees AsiaMiles charges for things, and all in USD too, which is a little odd for a HKG-based company.

Either way, shows you what they value 2500 points as.

 

[RB]

Good to see $2.50 of GST in there

 

[odysseus]

If you can argue what you wanted wasn’t available to get on the online store your fees may always be waived I guess.

I doubt it, given they force and then equally charge anyone booking unaccompanied minors to also book this way and pay this fee, since it's not possible through the web site.

 

[ejb]

You should also remember that this fee is OPTIONAL.

If you don't want to pay it purchase online.

ejb

 

[straitman]

From their last frequent flyer newsletter:

Order by phone at the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store
You can redeem your points for over 1,300 products from the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store by phone, as well as online. To order by phone, call the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store Contact Centre on 1300 308 377 and quote your name, membership number and PIN. From 15 April 2010, all orders placed by phone will incur an Award Assistance Fee of 2,500 points or $27.50. To avoid the fee, you can order online at qantas.com/store.�


Am I to believe their arrogance? Being charged $27.50 for the pleasure of calling them (and presumably waiting) - and they actually promote it as some kind of benefit?

I am not a Qantas defender however I believe that some people need to remember that like any business they are there to make a profit and that there is nothing immoral about profit.

 

[markis10]

So long as they waive the fee when you dont have a choice but to ring them when their IT lets you down, I dont have a problem.

 

[samh004]

I doubt it, given they force and then equally charge anyone booking unaccompanied minors to also book this way and pay this fee, since it's not possible through the web site.

I have seen reports of people having the fee waived for airline awards when they couldn’t get it online, so I can’t imagine it’d be much different. Though I’m guessing everything in the store will be available online anyway, so you shouldn’t need to call up.

 

[ejb]

Slightly OT but...

Does anyone use the store to buy things.

The couple of times I have looked the burn rate seems very high. I value points at 72000=$3200 because I use points mainly to get J rtn SYD-PER so when I see an Ipod or something for 60000 points and I could buy the thing for $200 I see very little value in using the FF store.

ejb

 

[markis10]

I know a few business owners that use it for staff gifts etc.

 

[ejb]

I know a few business owners that use it for staff gifts etc.

I am sure my staff would prefer J tix.

ejb

 

[straitman]

Slightly OT but...

Does anyone use the store to buy things.

The couple of times I have looked the burn rate seems very high. I value points at 72000=$3200 because I use points mainly to get J rtn SYD-PER so when I see an Ipod or something for 60000 points and I could buy the thing for $200 I see very little value in using the FF store.

ejb

Not me. As you say the burn rate is over the top.

 

[markis10]

I am sure my staff would prefer J tix.

ejb

The staff dont travel, in fact most of them dont have a car, yet they all have iPHones and the latest gadgets, so you know what gets them going, if it was me I would take J awards.

 

[JohnK]

The simple answer is do not call Qantas to purchase from the store. FWIW Qantas have always waived a the fee for me when I have booked awards over the phone that I could not book online. In fact if they tell you they will not waive the fee then do not argue with them and hang up. Someone will waive the fee.

Does anyone use the store to buy things.

The asking price for the goods is not indicative of the actual retail price. Some current specials

Black Wii Bundle is 61,500 QFF points. I would be surprised if the retail cost was >$300
Apple iPod Nano 8MB Blue is 30,500 QFF points. I believe this can be purchased retail for <$200
Australian House and Garden Magazine Subscription is 9,600 QFF points. Retail price is $69.95
Beefeater 4 Burner 900 series BBQ is 126,000. Harvey Norman retail price is $899

I think a pattern is starting to emerge. Qantas is valuing the QFF points in their store at ~1.37 cents/point or more. I think these examples can also be purchased cheaper by shopping around....

 

[markis10]

Now if QF were to start stocking some items that money cannot buy, that would make things interesting.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I doubt it, given they force and then equally charge anyone booking unaccompanied minors to also book this way and pay this fee, since it's not possible through the web site.

Don't know when you last made a UM booking but as you can't do such a booking over the net QF will match the internet price so nobody is disadvantaged dollarwise for doing so.

Make sure you get the airline to send the UM paperwork to the person who is bringing the child to the airport for the first flight. Even better if they can complete the necessary info prior to arriving at the airport so if they can't remember contact details for the person at the other end they have time to call said person to confirm details.

Do not arrive at the airport at minus 30 with no UM form completed telling people the airline told you to get there 30 minutes beforehand. Almost always, no matter which airline it involves, the last pax to checkin nearly always include an infant for a UM - the latter having no UM form completed & the parent/guardian having no phone credit to call said person to get details.

 

[straitman]

Do not arrive at the airport at minus 30 with no UM form completed telling people the airline told you to get there 30 minutes beforehand. Almost always, no matter which airline it involves, the last pax to checkin nearly always include an infant for a UM - the latter having no UM form completed & the parent/guardian having no phone credit to call said person to get details.

Sounds like a voice of experience :!:

 

[UP4014]

Slightly OT but...

Does anyone use the store to buy things.

The couple of times I have looked the burn rate seems very high. I value points at 72000=$3200 because I use points mainly to get J rtn SYD-PER so when I see an Ipod or something for 60000 points and I could buy the thing for $200 I see very little value in using the FF store.

ejb

No, have a look every now and then when I want something, see the QF pricing and head over to David Jones which is like a discount store, relatively speaking.