Please surrender your expired QFF card????

[simongr]

Hi all

Slightly surreal experience this morning. Went to the service desk in the J lounge this,orning asking for a replacement QFF card as my current card has been hidden by toddlergr. I was told that I needed to call the Platinum line.

So far so easy. However I was then told that she would need to keep the expired card as people have been loaning them out to people and in theory all expired cards should be returned to QF to prevent this activity...

Never heard this before and now I don't have my card...

 

[maninblack]

Hi all

Slightly surreal experience this morning. Went to the service desk in the J lounge this,orning asking for a replacement QFF card as my current card has been hidden by toddlergr. I was told that I needed to call the Platinum line.

So far so easy. However I was then told that she would need to keep the expired card as people have been loaning them out to people and in theory all expired cards should be returned to QF to prevent this activity...

Never heard this before and now I don't have my card...

More lessons from the QF 'How to lose friends and alienate people' school of business. Whilst people could quite easily give their card to other people for various purposes an expired card is "expired". To answer your question I have never been asked to return expired cards, nor has anyone in my family. A lost card is a 'lost' card. It's like asking, "where did you lose it":!: Ridiculous, call back and talk to someone else I think you just got a fool.

 

[JetLagged]

More lessons from the QF 'How to lose friends and alienate people' school of business. Whilst people could quite easily give their card to other people for various purposes an expired card is "expired". To answer your question I have never been asked to return expired cards, nor has anyone in my family. A lost card is a 'lost' card. It's like asking, "where did you lose it":!: Ridiculous, call back and talk to someone else I think you just got a fool.

An expired card is expired - definitely. But given the fact that on many occasion lounge staff don't even look at the details of the card, and people do loan their cdards out to others (shock, horror, infamy) I think that the request on this occasion to return it is unusual but fair. And the staff member did say that 'in theory' expired cards should be returned, though of course as we all know, it never is requested or directed.

 

[medhead]

I'm sorry but this just another case of qantas inconveniencing their customers because they are too lazy to check eligibility of people entering the lounge. Expired Cards are getting loaned out? Then check the card as people enter the lounge! How hard is it?


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[Mal]

While I think the agent was going out on their own "crusade", the cards are property of Qantas and you can be asked to return it at any time.

6.2 The Card is and will remain the property of Qantas and must be returned on demand. It is not a payment card.

I won't get into the technicalities of whether the agent is authorised to request the return of the card...

 

[serfty]

...
So far so easy. However I was then told that she would need to keep the expired card as people have been loaning them out to people and in theory all expired cards should be returned to QF to prevent this activity ...

That woudn't be an issue if QP lounge access was properly policed.

Even with DJ anytime access for WP/SG the VA Lounge staff make a point of checking in each and every card - there's no cursory wave of the card at the staff and enter from what I have seen.

 

[medhead]

While I think the agent was going out on their own "crusade", the cards are property of Qantas and you can be asked to return it at any time.



I won't get into the technicalities of whether the agent is authorised to request the return of the card...

No one is arguing against that truth. Just that if expired cards are being passed around the simple solution is to check people trying to get into the lounge and to take back cards when you catch the wrong person with them.

Removal of ATA was "so important" to qantas! But then they continually undermine the effectiveness of its removal by failing to police lounge entry. It just beyond comprehension what is going on in the heads of management at qantas.


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[rechoboam]

Jeepers. I wonder if the QF lounge would be emptier if this loaning wasnt happening?

 

[Febs]

Saw this happen at the MEL J lounge once. Theoretically there shouldn't be an issue, but if you're about to travel internationally, especially on BA or AA - you want that card!!

The guy I saw argued and argued until the lounge attendant begrudgingly handed it back.

 

[TonyHancock]

It just beyond comprehension what is going on in the heads of management at qantas.

.................

 

[djfuzz]

The real issue here is that simongr lost the card - not much use returning something you can't find in the first place!

I was under the impression (pre-WP1 of course) that getting replacement cards or replacement bag tags for WP was absolutely no problem. Has this changed?

Of course, for a period in 2010 during the Q-chip and NGCI trials and roll-outs, I had three unexpired WP cards which I could easily have loaned out or abused (but of course did not), because QF kept on changing them. If this is an issue, as medhead noted, the most effective solution would be to check the cards on entry. I understand the practical difficulties in doing this, but on the other hand, you can't wedge people into a situation where a lost card results in a loss of benefits - the data's stored electronically, the old cards can be electronically invalidated when a new one is activated, and it's not as if the cards carry the same importance as a passport.

 

[The Rok]

If someone loans their card to someone else to use, expired or not, they deserve to lose their benefits. That is a contributing factor to the lounges being at or beyond capacity.

 

[samh004]

Virgin also asks you to give back their cards when they expire. Needless to say, I haven’t as I like my collection of cards (Just look at serfty’s avatar of former cards)!

 

[trippin_the_rift]

That is a contributing factor to the lounges being at or beyond capacity.

Virgin - maybe, who knows.
Qantas - definitely NOT.

 

[medhead]

If this is an issue, as medhead noted, the most effective solution would be to check the cards on entry. I understand the practical difficulties in doing this,

one option to overcome the difficulties would be to employ an extra person to check these things. If it really is a big issue then the savings from preventing unauthorised access should be enough to cover the extra staff member.

If someone loans their card to someone else to use, expired or not, they deserve to lose their benefits. That is a contributing factor to the lounges being at or beyond capacity.

At the very least a sternly worded please explain letter to the persons giving out their old cards.


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[simongr]

The biggest issue here is that I now don't have my card - I have a collection of all my cards dating back years and now I don't have this one

I will have to use paper BPs for the next few weeks - Unless I can find another expired NGCI card...

Given I have been using an expired card for a few weeks I can vouch that they haven't been checking them...

 

[simongr]

Well found a pre-Q chip WP card exp Sep 2011 and called the WP number on the back.

New card being sent out ASAP.

Interestingly she said not to try to use my Q card at the gate as "it wouldn't work". Interesting also that I have been using a bar coded expired card for a few weeks now at the gate as a BP. I also used the same expired card at the SSCI when I thought about changing my FF number to my AA number...

Might try it next week for the flights and see how we go.

 

[medhead]

Ok, so now you'll find your "lost" card.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

No one is arguing against that truth. Just that if expired cards are being passed around the simple solution is to check people trying to get into the lounge and to take back cards when you catch the wrong person with them.

Well I suppose if someone were to 'lend' a current or expired card to a friend, there would be nothing stopping them from making the booking in the name of the cardholder (ie the real owner of the card) so double checking the name on the card isn't going to achieve anything if it matches the booking. Just because someone has an expired card doesn't mean their membership has expired.

It's not as though it's like a credit card where the number changes it's an ongoing thing.

The only thing that will stop John Smith travelling as Fred Jones is a TSA style security face to passport check for domestic flights. I'm assuming the airlines aren't putting their hands up to pay for this one so would have to be yet another tax oncharged to the pax on their ticket.

Well found a pre-Q chip WP card exp Sep 2011 and called the WP number on the back.

New card being sent out ASAP.

Interestingly she said not to try to use my Q card at the gate as "it wouldn't work". Interesting also that I have been using a bar coded expired card for a few weeks now at the gate as a BP. I also used the same expired card at the SSCI when I thought about changing my FF number to my AA number...

Might try it next week for the flights and see how we go.

I think plenty of people on AFF have said an 'expired' card does work.

The only thing confiscating the card does is make it more difficult for the legitimate owner of the membership to use all facets of next gen checkin such as Qcard reader, auto bag drop, kiosk & scanning at the boarding gate. I don't see the sense in that.

 

[JohnK]

I don't know where my Platinum card with expiry date May 2012 is located. I may have seen it for a minute or 2 but more than likely lost in that black hole that is called my bedroom.

I have been using the card with expiry date May 2011 and even though some agents have made comments that it is out of date my Platinum status is still current and I have kept the card. They would not want to try not returning the card to me....