Qantas Call Centre Long Wait Times

My understanding (from unofficial sources) is that there is a pool of priority phone numbers that airport staff give to passengers which rotates every few weeks.

I will attempt to publish the currently active number(s) in this post:

1300 304 318
1300 659 161
1300 025 396
1300 659 116

1300 024 715
1300 025 390
1300 659 115
1300 659 134
1300 659 502

 

[RAM]

Currently trying the "318" number
Hope it is better than the official, useless numbers. Spent 4hours yesterday & 3 hours Thurs/Friday trying to sort out ticketing using points for J class EK booking. EK claim awaiting ticketing, booked Dec 24, so cannot book seats as need aisle due to previous surgery.
Maybe someone can supply Mr Joyce's number so we can overload it with SMS/calls ?
15 mins so far with saxophone

Here's the next best thing:

Head office. +61 2 9691 3636. Qantas, 10 Bourke road. Mascot NSW 2020. Australia. Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm.

Typically they only handle less than 300 calls/day on a busy day.

If you really want to make an impact - once answered then ask to be put through to the "Company Secretary's office". Which being put through when requested is actually an ASX listing requirement BTW although the staff often plead ignorance to that (which the Company Secretary then assures me will be rectified....).

If/when they ask what the call is about - "Bringing to the company secretary's attention a serous business deficiency I've come across".

Should get put through, and then complain (politely).

 

[Rangalad]

Called at 0700 EDST,,message wait time is more than 30 minutes. After 45mins, gave up. Booked VA classic reward equivalent online. can't be bothered complaining after my last experience with the Capetown call centre. Put on hold, taken off hold and the call was disconnected.

 

[Mattg]

Called at 0700 EDST,,message wait time is more than 30 minutes. After 45mins, gave up. Booked VA classic reward equivalent online.

I've just booked my 8th Virgin flight in a row. The main reason for not booking Qantas is that if something goes wrong, at least I'll be able to get through to VA on the phone.

 

[encryptededdy]

Called the main line (13 13 13) to make a change to my international partner classic flight reward (since the alternative flight wasn't showing online). Wait wasn't too bad since they had a callback service (waited ~90mins for call back). Agent needed to be convinced that

1. Award bookings are flexible and I can change the destination from Tokyo Narita to Tokyo Haneda
2. That my changed flight didn't have to be Cathay Pacific
3. That the flight I wanted (JL52) had award space for 2 pax in J on the same day

Even then, they were adamant that they could only rebook me onto the QF service or QF codeshares (which offers an option via. Manilla) that day, which didn't have any award space(???), and they said they couldn't see the JAL flight(??). I tried to convince them that they seem to be searching for paid fares, and that award bookings will allow me to book JAL. They then told me I had to contact JAL to book that flight (yeah right).

I just politely thanked them and hung up.

Then I called 1300 304 318, waited on hold for ~2 minutes, picked up by Qantas Premium, told the agent what I wanted, had some banter about my New Zealand accent and Japan borders hopefully opening for tourists by Q3 2022, and 10 minutes later I was rebooked onto the JAL flight along with a refund for some of the extra taxes and fees.

Thanks to thread I was able to actually get my flight changed. Without that number, I probably would have to just kept calling until I got Hobart before someone could actually do the booking change.

I don't know why Qantas routes award bookings to agents which don't understand award bookings. If it's more complex than dealing with revenue fares, either train them better or just route all the calls to Hobart lol. I can't imagine the call volume for award bookings is thaat high?

In the end I spent nearly 30 minutes on the phone with the main line including the times they put me on hold for like 10 minutes to look up flights, vs. 10 minutes on the phone with premium. Since the main line didn't resolve my issue, I would have to call again, using up even more agent time.

I don't know how much the premium agents cost vs. the outsourced ones, but if I'm taking up more then 3x (but probably more like 6x if I have to call back since they couldn't resolve my issue) the outsourced agents time, is it even financially worth it to Qantas?

 

[Mattg]

I don't know why Qantas routes award bookings to agents which don't understand award bookings.

You've hit the nail on the head.

If you select the international award booking option, you should not be directed to the Cape Town call centre because the staff there either don't know what to do or don't have the resources to help! I don't think I've ever been successful booking an international Classic Flight Reward via that call centre, but I have been given lots of wrong information and had to deal with plenty of agents who weren't even checking for seats in the right RBDs.

 

[Rangalad]

I've just booked my 8th Virgin flight in a row. The main reason for not booking Qantas is that if something goes wrong, at least I'll be able to get through to VA on the phone.

Had to call to get a classic reward seat released, otherwise I would have booked online.

 

[Blackadder]

I think bronze members would be elated if they only had to wait 45 minutes!

As a Bronze currently at 50mins, I can confirm that’s correct.

Edit. 1hr 40mins and counting

Edit. Now over 2hrs , on the plus side the on hold music/messages have changed.

Edit: music/message change did the job 2hrs 5 mins before speaking to someone.

 

[Rangalad]

As a Bronze currently at 50mins, I can confirm that’s correct.

If that is the case, there is little, if any priority for the higher FF tiers.

 

[RichardMEL]

If that is the case, there is little, if any priority for the higher FF tiers.

Seems P1 and CL probably get a really definite priority in this regard. I've never waited over a minute (not that I have had to call much tbh).

WP... seems variable but still a level above Gold, Silver and of course Bronze.

all anecdotal of course.

 

[Rangalad]

Seems P1 and CL probably get a really definite priority in this regard. I've never waited over a minute (not that I have had to call much tbh).

WP... seems variable but still a level above Gold, Silver and of course Bronze.

all anecdotal of course.

Looks like status counted for nought Wed morning when I called.

 

[TheInsider]

Off topic a bit but this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/s2grpx

 

[big_RED]

1300 304 318 (confirmed to be active on 7 Jan 2022)

Interesting, used this new number today vs the previously listed number on Dec 21.

The previous number asked for QFF number and gave me a menu selection. This new number just went straight to hold music.

 

[serfty]

Off topic a bit but this:

It used to be when calling AA that you'd enter or speak your booking reference (I'd enter as the VoxR BOT could rarely understand my 'strine), it would detect an oneworld Emerald in the booking and prioritization would occur. They then went to telephone caller Id recognition linked to my AAdvantage account which has no status.

The last time I called Qantas was Wednesday, the WP wait was 8 minutes at approx. 11am.

 

[kreuky]

Anyone have a direct number for 1300 304 318 or a toll free number? Overseas and want to call, but even plat desk gets routed to cape town who have no idea about award bookings and have completely messed mine up previously.

 

[gwynne]

Thanks for the number guys, minor ticketing issues solved after a 5 minute wait and multiple 2-hour waits previously.

 

[Port Power]

Anyone have a direct number for 1300 304 318 or a toll free number? Overseas and want to call, but even plat desk gets routed to cape town who have no idea about award bookings and have completely messed mine up previously.

International number is (02) 9198 4303 (or 612 9198 4303). It is basically the same as the 13 number and you add your membership number, etc, so wait time is status controlled. Barely any time on hold for WP. The Qantas website might have a toll free number. Time of day would be important to best get Hobart or NZ.

 

[MooTime]

just called the above thread number ending 318, worked perfectly, got thru with no waiting, I was in shock, made the change without an issue, I'm still in shock.

 

[Danger]

I can't believe this is still on the QF website. How long's it been?

 

[MARTINE]

I can't believe this is still on the QF website. How long's it been?

Customers just get in the way..

 

[PineappleSkip]

I can't believe this is still on the QF website. How long's it been?

I thought they were making it a permanent fixture...