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

 

[N860CR]

I have had many flight changes where I do not receive an e-ticket. The flight is in "my bookings", so that's all I need.

Just hit the email itinerary button in my bookings. If you get a PDF ticket sent to you, you’re good. If it refuses to send it, it needs to be followed up.

 

[DC3]

I have been having issues with ticketing delays with Qantas and have called both the normal number and priority number a few times and each time they say the problem is fixed and it isn't. Every time I call and they make changes does it go to the back of a manual queue? Am I better off simply waiting for it to be manual ticketing to happen?

If the trip includes other oneworld partners, some are very unforgiving if their flights are not ticketed relatively quickly. Some will cancel within 48 hours, others will leave it longer. Delays may mean that flights could be lost. With these flights, I keep onto the Call Centre until the e-ticket is re-issued.

However, if the flights are all with QF, then any delay isn’t so much of an issue.

As far as going to the manual queue each time, it is supposedly dealt with based on trip start date (but who really knows), but that wouldn’t keep me from seeking a re-issued e-ticket after each change.

 

[monkey619]

One of the reasons that I want it to be ticketed as well is due to the changes I am owed 55000 reward points refund (+$74). Also don't want to show up at the airport and I can't board my flight.... but I guess I will just wait, no point of spending more time on the phone now.

 

[redwoodw]

My calls to Qantas to resolve a ticketing issue with a classic rewards booking have always ended up with being sent to survey prematurely... This has been the case for at least the recent 8 calls totalling more than 6 hours on hold, while the agent calls their ticketing team/help desk. Either that or being promised a callback but nothing. Surely there's some more customer friendly way for Qantas to manage these things. Anyone has any ideas how to prevent the above or a number that'd take us to Hobart?

 

[klogg69]

When's Qantas moving to Avios lol

 

[Lynda2475]

When's Qantas moving to Avios lol

Hopefully never - because we will likely get screwed converting QFF to Avios. Only time Ive ever earned avios was on a Vueling flight, QFF points much much easier to come by.

 

[RichardMEL]

Anecdote from a mate I spoke with last night who was very annoyed with QF and I don't blame her. She's flying to MEL for a visit from a NSW regional city. Both outvound and inbound flights were affected by cancels. SHe was OK enough with the outbound changes, but her return flights meant a 1pm departure was moved til 9am, and she did not want that (as she could have gotten a 12p). So anyway she tried online to make the changes, but she's not a regular flyer so stuffed it up and accidently accepted both changes when she only wanted to accept one but change the other. So anyway she reported she made 3 calls to QF to try to resolve and waited on hold combined over 6 hours (and was not offered a callback) so gave up and in the end changed her flight online but because she'd accepted the change they made she was required to pay a fare change of $130odd to go to that 12p departure that she should have been put on in the first place.. so in essence while she stuffed up the flight change online, because she could not actually call and talk to anyone to try and resolve in a reasonable time she wound up paying more, and is obviously rather unhappy about this.

so score another "win" for QF revenue but a peed off customer.

 

[monkey619]

I am peeved off enough about their service that I would consider flying virgin if we didn't have a shed load of points due to our mortgage

 

[Port Power]

Anecdote from a mate I spoke with last night who was very annoyed with QF and I don't blame her. She's flying to MEL for a visit from a NSW regional city. Both outvound and inbound flights were affected by cancels. SHe was OK enough with the outbound changes, but her return flights meant a 1pm departure was moved til 9am, and she did not want that (as she could have gotten a 12p). So anyway she tried online to make the changes, but she's not a regular flyer so stuffed it up and accidently accepted both changes when she only wanted to accept one but change the other. So anyway she reported she made 3 calls to QF to try to resolve and waited on hold combined over 6 hours (and was not offered a callback) so gave up and in the end changed her flight online but because she'd accepted the change they made she was required to pay a fare change of $130odd to go to that 12p departure that she should have been put on in the first place.. so in essence while she stuffed up the flight change online, because she could not actually call and talk to anyone to try and resolve in a reasonable time she wound up paying more, and is obviously rather unhappy about this.

so score another "win" for QF revenue but a peed off customer.

This sounds like a situation where she could have fixed it online without using the call centre at all, First flight: click “accept” and it’s done. Second flight: click on “change” and choose the flight wanted, and done. Only then call QF if the second flight doesn’t work, and no confusion.

 

[RichardMEL]

This sounds like a situation where she could have fixed it online without using the call centre at all, First flight: click “accept” and it’s done. Second flight: click on “change” and choose the flight wanted, and done. Only then call QF if the second flight doesn’t work, and no confusion.

you're absolutely correct as I tried to write I agree (and I wish she'd told me at the time) but she admitted she stuffed it up so it is her fault. We salty souls who have done this half a million times over the last few years know how it should be done, but she was a novice and it tricked her up (somehow). The point was more that yet again multiple calls with multiple hour delays in answering (or until she gave up) and no call back option offered.. that was the relevant part of the anecdote. Fully agree she should have been able to resolve this online.

 

[Mattg]

This sounds like a situation where she could have fixed it online without using the call centre at all, First flight: click “accept” and it’s done. Second flight: click on “change” and choose the flight wanted, and done. Only then call QF if the second flight doesn’t work, and no confusion.

I recently had a schedule change with United Airlines. I could go onto their website and either accept their suggested new flights or choose a new flight at no charge. I decided to change my flight, and was easily able to scroll through the available options and choose what I wanted. Ticket was reissued within a few minutes.

Why on earth is Qantas not able to do this?

 

[monkey619]

Why on earth is Qantas not able to do this?

In most cases they do, in my case an error occurred that meant it was not done automatically and I have not been able to find anyone who can fix the error for me.

 

[RichardMEL]

yes, in most cases it does actually work (surprisingly!) and quite reasonable.. I guess if one isn't used to the way it works it can get confusing a bit. My friend for example did not go into details as to where she got confused but she definitely did admit that yes she screwed it up and that was not a QF problem.. but trying to call them most definitely was (even though she should not have needed to, but we're all human and make mistakes...)

 

[Mumanddad]

Great. Just make sure an eTicket shows up.

Yes well, that is the next problem. Got an itinerary receipt but missing ticket numbers, ticket total, FF numbers, payment and receipt details. I was able to book seats with Emirates, one positive. I have been charged to my ccard for the taxes, but there is the same duplicate amount sitting as "pending". How hard can it be?

Another call to the call centre looming - such a unnecessary waste of time!

 

[justinbrett]

Has Qantas fired its social media team?

Not a single update over the weekend about the Brisbane floods on twitter, no replies, even their website only had a brief mention with no help other than "check the flight status page".

It's really poor - and only makes the call centre problems worse.

 

[Must...Fly!]

It's certainly a lesson in how not to do communications

 

[JohnPhelan]

Has Qantas fired its social media team?

Not a single update over the weekend about the Brisbane floods on twitter, no replies, even their website only had a brief mention with no help other than "check the flight status page".

It's really poor - and only makes the call centre problems worse.

What would you expect them to put on Twitter? A listing of every cancelled flight, and then a list of delayed flights and new times? That's not what Twitter is for (let alone the comparatively small proportion of people who use it). If they had put something on Twitter, it would have been simply the "check the flight status page on our website" message. It's the website that should be the go-to resource in this situation.

 

[serfty]

It's the website that should be the go-to resource in this situation

Well, if the web site actually worked properly it would be. It is when it doesn't you get a thread with a title like this one.

Yesterday I needed to move a trip to the USA from March to November. I had separate transpacific business class awards on Qantas each way but was able identify two target flights each showing a lonely single U class seat available.

Ex Oz, it was fine to change, even indicated a $50 refund.

But ex USA four times I went through the process right up to the final +++ difference part, but there it would fail as (guessing) USD were involved.

The error message advised to me to call, I tried but given the Eatern Oz weather currently I gave up after 45 minutes on hold. I ended up booking it separately and cancelling another, thereby giving Qantas nearly $300 amd 108k point for up to two months.

 

[Seat0B]

Just spent 35 mins on hold as WP but - ta dah- got Hobart call centre and issue sorted straight away.

Hubby and I are travelling on separate tickets (I'm going for work). Wanted to sit together, but we have different status and I couldn't do it on line, so had to waste my time and theirs calling to get us seated together. Glad to get it fixed, but soooo annoying to have to call for something so simple. You should be able to link bookings yourself.

 

[monkey619]

What time is best to call to get through to Hobart?