Qantas Chauffeur service - General Questions/Advice

[maroonone]

And PER Dom QP "opens 1 hour before first departure" which means not open until 0415-0430 depending on day.

 

[Deleted member 26544]

Just thought I would add my recent and only experience with CD for a trip from LHR connecting through SYD to CBR in F/J.

In LHR I had it booked for pickup 4 hours prior to departure at 17:15, with a printout of the confirmation screen in my travel compendium. The time comes and there is no driver. After a call to Qantas in Australia I get a taxi to the airport. I'm now dealing with Carey in the UK trying to get the £83 taxi fare reimbursed. There was no phone call from Carey the day prior to travel and it turns out they had the wrong time noted down.

The DXB-SYD leg was delayed and the SYD-CBR flight is rebooked. On arrival in CBR there is no driver. A call to Qantas and they admit they failed to notify the chauffeur company in CBR of my changed flight so the driver thought I was a no-show. Sent feedback through the web form that day (4/12) asking for compensation for the service failure in CBR and am waiting for a response.

 

[aaronjames000]

That is exceptionally bad service!

I am now totally worried for the CD I have booked in LHR for late Jan.

Is there a number that we can call 24hrs before pickup to confirm/remind them of the pickup time (to do their job for them and stop issues like yours happening)?

 

[Deleted member 26544]

That is exceptionally bad service!

I am now totally worried for the CD I have booked in LHR for late Jan.

Is there a number that we can call 24hrs before pickup to confirm/remind them of the pickup time (to do their job for them and stop issues like yours happening)?

Carey Worldwide provides the service in the UK and I believe are supposed to call the day before to confirm the pick-up time. Their reservations number is +44 (0) 208 326 7600.

 

[aaronjames000]

Awesome! Thanks for that RG1.

I'll be sure to give them a call 24 hours before to give them a reminder!

 

[amaroo]

Just thought I would add my recent and only experience with CD for a trip from LHR connecting through SYD to CBR in F/J.

In LHR I had it booked for pickup 4 hours prior to departure at 17:15, with a printout of the confirmation screen in my travel compendium. The time comes and there is no driver. After a call to Qantas in Australia I get a taxi to the airport. I'm now dealing with Carey in the UK trying to get the £83 taxi fare reimbursed. There was no phone call from Carey the day prior to travel and it turns out they had the wrong time noted down.

The DXB-SYD leg was delayed and the SYD-CBR flight is rebooked. On arrival in CBR there is no driver. A call to Qantas and they admit they failed to notify the chauffeur company in CBR of my changed flight so the driver thought I was a no-show. Sent feedback through the web form that day (4/12) asking for compensation for the service failure in CBR and am waiting for a response.

It was bound to happen.

The lack of confirmation/contact for bookings is a major fail. Qantas appear disinterested with the service - they need to get real and manage the thing properly...or drop the thing altogether.

 

[tallboy]

Just thought I would add my recent and only experience with CD for a trip from LHR connecting through SYD to CBR in F/J.

In LHR I had it booked for pickup 4 hours prior to departure at 17:15, with a printout of the confirmation screen in my travel compendium. The time comes and there is no driver. After a call to Qantas in Australia I get a taxi to the airport. I'm now dealing with Carey in the UK trying to get the £83 taxi fare reimbursed. There was no phone call from Carey the day prior to travel and it turns out they had the wrong time noted down.

The DXB-SYD leg was delayed and the SYD-CBR flight is rebooked. On arrival in CBR there is no driver. A call to Qantas and they admit they failed to notify the chauffeur company in CBR of my changed flight so the driver thought I was a no-show. Sent feedback through the web form that day (4/12) asking for compensation for the service failure in CBR and am waiting for a response.

Poor Show Award for this month.

The fact that you have to seek the refund via Carey yourself is another failure of customer service on the part of QANTAS.

tb

 

[Myrna]

Carey Worldwide provides the service in the UK and I believe are supposed to call the day before to confirm the pick-up time. Their reservations number is +44 (0) 208 326 7600.

Noted this number for UK services as hubby will return to LHR on New Year's day - we have booked CD. But, is there a number to call in Sydney, if no show by driver?

 

[kermatu]

I think Carey's service is good, but there is complete disconnect with Qantas. I had a bad experience with a flight from LHR to Dubai being mistakenly moved by Qantas to the next day (Red Roo, Premium agent and a subsequent call all confirmed it was a human error - I accept these things happen so ok). But Carey still had my flight correct, called me 28 hours before and were very good with other conversations and the service was good. What the incident told me was that they aren't well connected to Qantas because, albeit mistakenly, when my flight changed Carey should have been notified and my booking changed.

Given the only CD services now relate to Dubai (all done by EF) and London, Qantas clearly has no commitment to it. Drop it and be done.

 

[Myrna]

I think Carey's service is good, but there is complete disconnect with Qantas. I had a bad experience with a flight from LHR to Dubai being mistakenly moved by Qantas to the next day (Red Roo, Premium agent and a subsequent call all confirmed it was a human error - I accept these things happen so ok). But Carey still had my flight correct, called me 28 hours before and were very good with other conversations and the service was good. What the incident told me was that they aren't well connected to Qantas because, albeit mistakenly, when my flight changed Carey should have been notified and my booking changed.

Given the only CD services now relate to Dubai (all done by EF) and London, Qantas clearly has no commitment to it. Drop it and be done.

Agree, from what I read the consensus is for Qantas to drop the whole CD - poorly managed and coordinated, and they keep "enhancing" it with so many exclusions!

 

[pagingjoan]

Agree, from what I read the consensus is for Qantas to drop the whole CD - poorly managed and coordinated, and they keep "enhancing" it with so many exclusions!

Please, no!
We have used the CD service in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, London and Dubai - and have been fortunate to have had good experiences, and no hiccups that I can recall. Certainly no failures.
Would it not be better to push for QF to remedy the problems in the system that have been, and are, causing such inconvenience for some clients, and bring the service up to its intended, and advertised, standard?

 

[RichardMEL]

It does seem clear that QF clearly had CD pushed on them by EK so that EK customers with an EK flight number(but QF metal) would get the xervice they expect from "Emirates" - this is why dropping LAX/DFW CD was obviously done.. there's no EK codes there to worry about so they don't have to offer an equivalent product.

FOr my own experiences with CD I've always had good service. Twice out of LHR picked up on time. The last time a month ago the merc was the most tricked out pimpmobile I've ever seen.. led lighting, super comfy chairs, cup holders, massive screen, etc etc etc... it was cool. the driver was polite and een directed me to the changed QF check-in desks (premium moved from F or wherever it was back to D).

I always had a concern when in LHR as I don't have a UK phone, so I used to give the hotel contact so I don't know if they called or not, but had no issue being picked up as I said.

Incoming to LHR I found the service VERY well co-ordinated - MUCH easier for me than in MEL. Why? Walkout of T3 customs out the exit, go forward and to the left to the desk with the big sign.. I had barely got my surname out, agent yells a number, driver steps forward, hands me a bottle of water and takes me to the car. Excellent.. absolutely excellent. in MEL you walk out to the throng of drivers with cards and screens and having to find your driver is difficult (specially for me with poor eyesight... I have to walk and peer no no not you no.. no.. ah hah! YOU! ). I like the desk for sure. It was great.

Obviously all my flights were on time more or less and so no misconnects or the like.

 

[Virgin Bart]

It does seem clear that QF clearly had CD pushed on them by EK so that EK customers with an EK flight number(but QF metal) would get the xervice they expect from "Emirates" - this is why dropping LAX/DFW CD was obviously done.. there's no EK codes there to worry about so they don't have to offer an equivalent product.

FOr my own experiences with CD I've always had good service. Twice out of LHR picked up on time. The last time a month ago the merc was the most tricked out pimpmobile I've ever seen.. led lighting, super comfy chairs, cup holders, massive screen, etc etc etc... it was cool. the driver was polite and een directed me to the changed QF check-in desks (premium moved from F or wherever it was back to D).

I always had a concern when in LHR as I don't have a UK phone, so I used to give the hotel contact so I don't know if they called or not, but had no issue being picked up as I said.

Incoming to LHR I found the service VERY well co-ordinated - MUCH easier for me than in MEL. Why? Walkout of T3 customs out the exit, go forward and to the left to the desk with the big sign.. I had barely got my surname out, agent yells a number, driver steps forward, hands me a bottle of water and takes me to the car.

Agree with everything you wrote. I landed in LHR from at on QF9. Fantastic S class Merc, so comfortable and so well pimped out.

Hobart CD.. Not so much.

 

[JohnPhelan]

After a call to Qantas in Australia I get a taxi to the airport. I'm now dealing with Carey in the UK trying to get the £83 taxi fare reimbursed. There was no phone call from Carey the day prior to travel and it turns out they had the wrong time noted down.

Why are you dealing with Carey? A similar thing happened to me, and it was QF who offered to reimburse me for the taxi fare.

 

[Pushka]

We have a booking on Saturday made on Qantas website. The connection is Adl-Syd-BKK. Should we expect a phone call the day prior and if we don't get it, have a plan B?

 

[pagingjoan]

We have a booking on Saturday made on Qantas website. The connection is Adl-Syd-BKK. Should we expect a phone call the day prior and if we don't get it, have a plan B?

Yes, on both counts. Sorry I can't provide an Adelaide contact number, though. A call to QF should do the trick.

 

[Kangol]

Incoming to LHR I found the service VERY well co-ordinated - MUCH easier for me than in MEL. Why? Walkout of T3 customs out the exit, go forward and to the left to the desk with the big sign.. I had barely got my surname out, agent yells a number, driver steps forward, hands me a bottle of water and takes me to the car. Excellent.. absolutely excellent. in MEL you walk out to the throng of drivers with cards and screens and having to find your driver is difficult (specially for me with poor eyesight... I have to walk and peer no no not you no.. no.. ah hah! YOU! ). I like the desk for sure. It was great.

I'm doing this next year - if you stop by the AA arrivals lounge (for say 15-20 mins) before going to the desk, will the staff members still be there waiting?

 

[RichardMEL]

I'm doing this next year - if you stop by the AA arrivals lounge (for say 15-20 mins) before going to the desk, will the staff members still be there waiting?

I don't see why not. I thought about the AA lounge, but decided to just get straight to my hotel to have a shower and dump my stuff. That desk seemed to handle EK/EY/QF (and maybe some others?) and had a bunch of drivers there. It was interesting in that, as I noted, I'd barely gotten my surname out and the co-ordinator/desk person just yelled "74!" or something, and up pops the driver and already KNEW the desination, so they'd obviously already assigned the runs and drivers. One presumes if you didn't show and they needed a driver for someone else they'd change on the fly, but unless you appeared hours post departure I think 20-30 minutes is fine - after all you could be delayed by HM customs, a line in immigration (I was stuck for 20 minutes in the "fast track" line...) or anything so AA lounge would make perfect sense too.

enjoy!! My ride was 25 minutes to Kensington - mid ~1:30pm Friday afternoon. I was amazed how quick it was!

 

[Pushka]

Just received my phone call for tomorrow.

For Adelaide people it is Hughes Limousine.

 

[pagingjoan]

Just received my phone call for tomorrow.

For Adelaide people it is Hughes Limousine.

Good to hear that the system is working in Adelaide, too. Travel safely and well.