Qantas Club Lifetime Membership Benefits Removal

[Blackie67]

Hello folks,

I am hoping someone can help me. I purchase a Qantas Club Lifetime Membership around 2001. At the time, the benefits included priority baggage. The last three times I have travelled domestically and internationally I did not get priority baggage. When I contacted the airline about this, I was informed that my membership did not include priority baggage. I tried to have the matter escalated and was met with stony silence of course. I persevered and was eventually told to 'contact frequent flyer'. I have to say the corporate customer is the worst I have ever experienced. I took the matter to the Airline Customer Advocate. They made contact and I received a reply, which was an image on two lines from a document:

'...it's always been a condition of membership that Qantas could change the benefits:
9. Termination
9.1 Qantas expressly reserves the right to terminate or materially alter any Benefits, or any aspect of
the operation, of The Qantas Club at any time, without notice
By using the card and /or PIN members the customer agreed to be bound by these Terms and
Conditions, so we do not agree with her statement that we are 'unable by law to remove or modify
any benefits'.'

Under law of contract, when you take out a lifetime contract and pay for that contract up front, parties to the contract cannot vary that contract without mutual consent. I have never received a single piece of correspondence from Qantas telling me they were removing benefits from my membership. In reading through other comments in this forum, it seems as they no longer offer the Lifetime Club Membership category they simply omitted it from their systems and their database.

I am hoping someone has a copy of the original contract for Lifetime Club Membership or can guide me to a copy of if dated 2001. I remain unconvinced that they have the legal right to remove benefits from the Lifetime category. Have others experienced this? By joining together we may make greater inroads.

Hopeful

Leharna

 

[opusman]

How does one pursue compensation? I am loath to call them, it is a harrowing experience, sitting on hold for up to an hour to be spoken to by someone who doesnt know the answers and frankly doesnt care. Who do I contact for compensation?

I would try emailing [email protected] or through Contact us | Qantas Frequent Flyer in the first instance if you don't want to call.

A bigger question is, what compensation would you be seeking? If you complain loudly enough they may give you some FF points but I highly doubt they would offer monetary compensation.

 

[Flying mermaid]

On the rare occasions I have sought compensation I think I either emailed the FF email or filled in the Qantas customer care form

Customer care feedback form | Qantas AU

Use this form to give Qantas feedback on your experience with Flights, Baggage, Check-in, Before you travel, Qantas Frequent Flyer and more.

www.qantas.com

I really do wish you good luck, but have to admit being very doubtful of success. I think you will waste a lot of time and become very frustrated.

I bought two QC LT memberships for my two oldest kids and they have had reasonable use out of them - about 14 years and I feel that made it worthwhile. Our son lives in the USA, so that means he gets access to AA lounges, but really for international travel now it is almost useless. Not like in the early days where it got you into all the BA lounges. That’s more of a loss than priority luggage, which only works sporadically anyway,

 

[drron]

If our bags come out first it is because we aren't flying QF.

 

[pvd]

Your worried about your bag. Qantas should have transferred all QCLT members to FF lifetime Gold. But they didn't, so we have seen airline choice drop from 40 to 3 and then to 2 and now 1. We have also seen out seat choice ignored. last time I flew they plonked me into seat "E".

I am about to sue Qantas over this.

PS I had wondered about the orange tags.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Qantas should have transferred all QCLT members to FF lifetime Gold.

Lifetime Gold is a substantial upgrade from Lifetime Qantas Club and costs an order of magnitude more to attain than simply stumping up a few thousand dollars.

 

[Flying Fox]

I’ve NEVER had my bags come out in the first 10 in all the time they’ve had priority tags on them, either domestic or international. In fact they’ve actually not even made the flight twice. Once Dom and once Int.

Wife’s bag usually comes out before mine, without the priority tags.

I think the priority tags are a little joke that the QF baggage handlers play on us

Maybe priority bag means first into the plane and last out

 

[serfty]

Maybe priority bag means first into the plane and last out

Nah ... priority tags means your bags should come out in the first 50% of the bags half the time.

 

[maroonone]

Nah ... priority tags means your bags should come out in the first 50% of the bags half the time.

Those odds don’t work form me. More like 75% in the last 25%.

 

[FrustratedQP]

I am about to sue Qantas over this.

I would be very interested to hear about the result of this.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Whatever else it may be, this isn't a breach of contract.
If the contract says Qantas can unilaterally change the terms at any time, they can.
The fundamental premise of contract law is that the parties are free to enter into the contract or not.
Accordingly, despite limited restrictions, the contract can contain such terms as the parties agree it should contain.
If a party doesn't like the terms, they are free to walk away.
This fundamental premise is somewhat unrealistic, particularly in consumer and employment contracts.
Hence the limited restrictions in consumer and employment law and more recently in "unfair contracts" law.
However, off the top of my head, I can't see this falling under any of those restrictions.
As to whether this deprives the member of the entire or a sufficiently substantial benefit of the contract so as to render it of no value to them, I think Qantas would have a good argument that entry to the Qantas Club and enjoyment of the services it provides is the principal benefit of Qantas Club membership. Other benefits such as priority check in and (formerly) priority baggage are probably best characterised as ancillary benefits.
This is not a subjective test. It does not matter what the OP says their reasons for joining were. It is an objective test.
This means a court would look at the terms of the contract and what lawyers call the "factual matrix" around the formation of the contract to determine the intent of the parties. This may seem bizarre but you can't simply ask the parties what their intention was because their evidence would be self-serving. They would say whatever they needed to say to make their case. Either disingenuously or simply because they are interrogating their memories with the benefit of hindsight in the context of the relevant dispute.
In this case I don't think the OP has much chance of receiving any compensation but it is always worth a try.
They may end up being given 5000 QFF points to STFU.

 

[p--and--t]

IMHO, in the current (and upcoming) state of affairs, as one of a couple both with Lifetime QC, I'll be happy if I am in good health, the airline is still flying in 12 months time, and they re-open a lounge of some kind.

Anything else is a bonus.

The reality of the upcoming economic social and health tsunami that is about to hit us unfortunately has still not sunk in for those who would normally be considered intelligent, clear thinking persons in normal circumstances.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

OP states both parties have to agree to a change in a long term contract but that is not the case. It’s not black and white and actual losses must be taken into consideration (and that’s from Mrs 340’s POV as she is a lawyer and I’m not)

From OP’s other posts where they claim they are “entitled to a window seat” because they are LTQC then I’d consider they have a false expectation of LTQC and certainly not seeing what QF should be providing from the LTQC T&Cs

 

[RichardMEL]

Your worried about your bag. Qantas should have transferred all QCLT members to FF lifetime Gold. But they didn't, so we have seen airline choice drop from 40 to 3 and then to 2 and now 1. We have also seen out seat choice ignored. last time I flew they plonked me into seat "E".

I am about to sue Qantas over this.

PS I had wondered about the orange tags.

Thanks for the laugh. Good luck with that and get some bloody perspective about what is going on around you huh??!

And no, lifetime gold is something else totally and there is no direct comparision. One you (or an emoloyer back in the day) paid for. The other is actually earned with a bum in many seats over a bloody long time (and a cost that is multiples of what LTQC cost when it was around). get real

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Incidentally the bright orange priority tags are mostly to make you feel good.
Baggage handling at major airports is automated by systems which scan the bar codes and the information in your luggage tag is what determines your priority.
Unless you are flying somewhere without automated systems.

 

[Spongbob]

And "lifetime" can have several meanings.

 

[33kft]

I am about to sue Qantas over this.

Your lawyer will be most pleased to hear this

Your bank manager, not so much

Qantas should just stick the orange tags on your luggage and everyone will be happy again.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Your lawyer will be most pleased to hear this

Your bank manager, not so much

Qantas should just stick the orange tags on your luggage and everyone will be happy again.

I have about two dozen orange priority tags.
I save them when I remove the bag tags and use them in circumstances where I am not eligible for priority.
I would be happy to donate them if it would help the OP.
Maybe we could take up a collection, I am sure others have kept theirs.

 

[Spongbob]

The OP was 10 months ago, and the poster has only 2 messages in that time.

I would not put too much effort in replying to this tread.

 

[Borisdog]

The OP was 10 months ago, and the poster has only 2 messages in that time.

I would not put too much effort in replying to this tread.

At last, the voice of reason!

 

[Scarlett]

I am about to sue Qantas over this.