Qantas First Lounge First World Issue + First Post

[KSC]

Hi All,

Recently I had made a complaint regarding my previous Melbourne Qantas International Business Lounge experience. The food was not fresh and cheese had insects flying over it (which I sent photos).
After my complaint I was promised by customer care over the phone 4 x Qantas First Lounge passes, so I could have a better lounge experience.
This fell through as they said they could not issue the passes. Then on the phone they said they will upgrade my tickets from Business to First at no cost so I could go-to the Qantas First lounge (I know sounded over promised), then was told they will have to pass me to reservations to make the changes. Reservations said they cant change J to F without cost.

3 weeks later and multiple back and forth emails with Qantas they have given myself and my wife 7000 points each as a gesture of goodwill and as a 'final' offer. I understand that I was over promised something and will not press on further as I don't think its worth plugging back into the Qantas complaints matrix.

The reason I would like the Qantas First Lounge passes is that I wanted to make the experience on my coming trip for my wife extra special, as its her first time meeting the extended family in Singapore and Malaysia over Chinese New Year 2020. My wife like myself loves the finer things in life and at this stage as Qantas Bronze for life there is no First Class tickets available (via award) for our flights in this coming JAN/FEB 2020 period.


KSC.

 

[stm1sydney]

After my complaint I was promised by customer care over the phone 4 x Qantas First Lounge passes, so I could have a better lounge experience.

Hilarious. QF, instead of just fixing the issues with the J lounge, try to make the problem go away by sending the customer to the F lounge!

 

[levelnine]

I would have been very surprised if QF had actually come through with the promised J to F upgrade. That seems like overkill for a complaint about lounge quality.

7000 points seems very fair. You don't even get that for non-working IFE on some routes, which I consider more essential to the travel experience than sub-standard lounge food.

 

[moa999]

Sounds very strange for QF Customer care to be even promising these things.

 

[KSC]

I just wish QF had payed entry for business passengers to the first lounge in Melbourne, so I could get some passes.

Oh well.

 

[rcn]

This whole thread is very strange.

 

[RooFlyer]

This whole thread is very strange.

Really? I find it pretty typical of many threads on AFF - from the topic of poor Qantas experience, to someone posting a very gentle complaint.

 

[RichardMEL]

Frankly this does not pass the Pub Test for me.

No way would any airline but specially QF offer a free upgrade to F for a complaint (no matter how justified ) about lounge food or service. I could possibly believe an agent overstepping the bounds by offering F passes but then realising they can't deliver on them (though they should have known this before making an offer, but I will accept that as presented).

I am amused at the QF Bronze for Life though. Very good. Well as a Lifetime Bronze who enjoys the finer things in life - maybe SQ is more the go?

It would be pretty much to expect premium seats available at this stage (ie 2 or so months out) for one of the businest and most popular times of year to travel in or to/from Asia. That's pretty hilarious in itself.

Good luck with those lounge passes. Perhaps a friendly P1 or QF Titanium Card holder can help you out....

 

[CaviAck]

Really? I find it pretty typical of many threads on AFF - from the topic of poor Qantas experience, to someone posting a very gentle complaint.

It's not that this thread isn't about a poor Qantas experience or it being a gentle complaint that makes it strange to many. It's the offered compensation, the usual rigmarole is QF lowballs what they think is fair and then you have to coax them up. A lot of people would doubt that QF had actually offered F lounge passes let alone an upgrade from J to F that makes it strange to many.

 

[KSC]

Frankly this does not pass the Pub Test for me.

No way would any airline but specially QF offer a free upgrade to F for a complaint (no matter how justified ) about lounge food or service. I could possibly believe an agent overstepping the bounds by offering F passes but then realising they can't deliver on them (though they should have known this before making an offer, but I will accept that as presented).

I am amused at the QF Bronze for Life though. Very good. Well as a Lifetime Bronze who enjoys the finer things in life - maybe SQ is more the go?

It would be pretty much to expect premium seats available at this stage (ie 2 or so months out) for one of the businest and most popular times of year to travel in or to/from Asia. That's pretty hilarious in itself.

Good luck with those lounge passes. Perhaps a friendly P1 or QF Titanium Card holder can help you out....

The phone agent was trying their best to help out. Unfortunately over promised. Without a phone recording (which I would not make public, if I had it) then it’s anyone’s word.
I have no upside to making this up. Im not Will.I.Am and can’t make this blow out of proportion.
Just sharing this one off odd scenario.

 

[get me outta here]

Just imagine how large F would have to be with re seating all the complaints they have. F passes are nice if you've never been before, but it really isn't worth getting hung up on. Don't get your hopes up either on being gifted F passes. They are few and far between and you'll only be disappointed.

 

[KSC]

Just imagine how large F would have to be with re seating all the complaints they have. F passes are nice if you've never been before, but it really isn't worth getting hung up on. Don't get your hopes up either on being gifted F passes. They are few and far between and you'll only be disappointed.

Hehe over it now after posting lol.

Besides Qantas has done many nice things for me in the past that outweigh this scenario.

Just having a good whinge, yes cry me a river..

 

[samh004]

I just wish QF had payed entry for business passengers to the first lounge in Melbourne, so I could get some passes.

Oh well.

No one seems to have responded to this, so I figured I would. Most places that have paid J/F lounge access is at such a rate that you would almost certainly get a better deal by using your money at a restaurant in the terminal, of which there are some very nice ones these days.

For example, the QF combined lounge at LHR T3 charges £55 for access, and that's not even a proper "F offering" but something "in-between". At current FX that's about AUD$100 and that's per person. For what you're seeking, access for two people would cost at east $200, and most likely more as I imagine an "F lounge experience" would attract a premium. Bar Pulpo (by MoVida) in MEL T2 would seem to compare to an "F offering" and looking at their menu they have drinks for ~$10, share plates around ~$15 and a tasting menu for $36. You'd certainly get a good feed for your $200.

But of course the flip side is that if they started allowing passengers who didn't ordinarily have access through status or class of travel to access the lounge, do you not think the quality of service or offering might slip? At which point, what is the point of being there at all?

Edit: Just seen this article (Qantas now offers paid access at first class, business class lounges). The only F lounge on that list has an access fee of AUD$215, per person. By all means, if you feel you can extract that value out of a lounge then you should hope that paid F access comes to MEL, but my view is that you'll feel very ripped off by the end.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The phone agent was trying their best to help out. Unfortunately over promised. Without a phone recording (which I would not make public, if I had it) then it’s anyone’s word.
I have no upside to making this up. Im not Will.I.Am and can’t make this blow out of proportion.
Just sharing this one off odd scenario.

It’s a very odd scenario indeed. The QF Agent(s) offering J-F upgrades/ F lounge passes for fruit flies on a cheese counter should be swiftly retrained. Pax have had far worse things happen to them (down grades from J-Y long haul etc) and not been offered anything like that level of compensation.
I see that you have posted a request for F lounge guests in the appropriate Lounge Meets forum as I was just going to suggest this to you if you hadn’t done so.
I hope your next lounge visit is much better than your last one.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

This would all go away if QF upgraded the sad excuse of a lounge known as International Business in both MEL and SYD - currently an embarrassment.

It really is bogan hell especially around school holidays and peak seasons, kids running around everywhere, slop food splashed about, dirty carpets, chairs and walls.

 

[moa999]

Some pics have been leaked on skyscrapercity of proposed new building at MEL between C and D piers (the International and first Qantas pier) which is expected to incorporate new lounge space.



Believe similar discussions at SYD about adding new gates towards the current freight terminals

 

[KSC]

It’s a very odd scenario indeed. The QF Agent(s) offering J-F upgrades/ F lounge passes for fruit flies on a cheese counter should be swiftly retrained. Pax have had far worse things happen to them (down grades from J-Y long haul etc) and not been offered anything like that level of compensation.
I see that you have posted a request for F lounge guests in the appropriate Lounge Meets forum as I was just going to suggest this to you if you hadn’t done so.
I hope your next lounge visit is much better than your last one.

Thank you. I will be there breakfast this time. Never been their in the morning. So hopefully a different food experience.
Or their is always McDonalds hehe..