QF Feedback about the changes!

[tyrolean]

Last week I emailed what I think about the QFF Changes - especially the earnings on partner flights.


Today I got a call from QFF on my German mobile. The nice guy said that the numbers of complaints are HUGE! So QF may are now analysing the complaints and answering them. He told, that they may review some of the changes!

Of course there is no hope that they will take back all of the changes - but they understood the anger of many customers!


He looked very deeply into my account and told me that my earnings won't change much in the future. I opposed that he only can look in my past history. I know what I want to book in the future - and there are massive reductions, that of course will influence my decisions!


So QF is actually really reading the complaints! So if you have not done, just write your complaints - it may help!

 

[lovestotravel]

While the response made you feel good, there is pretty much zero chance anything will change from "feedback" provided by us.

QF ran the numbers before making the changes and then made the changes

They will watch over the next 6-18 months and see what happens, but given that load factors have been falling month after month for QF I doubt they really care

 

[samh004]

If you look at past history, they removed a big feature from the FFP for Platinums, which was Anytime Access, and that resulted in a high volume of complaints just from that tier. They adapted and introduced Arrivals Access (at least that's how I remember the event going down – am I wrong). So there's always room to tweak things.

 

[Princess Fiona]

While the response made you feel good, there is pretty much zero chance anything will change from "feedback" provided by us.

QF ran the numbers before making the changes and then made the changes

They will watch over the next 6-18 months and see what happens, but given that load factors have been falling month after month for QF I doubt they really care

Hopefully not, but I am inclined to agree with you.
It is however a great step in a positive direction for customer relations that the OP had a phone call follow up.
We often hear complaints of emails having auto cut and paste responses.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

QF ran the numbers before making the changes and then made the changes

But which way did they run the numbers?

A) Were they told they had to meet a certain cost/liability reduction target and then adjusted points and SC earnings to "backsolve" to that target?

B) Or did they conduct research that proved even with the lower earnings for most fare classes, OneWorld partner travel etc enough people wouldn't take their business elsewhere to make the change worthwhile for them?

Decisions in businesses are made all the time as a result of (A) without taking the time to do (B).

 

[tyrolean]

Hopefully not, but I am inclined to agree with you.
It is however a great step in a positive direction for customer relations that the OP had a phone call follow up.
We often hear complaints of emails having auto cut and paste responses.

This is what I know form Lufthansa (my home airline since nearly 20 years with status). They had a good customer service for their elites, but since a few years you only get nonsense pre written texts. So with LH I stopped to complain! Usually complaining is a very good value for the company, and with LH I refused to give them advice.

So I think that QF is really good in replying to customer feedback. Maybe they think that I am worth calling back.
I had ~800 SCs on QF in Business Class from my last Australia Trip and ~1600 form BA and AB on short haul trips (BA in Business, AB does not offer a Business Class).
~700 SCs until reaching LTG.

The guy really felt sorry about the changes. We had a non emotional discussion and I felt he was not very comfortable with his job at the moment.
The main Information I got:
- No intention to leave Oneworld at the moment
- QF realised that it is not good, that you punish the customers who cannot fly with them. So it was a bit too much in the past (divorce from BA, culling of LHR-SIN, FRA-SIN and LHR-HKG flights).
So I said: "Make the prices of the QF codes from Europe to Asia in line with the EK Prices or just give the same amount on Status Credits for the Oneworld Flights!".

So if you are a good QF customer: Write complaints! Tell them your story! The more complaints, the more likely is a chance of a change!

 

[lovestotravel]

Do please let me know when QF reverses any of the changes they are making with the FF program

 

[Princess Fiona]

- No intention to leave Oneworld at the moment
So I said: "Make the prices of the QF codes from Europe to Asia in line with the EK Prices or just give the same amount on Status Credits for the Oneworld Flights!".

[/B]

This !
Or else can the last one out at Mascot please turn off the lights.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

It was decent of them to call you, but I have indirectly provided my feedback by changing all my upcoming OW bookings to AAnother frequent flyer program. Until the program stops the death spiral into a shoppers discount program, I don't think I'll be doing anything differently in future.

 

[drron]

This !
Or else can the last one out at Mascot please turn off the lights.

Precisely Princess.
If it was indeed stated as "- No intention to leave Oneworld at the moment" then I am very worried.

 

[tyrolean]

Precisely Princess.
If it was indeed stated as "- No intention to leave Oneworld at the moment" then I am very worried.

To be fair - the agent had no clue. So nothing to interpret something into his statement. If leaving Oneworld would be planned, why then reduce the oneworld earnings?

 

[amaroo]

Precisely Princess.
If it was indeed stated as "- No intention to leave Oneworld at the moment" then I am very worried.

It's as easy as ABC.....or should that be.....BAEC

 

[Alanslegal]

It is however a great step in a positive direction for customer relations that the OP had a phone call follow up.
We often hear complaints of emails having auto cut and paste responses.

Nah Qantas only called because he was a Platinum member I bet a single frequent flyer point that if a Nothing Bronze called there would be no phone call, just a generic email reply saying 'thanks for your feedback, we will pass it to the relevant team for consideration'.

 

[tyrolean]

Nah Qantas only called because he was a Platinum member I bet a single frequent flyer point that if a Nothing Bronze called there would be no phone call, just a generic email reply saying 'thanks for your feedback, we will pass it to the relevant team for consideration'.

Sure, that is a pretty ABC analysis. So if all WPs call it may have a bigger influence than NBs. On the other hand: If you do not fly so much the changes won't affect you much as well!

So it is nice that some WPs get a phone call (in effect told the same thing as the generic mail).

 

[dajop]

It was decent of them to call you, but I have indirectly provided my feedback by changing all my upcoming OW bookings to AAnother frequent flyer program. Until the program stops the death spiral into a shoppers discount program, I don't think I'll be doing anything differently in future.

As opposed to taking your bookings to another airline altogether? Maybe for those on certain fare levels and/or OW partners that's an outcome that QF may be happy with, keep your business and credit elsewhere is better than lose your business altogether. It depends on what they pay the other program for the pts vs internal accounting cost and the more elites they have on other programs the more they can charge out for lounge access, perhaps!

 

[Deleted member]

If qantas are looking for complaints, they need look no further than here !
What better informed, regular travel ( flyer) forum than this, to distill the level of discontent?

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

As opposed to taking your bookings to another airline altogether? Maybe for those on certain fare levels and/or OW partners that's an outcome that QF may be happy with, keep your business and credit elsewhere is better than lose your business altogether. It depends on what they pay the other program for the pts vs internal accounting cost and the more elites they have on other programs the more they can charge out for lounge access, perhaps!

My bookings are now going to another airline altogether. If those were on QF, QF pays the other program. Internal accounting only applies with QFF for QF flights.

 

[justin23]

I reluctantly just booked another flight on QF CBR-SYD-BKK-Drukair to Bhutan rtn-BKK-SIN-MEL-CBR for early June. It will get me enough SC to retain PS.
I understand that Gold and Platinum are worth more as an individual to an airline, but the recent changes have made it a lot harder for PS flyers to retain. I'm guessing silver and QC make up the majority of their FF status flyers, although maybe someone could provide figures, but these things are usually like pyramids. Mostly Bronze, then Silver working up to platinum and Platinum one.

I do all my domestic travel and 90+% international on Qantas. Actually last November I flew LAN because it was cheaper and that is what the Qantas booking engine offered. Normally i stick to QF metal where possible for international flights. I just manage to maintain Silver, but if i'm not going to get that tiny little incentive, I'll go cheapest. For June I could have flown Malaysian for $200-300 less. Even Singapore was cheaper. I thought I'd retain Silver and give myself another year to think about my flying habits. Businesses will probably keep flying Qantas, but with these changes those who fly on their own money and need to make decisions based on that are going to be the worse off. I'd have thought you need to convince more people to fly QF internationally and thus some kind of increase for flying on QF metal would have been the go.... I guess they've done that by reducing non QF metal....

 

[Alanslegal]

but the recent changes have made it a lot harder for PS flyers to retain. I'm guessing silver and QC make up the majority of their FF status flyers,

IMO one of the changes that Qantas forced upon it's members was the resetting of Loyalty Bonus. Now you have to reach 500SC per memebership year before getting the (increased to) 8,000 bonus points. Prior to those changes, the Loyalty Bonus never resetted and thus a PS at least could get a small 5,000 reward every 450 SC they accumulated.

 

[BD1959]

Last week I emailed what I think about the QFF Changes - especially the earnings on partner flights.


Today I got a call from QFF on my German mobile.

<snip>

So QF is actually really reading the complaints! So if you have not done, just write your complaints - it may help!

Hi tyrolean,

Congratulations on at least getting a personal phone call.

As cynical as I am, I'm willing to email QFF with my concerns - did you just use the generic email address?

Regards,

BD