The Qantas call centre now has a different menu

[Must...Fly!]

Called to make a simple one way schedule change to a domestic classic award. Went through the menu - 30 minutes to 1 hour wait time - ok no worries, requested a call back.

Called back a half hour later by the South African call centre (just a lowly matched gold after all). Advised of the details. Agent seemed to understand but also very unsure at the same time. I was put on hold.

After 32 minutes of hold music, I decided my time was more valuable and I had to get ready for work. What a terrible experience. And before anyone asks, the website won't let me change the flight either

 

[Mattg]

I really don't understand why Qantas persists with using the contracted call centre in South Africa. The service is shockingly bad, not to mention so inefficient.

 

[Seat0B]

I really don't understand why Qantas persists with using the contracted call centre in South Africa. The service is shockingly bad, not to mention so inefficient.

Possibly because people like us don't always take the time and effort needed to let Qantas know about the appalling service. I know I am guilty of this - I've only complained to them once, despite several poor experiences. This does allow Qantas to have plausibly deniability.

 

[Must...Fly!]

I really don't understand why Qantas persists with using the contracted call centre in South Africa. The service is shockingly bad, not to mention so inefficient.

In case anyone from Qantas reads this, I concur wholeheartedly. The other contact I had with the SA call centre last week was less agonising, though equally deficient. The register for call back system works well, though for comparison that call took 12 minutes to make a date change to another classic reward flight (return, this time).

However the agent read back the wrong flights to me on 4 separate occasions requiring me to correct her. Eventually we got there. I never received a confirmation e-mail of the new itinerary however the flights show correctly in the app, so for now I am just hoping it all went through and got re-ticketed correctly.

The sum total of these two interactions have been frustrating and unnecessarily complicated due to poor staff ability or training. This is in direct contrast to my dealing with the VA call centre which has me on hold for a shorter time, and very promptly deals with whatever changes I need to make. Now, I am Platinum with VA vs Gold with QF so not quite a like for like comparison, but I think the point stands and all calls have been made during business hours. Perhaps after hours, VA is not a good experience.

Either way, there is no way I am going to be spending money with Qantas if this is the kind of experience I can look forward to. Just going to keep burning those points and enjoying the free lounge access courtesy of the status match until it runs out...

 

[Must...Fly!]

Called to make a simple one way schedule change to a domestic classic award. Went through the menu - 30 minutes to 1 hour wait time - ok no worries, requested a call back.

Called back a half hour later by the South African call centre (just a lowly matched gold after all). Advised of the details. Agent seemed to understand but also very unsure at the same time. I was put on hold.

After 32 minutes of hold music, I decided my time was more valuable and I had to get ready for work. What a terrible experience. And before anyone asks, the website won't let me change the flight either

And 5 hours after I hung up I get an e-mail with the changed itinerary.

How totally bizarre. Some things can not be explained...

 

[DC3]

... I never received a confirmation e-mail of the new itinerary however the flights show correctly in the app, so for now I am just hoping it all went through and got re-ticketed correctly...

I would be chasing up the e-ticket. I’ve had several e-tickets “stuck” in the system in the past, due to Call Centre errors (taxes, points calculations, ....) in processing, even though the details in the app looked okay. It took a phone call to sort each of them out. I was advised that the tickets would not have been re-issued without “intervention”. Admittedly, these were part of oneworld award bookings involving multiple carriers.

Anyway, having made a domestic flight change earlier today, through the Hobart Call Centre, my revised e-ticket arrived within 3-4 minutes. There were no changes to the points redemption or taxes which made it fairly straightforward.

Edited: Just re-read your posts and saw that the e-ticket was eventually issued.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Edited: Just re-read your posts and saw that the e-ticket was eventually issued.

That was for a change that I invoked today, but never confirmed due to being abandoned on hold by the operator.

The change to another booking from last week - still nothing. I'll deal with it if online check in doesn't work. Anything to avoid calling, for mine.

 

[theoracle30]

As a QF WP, it was relatively easy to cancel a reward booking and request 2x J seats from PER-SYD on a flight with no availability. Tickets issued at the discounted 29,050 pts rate rather than the older 41,500 pts rate which was a win.

The whole call took 20 min including the hold time at the start (advised up to 30 min).

 

[graxx]

What? I have been holding right now for 2 hours!!
I have just been redirected again, told to 'hold for a second' 10 minutes ago.

(That was after finally getting through this morning after an hour and a half, being told everything was OK and they would direct me to reservations- got through and then disconnected!!!!)

 

[TheInsider]

What? I have been holding right now for 2 hours!!
I have just been redirected again, told to 'hold for a second' 10 minutes ago.

(That was after finally getting through this morning after an hour and a half, being told everything was OK and they would direct me to reservations- got through and then disconnected!!!!)

Who are you calling to get redirected to 'reservations'? The standard 131313 is reservations number?
Or are you calling the frequent flyer program number?

 

[henrus]

It's crazy that Jetstar actually has better customer service than Qantas. The last Jetstar change I had to make was done in a few minutes via live chat. Last Qantas change took 2hrs of waiting on the phone only to be told it couldn't be done, a follow-up message to the social media team to ask if it could be done, and sure enough, a full day later the change was made.

 

[serfty]

Had to call re a changed J international booking (" international booking" sounds good!!). After 1 min 20 sec going through the menu, the call was answered by Premium line almost straight away.

What time of day was this? Yesterday ~12:15pm I received notification of a cancelled flight with re-accommodation 11 hours earlier. I called up - The bot indicated a 15 minute wait - the actual wait was 16 minutes during which time I did some dummy* bookings in researching more palatable options. By the time it was answered (NOT South Africa) I had my option ready. Pleasant call with my preferred option ticketed 10 minutes later.


* Not so dummy - the 'consultant' found my 'research' had left traces and advised me they had cancelled them.

 

[RooFlyer]

What time of day was this?

12:22 pm for me. Maybe TKWIA? ( As in, a fellow Tasmanian)

 

[TheInsider]

Only if Qantas had an average hold time of 5-6 minutes during their unprecedented times....


Vaccine hotline facing ‘unprecedented demand'

 

[henrus]

Only if Qantas had an average hold time of 5-6 minutes during their unprecedented times....

If they improved their IT to allow people to make changes online then it'd be much quicker. Some of the most simple changes are often unable to be done online which makes it all the more difficult.

 

[RooFlyer]

If they improved their IT to allow people to make changes online then it'd be much quicker. Some of the most simple changes are often unable to be done online which makes it all the more difficult.

Yes!!

Had 15 min wait to change an existing booking as a Plat (unable to do it under MMB); I thought this wait was quite OK, given the situation in Melbourne and the chaos in flights.

 

[harvyk]

Complaint made to QF. 1.5 hours (after being assured by the automated voice that it'd only be a 15 minute wait) is terrible.
Will they do something with that complaint? Who knows, but at least my dissatisfaction is registered with them.

I've asked for points as compensation in my complaint, simply as an acknowledgement from them that my time is valuable and they wasted it.

 

[sudoer]

I've asked for points as compensation in my complaint, simply as an acknowledgement from them that my time is valuable and they wasted it.

Please let us know how you go with this. If they oblige, I think we should all start requesting the same and give them a financial incentive to reduce wait times.

 

[Ktan89]

I waited 7 hours the other day only to be hung up on right at 7h.00m.12sec
Do they not have a call back service any more? I didn't have time to wait yesterday..

 

[dylarr]

I waited 7 hours the other day only to be hung up on right at 7h.00m.12sec
Do they not have a call back service any more? I didn't have time to wait yesterday..

I think it's very deliberate that you can't request a callback. If they can't even answer the calls within 7 hours without a callback service, imagine how many days or weeks people would be waiting for a callback if it was switched on!