Velocity/Virgin websites are RUBBISH

[Markmat]

I agree anat01, but I am in a company with a BFOD (best Fare of the Day), but over time due to many complaints about VA, they are not enforcing this, unless the price differential is significant. We are booked by our travel people who deal with our travel agent (We have over 200 who travel frequently and most are at least gold on one or two airline, with many of us Platinum on both airlines, but many will lapse on VA), but we request the flight we want. The feedback from our people has been that it is difficult to change seats, often when checking in there is no recording of FF number against booking despite being on web (This leads to poor seat allocation as you are last allocated), and collection of points is a drama as many are not accruing automatically. It is just taking our people more time despite them not having to do initial booking. The flight experiences are similar though, so our people had no real issue with the switch to VA. Our staff are highly IT literate though and so are the other companies I deal with so I am hearing a lot of similar issues.

 

[blackcat20]

A few things about frequent business travellers, especially the ones who have been wooed by mass status matches or free Gold for execs and so on:

• The traveller is frequently not the person who organises the travel at the interface (some poor schluck like a PA does it)
• The said poor schluck deals with the system, e.g. instead of logging on to select seats (if necessary), they roll with the punches to call VA to do it
• Some of these schlucks deal with travel agents rather than websites direct. Otherwise, I assume similarity to QF, and there are corporate websites or interfaces which may be more rudimentary in design but otherwise different to the normal website we deal with. No excuse why that can't be invariably less buggy (but maybe less easier to use for most people).
• Many travellers have simple itineraries

I'm one of those schlucks fortuntately I know my way around the system, and I'm free to choose whichever airline. Usually Qantas is the cheapest but I've had no issues booking VA so far.

 

[notzac]

Exam time

Question 1.

Statement – The current state of the Virgin Australian / Velocity web site platforms in terms of their functionality is of sufficient concern that it could lead to the demise of the Airline in its current form.

Please - Discuss / Criticize / Evaluate / Interpret / Prove - Disprove / Review / Summarize

I think that's a somewhat over the top scenario, but if they don't fix the website (at the very least, fix the online booking management) - I believe they'll lose a fair chunk of revenue from corporates because people don't want to chase points / deal with cough seats because their FF number wasn't correctly inserted in the booking / etc.

Speaking from my own experience I'm getting fed up with having to chase things (see my whinge about VA*VA flights not crediting in the earn file update thread), fed up with not being able to manage bookings online and definitely fed up with being told to "just call us for that". It's 2013 and I don't think waiting in a call centre phone queue for something I can do online with pretty much every other airline is a valid use of my time.

Pretty much everyone else at work has given up on VA as well.

 

[anat0l]

It's 2013 and I don't think waiting in a call centre phone queue...

To be honest, that's a bit much. As a VA WP, you should not be waiting in any queue at all. Key in your 10 digit membership number, key a menu option, and answered voila. No queue. Unless VA have stuffed this one up, too.

On a more serious note, I know what you're getting at.

 

[bcworld]

To be honest, that's a bit much. As a VA WP, you should not be waiting in any queue at all. Key in your 10 digit membership number, key a menu option, and answered voila. No queue. Unless VA have stuffed this one up, too.

On a more serious note, I know what you're getting at.

Sorry we're 'jam packed' now bugger off without even getting a chance to enter a platinum velocity number has been increasingly common recently!

 

[notzac]

To be honest, that's a bit much. As a VA WP, you should not be waiting in any queue at all. Key in your 10 digit membership number, key a menu option, and answered voila. No queue.

That's what it used to be - I usually wait 3-5 minutes every time I call, sometimes longer.

 

[Warks]

I'm finding the mobile site is working better for checking in and changing seats. However I am still annoyed I have to enter all my details every time including the same mobile number that I've had for 13 years.

As for booking flights it's still a complete PITA with all the logging in multiple times and having to dredge up your flight details even though you're logged in. "Not good enough" as the whinge website is known.

 

[Markmat]

and despite their inferior website, I have heard nothing from VA on how and when they are going to improve, or even an admission that they are looking at improving. The only admission I have seen in any regard is JB at shareholders briefing say the company lost $50m to Qantas and Jetstar due to Sabre transition. Has anyone heard of any roadmap they have on fixing the problems and improving the service.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

and despite their inferior website, I have heard nothing from VA on how and when they are going to improve,

Everyone who attended the SYD Hilton get together of frequent flyers in June heard comment that many Sabre airlines had either the functionality switched off or were worse than VA, which kind of made me feel like that was a statement that "we're better than most, so that's were we're staying" sort of logic.

Maybe others who were there may wish to either agree with my feeling of that particular statement or totally disagree and tell me I wasn't listening......either way I'd be keen to hear others ideas of what was said because I was a little taken back by that one particular comment, but cannot remember the exact words used.

 

[lukenet]

Maybe Virgin Management should read this article about walking in your customers shoe that was linked on the saber airline site.

Customer Journey Mapping: A Walk In Customers

It appears to be a "new" concept that some in the company don't seem willing or able to embrace.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

read this article

Thanks for the link...lots of good articles following as well. Have you emailed it to JB?

Actually, I think they have read it, lots of VA concepts raised there. Very clearly they've looked at the 13 criticals as rated by business travellers. The trouble seems to be the implementation has run out of puff (or cash as the case maybe).

 

[KCMil]

My view - Champagne taste (attempted) on a beer budget!!!

 

[anat0l]

Start a return booking.

Select a Flexi fare where the radio button is labelled, "$215".

Wait for the spinner....fare loaded.

Select the other fare where the radio button is labelled, "$219".

Wait for the spinner....fare loaded.

Check the total. Now the last time I checked, $215 + $219 = $434, and even if $215 stands for $215.99 and $219 stands for $219.99, that's still a result of $436.

The total reads $447. That's the quoted price before adding in the removable charge for travel insurance, and the credit card fee.

Someone help me out here, or let me know if humans no longer work on a base 10 system.............

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Someone help me out here, or let me know if humans no longer work on a base 10 system.............

I was looking at something similar. I was going to post that the VA web engine also can't add up (wasn't basic spreadsheet functions about the very first computer programme that sent Bill Gates on the path of fortune?), but decided I couldn't be bothered. What it does though, is show just how badly in disarray they are when their system cannot perform functions that most business (and the ATO) consider to be critical to successful operation.

 

[Clivem]

Mr. Lawrie Turner – is Virgin Australia’s Chief Information Officer.

At that time of Lawrie’s appointment early this year (reported start date Feb 25) it was noted that he, as well as having had stints at Qantas, David Jones, SingTel-Optus, Coles and a form of QR National , was from the banner headline, a ‘Sabre Veteran’. It was further reported that Lawrie’s job description condensed into a P.R. one liner was to, quote –

“Actively pursue a focus on optimising all of our IT functions”.

I think it’s only fair, as a good cluster of VA ‘regular’ clients, that we reach out to Lawrie and extend to him an open invitation for lunch … dinner ….drinks … at the Breaky Creek Hotel or anywhere else close to the VA HQ shed that’s convivial.

It would be interesting to hear from Lawrie on the 'functional optimisation' ride to date – where it’s been, where it’s going and how longs the trips expected to be …….

Invitations out there Lawrie……

 

[Major]

I am still annoyed when you log in to your Velocity A/c and select My Bookings, only to have to log in again. a real PITA

 

[greenfish]

One step forward, one step backwards.

Search and Book Flights no longer works for me from Velocity without a workaround:

In Chrome I have to click on the shield icon and choose "Load unsafe script" to display the flight search page

In IE I have to quickly choose to load the non-secure content.

Are these guys testing ANYTHING they do? Extraordinarily amateurish.

 

[jpk]

Not sure if this has been reported before, but now the calculator for miles between ports (to work out how many you earn/burn) is broken. If it's 2 points that require a connection, it comes up as unavailable. Maybe to forewarn the user that booking a route like that is close to impossible at the moment! https://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/Redeem/Airlines/PointsTables/index.htm

Not a big deal as I can use plenty of other sites to work that out, but a bit weird it's broken now, I am sure I have used this for MEL-LHR and other combos before. Actually, I can't believe VA still haven't got around to calculating the actual mileage based on the ports selected, like QF do. Pure lazy programming...

 

[Fruitcake]

Not sure if this has been reported before, but now the calculator for miles between ports (to work out how many you earn/burn) is broken. No matter the combo, it comes up as unavailable. https://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/Redeem/Airlines/PointsTables/index.htm

Not a big deal as I can use plenty of other sites to work that out, but a bit weird it's broken now. Can't believe VA still haven't got around to calculating the actual mileage based on the ports selected, like QF do. Pure lazy programming...

Any particular combination you're having problems with? I can generate mileages from St Louis to JFK (892 miles (1427 km)), Hanoi to Singapore (1366 miles (2185 km)), Brisbane to Moranbah (485 miles (776 km)) and the Seychelles to Abu Dhabi (2009 miles (3214 km)) without dramas.

 

[grubbidok]

Not sure if this has been reported before, but now the calculator for miles between ports (to work out how many you earn/burn) is broken. If it's 2 points that require a connection, it comes up as unavailable. Maybe to forewarn the user that booking a route like that is close to impossible at the moment! https://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/Redeem/Airlines/PointsTables/index.htm

Not a big deal as I can use plenty of other sites to work that out, but a bit weird it's broken now, I am sure I have used this for MEL-LHR and other combos before. Actually, I can't believe VA still haven't got around to calculating the actual mileage based on the ports selected, like QF do. Pure lazy programming...

I would guess that for one-combination routes this may still be able to done, but for multi-combination routes it would be very difficult to give a proper answer. MEL-LHR could be via SIN on SQ, AUH on EY or VA even more if you route through SYD (e.g. SYD-HKG on VS). And any of these could have a VA code. I've had similar issues on QF website looking for routes with multiple connection options.