Dear Qantas,
Let me tell you why I will not be flying with your company again and why I will no longer recommend you to my friends and family. I have actually written to you once already about this matter to make a formal complaint but have yet to hear anything from you. So I will just assume that you are too busy dealing with the people that probably spend way more money than me, or are simply backed up with many more complaints.
This is my second complaint to your company also. The first time I complained was because you ran out of food on a flight. I was sat at the back of the plane and you ran out of one of the two choices of food leaving me with no choice whether I liked the meal or not. There was also an issue with the TV which the Qantas crew tried to fix to no avail. At least they tried but still, on a 15 hours long flight, it is a bit annoying. But anyway you did send me a letter of apologies so I trust it will not happen again.
Here is my complaint this time – Since I was going to travel on a 24hr long trip I decided to look at my option to upgrade with my frequent flyer points and opted for a premium economy seat. Premium economy is stated as giving you mainly a bigger seat, a bigger TV screen, a power point to plug in your laptop, and even a USB point as well. I don’t usually use my laptop on the plane because without a power point it dies within 40 minutes and my iPhone is pretty much the same, play games and within a few hours the batteries will be flat.
And so I used all my Frequent Flyer points for the upgrade.
First I had an issue with my luggage – this I am not going to blame it on you. When I traveled from Brisbane to New York I checked in 3 pieces of luggage and did not have to pay extra because I have a Frequent Flyer card. I did have a look on your website and I must say, the small print is very confusing.
When I got to Heathrow airport in London to return home to Australia, I was told I would have to pay an extra £45 for excess luggage, I was not happy about that but it was not too much. The attendant told me I had to go another booth to complete the payment. When I got to the second booth I was then told I would actually have to pay £90! This was really annoying and frustrating but I did not have a choice: I was going back home and the luggage simply had to come with me (and that was just part of my stuff, I still have two suitcases that will have to remain in the UK for now).
But the worst happened when I arrived in Hong Kong. First, I was not given a receipt for my excess luggage and the Attendant at the desk would not accept this. After 20 minutes of explaining that what I had was all I was given, she finally decided to go over to British Airways booth to get the missing receipt. Then she explained to me that I had to pay a further £77 for excess baggage! When I booked my ticket, it was through Qantas. It is not my fault or my problem that you are using another company to fly your customers. Make me pay twice, for the same baggage, is disgraceful and ridiculous or at least give us a discount! Then the attendant tells me I should try to put all my stuff into two suitcases! Did that woman think I was that stupid? If I could put all my stuff into two suitcases, don’t you think I would have done it? She then informed me that on the plane there is no premium economy so I have to travel in economy. This discussion lasted well over 40 minutes and a huge queue of very impatient customers had built up behind me.
When I booked the flight, there was an exclamation mark next to some of the flights to indicate part of the flight was not in premium so I was aware of that fact. Since I knew I was paying for it, I made sure I chose a flight that was in premium economy all the way. So I was furious to be told that this was not so even after I check specifically for it!
But what I don’t get is you basically pay double the price to fly in premium economy, so if half of the flight is not in premium, shouldn’t that be cheaper. The price in economy is approximately £600, so premium is an extra £600 but shouldn’t that be only £300 if only half way is in premium? I wonder if that is even legal to charge like that and I will make inquiries with the consumer affairs…
So I am very upset that all my points have been wasted and the flight ended up costing me a lot more than expected and Qantas does not seem to give a damn about it or probably only look after Platinum members… Therefore I will no longer fly with Qantas.
Regards,
Pris
PS: I just checked my PO Box today and surprise surprise: a letter from Qantas (I wonder how many trees do they cut for one piece of paper…) This is what Qantas wrote:
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to contact us.
We were concerned to learn about your recent disappointing experience. Please accept our apologies that you did not receive the premium level of service expected from Qantas.
We are committed to always caring for our customers and do appreciate you taking the time to bring your unhappy experience to our attention. Please be assured that we are listening and strive towards creating the world’s best flying experience. Your feedback will help us make the improvements to achieve this goal.
For any of your pre-travel needs, please call our Qantas…. blah blah blah as I did mention I will not fly again with Qantas so there is no need to try to sell me another ticket unless you were offering a substantial discount or just giving my back !
We do appreciate you taking the time to pursue your concerns. Please accept our apologies if we have not been able to resolve this matter to your satisfaction.Kind Regards,
Qantas Customer Care.