Qantas phone service (or lack of)

Anyone else fed up with having to call Qantas and wait over two hours on the phone? Anyone else also a Platinum number calling on the so-called priority number? What a disgrace.

Firstly the reason for my call is the Qantas website ‘Manage my booking’ would not let me make the simple changes it purports to support. Date changes and/or cancellations for credit - three times a glitch in the system.

I cancelled a Singapore Airlines flight last week and within 24 hours had a refund on my credit card. I can’t even get a credit voucher issued using Qantas.com. The system is horrifically broken and it’s not acceptable.

I shouldn’t need to call and further clog the already busy phone lines. And yet when I do, it appears being Platinum with Qantas on the ground means absolutely nothing anymore.

Horrendous service from the airline I’ve been more than loyal to for over twenty years.

Anyone else?

If only this was an April Fools, sadly it's not. The current telephone "service" from Qantas is an absolute disgrace and they are showing complete contempt to loyal travellers by not fixing it, they are acutely aware and have been for some time. Australian Frequent Flyer seem to have the bit between their teeth and are calling them out on it, bravo to them. Now if only everyone else did they might start to take notice. The e-mail system is joke too, still waiting from September last year to have some missing status credits applied, despite 20 e-mails back and forth it's still not done.

You’re lucky that you’re platinum! I’m a lowly bronze member and had to call them to use my flight credit voucher (which I couldn’t use online for some reason). Waited 3 and a half hours. Just as they were finalising the booking, the line got cut off! Then had to wait another 3 and a half hours to get back to them. This was 7 weeks ago. I’m still waiting for them to issue the new ticket….

Agree that it’s an absolute disgrace. Makes me happy that I have BA gold status and primarily do everything through them. I never wait more than 10 minutes to talk to them (even at the height of the pandemic).

This will go on as long as they can get away with it. If it was happening in certain sections of the community the government would have thrown millions at it to fix it. Sadly travellers don't count. The only way to send a message is to walk away, take your business elsewhere.

It's a vicious cycle. Being platinum compels you to keep choosing Qantas but doing so means that Qantas has no reason to improve.

I also think that most people switch airlines the same way they switch banks. It just doesn't happen.

So settle in folks, this is the (not so) new Qantas normal.

Things must have gone downhill over the past 7 weeks. I had a problem making a booking with a flight credit.. rang around 9.30pm on a friday night.. got through after a 15 min wait (half a glass of red). Problem mostly solved, but there still was a problem.. rang back , got someone in Hobart, he was able to fix the problem and then rang back sat night (his next shift) to check that I was happy. I'm Plat.

What really gets me is that there must be thousands of people with flight credits and yet these can’t be used online. Why not? The increase in call volume and wait times must have something to do with all these people trying to use their credits now that international travel is bouncing back.

Its disgusting. I'm platinum as well. Also waiting for months for missing status credits and now suddenly one month after my status anniversary they cancelled all my rolled over status credits. Also booked a flight for June and one week later they just send me an email saying we've moved you to a different flight without explanation, but oh I can't call them because I'm not traveling within the next 24 hours. So I'm supposed to just suck up my business plans and try to call the Sunday before and change it then? Ludicrous. These idiots are too busy spending $50mil on green fuel! Get a life and spend the money on your customer service instead!

QF platinum - 3hr wait last weekend.

I had to call American Airlines a couple of weeks ago to sort out a flight credit I had with them. I have no status whatsoever with them and was speaking to someone in 25 mins. Ticket issued 24 hours later.

5 year+ platinum. Have called three times last week, and each call on hold over 1.5 hours. Finally got through, but cut off mid way.

Now when I call I get the “piss off” message (i.e., only stay on hold if you’re travelling in the next 24 hours).

As VA platinum I never have to wait more than 2 minutes.

I had to give up on my last 2 attempts at trying to call Qantas' so called priority number for platinum frequent flyers. It used to be they would answer the phone straight away. Last I was on hold for 1 hour and I gave up. There appears to be no priority service. The phone service parallels the lack of service at the airport. No priority boarding, no priority security lanes and the business lounges are now frequently open to all Qantas Club members as they close the other lounge to save money. Constant flight changes and cancellations top the list. With Qantas's current level of priority service they could just give everyone complimentary platinum status and no one would notice the difference.

What's more telling is Alan Joyce's relative silence on this issue other than a few motherhood statements. It really is pathetic now that a Platinum member is waiting more than 5-10 mins. There's a problem and they need to fix it-fast.