V-Flyer

......and look forward to your custom.

But not enough to be able to answer the telephone promptly and actually deal with your enquiry!!

[Rant on]
Yes yes yes - call centres are pretty much all like this but what is so annoying is that they tell you all about the web site and such and you would think that less people would call the flipping call centre!

Obviously not!

Mind you I have only been on hold for 20 30 40 minutes - so I guess its early yet.[:(!][:(!][:(!]

Oh and I can support change for good and Unicef, book my hotel and hire my car, find out about BA Connect, have an annual travel insurance policy - all from BA! Well I would never do this on the telephone as I might be dead before I got the chance to enjoy any of them.

And now the music is getting on my wick[V]

[Rant off]

Edit to add - and now after all that I have to call the BA office in Switzerland to get a refund for a flight which I booked on the web site that they cancelled!! Sheesh!

It's funny... the phrase "your call is important to us" seems to be a stock phrase around the english speaking world.
I was on hold to Singapore Air in Singapore a couple of weeks ago and getting the usual blurb(but with a singlish accent), so i jokingly said to my colleage sat next to me "blah blah, your call is important to us" and was surprised to hear those exact same words a while later.

I gave up holding a while later, and never did change my flight.

One of the suppliers I use (Blackbox) have the most amazing sales and technical support phone lines. Every time I've called it has even rung once they just answer immediately ... really confuses me each time I call, that and the really helpful knowledgeable staff. But you pay a premium for their products and services ... but worth every penny.

Like Virgin and their "Your call is important to us, but we're making revenue from you holding on our 0870 number, so there's not too much of an incentive to answer quickly, is there?"

Maybe I'm paraphrasing a tad, but that's what they mean.

Hopefully things will change when OFCOM sort out 0870 numbers next year.

If I'm holding on a geographic number (which costs me 4p per call) or an 0800 number I don't mind as much if they take longer to answer.

Am afraid I have no patience with that standard phrase about the call being important. If it were that important you'd not be on hold.

Chuck-

Originally posted by ChuckC
Am afraid I have no patience with that standard phrase about the call being important. If it were that important you'd not be on hold.

Indeed If the call is that important then they'd hire more people to answer the phones [:p]

Originally posted by locutus
Hopefully things will change when OFCOM sort out 0870 numbers next year.

If I'm holding on a geographic number (which costs me 4p per call) or an 0800 number I don't mind as much if they take longer to answer.

I make a point of searching for alternative numbers on http://www.saynoto0870.com/ which more often than not has a geographic - or even 0800 number you can call.
e.g. Virgin's listings:

Virgin Atlantic 0870 3802007 - 01293 616161 Reservations; Head Office - 01293 562345
Virgin Atlantic - Flying Club 0870 1616059/0845 0745678 - 01293 562345; Head Office switchboard - ask for Frequent flyer (Red or Silver) dep't

I think this is all down to what membership level you are with VS.

When I hold Red membership, I normally wait for half an hour, at least, and they always give me wrong answers.

When I hold Silver membership, I have to switch to a hands free phone, because it was normally 20 minutes waiting time. And they still answered my questions wrongly for many times.

Once I've got my Gold membership, everything changed, all the sudden I no need to wait more than one minute (for that standard beginning speech and press button words), and they are absolutely brilliant with all my questions and requests! I guess that's partly becasue its a 0800 number and SRB is paying for the bill.

I guess that's partly becasue its a 0800 number and SRB is paying for the bill.

Can't recall waiting very long on BA's 0800 Au line either:D.

Originally posted by scally

Originally posted by locutus
Hopefully things will change when OFCOM sort out 0870 numbers next year.

If I'm holding on a geographic number (which costs me 4p per call) or an 0800 number I don't mind as much if they take longer to answer.

I make a point of searching for alternative numbers on http://www.saynoto0870.com/ which more often than not has a geographic - or even 0800 number you can call.
e.g. Virgin's listings:

Virgin Atlantic 0870 3802007 - 01293 616161 Reservations; Head Office - 01293 562345
Virgin Atlantic - Flying Club 0870 1616059/0845 0745678 - 01293 562345; Head Office switchboard - ask for Frequent flyer (Red or Silver) dep't

When I'm overseas and not in a country with a local FC No, and what with 0800 not working from overseas I usually call the headoffice switchboard number as listed on saynoto0870.
Depsite asking to be put through to FC Gold, I am usually transferred (with a serious dose of attitude from the operator) to Red and have to hold for ages... Fortunately its not my phone bill!

I have since discovered that the 0870 Upper Class Reservations line gets through to the same people dealing with FC Gold and does work with a + 44 prefix.

Thanks for all the alternative numbers - you can also try http://www.saynot to0870.com for alternatives to 0870 for other companies....

Originally posted by PVGSLF
[br
When I'm overseas and not in a country with a local FC No, and what with 0800 not working from overseas I usually call the headoffice switchboard number as listed on saynoto0870.
Depsite asking to be put through to FC Gold, I am usually transferred (with a serious dose of attitude from the operator) to Red and have to hold for ages... Fortunately its not my phone bill!

I have since discovered that the 0870 Upper Class Reservations line gets through to the same people dealing with FC Gold and does work with a + 44 prefix.

Like you I cannot call FC Gold from here but I can get through to the 0870 number for Reservations.

When I was in Sydney and wanted to change my reservation after their office closed but could not get through on the 0870 line. I managed to pull up the reservations number from the saynoto0870 website and asked to be put through to the Premier Team. Like PVGSLF I was put through to Red but the minute she realised it was a UC booking she immediately transferred me to the Premier Team. In fairness, the girl who answered my call was excellent and I was not aware she was not with the Premier Team until she said so. In my book that's the way it should be - the same service regardless

It's cheaper for me to call the USA FC number than it is to call the UK 0870/0845 number. [V]

True, even though i got put through to red I was transfered as soon as i gave my FC number.

Just used the +44 870 trick today and got top service as usual. Booking my next flights including complicated connections for myself, but staight PVG-LHR for my wife. And at a better price than i managed to find elsewhere.