Hi Everyone, but especially Oli,
Hi Oli, I really appreciate that you were open enough to post and essentially admit that you read, and I guess value, the opinions of the V Flyer community as lets face it, everyones views on here are surely the most valuable being your biggest supporters.
I used to own a company that was the biggest e-commerce website in the UK for the market sector we were involved in. We never let style get in the way of functionality yet it was a good looking site. For me the seat map is far too subtle, even I struggled to work out the differences, it's a 10min code fix, surely that's an easy one?
I am a huge VA fan, have a real soft spot for their company ethos born by SRB. I hate everything that the corporate juggernaught bully BA represents. In turn, I guess so many of the community here at VV Flyer, share my view. Yes, we will get a bit "arsey" for a better word when the website has essentially broke, but I'm sure I speak for most when I say it's only because we ultimately care and desperately want to see it successful and a brilliant platform. I can imagine it was a monumental task, but it shows that some catastrophic errors have been made. Hopefully, and I'm sure, given time it will all unravel and there will be a product that we can be proud of.
The most important issue for me is this.
"Exciting changes are coming".
It's exactly the sort of tag line I expect from the likes of BA. Please never again dress up a host of negative implementations by hooking them on the tiny odd improvement hidden in the murk. The very nature of the demographic of your customer base are never going to fall for that one.
I have been AU for 4 or 5 years and am such a huge fan I have been looking long into the distance to the 10 year goal. I am one of those customers who is an ambassador for VS, telling all my colleagues and friends all the best bits, think of it as your kind of unauthorised sales team. I suspect there are a few of us out there. I do have choices, I live in Aberdeen (and yes, am still mourning Little Red). But for me to continue to fly VS from LHR is an additional expense and challenge. BA were charging in the now monopoly ABZ-LHR Route £279 one way last week. I simply refuse, so this week, I am Easyjet to LGW, an overnight hotel and private car to LHR just so I can still experience VA Upper Class. I'm also forcing a BAEC AU to come with me. And paying for another colleague to travel too. It would be far cheaper and easier for me to just fly direct from EDI or GLA. But I Don't. I'm happy to throw more money and time to simply show up on your doorstep. It's called Loyalty. I refuse to believe loyalty can really be measured either, I think people are either loyal or they are not. I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't accept me saying to her.... oh of course i'm loyal to you.... but just not at the weekends.
So here I am, one of the people who were likely to be spending almost £8k a year to ensure I renewed AU. Now, that task for me is going to be a much bigger challenge. I fear that you as a company have just alienated me. I totally understand that perhaps I was the small percentage of pax who just skirted over the level that the bean counters may want to eliminate, but for me it's not going to be an acceptance of Silver now, if i'm being forced away then as loyal as I am, I would have to give that same loyalty to another carrier. I just wonder how many people are in the same boat as me? That could be a lot of £8k's. The devaluation of the Z class ticket in Tier Points is really disappointing. You can shout louder on the small amount of plus points but these are falling on deaf ears sadly.
This is reality for me. I'm gutted that this will likely be my last year AU. I feel a bit cheated out of the loyalty I have shown over that last 4-5 years as the original terms of the engagement have changed. I feel it will be a huge own goal at VS. But sadly one that wont be fully acknowledged till myself and likeminded others are off somewhere else.
This is a real life view that hopefully will be at least considered as I am not alone. FC wasn't broken, just the website. I have loads of innovative ideas that are positive to make the company more money, ones which offer added value and make VS better as a whole, why is it always the opposite and the well documented race to the bottom?
All I can hope is that this is at the very least considered.
Scott
Hi Oli, I really appreciate that you were open enough to post and essentially admit that you read, and I guess value, the opinions of the V Flyer community as lets face it, everyones views on here are surely the most valuable being your biggest supporters.
I used to own a company that was the biggest e-commerce website in the UK for the market sector we were involved in. We never let style get in the way of functionality yet it was a good looking site. For me the seat map is far too subtle, even I struggled to work out the differences, it's a 10min code fix, surely that's an easy one?
I am a huge VA fan, have a real soft spot for their company ethos born by SRB. I hate everything that the corporate juggernaught bully BA represents. In turn, I guess so many of the community here at VV Flyer, share my view. Yes, we will get a bit "arsey" for a better word when the website has essentially broke, but I'm sure I speak for most when I say it's only because we ultimately care and desperately want to see it successful and a brilliant platform. I can imagine it was a monumental task, but it shows that some catastrophic errors have been made. Hopefully, and I'm sure, given time it will all unravel and there will be a product that we can be proud of.
The most important issue for me is this.
"Exciting changes are coming".
It's exactly the sort of tag line I expect from the likes of BA. Please never again dress up a host of negative implementations by hooking them on the tiny odd improvement hidden in the murk. The very nature of the demographic of your customer base are never going to fall for that one.
I have been AU for 4 or 5 years and am such a huge fan I have been looking long into the distance to the 10 year goal. I am one of those customers who is an ambassador for VS, telling all my colleagues and friends all the best bits, think of it as your kind of unauthorised sales team. I suspect there are a few of us out there. I do have choices, I live in Aberdeen (and yes, am still mourning Little Red). But for me to continue to fly VS from LHR is an additional expense and challenge. BA were charging in the now monopoly ABZ-LHR Route £279 one way last week. I simply refuse, so this week, I am Easyjet to LGW, an overnight hotel and private car to LHR just so I can still experience VA Upper Class. I'm also forcing a BAEC AU to come with me. And paying for another colleague to travel too. It would be far cheaper and easier for me to just fly direct from EDI or GLA. But I Don't. I'm happy to throw more money and time to simply show up on your doorstep. It's called Loyalty. I refuse to believe loyalty can really be measured either, I think people are either loyal or they are not. I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't accept me saying to her.... oh of course i'm loyal to you.... but just not at the weekends.
So here I am, one of the people who were likely to be spending almost £8k a year to ensure I renewed AU. Now, that task for me is going to be a much bigger challenge. I fear that you as a company have just alienated me. I totally understand that perhaps I was the small percentage of pax who just skirted over the level that the bean counters may want to eliminate, but for me it's not going to be an acceptance of Silver now, if i'm being forced away then as loyal as I am, I would have to give that same loyalty to another carrier. I just wonder how many people are in the same boat as me? That could be a lot of £8k's. The devaluation of the Z class ticket in Tier Points is really disappointing. You can shout louder on the small amount of plus points but these are falling on deaf ears sadly.
This is reality for me. I'm gutted that this will likely be my last year AU. I feel a bit cheated out of the loyalty I have shown over that last 4-5 years as the original terms of the engagement have changed. I feel it will be a huge own goal at VS. But sadly one that wont be fully acknowledged till myself and likeminded others are off somewhere else.
This is a real life view that hopefully will be at least considered as I am not alone. FC wasn't broken, just the website. I have loads of innovative ideas that are positive to make the company more money, ones which offer added value and make VS better as a whole, why is it always the opposite and the well documented race to the bottom?
All I can hope is that this is at the very least considered.
Scott
