Cowshed no longer taking bookings !!

quote:Originally posted by hackneyguy
quote:Originally posted by Penny_L
I have a treatment booked for 18th December, confirmed a couple of weeks ago, hope thats still ok.


It is Penny - I have just rang my FC POC and it is fine. NB They are still taking bookings too for the top FC tiers.

HG


Thanks for checking...oh well, I guess in future it gives me excuse to spend 5 hours or so in the CH having cocktails/food while trying to get into Bumble for a haircut

quote:Originally posted by Penny_L
I guess in future it gives me excuse to spend 5 hours or so in the CH having cocktails/food while trying to get into Bumble for a haircut


My kinda gal [y]

quote:Originally posted by Decker
Not sticking up for the decision (which I'd hazard a guess is because people don't know you can pre-book and get snitty about not being able to get an anticipated treatment... talk about baby and bathwater)


Hardly a scientific sample, but both times we've been lucky enough to use the CH there have been example of the behaviour Decker describes.

Paul

This is a deal breaker as far as I am concerned. One of the UC draws is I can dash to the airport after work (usually off to Sydney on V200) and can look forward to my pre-booked Cowshed collagen eye treatment . I usually get there no earlier than 2 hours before the flight so even though I have paid for an UC ticket I doubt I will be able to have a treatment and to be honest a major part of the CH experience will be lost. I can usually understand the financial reasons behind cuts but this baffles me!

Well I think it will enable a reduction in staffing. if you guarantee to serve booked appointments then you must have staff plus.

If you do what you can and two people are off soick you just do less!

What they need to get right is the balance between advance bookings and walk-ins (and also deal with any fit-ins due to people not turning up).

What they should do is have bookings for the number of staff due to work a particular shift less 1 member who can then cover any last minute absences (e.g. sick) (so advance bookings dont get cancelled) and if there is a full staff they can do walk-in slots - so if 3 staff on rota book for 2 etc

quote:Originally posted by Penny_L
quote:Originally posted by hackneyguy
It is Penny - I have just rang my FC POC and it is fine. NB They are still taking bookings too for the top FC tiers.

HG


Thanks for checking...oh well, I guess in future it gives me excuse to spend 5 hours or so in the CH having cocktails/food while trying to get into Bumble for a haircut


This must be some other top tier than gold then, as I just got the same email today for my attempted booking on the 1st of December.

I can't remember the last time that I was able to book a slot, even a few weeks out. It already seemed to make a mockery of the 'more capacity in the CH once the IFBTs were gone' theory, even before this new reduction in benefit.

This just seems a pointless change to me.

quote:Originally posted by Jon Morgan

[This must be some other top tier than gold then,


Indeed there are some above gold and those are the ones I were referring too in my earlier post

I am silver then red then silver etc etc usually, have managed to book my haircut with confirmation email for Dec 21st am red sadly at the moment will go back to silver next year, as long as i am going UC and can spend miles I am happy whatever colour my card is..

quote:Originally posted by hackneyguy
quote:Originally posted by Jon Morgan

[This must be some other top tier than gold then,


Indeed there are some above gold and those are the ones I were referring too in my earlier post

Oh I know - I just wanted to make sure people who have gold didn't think it applied to them - even though as someone noted the VS website still clearly states that pre-booking is available and is a perk of FC Gold.

They really need to get their communications (internal and external) sorted out - I wouldn't be surprised if the team who look after the site weren't even told about the change...

Not to mention the email notification with the bad grammar and as pointed out the standard footer about 'pre-booking next time'...

Called Gold FC phone Number and was told that Pre bookings were still being taken and offered to put me though to LHR Clubhouse to make a booking. Seems to me that the Left does not know what the right doing

Just called the Clubhouse and they confirm that no booking for anyone from 1st dec 2009. by doing this they say they can do 20% more treatments because there will be no 'NO SHOWS'. So if you want a treatment you will have to arrive very early or be very lucky.Which will cost them more money in the long run as people will arrive that much earlier and eat and drink more.

YET ANOTHER PERK GONE !!!!!!!!!!!!

When you look at it there is not much left.

[:(!][n]

...on the other hand, people like me who are too disorganised to make bookings in advance, or who often travel at very short notice, now stand a chance of getting a look-in

[Darren Wheeler]

quote:Originally posted by cshore
...on the other hand, people like me who are too disorganised to make bookings in advance, or who often travel at very short notice, now stand a chance of getting a look-in



Good point.

Just hope there is some sense on timeslots so that later flights are given later slots rather then say, VS45 getting 9am and VS3 being told there are no free spaces before the flight is called.

I just had the same standard email response and it has me baffled too!

To the reason given earlier by Cowshed, 20% better efficiency by taking walk-ins only? Surely there's half a dozen better ways to manage no-shows! How about filling them up with people on a stand-by list on the day? Can't be difficult.

I'm all for Clubhouse guests enjoying all the privileges including treatments, why not, but it does seem a bit backward that a guest (with no loyalty to the Virgin brand) who perhaps booked at the last minute can now trump UC passengers or Gold card members who booked well in advance and who do show up on time!

Perhaps sense will prevail but for now this for me is a bit of an own goal by Cowshed/Virgin [n]

quote:Originally posted by londoneraway
I just had the same standard email response and it has me baffled too!

To the reason given earlier by Cowshed, 20% better efficiency by taking walk-ins only? Surely there's half a dozen better ways to manage no-shows! How about filling them up with people on a stand-by list on the day? Can't be difficult.

I'm all for Clubhouse guests enjoying all the privileges including treatments, why not, but it does seem a bit backward that a guest (with no loyalty to the Virgin brand) who perhaps booked at the last minute can now trump UC passengers or Gold card members who booked well in advance and who do show up on time!


Perhaps sense will prevail but for now this for me is a bit of an own goal by Cowshed/Virgin [n]


I agree, if there is a no show you have a captive customer base ready and waiting to fill the slot, if managed proactively it shouldn't be a problem. If the appointment isn't confirmed up to 30 mins before the pre-booked appointment an on the day request list should kick in. If there really are 20% DNA's then everyone should be catered for.

However as others have suggested I too suspect it is a smokescreen to cover up the lack of staff available to meet the extra demand since the inflight service was cut and to react to complaints from regular travellers who find it difficult to pre-book in the CH but in the past were almost guaranteed a treatment on the plane. [n]

This has got me thinking about the soon to be reopened LGW Clubhouse.

I'm wondering what booking system they will adopt? Having a walk in appointment system could be interesting as most flights leave within a couple of hours of each other mid morning, will this mean you have to get to there as soon as it opens[:?]

-Steve

Jackie, Steveieboy, good points, I fully agree.

I sent an email to Virgin/Cowshed and was quite pleased to get a sincere response so quickly (below).


> Thank you for your email regarding changes to our booking procedure at the
> Cowshed spa.
>
> I am sorry that you feel let down by our decision but please allow me to
> explain the reason for this.
> The last thing I want to do is let down our customers particularly loyal
> customers like yourself.
>
> Since we have been offering our pre booking service we have seen a steady
> increase in the amount of customers not turning up for their treatments,
> as a result of this, during the summer we trialled 'walk in appointments
> only 'at our Gatwick spa and we found that we could treat 20% more
> customers.
>
> We did not experience any queing and the process ran smoothly.
>
> If I could just ask you to try out this service and feedback to me if you
> experience any problems or frustrations.
>
> I truly hope that this new process will be a positive change, if however it
> is not than I am happy to review.


So apparently the scheme works at Gatwick. Does anyone have experience to compare the capacity and overbooking at LHR vs Gatwick Clubhouses?

Perhaps as mentioned by folks before, the real aim is a belief that this will drive greater efficiencies, as they can indeed reach a 100% bookings target by shedding staff (there will always be people at Heathrow who would be happy for a walk-in treatment). I still think there are better ways to manage this.

Either way, the new dilema between setting off to the airport far earlier than normal or turning up on time and chancing a pot-luck system for a treatment, kind of detracts from everything else that the Virgin experience is about, for me anyway.

However, I'm encouraged that it could be reviewed in future.

I don't know, it all seems a bit too much mealy-mouthed and weasel-worded to me.

Question is, do they still take bookings for haircuts, as that strikes me as something you would want to know you can get a booking for.

Mike

Why is it always so problematic for VS to implement changes (good ones and bad ones)?

They cannot seem to get the basics right. Their implementations must be overseen by staff with learning difficulties.

I have tried to book a haircut for Monday 23rd Nov via the email link - no response / confirmation.

I then called the telephone number and just got the prerecorded message that they are no longer taking bookings after 1st Dec and then it hangs up.

Unless I have been in a coma for a week or so and not realised it and I have missed my flight then it looks like the 1st Dec is an imaginary date and this has come into effect now.

Why can't they get simple transitionary periods sorted?

It gets better.

I have just spoken to the Au line and they said this came in 'with immediate effect' so they could not understand why the phone line said 1st Dec.

Cowshed then came back and said the 1st Dec was the correct date - still didn't answer how you are meant to book if the line just cuts you off.

Glad these people aren't driving the planes !

PS - as from tomorrow they have also ceased the experiment of allowing non-CDC cars to drop off passengers.

I am feeling thoroughly hacked off and terribly sad. Through what appears to be misguided Virgin loyalty (I have been flying with them since the early 90's), against my husbands wishes I bought a return ticket to Sydney in February on the basis that the LHR CH experience was worth the extra expense over the deals offered by the competition. My pre-flight treatment has always been the icing on the cake but this less than professional approach to removing the pre-booking service has left me feeling if Virgin care so little for my business/UC experience maybe its time I reconsidered my approach to them as well.

quote:Originally posted by spiceke

PS - as from tomorrow they have also ceased the experiment of allowing non-CDC cars to drop off passengers.


Premier told me it was stopping on the 30th Nov- Left hand, right hand syndrome again I think [?]

[honey lamb]

I have just this minute made a booking in UC and as part of the confirmation page received the following
quote: Now that you have booked your ticket, why not take this opportunity to request your pampering treatment in our new London Heathrow Spa*. To take advantage of this exclusive Upper Class and Flying Club Gold benefit, please explore our new clubhouse and treatments. If you would prefer to speak to our Spa reception at the Heathrow Clubhouse, please call +44 (0) 208 897 5055

*The treatment request service is only available to Upper Class and Flying Club Gold passengers departing from London Heathrow only.

A number of times I have booked a flight with 2 weeks to go before departure, not been able to get a booking, and when I turned up on the day, at my usual 4 hours before departure I was told there were no appointments, and put on a wait list. At no point was i called.

Today I flew Air Canada, at the beginning of what will be a few trips to places that Virgin do not fly too, I am kind of forced to switch airlines.

As a result I will probably lose my Au status with Virgin, and from what I am beginning to see for myself and hear, I don't think I'll be missing out much.

I agree a better system could be found rather that stopping it for everyone, effectively they are impacting the 80% to make up for the 20% timewasters, looks like VS have their priorities wrong.

A good lesson in Business Management to pay attention to the majority who are staisfied rather than the minority that are causing you problems.

Mark

Mark