Appalling service from Virgin Atlantic

[Neil]

While a letter to SRB may work, I would be more inclined to go in front of a court and ask for relief in this situation, the OP was promised a free flight and VS has failed to deliver, yes they are covered in the T&C's, however, at some point a court is going to rule that the T&C's place an unfair burden on the passenger, then VS (and all the other companies that include wording along these lines) are in trouble.

It wouldn't take much to convince a court that yes while VS did offer a free flight, they also made the redemption of the flight impossible, hence compensation is due.

That will never work. From the brief details the OP has given, they have tried for 1 date and there is no availability, no court is going to rule that VS is being unfair. VS haven't failed to deliver, they never promised a free flight on a specific date or gave specific guarantees that it could be on whatever date the customer wanted.

Whilst we don't know the exact details and what the OP was told, there is never going to be a time when a company gives out such compensation without any strings attached. It just isn't practical, what if a flight is fully booked, are VS expected to bump off a paying pax because the voucher holder wants to use their free flight?

The vouchers have ample allowance for use, the only issue if the unacceptable length of time it took for the OP to receive the voucher.

Doesn't this depend entirely on whether the ticket was refused on the grounds of availability or whether the it was void by virtue of begin out of date? The OP needs to find that out first because in my mind the former is perfectly understandable and normal and the latter is not. The quote in the original post is that the Customer Care rep said there were no complimentary seats available which is too ambiguous to judge. No complimentary seats ever? In February? on that flight? On this claim? WHAT? Don't just give up.

I hope the OP comes back to comment on the suggestions people have made, and helps to clarify the ambiguity in the original post. Otherwise she just looks like a one post ranter of the kind I'm more used to seeing on another forum. She has posted the same complaint (word for word) on Airline Complaints.org and my3cents.com - all forums she joined yesterday.


Regards
R3dV

She has posted the same complaint (word for word) on Airline Complaints.org and my3cents.com - all forums she joined yesterday.

Oooh I'd never heard of those - what fun awaits me ): .

She has posted the same complaint (word for word) on Airline Complaints.org and my3cents.com - all forums she joined yesterday.

Oooh I'd never heard of those - what fun awaits me ): .

Don't get too excited.....I use the word forums loosely ii)

Regards
R3dV

On the BBC Points of View forusm they are called 'WUM' - wind up merchant - they join, post a single controversial comment about a BBC programme expecting to generate lots of outrage so one of the Red Tops will take interest and do an anti-BBC piece - 'hundreds of outraged viewers ...' yet never revist to comment on the comments, rebut arguments etc.

Not sure what anyone can do about it though.

All 'complimentary' and 'free' flights are booked into non revenue fare classes, ie - G's, U's and the various classes in Y. Your complimentary flight voucher is just the same as a FC miles booking in that it's redemption is strictly subject to availability, if there are no G's (etc) then you can't use it on that flight.

Can you give us your source for this as it seems to go against the collective understanding of this forum - see this post for example. For select vouchers, it used to be N class and then changed to O as far as we were aware - but if things have changed it would be good to clarify.

Thanks
R3dV

On the BBC Points of View forusm they are called 'WUM' - wind up merchant - they join, post a single controversial comment about a BBC programme expecting to generate lots of outrage so one of the Red Tops will take interest and do an anti-BBC piece - 'hundreds of outraged viewers ...' yet never revist to comment on the comments, rebut arguments etc.

Not sure what anyone can do about it though.

A variation on trolling then. On the "other" forum, the members quite often end up ripping each other to shreds on the back of a post where the original poster never comes back - that rarely happens here.

As to what to do, I don't think you can stop it- just like hoteliers can't stop people (or competitors) posting rubbish - its only the overall rating that helps with the context. But I do know another forum that gives OPs three days to come back on contentious posts and then removes them if they don't. That would stop them being in the ether forever.

Back on topic, I think the OP probably did receive poor customer service, even if they were naive about the limitations of the voucher. But to post and not to come back feels like a stranger walking into my house, shouting, and then walking out again. There's time yet I suppose, I'd love to be wrong.

Regards
R3dV

I think the plus side of this forum that even though the OP hasn't come back plenty of other people had given fair and sensible advice, so for the more regular lurkers, posters or members some good information may have been gleaned.

On the BBC Points of View forusm they are called 'WUM' - wind up merchant - they join, post a single controversial comment about a BBC programme expecting to generate lots of outrage so one of the Red Tops will take interest and do an anti-BBC piece - 'hundreds of outraged viewers ...' yet never revist to comment on the comments, rebut arguments etc.

Not sure what anyone can do about it though.

A variation on trolling then. On the "other" forum, the members quite often end up ripping each other to shreds on the back of a post where the original poster never comes back - that rarely happens here.

As to what to do, I don't think you can stop it- just like hoteliers can't stop people (or competitors) posting rubbish - its only the overall rating that helps with the context. But I do know another forum that gives OPs three days to come back on contentious posts and then removes them if they don't. That would stop them being in the ether forever.

Back on topic, I think the OP probably did receive poor customer service, even if they were naive about the limitations of the voucher. But to post and not to come back feels like a stranger walking into my house, shouting, and then walking out again. There's time yet I suppose, I'd love to be wrong.

Regards
R3dV

The OP only wrote this last night.. ?| O.k. she may well be doing the rounds on other Forums, but maybe looking for an avenue out of frustration..

I think we maybe jumping down her throat too quickly..not everyones on here day in day out.. :w

I think you could be right R3dV, however one advantage to VF is its more approachable format..I think we should await longer than 24hrs... :w

NH

Every company has a culture, VS's (and many others) is to bury their head in the sand and hope that the problem will go away, that's great short term, but long term it will mess a company up.

In my current experience, this is very true! They don't want to admit to any mistakes as well.

It's a shame that the customer service side of the company doesn't match up with the great product they have and deliver (most of the time).

And for people who say, "if you don't like them, don't fly with them", it's only parts that people don't like, the product is good, shame about the rest.

Every company has a culture, VS's (and many others) is to bury their head in the sand and hope that the problem will go away, that's great short term, but long term it will mess a company up.

In my current experience, this is very true! They don't want to admit to any mistakes as well.

It's a shame that the customer service side of the company doesn't match up with the great product they have and deliver (most of the time).

And for people who say, "if you don't like them, don't fly with them", it's only parts that people don't like, the product is good, shame about the rest.

The staff on the front line definitely need some training and support with complaints.

My recent experience with my complaint was that it handled poorly by the initial person but once escalated to a manager, it was handled very quickly and well. (It was the effort involved to escalate which frustrated me the most!). The point being, I shouldn't have had to have pushed so hard to speak to someone else!

Service is vital and more investment is definitely needed!

The staff on the front line definitely need some training and support with complaints.

My recent experience with my complaint was that it handled poorly by the initial person but once escalated to a manager, it was handled very quickly and well. (It was the effort involved to escalate which frustrated me the most!). The point being, I shouldn't have had to have pushed so hard to speak to someone else!

Service is vital and more investment is definitely needed!

It normally does help to escalate it.
Annoying when you have and can't get any further!

I hope the OP comes back to comment on the suggestions people have made, and helps to clarify the ambiguity in the original post. Otherwise she just looks like a one post ranter of the kind I'm more used to seeing on another forum.

Under a different user name (Sweetpeabelle) the OP has posted exactly the same thread on the Trip Advisor/Air Travel forum. She was a first time 'poster' over there also. She was welcomed and offered some good advice but guess what she didn't return on that forum either.

Perhaps I am being cynical in saying that the thread was a ‘set up‘, especially as the title subject was so negative and could provoke arguements.

I hate it when a 'poster' doesn't have the courtesy to come back and at least acknowledge people's help & interest v(

Google "appalling service from Virgin Atlantic"

or look here

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid ... hQfKwKj-DA

David

Under a different user name (Sweetpeabelle) the OP has posted exactly the same thread on the Trip Advisor/Air Travel forum. She was a first time 'poster' over there also. She was welcomed and offered some good advice but guess what she didn't return on that forum either.

Perhaps I am being cynical in saying that the thread was a ‘set up‘, especially as the title subject was so negative and could provoke arguements.

I hate it when a 'poster' doesn't have the courtesy to come back and at least acknowledge people's help & interest v(

So a troll pure and simple - allowing for some hours grace before certain. I think we should all log on to all the forums and say something lovely .

I didn't look at all the other threads she created elsewhere but comparing those I did look at to v-flyer, generally the comments on here were way ahead in giving proper, reasoned and sensible advice to the issues she raised.

Hi Everyone,

I first would like to thank you all for all your comments and advice. Some were truly and utterly constructive and helpful, some less so.

I can confirm that I am a genuine customer of VS and I have actually used them many times before. Actually each time I have flown to the USA.

I am sorry that I have not been able to come back earlier on the forum, I have a family to look after as well as full time employment in the Customer Service Industry, hence how shocked I am with the whole experience with VS.

I unfortunately haven’t got enough time to come back to each of your individual questions and comments but one point has been made quite often here – have I been given all the “small print” / conditions / restrictions regarding the complementary flight offered to me, the answer is absolutely not. The letter from Virgin is vague and almost misleading regarding this gesture. Had they told all these poor and upset passengers about these restrictions at the time of the incident, VS would have had to face a lot more valid complaints.

This leads me to the second problem – the length of time it took them to send me this voucher which has resulted in the customer service agent telling me blankly and rudely “it is too late, you should have called much earlier”. Had I received the voucher on a timely manner, (august 2010) perhaps I would have been able to book a flight for June 2011 ?

I will follow however the general piece of advice, which has been given to me on various forums (I did not know by the way that I was only allowed to post on one forum only?) and take the matter further by recorded post.

Once again, thank you all for your help.

I will follow however the general piece of advice, which has been given to me on various forums (I did not know by the way that I was only allowed to post on one forum only?) and take the matter further by recorded post.

Once again, thank you all for your help.

Hi MB

Nothing wrong with posting in multiple forums, but with aviation forums, it tends to be the same people on many of them (and I guess the same with consumer forums) so it tends to be like when a child asks the same question over and over again and then a little strange when theres been no replys for a while.

Glad you got some help from us and hopefully, as has been said many times, sorry for your problems in the first place, and hopefully they get resolved to your satisfaction.

David

I unfortunately haven’t got enough time to come back to each of your individual questions and comments but one point has been made quite often here – have I been given all the “small print” / conditions / restrictions regarding the complementary flight offered to me, the answer is absolutely not. The letter from Virgin is vague and almost misleading regarding this gesture. Had they told all these poor and upset passengers about these restrictions at the time of the incident, VS would have had to face a lot more valid complaints.

I do not follow you here. So you had a canceled flight or whatever it was, you wrote to VS who offered you compensation in the form of a free flight (or at least VS wrote confirming they would give you a free flight); you have now been stung by the t+c's. Are you saying that whoever first offered you the free ticket (I am guessing someone on the ground in HAV) was supposed to read out all the t+c's to you? I also cannot believe that VS have sent you a 'complimentary ticket' without any small print. This just wouldnt happen IMHO. VS would give you t+c's in some form as they will want to ensure that you do not breach them.

This leads me to the second problem – the length of time it took them to send me this voucher which has resulted in the customer service agent telling me blankly and rudely “it is too late, you should have called much earlier”. Had I received the voucher on a timely manner, (august 2010) perhaps I would have been able to book a flight for June 2011 ?

This is more your issue IMHO. Yes your right had VS issued the ticket in a timely manner you may have been able to book the seat. In that case I would write back to VS either asking them to extend the amount of time you can book the ticket- or tell them that because of there delay you were essentially timed out.

I will follow however the general piece of advice, which has been given to me on various forums (I did not know by the way that I was only allowed to post on one forum only?) and take the matter further by recorded post.

Not sure what use recorded post has. Yes you can say that they received it on x date but then again I havent known any major organisation ever deny receiving post...well legit organisation at that rate.

Hi MB

It's really good you came back, and you'll know that most replies were sympathetic and constructive. If you stick around then, as a regular VA user you will pick up lots of other tips and hints. We might still be able to give you ideas for your trip in June, even if you lucked out with the agent you spoke to. For example, If you were looking at Orlando (MCO) then MIA is often a workable alternative and usually has more availability.

There isn't anything that says you can't post on more than one forum. But the more widely you post and the less you acknowledge any assistance people try to give the more it looks like just a rant or, as sometimes happens, mudslinging. There are very few sites who know VA as well as here, although as David says some of us also contribute to TA, Flyer talk etc. Posting on one or two specialists sites in the first instance would probably bring the best return.

Regards
R3Dv

It's really good you came back

Yeah, I'll second that because you folk were really helpful and made so many positive statements, as usual.

Not sure what use recorded post has. Yes you can say that they received it on x date but then again I havent known any major organisation ever deny receiving post...well legit organisation at that rate.

Trust me, Virgin do...
(even after I had been told they had received my letter?!)

It's really good you came back

Yeah, I'll second that because you folk were really helpful and made so many positive statements, as usual.

I guess I will rise to the bait.

I think on the whole we were all helpful to the OP. She stated her problem and myself, Slinky, Neil and the other earlier posters all outlined the issues and stated that a bit more clarity was needed.

V-F is a friendly site, as with any site, there are members that get on better but since Pete et al worked hard on creating the profile side of the site, the banter between members, which can at times seem rather clique to an outsider, has been kept out of the forums.

I have never witnessed anyone on this site being flamed for posting, even the most common questions, are answered (often with a friendly nudge to similar topics) but at least they go answered.

guess I will rise to the bait.

I think on the whole we were all helpful to the OP

I am a relatively new member to this site, although I have 'viewed' for ages without posting. So I'm not sure how to interpret being quoted as above and the senteneces that followed?

But just to clarify:- Initially I did think it strange the lady didn't get back to the forum and I was wrong (as it turned out) to say perhaps her post was not genuine. Im glad she finally returned to acknowledge your advice.

I do think this forum is so supportive and you do always reply to 'posters' in a helpful and friendly manner. I hope you didn't misinterpret what I was trying to say when I wrote " Yeah, I'll second that because you folk were really helpful and made so many positive statements, as usual. Honestly I would hate to have offended anyone of you. Hev