Comments on: Virgin Blue’s mistake reveals countless selfish whingers

By: James Polley

James Polley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:46 +0000

This is the third time today that the paperwork at http://www.aussiearmy.org/random/humour/hurtfeelings.pdf has been relevant.

I’m starting to think this report just might get more use than the stack of TPS report coversheets I keep on my desk.

By: Snarky Platypus

Snarky Platypus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:05:10 +0000

At the end of the day all Virgin has managed to do is highlighted to thousands of people that they will never qualify for Gold status, and that certainly can’t be good for business and goodwill.

Yes, such soul crushing disappointment.

As for the rest of it, I think “bleh” sums it up quite nicely.

By: Fictillius

Fictillius — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:25:37 +0000

Exactly… which is why even if Velocity wanted to compensate people for the stuff up it would be completely infeasible to do so. The gold status gives higher baggage allowance, free access/food/alcohol in the lounges and more points per dollar spent, the cost would go into the millions and let’s face it the margins in the airline business are pretty slim.

I certainly don’t want to be sharing the lounge with a million others… I might as well go and wait at the gate.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:05:24 +0000

Having travelled with Virgin a few times I think that IF a person was to book his/her ticket based on the first email and was to print out that email (regardless of whether it is authentic/a mistake or whatever) and then take a copy of that email with them to the lounge 99.9% of the domestics lounge staff would allow access but confirm the second email exists (even though the person travelling probably knew this and jumped up and down anyway. Given we arent talking huge numbers in your IF/IF scenario becasue they would be able to check to see when the booking was made and you could use your argument “I only booked Virging because of the status change” quite succesfully. Once again you would have people that would try this on days after the second email came out and they would be going off their preverbial nuts saying Virgin were a pack of morons even though they are aware of the error.

By: Stilgherrian

Stilgherrian — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:54:18 +0000

@Peter: Hmmm... Well, as I mentioned over at mUmBRELLA, the response does seem disproportionate to me. Yes, this will have certainly hurt Virgin Blue's reputation. But people will make their own decisions about how to respond and whether to use Virgin Blue again. I don't quite see why we have to keep hitting them with the stick by rallying some sort of boycott. YMMV. @Jess: If someone bought tickets just because they got upgraded, well, I suspect you can figure out how I feel about them. But if someone was already planning to travel and was making a final decision about which airline, then maybe the offer of Gold lounge status was the clincher. This email didn't just go to Silver members, but pretty much everyone it would seem -- including lowly Red cardholders like me. @Fictillius: Well, even if only 5% of that million+ people demanded a free sandwich and coffee, that's $500,000. That's one hell of a mistake, even without people demanding more. And, as Fairfax article points out, the lounges couldn't even physically accommodate all the new players. @Snake Gallagher: You may be a selfish whinger, but at least you're persistent and dedicated, and you've got to admire dedication.

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:00:30 +0000

stil: You say in one of your blogs that “people may have booked tickets using the false email and that you hope that Virgin honour them” or words similar. Gold Status does NOT give you a discount on tickets and anyone who books a ticket “out of the blue” because they now have lounge access has too much time on their hands. You dont get any additional benefit (except lounge) than a Silver card holder. And Snake Gallagher you spent so much time trying to complain but about what. Would you spend that time if you called a cab and they said it would be to you in 30 minutes and it actually took 31 or conversaly would you spend that much effort if it turned up early. Everyone is happy to spend (as you did) 45 minutes whinging when an error is made but how often are they thankfull when soemthing goes better than planned.

By: Snake Gallagher

Snake Gallagher — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:39:53 +0000

@Jim: I tried to send an e-mail through the Velocity Rewards e-mail complaint system…five times before I gave up the first time. Either their security identification system is broken or it is designed to confuse a potential complainer and put them off complaining. It worked the first time. Then I read all of this about whingers and I thought, “Bugger it, I will complain” being a professional whinger in my early days. It took 45 minutes and another seven goes to get the website to accept my whinge. So just to make my whinging selfish point I copied the text of my e-mail into another e-mail and sent it with an all encompassing unbelievably selfish whinge of biblical proportions to NAB Credit Cards Marketing and Virgin Blue Marketing headed “Absolutely and Totally Useless”.

I know. I am just a selfish whinger. What can I say?

By: Fictillius

Fictillius — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:25:39 +0000

For everyone that wants more info this article points out the approximate number of people the email was sent to. “More an a million”

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/tears-in-the-office-over-virgin-blue-email-mistake-20091116-ignq.html

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:36:08 +0000

I like how some of the comments say that people made decisions based on the faulty email. What freakin decisions??? It is a card that gives you nothing more than access to the lounge. It doesn’t actually give you extra POINTS and is based on your Status Points and NOT the number of tradeable points in your account (ones that can be used at the Velocity Rewards Shop or for flights) Unless you were at the airport or on the way and got the email just before you left and then tried to get in to the Lounge (automatic entry for Gold Card Holders) then what did it matter. A Gold card holder gives NO more priveledges that a Silver card holder except for the Lounge access. Priority Check in is available to both

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:36:07 +0000

@Clare – Fair enough, but most loyalty schemes are built on the premise that only a tiny percentage of members actually redeem their points. I’m pretty sure the actual figure would be much lower than $740k.

By: Marc Lehmann

Marc Lehmann — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:30:58 +0000

Yep you nailed this. My thoughts also. Nice work. My son Caleb who is 5 was very impressed to be upgraded. Not sure that Virgin can reverse his upgrade.

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:32:12 +0000

I recieved the emails. Of course I thought as soon as I read the first email it was probably an error. Though by the time I got the 2nd email (the next day), I had convinced myself that this was some sort of marketing campaign etc due to the recent launch of V Australia. I had decided that I should try to fly Virgin and V Australia whenever possible. Of course now I am rather annoyed, particularly with the flippant email chalking it up to Friday the 13th – hardly an apology in my book. So have made it my mission to discourage all friends and family from using companies under the Virgin label. To those of you that think I am being precious and don’t deserve to whinge about something I was never entitled to – I feel you are missing the point. It is one thing to never offer someone a gold membership, but to tell people they have been given an upgrade and then to take it away from them is always going to put people offside. Do I expect to be given a free upgrade? Hell no. But I expect that a company that does make such a stuff up would make a better effort with the apology than has happened here. At the end of the day all Virgin has managed to do is highlighted to thousands of people that they will never qualify for Gold status, and that certainly can’t be good for business and goodwill.

By: Stilgherrian

Stilgherrian — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:23:08 +0000

@Jim: I’m with you about the email point. If someone sends me an email, I believe I should to be able to reply by email. Same for whatever other medium. I hate, for example, one business’ habit of sending an SMS when payment is late — but from a number which doesn’t accept SMS.

Now you’ve got me thinking about all the communication on my own business’ workflows and seeing if they comply with my own standards!

By: Quatrefoil

Quatrefoil — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:55:09 +0000

I was just grateful that none of my work stuffups have been on such a grand public scale. Yet. I’m wondering if I can sue Virgin for making me anxious about having my past disasters come to light.

As for what they could have done better – I’d suggest they could stop hiring humans. And using computers.

By: Clare

Clare — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:12:25 +0000

Hot tip – 500 frequent flyer points per person can’t equal “two times fuck all”.

If it costs me 13,500 points to get a $100 myer voucher, then 500 points gets me $3.70 of myer money. Sure, Virgin Blue will make a profit margin on that, but let’s conservatively say it cost them $0.74 for the 500 points (+400% profit).

Then let’s assume there are 1 million Velocity Members – give them all 500 points, and there goes $740,740.74.