Complaint Review: Qatar Airways

I was booked 05 Jun reference 23JNQA ETKT 157 392 0373605 as follows:

 QR 115 09 Jun etd DXB 0015 09 to DOH eta 0020 and onward from DOH

QR 624 09 Jun etd DOH 0115 eta KUL 1410

Return

QR 623 14 Jun etd KUL 0330 eta DOH 0605 eta DOH 0705 and onward from DOH

QR 100 14 Jun etd DOH 0705 eta DXB 00915.

On arrival at DXB 09 Jun at around 1500.  Airside, I asked Qatar ground staff if there was ticketing where I could see if I could change my flight.  They said there was no ticketing at the airport and gave me the number of Qatar Contact Centre. I tried to call the Qatar contact Centre to see if I could change to an earlier flight.  I was kept on hold, paying for this at international mobile roaming rates, until the call dropped out. During this time I was regularly being assured ‘your call is important to us’ – which is arrant nonsense – if it was they would have more agents. Another later attempt also failed. I wanted to change because I was aware that, at DOH, we would probably be on stand and it could take up to 35 minutes from doors open to get to transfer.

I got to the gate for QR115 with ‘Final Call’ showing on all the airport notice boards. Qatar staff were speaking to someone at the gate and all passengers had gone through. By the time I was dealt with doors had closed and I was refused boarding.

At this point Qatar staff obviously had no authority to do anything except give me the number of your contact centre – the one that had failed to answer my calls earlier. You can probably guess the rest: no reply from the call centre, no further help from the Qatar ground crew.  I was directed by someone else to Dnata who booked me on flight QR 623 etd DOH and QR 622 09 Jun etd DOH 0715 ETKT 157473809553-2 at a cost of GBP 332 for the new ticket

At no time was I told that my return flights had been cancelled.  I fortuitously discovered this and, despite the best efforts of Orient Escape Travel SDN BHD, Qatar Airways refused to reinstate or change this flight because I was a ‘no show’ which clearly I was not – I was at the gate.

I had to pay for return flights booking reference 7IDEB9 etd KUL 14 Jun 0330 to DOH to connect with QA 106 14 Jun etd 0830 for DXB for onward travel to CDG via EK at a cost, I was told, of MYR2000..

I travel a lot (Skywards Gold for many years, Silver last year; Silver on Air France Flying Blue – all on economy tickets). In 45 years of long haul travel I have only once before been rejected at the gate – by Virgin on a flight from US to UK.  Their performance puts Qatar to shame: they booked me on the next flight to an adjacent airport without hesitation.

As consultants, my company has trained other airlines, including Emirates and Aer Lingus, in customer care. This whole saga was an appalling example of customer care, the sort of thing one might expect from RyanAir but certainly not from a reputable airline and not from an airline styling itself ‘5 star’. I am deeply angry that Qatar Airways has taken my money and resold the flights to other passengers with no apology, no refund and no attempt whatsoever to help me or advise me of the return cancellation.

I am always looking for examples of bad customer service to tell to delegates at my international training courses and conferences: I now have a new one. Clearly my experience is not unusual.  See (((ROR redacted))) or dozens more just like it. Qatar’s satisfaction rating is 1.5 out of 5 stars,