We are really pleased to let you know the limited 10% off from Virgin Holidays has been extended until 28 February 2009, PLUS 2 miles for every 1 you spend. Please call our call centre and quote your Flying Club number at the time of booking.
And this discount can be beaten by any Co-operative travel agent
quote:Originally posted by VirginHolidays
We are really pleased to let you know the limited 10% off from Virgin Holidays has been extended until 28 February 2009,
Which renders membership of the FVC to be totally useless.[V].FVC benefits are now derisory -is this likely to improve in the forseeable?
DL
We are really pleased to let you know the limited 10% off from Virgin Holidays has been extended until 28 February 2009,
Which renders membership of the FVC to be totally useless.[V].FVC benefits are now derisory -is this likely to improve in the forseeable?
DL
quote:Originally posted by VirginHolidays
We are really pleased to let you know the limited 10% off from Virgin Holidays has been extended until 28 February 2009, PLUS 2 miles for every £1 you spend. Please call our call centre and quote your Flying Club number at the time of booking.
Surely this missed off:
'Also given you may use our Group's Amex card- we'll waive the admin charge (xmas fund)'[:?]
Thought not...[V]
Unlike many agents who aren't even part of the Virgin Group...
We are really pleased to let you know the limited 10% off from Virgin Holidays has been extended until 28 February 2009, PLUS 2 miles for every £1 you spend. Please call our call centre and quote your Flying Club number at the time of booking.
Surely this missed off:
'Also given you may use our Group's Amex card- we'll waive the admin charge (xmas fund)'[:?]
Thought not...[V]
Unlike many agents who aren't even part of the Virgin Group...
NH, Hobbit Land.
quote:Originally posted by locutus
Used VH in the past for accom only bookings, but they never seem that reasonable any more. I always find it cheaper somewhere else, even with the discounts.
Both the FVC and the FC discount don't apply to accom. only bookings or fly drive bookings. It has to be a full package booking including flights and hotels.
quote:Originally posted by DragonLady
Which renders membership of the FVC to be totally useless..FVC benefits are now derisory -is this likely to improve in the forseeable?
I couldn't agree more. FVC is a complete waste of time now and has been for some time. It isn't even worth the plastic the membership card is made from.
Oh and dont get me started on their completely useless website.
Regards
Used VH in the past for accom only bookings, but they never seem that reasonable any more. I always find it cheaper somewhere else, even with the discounts.
Both the FVC and the FC discount don't apply to accom. only bookings or fly drive bookings. It has to be a full package booking including flights and hotels.
quote:Originally posted by DragonLady
Which renders membership of the FVC to be totally useless..FVC benefits are now derisory -is this likely to improve in the forseeable?
I couldn't agree more. FVC is a complete waste of time now and has been for some time. It isn't even worth the plastic the membership card is made from.
Oh and dont get me started on their completely useless website.
Regards
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell
I'm lost here - 10% is better than nothing. I've never had any issues with FVC, the service has always been great when I've called to speak to the team to make bookings for me or my family. Yes they changed some of the benefits and sharpened up some of the criteria, but it was a bit simple in the past to get FVC status. You had people that had gone on 3 holidays with little margin on one end, and people that have gone on 50 holidays with a heavy spend.
Probably unjustified, but I'd feel safer booking direct with the vendor than going via an intermediary.
The CC fee may not to be everyone's liking, but don't you earn a higher rate of miles for spend with VS and VH?
Probably unjustified, but I'd feel safer booking direct with the vendor than going via an intermediary.
The CC fee may not to be everyone's liking, but don't you earn a higher rate of miles for spend with VS and VH?
The point is Richard, as a FVC member here (who has spent in the region of around £30K with VH in total over the years) I don't get any extra benefit compared to someone who hasn't spent anything at all with VH (or VS) as all they need to do is join Flying Club, get a FC number (not even needing to fly), go to VH and get exactly the same discount as I get, as a FVC member.
You no longer get to speak to FVC staff now if you use the dedicated FVC number. All it does is put you into the standard booking call centre queue.
So yes, 10% is better than nothing.....but it makes FVC worthless and throws VH loyalty (i.e. FVC) completely out of the window.
If VH did this properly and fairly, they should have a tiered discount system based on FC status (i.e. red FC earns the lowest level of discount going up to gold earning the highest level of discount). This has been discussed but was never rolled out.
Regards
You no longer get to speak to FVC staff now if you use the dedicated FVC number. All it does is put you into the standard booking call centre queue.
So yes, 10% is better than nothing.....but it makes FVC worthless and throws VH loyalty (i.e. FVC) completely out of the window.
If VH did this properly and fairly, they should have a tiered discount system based on FC status (i.e. red FC earns the lowest level of discount going up to gold earning the highest level of discount). This has been discussed but was never rolled out.
Regards
Regards
James Mitchell
James Mitchell
quote:Originally posted by RichardMannion
I'm lost here - 10% is better than nothing. I've never had any issues with FVC, the service has always been great when I've called to speak to the team to make bookings for me or my family. Yes they changed some of the benefits and sharpened up some of the criteria, but it was a bit simple in the past to get FVC status. You had people that had gone on 3 holidays with little margin on one end, and people that have gone on 50 holidays with a heavy spend.
Probably unjustified, but I'd feel safer booking direct with the vendor than going via an intermediary.
The CC fee may not to be everyone's liking, but don't you earn a higher rate of miles for spend with VS and VH?
I'm not sure when you spoke to them last Richard, but as James has stated, the 'team' no longer exists and you sit in a queue for the normal VH operator (even though the FVC blurb gives you the 'dedicated' number).Staff have no idea what you're on about when you mention FVC bonuses etc.
The criteria has changed significantly and for people who continue to meeet this it's a real bummer[:(!]. No, I don't want free bus travel (or a cheap hotel for the night, or free parking etc).The 10% discount is no longer applicable to VH bookings under £1500 etc (including stand alone car hire and hotel bookings as James has said). ISTBC but for people who had been on 20+ VH packages there used to be a 'special tier' wasn't there?[:?]I think the gripe that James and I (and other FVCs )have is that after spending (lots of) money with VH and being members of a 'special' scheme, is that we're actually no better off than bog standard FC red members who may have never set foot on VS metal or booked a holiday with VH in their lives.
And the website...Don't start me off please..[:(!]
I'm lost here - 10% is better than nothing. I've never had any issues with FVC, the service has always been great when I've called to speak to the team to make bookings for me or my family. Yes they changed some of the benefits and sharpened up some of the criteria, but it was a bit simple in the past to get FVC status. You had people that had gone on 3 holidays with little margin on one end, and people that have gone on 50 holidays with a heavy spend.
Probably unjustified, but I'd feel safer booking direct with the vendor than going via an intermediary.
The CC fee may not to be everyone's liking, but don't you earn a higher rate of miles for spend with VS and VH?
I'm not sure when you spoke to them last Richard, but as James has stated, the 'team' no longer exists and you sit in a queue for the normal VH operator (even though the FVC blurb gives you the 'dedicated' number).Staff have no idea what you're on about when you mention FVC bonuses etc.
The criteria has changed significantly and for people who continue to meeet this it's a real bummer[:(!]. No, I don't want free bus travel (or a cheap hotel for the night, or free parking etc).The 10% discount is no longer applicable to VH bookings under £1500 etc (including stand alone car hire and hotel bookings as James has said). ISTBC but for people who had been on 20+ VH packages there used to be a 'special tier' wasn't there?[:?]I think the gripe that James and I (and other FVCs )have is that after spending (lots of) money with VH and being members of a 'special' scheme, is that we're actually no better off than bog standard FC red members who may have never set foot on VS metal or booked a holiday with VH in their lives.
And the website...Don't start me off please..[:(!]
For over a decade, it wasn't very well known that if you had a FC number you could get 10% discount off your VH bookings. This was changed a while back. So yes, anyone could sign up for FC, never take a flight as such and get 10% off.
Now VH are running a promo for FC members so they can get 10% off and double miles. So that is an enhancement of what is normally on offer. Yes it may clash with what FVC offer but it's a limited time offer to try and drive new business.
Times are tough for holiday companies, and given VH's previously easy entry requirement for FVC they now have a problem. A few years ago VS changed the terms for VS Ag, and made people requalify as before it was 'for life'. They are free to change the terms at any time, and so too are VH. Why should I get 10% off all BA flights because I spent ~£200 buying 200 BA shares (that I can obviously resell) compared to someone who has BA Gold and has spent £500k+ on flights over the years? Swings and roundabouts.
I don't want to think how much some people here have spent with VS, but they don't get any discount on new flights. Market conditions are very different now and I can see why FVC may not be 'as good as it was' previously.
Maybe FVC should just be culled to save any further complaints, as its clear that people aren't satisfied.
Now VH are running a promo for FC members so they can get 10% off and double miles. So that is an enhancement of what is normally on offer. Yes it may clash with what FVC offer but it's a limited time offer to try and drive new business.
Times are tough for holiday companies, and given VH's previously easy entry requirement for FVC they now have a problem. A few years ago VS changed the terms for VS Ag, and made people requalify as before it was 'for life'. They are free to change the terms at any time, and so too are VH. Why should I get 10% off all BA flights because I spent ~£200 buying 200 BA shares (that I can obviously resell) compared to someone who has BA Gold and has spent £500k+ on flights over the years? Swings and roundabouts.
I don't want to think how much some people here have spent with VS, but they don't get any discount on new flights. Market conditions are very different now and I can see why FVC may not be 'as good as it was' previously.
Maybe FVC should just be culled to save any further complaints, as its clear that people aren't satisfied.
I can see both sides of the argument.
One thing I used to see and deal with were casino players who had been playing at the same property for years get mad over the casino offering new sign ups extra bonuses above and beyond what the established customer was getting.
The company looks at risk/reward, how many new customers will they pick up against how many they will lose over it.
Also of course for any package it is worth checking around, miles are nice, but money is better.
One thing I used to see and deal with were casino players who had been playing at the same property for years get mad over the casino offering new sign ups extra bonuses above and beyond what the established customer was getting.
The company looks at risk/reward, how many new customers will they pick up against how many they will lose over it.
Also of course for any package it is worth checking around, miles are nice, but money is better.
As with most companies they look at the cost of retaining old customers and acquiring new customers, this current promotion they are running does in fact not mean that the FVC people lose out, it just means that everyone now has the same discount, until the 28th of February.
The other cuts in service, well that's a different matter.
The other cuts in service, well that's a different matter.
quote:Originally posted by barnstaple
And this discount can be beaten by any Co-operative travel agent
Which is exactly what I did Jake, however I regretted it as I was unable to claim miles spent through VH due to the booking being made through Co-operative travel. [n]
Regards,
Tony
And this discount can be beaten by any Co-operative travel agent
Which is exactly what I did Jake, however I regretted it as I was unable to claim miles spent through VH due to the booking being made through Co-operative travel. [n]
Regards,
Tony
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 156 guests