Denied Gold

[honey lamb]

Please tell me if I'm right as I don't want to make a fool of myself [:I]

I have in front of me two FC cards, one of which expired yesterday and the one prior to that which expired in June 2004. It follows therefore, doesn't it, that the one that expired yesterday was operational from July 1st 2004?

During the life of that card - the one which expired yesterday I took 4 qualifying return flights in UC as follows

July 2004 LHR-JFK-LHR
Mar 2005 LHR-JFK-LHR
May 2005 LHR-SFO-LHR
July 2005 LGW-MCO-LGW

When tracking on the website prior to making that booking the website informed me that I needed 10 tier points before the end of July to bring me up to gold. When booking my MCO flight the girl in the Premier team confirmed it would bring me up to Gold. When checking on the website as soon as my miles were posted there was a message on the tier points page saying "Congratulations - you've now reached gold"

I did not expect my status to change on the website immediately as I understand they do a sweep every so often but this morning, being the first of the month, I checked and to my horror it said "Congratulations - Staying at Silver" [:0]

I immediately emailed Customer Services (I wasn't in a position to phone) and received an email stating that the flights in July 2004 did not count and rather patronisingly telling me to use the tier points page to calculate how near I would be. I did, for Heaven's sake and I was told I was there! I replied stating that I understood that the card was valid for a thirteen month period and I had taken all these flights within that time. I received this reply:

Dear Peter

Thank you for your reply.

I have passed your comments onto the Flying Club department, who will investigate
the matter further.

My name's Christine and we have no Peter in our family (unless I have unwittingly adopted pixuk!)

[RichardMannion]

Hi Honey Lamb,

Sorry to hear about this!

Right, if you card has an expiry date of 07/05 on it - you actually have until the end of the month before to requalify (so you would have need 30 TP by the end of June to requalify). And looking at your rough list of flights, you have. It is up to a 13 month qualification window, its rolled off to the end of the 13 month, so it could be as short as 12 months and 1 day, all depends on your anniversary date, but the fact that you have accumulated 40 TP's in a 13 month period should be a clear indication!

I had a similiar issue happen to me when I first became Gold, I received a letter telling me that I had not made enough to requalify and was being dropped to Silver. A day later another letter arrived saying that it was a mistake in the database and I was indeed Gold.

I would call Premier back and ask to speak to a supervisor, I know a couple of them there and they know their TP's! I have found that quite a lot of people don't understand the TP system, and Custoemr Service struggle entirely to get to grips with some aspects of FC (and to be fair it is very complicated in places), but there is no need for them to be patronising. I remember one of them telling me that I would need to speak to a partner airline for them to credit the miles in my FC account as they did not know how many they would need to credit as its their flights - after laughing so hard and asking him to speak to Premier about what he had just said he admitted that his FC knowledge wasn't quite up to mine!

Let me know how you get on.

Thanks,
Richard

[honey lamb]

Thanks for your help, Richard. I'll do as you suggest and call a supervisor in the Premier team

Honey,

Seems to me that you are right and they are mistaken. Stick to your guns and let us know how you get on.

all the best

Iain

Honey Lamb the exact same thing happened to me when I went from Silver to Gold. My account on line had showed up to the end of the month 'congratulation you've reached gold'. Come the first of the next month it showed I was Silver again.

I called FC and my on-line status changed within minutes - the 13 month situation didn't even apply as I had done all this within less than 12 months.

I would call them as I know they can change it immediately.

Jilly

Dear Peter;),

Exactly the same happened to me when I went up to gold. A quick call to CS (like Jilly) had it sorted and I had my pack through the letter post not long after.

Let us know how you get on, and I hope you will be getting an exciting package in your letter box soon.

99

[honey lamb]

What's the alternative title of this website - The Whole Flying with Virgin Atlantic Thing. Sorted! It certainly lives up to its name. [y]

I have just spoken to a supervisor, who was absolutely terrific and had the whole thing sorted and gave me my new number. Thanks to everyone and a special thanks to Richard Mannion for your help and support.

Now to change my avatar

[mitchja]

Congratulations Honey Lamb

GLad it was all sorted as well!!!

Regards

[fozzyo]

Originally posted by honey lamb
What's the alternative title of this website - The Whole Flying with Virgin Atlantic Thing. Sorted! It certainly lives up to its name. [y]

I have just spoken to a supervisor, who was absolutely terrific and had the whole thing sorted and gave me my new number. Thanks to everyone and a special thanks to Richard Mannion for your help and support.

Now to change my avatar

Happy ending ... yay!

Just keep an eye out for the little box with the magical gold cards and luggage tags in now!

Foz xx

[Decker]

You GOld girl! [8D]

[Nottingham Nick]

honey lamb

Congratulations on your elevation to the exalted ranks of the Au Flyers[8D]:D;)

Nick

HL - Congragtulation on your new Au-gmented status. Glad it worked out despite the little hickup. Let us know what you think of the pack when you get it.

99

Glad to hear you got it sorted honey lamb. It feels great to be gold doesn't it:D

Jilly

[buns]

Honeylamb

Congratulations[y]

Its times like these that make me realise what a good site this is

buns

Peter - glad all turned out well, and you're now not-so-au-tomatically Gold :D

Cheers

Michael

[HighFlyer]

Congrats on the Gold Honey Lamb!!

HEX,GEX tickets, cheaper parking 25% extra mileage

Now where to spend that companion ticket!!

that song by Spandau Ballet springs to mind!!:D

I thought you only got the companion ticket when you renewed gold, not when you first achieved it - please tell me I am wrong though, as it will mean I have a companion I didn't know about!

Perhaps Honey Lamb should be renamed the Golden Fleece (or even Okros satsmisi for the classics scholars amongst us)?

99

[preiffer]

Originally posted by sailor99
I thought you only got the companion ticket when you renewed gold, not when you first achieved it - please tell me I am wrong though, as it will mean I have a companion I didn't know about!

No, you're right 99 - it's only on renewal.

Opps...Sorry[:I] your quite right!!

Still that gives incentive to renew!!

Bother! And there's me 3 TP's short of renewal with no flights planned[:(]

99

[fozzyo]

Originally posted by sailor99
Bother! And there's me 3 TP's short of renewal with no flights planned[:(]

99

A weekend to NY in Y would sort that out. And of course you'd get CH and Revivals access.

Foz xxx

I have sent the necessary signals to the rear admiral suggesting a NY cruise. However she keeps replying that she wants to go to Thailand for 2 weeks, and VS don't fly there[:0]

Woo is me!

99

[Decker]

John? To wit to?