Turkish Airlines Customer Service Misguidance on Miles&Smiles Status Upgrade
Three days ago, I received an email stating that my Miles&Smiles card status had been downgraded from Classic Plus to Classic. CIP is a good option to avoid high prices at airports and it is also comfortable, which is a fact. Therefore, I considered upgrading my status by purchasing status miles with money. However, despite needing 4350 status miles and the Turkish Airlines website stating '5000 to 10000 status miles can be purchased', the system oddly did not allow me to purchase 5000 status miles.
Upon calling customer service, the representative clearly misled me. They told me that if I purchased Bonus miles instead of status miles, my card would be upgraded, and convinced me to buy 5000 Bonus miles for $150. I believed them.
Later, when I called the call center again, a second customer service representative reviewed the situation and informed me that the first representative had misled me and that I should file a complaint. Here is the response I received from Turkish Airlines as a Star Alliance member:
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Dear [xxx],
First of all, thank you for your feedback.
We would like to state that we operate within pre-established rules at Turkish Airlines.
We take great care to ensure the satisfaction of our passengers from the first moment of their flight experience to the last and place importance on a customer-focused approach.
Based on your feedback, we reviewed the call records of your conversation with our call center. However, upon checking, we found that our personnel informed you that your status could be upgraded if you purchased 5000 status miles. Additionally, we found that you purchased Bonus miles. Therefore, we must evaluate your request negatively.
You can check the membership upgrade rules on our website.
We are here for you whenever you need us. If there is any other matter we can assist you with, we would be happy to help. You can contact us through our feedback page at any time.
We hope to meet you on future travels.
Best regards,
[xxxxx].
Customer Representative
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This situation is unacceptable and an unethical practice. Providing misleading information for $150 is unbecoming of a large company.
