Big Business - The Pursuit of Profit at All Costs?

Have big businesses gone too far getting value for the shareholder at the expense of everyone else?

I was booking a Qantas flight tonight using my FF points and i note they appear to make rewards booking more difficult to complete now. The rewards booking is hidden away in the background. When you log in, the first option you are presented with is a booking form, which when filled in takes you to a pay + points section, where the use of points is at a far higher rate than through rewards bookings.

They now charge a fee for using debit cards, which allows them access to the cash much quicker than credit cards. They allow fee free payments if you pay by their Qantas credit, Qantas cash card or Polipay (Australia Post service).

Funnily enough banks were recently dishonouring Polipay payments when people were attempting to use it to buy cryptocurrencies on Australian based crypto services like BTCmarkets etc. The banks said it was not a safe form of making payment. However they have no issue with Qantas utilising it. Big buisness hardly has a good record of keeping your data safe.

Fly with Qantas and you can no longer select exit seats for free on FF. Extra points to change your flights, no free alcohol until after 5pm, crappy snack boxes on flights.

Qantas recently announced record profit, but are still attempting to squeeze you at every opportunity.

Qantas is just one example, but it it seems to occur in all forms of business these days such as banks holding onto cash transfers longer than they should, and charging extortionate exchange rates and fees etc. Big businesses screwing smaller suppliers with ridiculous payments terms (i.e 3 months from approval of invoice)

Where does it all end? Hasn't it gone too far now?

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Comments

  • +2

    No free alcohol before 5pm? How dare they! They are ripping this country apart from the inside, all for the benefit of shareholders! I am outraged.

  • +2

    INB4 #2partyrant

  • +1

    You could try using a different airline.
    This is the way the market is supposed to work - business tries to maximise profit, consumers try to maximise value.

  • 14m australians have super. op, are you one of them?

  • Are… are you suggesting that the abortion of an economic model that is unfettered capitalism may have some kind of… drawbacks? Blasphemy!

    • the abortion of an economic model

      Abortions are usually a response to an exceptional situation, highly considered, well planned and executed - so apart from being mostly regulated by wealthy old white men, nothing like capitalism. I think you're looking for the word "virus."

  • You have got to have rocks in your head if you dislike Qantas' in flight catering.

  • I once booked a flight with Polipay. The next day I had to change the flight details, so I was cursing having to pay additional charges. Fortunately Polipay didn't work properly - so the airline had no record of my flight booking. So I simply booked the flight again without penalty. So thanks to a broken Polipay I didn't have to pay additional fees. YAY!

    I no longer use Polipay.

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