Anyone flown Virgin Australia as a platinum member and been treated badly?

I know the last time I had a cancelled flight from PER-ADL there was one agent trying to help sort things out until the pax to the flight to Sydney were checked in.  I found the staff to be excellent, a bit abrupt with some pax, but mostly ones that wanted the unreasonable (like "why cant you just get us on a QF flight?")

We stayed the night and were placed on a flight to ADL via SYD, I think they do the best they can with what they have, 100+ pax to find seats for in less than 60 mins was pretty impressive, and having experienced the same with QF - one is not better than the other, but then I'm not "platinum" and expecting my bum wiped, just my bum on a seat.

I should think a request to be put on the next available direct flight is not unreasonable (even if it was a Qantas flight).

You the airline messed up. Why should the passenger suffer? I wonder if they could have gotten away with it if an EU-style framework was in place?

Thats what i thought 

next direct not being shipped via another city

People knock QF but I recently had a 26 hour delay in JNB and  have nothing but praise for them. I am Platinum and was travelling PE, kept us informed. Eventually we had to clear immigration and collect our bags QF staff were there to help families. Accommodation arranged, I was sent to the Intercontinental - lovely hotel. Next day letter to inform us of our departure and then back to the BA first lounge where we were made very welcome. Great flight and crew on the way home. Early into Sydn quickly booked on an earlier departure to Melbourne 10 out 10. Was I lucky or are QF trying harder these days?

Austline, my experience was exactly the same back in 2010 when blizaards in Europe forced our Qantas flight to turn back to Singapore. Can't complain at all about the marvellous treatment.

Had a similar delay happen in the USA. I rang the United call centre and the phone agent got me on an AA flight arriving 15min earlier than my original flight... Asking for a QF flight not out of the question I say. 

Glad your US delay experience went well. Had weather delays while on UA last year, was told to queue for rebooking and stood there for three hours... before the queue stopped moving due to the staff going home.

Managed to get a rebooking on a flight the next day from the call centre using a payphone. All this with a 13-month old, not that having an infant, or being elderly (in the case of many other passengers) got you any sort of help from the UA staff. Poor.

Asking for a flight on another airline is no problem, maybe can't expect that much service, but some sort of service would be nice.

I've always found them professional and I've been well looked after on every flight. In November 2012 (the 10th, I think) when Sydney was shut down due to a computer crash, we spent an HOUR on board at the gate, after a 4 hour delay getting that far, and I missed my connection in Melbourne to Perth (It left while we were still sitting in Sydney), so I mentioned it to the cabin supervisor, and the lounge staff in Melbourne simply printed me off a boarding pass for a later flight and I relaxed in the lounge for half an hour. Sure I got to Perth a few hours later than I expected, but there was no real problem from my perspective. Sometimes these things just happen and you can roll with it. Sometimes it's a major hassle. I even wrote a letter of compliment for the cabin crew for the way they handled the situation as best they could. And back then, I had no status (but I was flying via Melbourne for the extra credits to help get to Silver)

No.I am only a basic red but have always been looked after.One time I was delayed coming from a Cruise but given it was booked through them and not on my own They happily put me on a Later Flight.I did demand to be put on an Earlier Qantas service Sydney to Adelaide due to having to work the same day but didn't make a fuss about it.

Delays and cancellations are always pretty much a nightmare for all concerned.  Especially when it is something last minute like a tech delay leading to cancellation.

The reality is that on a normal day when everything is running smoothly in the cost obsessed world resources are usually stretched to the minimum - whether it be aircraft on standby, ground staff, air crew, people working the phones.  Throw into that an unexpected cancellation of hundreds and there is no secret army of reserves that spring out from a side door and into action.  The already scarce resources have to deal with it as well.  

Sometimes things are not all that they seem.  For example I was on a Cathay flight from SYD-HKG booked in J that suffered a tech cancellation a few months ago.  We were sent back to the lounge and I noticed that like the thread starter the Cathay staff seemed to approach passengers on their own that looked like they were travelling on business.  Then i noticed some were given new boarding passes and leaving the lounge.  When I approached the ground staff and asked why my family had not been approached the lady explained that they were able to get passengers onto the QF flight - but not their bags.  Ramp services are contracted and the company would not be available to unload the aircraft for at least an hour.  So they were discreetly approaching solo passengers and asking if they were travelling with hand baggage only.  To their credit they already knew my name, had checked in the system and saw we had bags in the hold so didn't want to dangle a carrot to just then take it away.  So Kudos to them.

I can't comment on your individual circumstances as obviously none of us were there, although I will point out it is much easier to accomodate single travellers as they can fill in spare seats on upcoming flights. 

Keep in mind everyone in the lounge would also be a Gold or Platinum ( or business class ) guest, so your top tier status is a little less relevant... I am also a gold member and have never recieved anything other than fantastic, professional service from all VA staff apart from one slightly off cabin crew. Lounge staff have been fantastic all across the country, including when I have had cancelled flights. It's obviously unfortunate that you had such an inconvenience but at times like this when there are whole flights cancelled with hundreds of passengers to be reaccomodated, communication can get lost.

I can't comment on your individual circumstances as obviously none of us were there, although I will point out it is much easier to accomodate single travellers as they can fill in spare seats on upcoming flights. 

Keep in mind everyone in the lounge would also be a Gold or Platinum ( or business class ) guest, so your top tier status is a little less relevant... I am also a gold member and have never recieved anything other than fantastic, professional service from all VA staff apart from one slightly off cabin crew. Lounge staff have been fantastic all across the country, including when I have had cancelled flights. It's obviously unfortunate that you had such an inconvenience but at times like this when there are whole flights cancelled with hundreds of passengers to be reaccomodated, communication can get lost.