[Etihadcomplaint]

I flew from India to Australia with Etihad in business class at the end of May and at the time they were having major issues with their website so there was no way for me to register for their frequent flyer program prior to purchasing my ticket. I tried several times but the website kept crashing. I telephoned them and they said not to worry and that I'd be able to register while in transit at Abu Dhabi Airport. So I went ahead and purchased the ticket. When I got to Abu Dhabi I explained the issue to the Etihad staff in the business class lounge and they got me to fill in a form and gave me a frequent flyer card with a member number, so I assumed all would be ok.

Unfortunately, when I returned to Australia and contacted Etiahd I was told that I cannot get the points because I did not join before taking the flights.
I have tried explaining the facts to them and there has been much correspondence but to no avail.

I think it's a rotten way to treat business class passengers, especially bearing in mind that it was their fault in the first instance in not having an operational website. There was no way for me to register before buying the ticket.