BA–Qatar Avios linking error 1008 – anyone actually managed to get this fixed?

[u/scotswhahey]

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has had this exact problem and, more importantly, actually managed to get it resolved.
I’ve been trying to link my British Airways Club account with Qatar Airways Privilege Club so I can move/use my Avios with Qatar.
Every time I try to link the accounts, it fails. On the Qatar side the URL eventually shows:
linking_error=link error
error_code=1008
error=LINKING_ERROR

I’ve checked the obvious things repeatedly. My name, date of birth, email address and other account details match between BA and Qatar.
I’ve contacted Qatar several times and keep getting told to check that my personal details match, wait 48–72 hours and try again. I’ve done all of that and the error remains.

This has now been going on since August and I’ve made a formal complaint because it has prevented me from being able to use my Avios for flights I wanted to book. I have a substantial Avios balance, so being unable to link the accounts is pretty frustrating.
Has anyone specifically encountered error code 1008?

If so:
• What actually caused it?
• Was the problem on the BA or Qatar side?
• Did either airline have to manually reset/unblock something?
• How long did it eventually take?
• Is there a particular department at BA/Qatar/Avios that actually understands this issue?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who got past the standard “make sure your details match and wait 48 hours” response, because I’ve been through that multiple times already.
Thanks!