According to comments from operators late last year the A380 was still ahead of the 747-400 in terms of dispatch reliability for similar service time.
Boeing also regularly sends teams of engineers overseas to assist customers in lifting their reliability. Lufthansa was a prominent case where Boeing sent engineers over to lift the dispatch reliability of their 747 by 2%. It makes sense for a manufacturer to back its product up with technical support and staff if available. I doubt Boeing would have just dumped their 747 on Qantas without backup, just because you didn't see the tech guys there doesn't mean a thing.