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noflyingfan
02-01-2005, 09:05 PM
So, I posted many many times yesterday about my boyfriend's trip and my stress about it. Turns out he wasn't really as stressed as I thought he'd be, but he does have some complaints about USAirways. Does anyone know who he would contact there about his complaints?

I've only heard bits and pieces, because I have only talked to him for a few minutes at a time between flights and to make sure he got there and everything. Luckily, they didn't really really mess things up, they were just rude to him, after cancelling a flight without so much as a "sorry for the inconvenience."

First, they cancelled his flight from Philadelphia to Williamsport last night. Okay, it happens. But they also said they would book him on the first flight today, and they didn't. He was pretty upset about that, because this trip isn't a fun thing for him. He booked this trip in a hurry to take in a hurry so he could be with his family after the death of a family member. He still had a long way to drive after his flight was over, so the fact that they put him on a flight three hours after the first flight really irked him.

I understand that airlines do this stuff all the time, and yeah, flights have to be cancelled and whatnot, but it would be nice if they would remember that their passengers do have important things to do outside of flying. He paid a lot of money to fly with them; the least they could do is be courteous when they inconvenience him.

However, they weren't courteous, especially in Philadelphia. He has only flown once before, so he's not really familiar with airlines and whatnot. So he didn't realize he was flying USAirways Express, not USAirways. When he realized he was in the wrong place and needed to go to a different terminal, he asked someone at the USAirways desk where he should go, and she curtly gave him unclear directions. So he asked her to clarify, and she gave him a Look and rudely said, "sir, listen to what I'm telling you," and proceeded to patronizingly give him directions.

So he got to where he was going and had a lot of time to kill, but because this wasn't his original flight and they'd given him so much attitude every step of the way, he wanted to make sure everything was in order for him to get on the plane. He went up to the gate agent, held out his boarding pass and said, "I just want to make sure I've got everything I need." The guy didn't even look at the boarding pass and told him he was fine.

So it comes time to board, and the same gate agent won't let him board. Says he needs a ticket or something, something beyond the boarding pass. My boyfriend says, "you told me yourself, two hours ago, that this is all I need. I am getting on this plane." The gate agent shuts the door and says no. My boyfriend told him, "you told me this is all I needed, this is your mistake, now you fix it, because I am getting on this plane." So the gate agent says, "okay, we'll look you up." So he looks him up on the computer, and without a word, opens the door and lets him on. No "sorry for the inconvenience," not even an "okay, you're all set." Just opens the door.

He said everybody on that last flight was complaining about USAirways. One family of seven had had to find a hotel last night -- they hadn't gotten a phone call about the cancelled flight; they had to find out when they got to Philadelphia and go out and find a hotel that night. There was an elderly woman in the same situation.

There's more, but I don't know all the details. Basically, they were just rude to him every step of the way, without an "I'm sorry" for the inconvenience he encountered because of the cancelled flight.

Again, yeah, flights get cancelled, and sometimes passengers need to be inconvenienced. But it is the treatment they receive from the airline that determines whether or not they fly with them again, and if USAirways treats all of its passengers with the same indifference they treated my boyfriend, it's no wonder they're bankrupt.

WillFlyToDisney
02-01-2005, 09:27 PM
Erika - found this on the www.usairways.com (http://www.usairways.com) website. I would gather all the info first like names and locations and such then fire off a scathing letter. Need any help?


US Airways is committed to responding promptly to all complaints and requests for information.
US Airways and its affiliates carry thousands of customers each day. At times, some customers have issues that cannot be resolved by our front line personnel. Our staff of experienced and highly trained Consumer Affairs Specialists is dedicated to resolving any type of issue that may arise and responding to any and all complaints in a timely manner.

We Commit:


To respond promptly to written complaints within 30 days, or sooner.
To promote the Office of Consumer Affairs as a resource for customers. The Office of Consumer Affairs can be reached in the following ways:

By e-mail through usairways.com
By telephone between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.(Eastern Time) Monday through Friday at 1-866-523-5333
By US Mail:
Ms. Deborah Thompson
Managing Director, Corporate and Consumer Affairs
US Airways
P.O. Box 1501
Winston Salem, NC 27102-1501
By Fax at 1-336-661-8031

noflyingfan
02-01-2005, 09:57 PM
Thanks, Kelley, for the info. I will forward that asap to my boyfriend.

I am kind of hoping they give him a voucher for a flight somewhere, because maybe he'll give it to me as a present and I can go somewhere fun. How about this -- if he gets a voucher and gives it to me, I'll come to a Shiloh show!

But I do expect Kevin of the BSB to be there.

WillFlyToDisney
02-01-2005, 10:01 PM
LOL Erika. I'll see what I can do!

:)
Kelley

noflyingfan
02-01-2005, 10:23 PM
I'll bring him some cookies.

I'll bet he's an oatmeal butterscotch chip kind of guy. Am I right?

WillFlyToDisney
02-01-2005, 10:45 PM
Yep I bet he does but I need to be his food taster.... I think he likes them CHEWY not crunchy... just a hunch!

Kelley

noflyingfan
02-02-2005, 12:04 AM
Yep I bet he does but I need to be his food taster....

You afraid I'm going to poison him, or is he just picky?

I would never poison anyone on purpose. But if he was mean to me, I might write about it in the paper.:type:

spiffyone
02-02-2005, 01:57 AM
Erika, you know, I think US airways does an automated notification if the flight is changed. I think this because when we were away last weekend, we received 2 automated messages on our machine telling some poor guy that his flight had been cancelled and he was rebooked on another one. Obviously he never got those messages. I don't even know him. It makes you wonder how they could ever be sure they had reached someone. Maybe they figure that making a gesture that you're trying is good enough.

spiffy

WillFlyToDisney
02-02-2005, 03:23 AM
You afraid I'm going to poison him, or is he just picky?

I would never poison anyone on purpose. But if he was mean to me, I might write about it in the paper.:type:

Nope I just know that is the only way I will get Oatmeal Butterscotch cookies for MYSELF! :rotflmao:

He would never be mean. He's a nice Southern boy from Kentucky. I can honestly say he is just as sweet now as he was before his fame!

Kelley

CaptainStark
02-02-2005, 09:32 AM
Not that a letter to USAir will save the company at this point, BUT....

Poor customer service is no help when you are trying to grab passengers in a critically tight competitive market to pay the bills. Much of the problems facing the airlines today are from bad decisions made in the head offices. But, a fair share begins when the employee forgets he is there to make the travelers trip both possible and, hopefully, pleasureable. The minute the employee divorces the mutual connection between customer satisfaction and company survival, the bankruptcy has already begun.

If you ever run across a surly or rude employee, write the company a letter describing the events. The airlines need all the feedback they can get and if a less than helpful employee gets a pile of bad letters in his file, perhaps he'll seek employment elsewhere. The hassle you fix will mean one less hassle for the next passenger that follows you.

Ray :ray:

noflyingfan
02-02-2005, 02:02 PM
Granted, most people I know don't choose their airlines based only on customer service -- it's a combination of things, including price, schedule and convenience.

However, considering that so many airlines are in financial trouble, you would think that the people who work for the airlines would make an extra effort to please passengers. As airlines cut costs, laying off some employees and asking others to take pay cuts, it's a sink or swim situation for these people. And the ones who have those nasty letters in their files are less likely to make it if they're seeking employment elsewhere.

I'm just glad there are airlines out there -- like yours -- where the employees and the higher-ups realize how important customer service is. And lucky for people like me, some of those airlines -- like yours -- also realize how important affordable airfare is too! In fact, and I'm not just saying this (you read my letter, you know how highly I think of you guys), Southwest is the only airline I would ever fly based solely on customer service. Although the safety record doesn't hurt, and of course, neither do the ticket prices.

It's funny -- every time I start thinking at all about flying, it comes back to me how great Southwest really is. If you guys ever do commercials with customer testimonials, please give me a call. I'll say great things, and I'm very cute too.

Falcon
02-04-2005, 06:26 PM
Captain Stark, well said words to live by. All airline staff have to suffer poor decisions made by managers but that is no reason to be brisk with our customers. Letters of complaint will do a lot of good as a chat with the employee could change the persons attitude or as you say seek them to persue other career options.