Fed Up With Us Airways Customer Service

[barbeetantrums]

http://www.wcnc.com/6newsextra/investigato...r.24a7a98a.html

Fed up with US Airways customer service? 6NEWS investigates

08:32 AM EST on Friday, November 4, 2005

By JEFF SONIER / 6NEWS

6NEWS

6NEWS Investigator Jeff Sonier was put on hold for about 40 minutes with US Airways during an hour call.

The flights say US Airways. The tickets say US Airways. But when you call US Airways on the phone chances are you won't get the US at all.

"There're horrible stories out there about people who've had problems,â€￾ said union leader Becky Gerald.

She said what makes her mad isn't just the bad customer service, but also the 500-plus jobs at a US Airways call center in Winston-Salem that the airline instead sent overseas.

Gerald said the call center now is empty.

“It's sort of like a ghost town," she said.

US Airways would not allow 6NEWS in the Winston-Salem call center to ask about their customer service problems.

"I'm sorry, this is private property. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," a security guard said.

So 6NEWS phoned US Airways' 1-800 number and the call lasted more than an hour. The question we had was pretty simple: If we buy a flight to Orlando at one price and the price drops, can we get a refund or a credit for the difference?

"Would you kindly hold on sir so I could be talking to the proper person to give you the proper info? Would that be okay?" an operator said.

6NEWS talked to two different Philippine operators who put us on hold six times, for almost 40 minutes.

“It's very, very complicated. Rules, regulations, fares…but there's a language barrier. There is a lack of knowledge. There are training issues. And passengers that call in...will just -- pffft -- we're going to the airport to get this fixed," Gerald said.

At the airport the lines are long, but at least at the end of those lines, there is usually an agent with an answer.

Meanwhile, on the phone line, every 30 seconds we heard "please wait.â€￾

And when the answer finally came, “$208 plus airport fees,â€￾ the operator said.

And guess where that answer came from? Nope, not the Philippines, but from the call center back in Winston-Salem.

"That's my coordinator,â€￾ the operator said. “That is my supervisor on the other line. He's in North Carolina."

 

[madders]

I am sure other airlines are outsourcing reservations..
thank you republican administration for not curtailling outsourcing .
It saves money for corporate america.....

My advise to passengers is goto the ticket counter if you live close to an airport
and hope you find an efficient agent there.

I kinda wish that Usairways would look into letting reservation agents stay at home and do ticketting
they could call back furloughed employee or allow airport customer service agents who wants to make extra money to be at home reservation agents.

All they would need is reservation software and a way to access sabre ..

I believe Jetblue has at home reservation agent based in utah

 

[REACC1]

Ironic that corperate america are in favor of outsourcing and yet they continue to b**** about lousy service. Brilliant

 

[AP Tech]

Zeus, your take on this thread? You seem so quick to blame employee's for U's problems, just what is your excuse this time?? Its the employee's fault the did not master the English language at an earlier age? Just curious..................

 

[john john]

I am sure other airlines are outsourcing reservations..
thank you republican administration for not curtailling outsourcing .
It saves money for corporate america.....

My advise to passengers is goto the ticket counter if you live close to an airport
and hope you find an efficient agent there.

I kinda wish that Usairways would look into letting reservation agents stay at home and do ticketting
they could call back furloughed employee or allow airport customer service agents who wants to make extra money to be at home reservation agents.

All they would need is reservation software and a way to access sabre ..

I believe Jetblue has at home reservation agent based in utah

Chances are you will find a bunch of Kiosks and very very very very few agents working ticketing. You can always go to the US1,2,3//FC LINE and pled your case but that just steams up every body

 

[autofixer]

And don't forget, "The customer always gets what they want". They wanted cheap fares, of which this is the by-product. More automation and outsourcing. When you go onto Priceline, you don't even know who you are flying until you agree to the price and purchase the ticket. There is no loyalty... only the price concern. This was a "news" investigation, not related at all to Americans' purchasing habits. The news people will set up the situation to get the result they wish...or just lie about it ("Fake it until you make it.").

 

[PQAKnow-It-All]

I am sure other airlines are outsourcing reservations..

America West never outsourced, and this merger with USair now has us claiming these international call centers as our own also. They are horribly trained, are not held accountable for their deplorable service, and take away jobs that belong here in the USA!

I have been in this industry for over 9yrs, and I have never had such horrible experiences with any customer service staff, and these are my 'coworkers'! They create an air of incompetence that resonates throughout the entire company. Its not fair that we all should have to work that much harder to win back USair customer loyalty, when we are working against our own employees.

I encourage all customers affected negatively by an outsourced agent to please write/call/fax/email your complaint to our customer relations department. Its complaints from customers that will make the difference. Doug Parker has already stated his disapproval of outsourcing, but we are stuck with it in a manner due to USair labor agreements that provide for the outsourcing! The more complaints offered, the more likely the company will be to agree to new labor contracts that indicate no outsourcing customer service.

Remember, we don't like loosing our jobs to other countries, any more than you like listening to them give you answers to questions you did not even ask!

 

[ringmaruf]

I encourage all customers affected negatively by an outsourced agent to please write/call/fax/email your complaint to our customer relations department. Its complaints from customers that will make the difference. Doug Parker has already stated his disapproval of outsourcing, but we are stuck with it in a manner due to USair labor agreements that provide for the outsourcing! The more complaints offered, the more likely the company will be to agree to new labor contracts that indicate no outsourcing customer service.

The US-CWA agreement certainly isn't forcing the company to outsource anything. :blink:

They could bring it all in-house right this second if they wanted to.

The US-CWA agreement also provides for Work-at-Home res agents. Don't see them implementing that one, so the company clearly knows how to pick and choose which options in the agreement they want to make use of.

 

[firstamendment]

Its complaints from customers that will make the difference. Doug Parker has already stated his disapproval of outsourcing, but we are stuck with it in a manner due to USair labor agreements that provide for the outsourcing!

Perhaps your intentions are meant to be good, but please educate yourself about labor relations. This smells of the years and years of "BLAME LABOR" that many of us grew to resent of the old US management. Since I don't know you or if you are a mangement guru or what, I take offense that somehow, once again, it's labor's fault. With one trip east Doug could come to a quick agreement to bring the res. back inhouse and hire good ol Americuns. ONE SWOOP!! This is a no brainer. He is CEO and if he wants it changed, I HIGHLY doubt LABOR would stand in the way of this one.

If this is so important. I for one want to see quick reactions. THIS will be my gauge where the new US management is measured as ACTIONS speak louder than words.

 

[PQAKnow-It-All]

Perhaps your intentions are meant to be good, but please educate yourself about labor relations. This smells of the years and years of "BLAME LABOR" that many of us grew to resent of the old US management. Since I don't know you or if you are a mangement guru or what, I take offense that somehow, once again, it's labor's fault. With one trip east Doug could come to a quick agreement to bring the res. back inhouse and hire good ol Americuns. ONE SWOOP!! This is a no brainer. He is CEO and if he wants it changed, I HIGHLY doubt LABOR would stand in the way of this one.

If this is so important. I for one want to see quick reactions. THIS will be my gauge where the new US management is measured as ACTIONS speak louder than words.

I did not mean to 'blame labor' (tho, I do believe in holding individuals responsable for their own actions, and this includes treatment of our customers, by our own labor, US or HP). what we are being told here, is that it was usair employees union contracts that caused this outsourcing... and my intentions are in the right place. we need to get these outsourced centers pawned off to some other company who wants to fire their USA employees. I, and I'm quite sure I'm not alone in this, want nothing to do with a company who fires their employees here, to put dinner on the table in the Phillippenes, Mexico, El Salvador, etc....take care of your own first!

 

[ringmaruf]

what we are being told here, is that it was usair employees union contracts that caused this outsourcing...

It was US Airways' management that caused the outsourcing. They can get rid of it just as easily. The CWA agreement is available online; show me where it causes outsourcing.

And that's the name of the carrier, btw, US Airways, not USAir for over 8 years now, and never USair or US Air.

 

[john john]

CWA strongly resisted management's effort to subcontract our call centers, any subcontracting can only be used to replace an EO or leaving through attrition. All subcontracted work must be brought back into our call centers 60 days prior to the end of our agreement. Every time CWA meets management CWA trys to bring it back in house

 

[PQAKnow-It-All]

It was US Airways' management that caused the outsourcing. They can get rid of it just as easily. The CWA agreement is available online; show me where it causes outsourcing.

And that's the name of the carrier, btw, US Airways, not USAir for over 8 years now, and never USair or US Air.

first of all, i already told you "that is what we are being told". what this indicates to me is either a) know one here knows wtf they are talking about or B) we've been given wrong info...i tend to default to option A round this place...but option B happens nearly as often...

2nd of all, sue me! for being a product of the airline industry where everything is reduced from full words down to 3 letter codes....dont like being called usair? be happy you're not being called america west then, and shuddup about it for goodness sakes....lets get a little more picky, plz!

and 3rdly...don't go getting all high and mighty around me when you are WRONG...check your FACTS before claiming you have never been USair!!

1979 Allegheny changes its name to USAir to reflect its expanding network, including post-deregulation entry into Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Florida and later, California.

http://www.usairways.com/about/corporate/p...any_history.htm

1997 The name US Airways is put into use officially, Feb. 27. Signs, stationery, ticket stock, business cards, advertisements, marketing materials, ticket folders and counters etc., all start to sport the new US Airways blue, red, gray and white identity, and the first airplanes are painted in the new scheme as the changeover approaches. The US-BA code share expires in March.

....copied from your own website...

CWA strongly resisted management's effort to subcontract our call centers, any subcontracting can only be used to replace an EO or leaving through attrition. All subcontracted work must be brought back into our call centers 60 days prior to the end of our agreement. Every time CWA meets management CWA trys to bring it back in house

as an HP employee who, obviously, hates outsourcing, I'd be interested to know what contract is being quoted around here that was just negotiated thru 2011...any idea?

 

[john john]

Let see here what agent group has a contract and what agent group does not. Change of Control live on

 

[john john]

what we are being told here, is that it was usair employees union contracts that caused this outsourcing...

Who is feeding you is garbage?