Terrible Airline, Bad Customer Relations

[SegmentKing]

I think the customer is fortunate they didn't have to overnight like many are forced to do.

I feel that the $100 compensation is fair -- and yes its annoying you can't use it online --- but for a 3 hour delay that's a heck of a lot more than other customers get.

And regarding "East" customer service - some of those folks were experienced with PHL for years and know how to handle it. The folks in PHX, not to make them sound like high school kids, have not quite experienced the wrath of PHL personally. They're based in a hub that has maybe 20 cloudy days a year, whereas in PHL you are lucky to have 20 days of NO IRROPS.

From what I've been seeing, PHX is more hesitant to give out stuff compared to the old USAir. So i think that you should take the $100 and run with it... you can also gift it to an in-law if they get annoying - just remember to book them thru PHL and you may get lucky!!

 

[SS255]

What was the cause of the delay? Weather or mechanical?

While a missed connection is really frustrating, I think you should consider yourself fortunate that US got her home a few hours after her scheduled arrival time on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Considering all of the horror stories I've read about people getting stranded for days and US agents unwilling or (more commonly) unable to help, I think your frustration, while certainly valid, might be tinged with a bit of unrealistic expectations. I think US did a good job of getting your daughter home in time for the holiday, regardless of whether the mis-connect was due to weather or a mechanical issue. It could have been a lot worse.

I agree that an electronic voucher which cannot be redeemed electronically is completely ironic and unacceptable. US really needs to invest in the technology to fix this. I also agree that the old East Consumer Affairs department was run so much more efficiently and professionally than US West's Customer Relations department. There is a "garbage in/garbage out" assembly line mentality in Customer Relations which leaves the customer with the feeling that they've been completely brushed off. It was never this way with East's Consumer Affairs: Even if US really screwed up on the front lines, you walked away from the experience feeling that at least someone in Consumer Affairs cared.

And I do think $800 is an expensive coach ticket, even for Thanksgiving.

 

[PhxMama]

I understand the frustration of misconnects and delayed flights. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned. I think NCFL has a good point, there needs to be some better communication to customers. A held plane can cause many more misconnects on the other end, just 1 reason not to hold a plane. Sometimes just a more personal explanation would go far. I hate canned responses as much as I hate a birthday card from my insurance company. If it is a mx, Ive always found its better to explain better before you take off then after. No, its not fun and can alter your plans but so does heavy traffic, a dead battery or a car accident. Ive always wondered if I should sue the idiot who caused the accident, demand compensation from the Dept of Trans-(pick a state) for the unending miles of organge barrrels when no one is around or the being that did not inform me before I left home that my battery would die. These things happen and you just make the best of them. Although, I think the US airport employees do the best they can under very stressful conditions, Customer Relations afterward( with much less pressure) is falling way short. Get rid of the canned response and try to relate to your customers and understand their point of view. And yes, NCFL, you should be on the payroll. I would consider it a pleaure to work with you. Mama

 

[DDMAN]

Thanks again for all the input. I enjoy hearing the different points of view.

To answer a couple of the questions that were asked:
Cause of delay: I really don't know. My daughter said they didn't tell her and all she was interested in finding out was how she would get home.

Previous trip: No it wasn't a buddy pass. It was arranged by people that wanted her to visit.

Customer relations are handled very differently at the company I work for, which is also very large and deals with many small customers, large corporations and the government. We care about all of them.

 

[DDMAN]

Did you file a complaint with the DOT?

If not then I've little sympathy

Yes. I did file a complaint with the DOT. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[USCREW]

Thanks again for all the input. I enjoy hearing the different points of view.

To answer a couple of the questions that were asked:
Cause of delay: I really don't know. My daughter said they didn't tell her and all she was interested in finding out was how she would get home.

Customer relations are handled very differently at the company I work for, which is also very large and deals with many small customers, large corporations and the government. We care about all of them.

Does your company's operation get affected by weather and other 'acts of God'?

 

[SS255]

Cause of delay: I really don't know. My daughter said they didn't tell her and all she was interested in finding out was how she would get home.

This would be my gripe: If my flight is delayed, I want frequent updates on the cause of the delay, and reassurance that US is doing something about it. I was squirming the other day when my flight sat at the gate at PHL for 30 minutes past departure time with the door to the jetway open, and we were not given one update on the cause of the delay. Speaking from a customer perspective: Silence is deadly.

Every airline experiences operational hiccups due to weather and mechanical problems. Customers judge the airline based upon how they handle the problems, and US just fails miserably in this regard, from the moment the customer clicks on the website to browse for flights, up through the receipt of the e-mailed voucher which cannot be redeemed on-line, accompanied by a generic e-mail containing an insincere apology. The whole operation is like a breeding ground for indifference.

My apologies to all of you wonderful employees who really DO care! I know there are still alot of you out there.

 

[USCREW]

Does anyone know if there was severe weather in the NE Thanksgiving afternoon?

 

[DDMAN]

Does your company's operation get affected by weather and other 'acts of God'?

Yes, we are affected by weather and acts of God, but to a different extent. I assume you are speaking in general. With this specific trip, I can tell you there were no weather problems. I kept checking the weather.

All companies have different issues and challenges. Many think that theirs are worse than other. The point is how the company handles the problems and relates to customers.

 

[tea42]

DDMAN, arriving at 1:20 AM rather than 9:59 PM is not an overnight delay and the only person you're fooling here is you.

It's three hours and 21 minutes late, which isn't what is supposed to happen, but you know what? Life is unfair, nobody's perfect, a three hour delay (on a cross-country trip that is longer than that anyway) is not worth a $100 voucher in my opinion. What you should have done is take the voucher and be glad that you ended up ahead.

Come on, do you expect us to believe that a three hour delay cost you or your daughter more than $100 in additional out-of-pocket expenses?

I don't quite understand the previous trip, where she got stuck overnight but you didn't complain because you weren't paying for the trip. Was it a buddy pass?

You should post this on FlyerTalk. You'll get lots of sympathetic posts there; FlyerTalk is chock full of whiny, demanding, perfectionist (perfection from everone else) crybabies.

the flyer now expects it all...no sympathy....I was late 10 hours getting to my destination...no one heard me complain did ya? Crap happens....

 

[happy01]

To address a few things that have come up in this post...
You do not have to pay the ticketing service fee for things you could not book on the web. So, if you can't book travel on the web using a voucher and have to call Reservations the ticketing fee is supposed to be waived.
If US Airways isn't providing what you purchased, you don't have to use it and are entitled to a refund. So, if a delay is unacceptable you don't have to accept the re-accomm and can get a refund. But, if you accept and they get you to your destination you do not get a refund.
SS255, you had said your gripe would be if your flight was delayed you'd want frequent updates on the cause of the delay. While this would make you feel comfortable, this freaks alot of passengers out. Some people are scared to fly in the first place, they don't want to hear about mechanical issues. As funny as this sounds, some people would really prefer to not know. And believe me I've had the passenger's yell at me for being informd of mx delays and then being expected to get on the plane. Its just an instance of you can't please all of the people all of the time.
Now, on to the form letter responses. Sending a form letter in response to your inquiry does not mean your request was not read, fully investigated and taken seriously. Its just that for every letter that comes in there is usually a form letter that fits, if not one will be written specifically for you. If a specific letter had to be written for every inquiry, imagine what the turnaround time would be. Not that you aren't justified in being worried about your daughter and upset over her delay, but I guarantee you are not the first to write in about this situation so there probably is a form letter that fits the situation.
Also, you can complain to the DOT about anything and everything but remember each and every airline has the right to investigate and the refute any inappropriate claims. The thing is we all see the original complaints that are filed every quarter,but you would be surprised how many are refuted and removed from the airlines records and I'm pretty sure those numbers aren't posted.
So, as others have advised take the voucher. You had a nice Thanksgiving and your daughter made it there safely, I honestly don't think anything differnt will come of this.
I am curious though if you feel the voucher was unacceptable, what do you fee appropriate compensation would have been?

 

[tea42]

ddman...so now you are a meteorologist? Sorry if the spelling is off...I have had a long day...ya know how many times I have heard whats the problem? It is sunny here...???? C/mon now....CLT and PHL had delays for 2 days straight due to WX...

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Can flight numbers be posted w/ dates so that someone here can see if delay was because of weather or not. That seems to be the one huge unanswered question.

 

[happy01]

Can flight numbers be posted w/ dates so that someone here can see if delay was because of weather or not.

I second that!! Somebody needs to cough up the flight numbers or ticket number so we can figure out what flight the pax was on. Then we can find out what caused the delay and put this speculative argument to rest.

 

[Be Careful What You Wish For.]

Not sure if I understand the question, but there are programs in place that allow you to look at specific flights on specific dates and see what caused the delay.

I was referring to the original poster who has neglected to supply specific information. If they would supply the info then maybe someone here could verify if weather was a factor or not.

Sorry for the confusion.