Beyond *RUDE* Delta Customer Service

[ilovejack02]

I sympathsize with the op. We had something similar happen with CO on our trip to Hawaii last June.

We had booked and paid for the flight almost a year in advance. We had picked our seats. Then they changed the flight almost at the last minute--well, 2 days in advance. We were never notified--I just happened to see a note to me when I checked our flight status. They had our email and phone number but never bothered to contact us.

When they changed the flight they also changed the seat assignments. We are a family of four, with two minors. They knew that from the assignments--its states clearly on all flight numbers that they are minors. However, we were split up all over the plane--not even in the same sections! I protested that 2 minor children couldn't be expected to be by themselves for 8.5 hours. My ds has ADHD and needs to be accompanied. The CO agent I spoke with was quite rude--he said "What do you expect me to do? Move people around who have paid for and selected their seats months in advance?" Well, that's what they did to us--cancelled our flight, booked us on another, then made no effort to keep a family with 2 minor children together. I was told perhaps we could work out something when we actually boarded with the gate agent. I didn't realize they probably expected a "tip" of some sort to rectify their mistake. We just got the same crap--we can't expect other people to rearrange their seat assignments for you! Like we were some sort of scum! Finally we boarded the plane, hoping someone would offer to change seats with us. If we could just arrange for one child to be with one parent, not all four together. Well, we were actually on the plane when they told us they couldn't rearrange us. My ds started to panic and cry that he would be by himself. I couldn't believe the airline could be so insensitive to such a situation. My ds was seated in the middle of a 3 across between a couple who were annoyed that their middle seat was occupied--they thought it would be vacant and were quite upset to find out it was occupied. My poor ds was wedged in between 2 people who were openly hostile towards him. I asked if one of them would consider trading seats so I could sit with him, they said they had picked those seats well in advance and shouldn't have to move. I pointed out that we had also picked our seats many months in advance and the change was due to the airline, not us. They then said they had "no intention of babysitting" for an 8 hour flight. I asked what they suggested, I'd offered to trade with them. They didn't want my seat because it was next to the bathroom. Finally I told ds to take my seat and I'd take his--if they were going to be hostile during an 8 hour flight they could fight with me, not a frightened child literally caught in the middle. Well, I took my seat, we too off, both my children alone with no support or comfort, my ds was screaming "Mommy, I'm scared" the whole take off. Finally, after we were airborne, a kind soul offered to change with us so we could sit together. My dh managed to trade with someone else so he was across the aisle from my dd. The whole experience was horrible! They kept acting like it was our fault somehow when the airline changed not only our flight but our seating arrangements! We have no desire to fly in the future, road trips for us!

I would have FREAKED and prob cancelled flight. See link for my reason why.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/08/08/northwest.molest/

 

[disneyldwjr]

Why are people "defending" the airlines being rude and providing lousy customer service? People need to speak up. Yes, they have us over a barrel because we need to fly but we still have the choice of carriers and we should not be paying for lousy service. I absolutely disagree about the price of a ticket making a difference in how you are treated but I do think that when you buy should matter.Why should someone who buys a seat six months later than me get preference over me. Separating families is just inexcusable.
If it means not cancelling flights,putting us onto another airline or refunding and compensating passengers for the airlines screw ups then that is what needs to happen. Passengers (customers) should not be treated like pawns to be moved about at will whose lives and experience on the flight do not matter.

I am not defending them being rude in the least, nor am I defending lousy customer service. However, I am defending the right of any CSR to defend him/herself against people who come on like gangbusters and assume that because they are the customer they have the right to treat others like dirt. (not pointing a finger at anyone)
Treat people as you wish to be treated and you will be amazed at how nicely you will be treated.
What you fail to realize is: No one has to fly. It is something you opt to do.
Airlines are constantly rearranging their flights to preserve their bottom line.
If you are on a flight that leaves at 7 am and it is mostly empty, it will either be cancelled or combined with one that leaves at 8. They could also change the aircraft if it is overbooked. There are many scenarios. If it is cancelled they will do what they can to accomodate you. Unfortunately, that means that you will probably NOT have the seats you booked, but you will have a seat (realize I used hypothetical times here). The airlines are under NO obligation to seat anyone together (including children with their parents), unless that child would be too young to fly unaccompanied. The FAs are under no obligation and cannot make anyone move to accomodate the above mentioned and with the above mentioned exceptions. They can also make people under a certain age move if they are in an exit row.
I don't think the ticket price should make a difference unless you are purchasing a different level of service.

"Why should someone who buys a seat six months later than me get preference over me." If you are on the 7 am flight that is cancelled and moved to the 8 am flight that is being combined and someone has "your seat" and you have to be reseated, why should they lose their seat? They do their best. If you don't like it, then try another airline, but, they all do it, with one exception, and even that exception WILL NOT make anyone move to seat a family together. They cannot. They will ask and even ply the pax with drinks to do it, but, in the end, they cannot do it.

 

[disneyldwjr]

I would have FREAKED and prob cancelled flight. See link for my reason why.
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/08/08/northwest.molest/

Note, the child was flying alone, and a federal jury acquitted Ravichandra Thuluva (rah-vee-CHAN'-drah thoo-LOO'-vah).

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3246023

It would have been nice if you took the time to look up this little factoid.

You must really freak when you send your kids to school. There are more cases of molestation among teachers and staff than people on a plane.

 

[vhoffman]

When the airline changed our flights and seating arrangements, they should have realized that two of thre passengers were minors and kept the children at least seated with one adult. To just expect a child to sit alone for a flight of that length-8.5 hours, is plain wrong. They could have juggled the seats so at least one parent was with each child. Especially when I informed them my ds has ADHD, he wasn't capable of being alone for such a long flight. I mean, we weren't even in the same cabin!

 

[disneyldwjr]

When the airline changed our flights and seating arrangements, they should have realized that two of thre passengers were minors and kept the children at least seated with one adult. To just expect a child to sit alone for a flight of that length-8.5 hours, is plain wrong. They could have juggled the seats so at least one parent was with each child. Especially when I informed them my ds has ADHD, he wasn't capable of being alone for such a long flight. I mean, we weren't even in the same cabin!

Again, if the child is at the age that he/she can fly alone, the airlines does not have to accomodate families with children. I never said I agreed with this. Children do sit for 8.5 hour flights alone, frequently, and I would assume some with ADHD, as there are few children without it these days. They are called unaccompanied minors. How did the airline know they were minors? Did you buy them youth fares? Last I knew they did not ask you state ages on the reservations. Unless the child is under 5, you really are at their mercy.

 

[Hannathy]

Children fly alone all the time. I always prepare mine that we could be seperated. I do think the airlines have lousy costumer service But I also like the lower prices nowadays compared to 30 yrs ago. I have never understood the big hang up about having to sit together. Everyone on the plane lands together.

 

[vhoffman]

How did the airline know they were minors? Did you buy them youth fares? Last I knew they did not ask you state ages on the reservations. Unless the child is under 5, you really are at their mercy.

The airline knew they were minors because it was right on their reservation numbers--right after the number was a code that indicated they were minors. I never would have agreed to take my children on such a long flight if we were to be seperated, especially a child with special needs (and I did inform the airline of this). We were told we could change our seat arrangements once on the plane, then we couldn't. We weren't even in the same cabin with our children. They should make more accomodations that, since they were the ones who chose torearrange our whole flight, anyways. Oh, I guess to he** with my kids, let them sit terrified with strangers on a flight screaming "Mommy, I'm scared". Let the brats learn a lesson, so what!

 

[LoraJ]

I see families on flights all of the time who are spread out all over the place. Whenever I have been on CO and see this happen, I always see the flight attendant doing what they can to get families together. I think you got a bum flight with a bunch of people who weren't feeling very generous about giving up their seat. On every flight I have been on I have seen people give up their seats so that kids can be seated with their parents.

 

[poohluvrs]

, I am defending the right of any CSR to defend him/herself against people who come on like gangbusters and assume that because they are the customer they have the right to treat others like dirt. (not pointing a finger at anyone)
Treat people as you wish to be treated and you will be amazed at how nicely you will be treated.

I understand your point, but in this case, DH never once raised his voice to her, he remained rational, yes, he did ask more than once if anything could be done to accomodate the well being of our toddler, CSR was rude the second she got on the phone, & continued to escalate her nasty attitude toward DH who was only trying to get an answer or solution to our situation.

Theres no excuse for the way the CSR behaved, though it is astounding how many people have jumped to her defense. Theres no way to replay the actual conversation, it did go the way I stated, I have better things to do than make up a story to get sympathy here, I was just venting,

I also hope my post saves someone from the same happening, by making other customers aware its their responsibility to babysit their flight/seat info, the airline will not contact you over a flight change. I just cant believe how many are so presumptious, accusational, & quick to bash here.

Anyhow, vhoffman, Im sorry for your experience, you win, how the airline treated you is inexcusable, its also sad that people are so nasty these days noone would switch seats to help your poor frightened son. We were not looking to get bumped to 1st class or free vouchers, we paid in advance for tickets to accomodate our family & in turn got put to the bottom of the list. Luckily we are still seated together in the same area, & Ive learned a valuable lesson, as DaveO brought up, I will not book and pay for a flight so far in advance next time, you are put to the bottom of the list.

 

[poohluvrs]

Sounds like your spouse was treated better than he deserved to be treated.

 

[disneyldwjr]

The airline knew they were minors because it was right on their reservation numbers--right after the number was a code that indicated they were minors. I never would have agreed to take my children on such a long flight if we were to be seperated, especially a child with special needs (and I did inform the airline of this). We were told we could change our seat arrangements once on the plane, then we couldn't. We weren't even in the same cabin with our children. They should make more accomodations that, since they were the ones who chose torearrange our whole flight, anyways. Oh, I guess to he** with my kids, let them sit terrified with strangers on a flight screaming "Mommy, I'm scared". Let the brats learn a lesson, so what!

Hey, don't shoot the messenger, I don't make the rules.

 

[disneyldwjr]

I understand your point, but in this case, DH never once raised his voice to her, he remained rational, yes, he did ask more than once if anything could be done to accomodate the well being of our toddler, CSR was rude the second she got on the phone, & continued to escalate her nasty attitude toward DH who was only trying to get an answer or solution to our situation.

Like I said, I was not there to hear the conversation. But, I do have to wonder why, when the CSR became rude, he did not hang up and call again and get someone else. Also, not accusing at all, a person can be very intimidating, argumentative, nasty, etc. without changing the level of their voice. Not saying your DH did this in the least, but, it does happen.

Theres no excuse for the way the CSR behaved, though it is astounding how many people have jumped to her defense. Theres no way to replay the actual conversation, it did go the way I stated, I have better things to do than make up a story to get sympathy here, I was just venting,

I doubt you made up the story, but, as stated before, we only heard your side of the story. Not calling you a liar at all, either. I would not want a CSR's job in any industry these days. Your story aside, the way people treat others these days is horrible.
I also hope my post saves someone from the same happening, by making other customers aware its their responsibility to babysit their flight/seat info, the airline will not contact you over a flight change. I just cant believe how many are so presumptious, accusational, & quick to bash here.

I hope it does also and I hope it teaches people that the onus of checking their flights is on them, it always has been. That is why the tell you to check on your flights before departure, something that has been a long standing procedure.

Anyhow, vhoffman, Im sorry for your experience, you win, how the airline treated you is inexcusable, its also sad that people are so nasty these days noone would switch seats to help your poor frightened son. We were not looking to get bumped to 1st class or free vouchers, we paid in advance for tickets to accomodate our family & in turn got put to the bottom of the list. Luckily we are still seated together in the same area, & Ive learned a valuable lesson, as DaveO brought up, I will not book and pay for a flight so far in advance next time, you are put to the bottom of the list.

Not sure where you are from, but, next time you fly try SWA. They don't change schedules, except for unforeseen emergencies, like Hurricanes, etc.

 

[Missy Mouse]

Airlines have schedule changes. Airlines don't guarantee seat assignments. The only way to guarantee a seat in the front of the plane is to pay for a first class ticket. I don't think an hour schedule change requires a refund but you can ask for a refund and, if granted, take your business to another airline.

I understand the need to vent but it doesn't sound like the DL employee was being rude. It sounds like your DH was being confrontational. An airline isn't going to pull another passengers assigned seat to make you happy. A lot of passengers prefer seats in the front of the plane. There is no way to know that a seat in the back will make your child vomit and a seat in the front won't. You might get to the gate early and see if there are better seats available for gate assignment or call Delta back and see if you can get better seats if you change your flight.

An employee isn't rude just because the're unable to meet your demands. Keep asking and demanding then the customer becomes the one who is rude. Most airlines change their schedules during the year. SW doesn't open up their schedule for booking until the schedule is firm. Other airlines book a year in advance but you're booking a tenative schedule.

Actually, you feel MUCH more turbulence in the back of a plane than in the front. I think we all can understand an occasional flight change, but Delta is NOTORIOUS for it, and for not even emailing the customers to let them know. Every time we had Delta we had our flight changed. I'm not sure if we were reading the same conversation but it seems like everyone else saw the lack of customer service and you saw a confrontational customer. Ah well, there's always one in every post.

 

[DebbieB]

Not sure where you are from, but, next time you fly try SWA. They don't change schedules, except for unforeseen emergencies, like Hurricanes, etc.

Alot of people say they will not fly SWA because there are no assigned seats. But I think this thread shows booking other airlines doesn't guarantee you anything. I think you have a better chance if you book SWA and get an A boarding pass 24 hours before. I also think people will be more likely to switch seats since they were not assigned a specific one.

 

[Lewisc]

I believe you, the CSR may have been rude. Continuing to ask for an exception is also rude. Your DH got the answer, just not the answer he wanted to hear.

Some people don't like SW. You can only book your flight months in advance as opposed to a year in advance and you don't get assigned seats.

Your post shows that those advantages sometimes provide a false sense of security.

I understand your point, but in this case, DH never once raised his voice to her, he remained rational, yes, he did ask more than once if anything could be done to accomodate the well being of our toddler, CSR was rude the second she got on the phone, & continued to escalate her nasty attitude toward DH who was only trying to get an answer or solution to our situation.

Theres no excuse for the way the CSR behaved, though it is astounding how many people have jumped to her defense. Theres no way to replay the actual conversation, it did go the way I stated, I have better things to do than make up a story to get sympathy here, I was just venting,

I also hope my post saves someone from the same happening, by making other customers aware its their responsibility to babysit their flight/seat info, the airline will not contact you over a flight change. I just cant believe how many are so presumptious, accusational, & quick to bash here.

Anyhow, vhoffman, Im sorry for your experience, you win, how the airline treated you is inexcusable, its also sad that people are so nasty these days noone would switch seats to help your poor frightened son. We were not looking to get bumped to 1st class or free vouchers, we paid in advance for tickets to accomodate our family & in turn got put to the bottom of the list. Luckily we are still seated together in the same area, & Ive learned a valuable lesson, as DaveO brought up, I will not book and pay for a flight so far in advance next time, you are put to the bottom of the list.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Consumers shoud not have to read the fine print.

Is this a joke? TERRIBLE advice.

When you get your seat assingment it says CONFIRMED seat assignment. I would bet if this went to a court of law the airlines would lose.

You would lose this bet in a heartbeat.

 

[DebbieB]

The CONFIRMED is for the reservation, not for the specific seat.

I know when I get my confirmation for corporate travel through American Express Travel it says "seat requested". It's really just a request, no guarantee.

 

[Biddler]

I have called Delta customer service many times over the last 3 months as our flight times have changed almost weekly. Every time I call to get our seats back I have never been able to understand the contracted reps from another country one bit. It is sooooooooooooo frustrating. I alsio have a ressie with Jet Blue for Thankssgiving. My rate went down and I called customer service. I got a very nice english speaking rep who immediately credited my account and that was it. From now on it's jet blue. I don't care if they are $50 more a ticket! I have $175 in credit to use for my next flight anyways!

 

[DonnaL]

After reading all of the above posts it appears most problems with customer service and flight changes have been with the legacy carriers. We also had a problem several years ago with Delta (their people in Atlanta broke our grandson's $300+ stroller which we had gate checked and then when we went to baggage claim to file the claim the customer service people were extremely rude also and it took Delta almost 4 months to reimburse us for the stroller....on top of all that, we had to stand in line and rent strollers at WDW because ours was gone). After that incident, I swore I would never use Delta again (they also had changed our flight and not notified us on that same trip). That said, we've been using SW exclusively for the past few years and I can honestly say if SW flew everywhere I would NEVER fly another airline. Yeah, people complain about their no assigned seat policy, but, I would rather choose where I wish to sit than have an assigned seat (other poster with the 3 yr old who gets sick could have sat where he wished). People also complain about flight/time changes......SW doesn't even post their schedules until they are definite about times/flights out of each city. The only reason you will have a time or flight change with SW is in the event of bad weather or equipment problems (something their scheduling people have no control over). Their customer service is absolutely the best .......I've never spoken with a SW rep who isn't pleasant. And, last but not least, what other airline will give you a credit (to be used within a year) for the difference of price decreases since you originally booked your flight and ultimately, the best prices. So, IMO when you come right down to it, it's really a no brainer when making airline ressies.......if SW flys there that's who I'm booking with!!!

 

[jodifla]

I understand your point, but in this case, DH never once raised his voice to her, he remained rational, yes, he did ask more than once if anything could be done to accomodate the well being of our toddler, CSR was rude the second she got on the phone, & continued to escalate her nasty attitude toward DH who was only trying to get an answer or solution to our situation.

Theres no excuse for the way the CSR behaved, though it is astounding how many people have jumped to her defense. Theres no way to replay the actual conversation, it did go the way I stated, I have better things to do than make up a story to get sympathy here, I was just venting,

I also hope my post saves someone from the same happening, by making other customers aware its their responsibility to babysit their flight/seat info, the airline will not contact you over a flight change. I just cant believe how many are so presumptious, accusational, & quick to bash here.

Anyhow, vhoffman, Im sorry for your experience, you win, how the airline treated you is inexcusable, its also sad that people are so nasty these days noone would switch seats to help your poor frightened son. We were not looking to get bumped to 1st class or free vouchers, we paid in advance for tickets to accomodate our family & in turn got put to the bottom of the list. Luckily we are still seated together in the same area, & Ive learned a valuable lesson, as DaveO brought up, I will not book and pay for a flight so far in advance next time, you are put to the bottom of the list.

Amazing. A customer service rep tells you "that's what barf bags are for" and DIS board people DEFEND THAT STATEMENT?

And I've never been denied talking to a supervisor. That's when I get their name, and call the corporate office.

Vhoffman, I'm so sorry for your experience. What a nightmare scenario! I have never encountered such unhelpful people on my flights, luckily.