Very Unhappy with USAIR

[Tess'smom]

Kind of OT but this is the second time that USAir has cancelled a flight on us without notification. First, they cancelled our MCO flight w/o notice and we had to reschedule to the next day for our Disney vacation. Yesterday, they stranded my DH in Arizona w/o notification and turned a four hour flight into a 14 hour ordeal! They claimed that they had mechanical problems with three of their planes. Thats scary on its own. Problems occur when you travel, my issue is how the airline responds. USAir responded very poorly and were not helpful in resolving the issue. Thank you for letting me vent.

 

[LegoMom3]

They did this to me two years ago and that was the last time I ever flew with them.

Started flying with them almost 20 years ago (oh my, that puts my life in perspective...!) when my parents moved to Wilmington, NC. Back then, they were the only airline to fly in and out of there. After a while, it was just habit.

About 4 years ago my dad moved to Florida (yay!!!!!!!!). We continued with USAir until two years ago. My middle son and I were taking a special trip together down to see my dad. We had a lay-over in Philly, where I discovered our next flight - to FL - cancelled. I had to drag my poor son all over that airport just to find a person to TALK to. As in your case, they claimed mechanical problems (yikes), but were less than sympathetic and all they could offer me was a return trip home.

Long story short from here, we booked a replacement flight the next day with Southwest, LOVED them, and have only flown them since. Non-stop for us from NH to anywhere in FL.

I hate, hate, hate USAir!

 

[Waseller77]

Me too - I will never fly them again. Their customer service is about the worst in the industry. I have never gotten a straight answer and end up with someone in another country who can't understand what I am asking. They are just AWFUL!

 

[bicker]

I've had both good and bad experiences with every airline. The more you fly, the more you get to see that the airlines are basically all the same. Their service reflects the nature of their customer-base in general, folks more concerned about low fares than superior service.

 

[goofy4tink]

My father and step mother flew with them in January. When they showed up at the airport to checkin, they were told there were no seats on the plane for them, that according to their records, my dad and step-mom had flown out the day before!!! My dad handed them the confirmation which showed all the correct data. The CSR really didn't seem to care from what I understand. They were told that they could get a seat on a flight that night. No, that wasn't going to 'do it' for them. So, after much hoohaa, they said they found seats for them on the next flight, but they would be separated and they would each be in a middle seat. AGain, not making it. My step-mom books as soon as she can since she has to have an aisle seat....she has some 'issues' that make this a neccessity. My father is almost deaf, so he needs to have her next to him so he can understand what is going on. He has no issue with a middle seat, as long as someone he knows is next to him. When told they didn't have any aisle seats I guess my step-mom went a bit ballistic. She said she had already been inconvenienced quite enough, that USAir had lost her reservations, tried to hold her up over 12 hours, and there was no way she was sitting in a middle seat many rows away from her husband. Well, I guess USAir saw the error of their ways so to speak. They gave my step-mom and dad what they needed in the end, but I don't think I'll ever fly with USAir and I know they won't. Just too many bad stories out there.

 

[bicker]

The CSR really didn't seem to care from what I understand.

I couldn't imagine having a job where you had to project that you "cared" like that. It would be too tiring. Our best expectation is that the CSRs do their job. They shouldn't try to become emotionally invested in each passenger -- they see thousands per day, and each one that gets to a CSR has a similar problem. In other words, what is a remarkably difficult experience for the passenger, is routine for the person who's sole job is to handle remarkably difficult experiences for passengers.

Without malice, I think your step-mother gave the CSR a bit of a hard time, going "a bit ballistic" on the CSR -- again without malice. I think it is reasonable, given today's industry-wide service quality standards, to accommodate displaced passengers in middle seats. I think it was very nice of the CSR to go one step further, and displace other passengers for your step-mother's benefit.

 

[safetymom]

It isn't just US Airways. All the airlines have tightened up on the number of flights they have so it is harder to be accomodated when mistakes happen. The public demanded cheaper fares and this is what the airlines did to survive.

If you read here on the DIS you will find stories like this for all the airlines.

 

[LegoMom3]

I couldn't imagine having a job where you had to project that you "cared" like that. It would be too tiring....

I sure hope you don't work in the customer service industry. Good grief!! This, to me, is exactly what IS wrong with cust. service these days. If it's too much "emotional expenditure" then we all ought to get it over with and put robots in there instead. No one is saying these people have to involve themselves in customer's lives, but to have every person you come across when there's a problem to simply toss up their hands and say "Not my fault! Too bad for you.", well that's just BAD SERVICE.

 

[DebbieB]

I flew over 50,000 miles with USAir last year and only had 1 major problem. That was when I was connecting in Philadelphia and there was an air traffic control delay. Since I travel for business, most of my reservations are within 1 month so I don't have the problem of schedule changes.

 

[bicker]

I sure hope you don't work in the customer service industry.

Rest assured: I know my limits. I work well with one or two customers a day, max. When you send hundreds at me, I know I cannot do a good job.

However, I do believe that there are only a very small number of people who are good at that and willing to work for the peanuts they pay CSRs (a pay rate which is a reflection of how little customers are willing to pay for customer service). So the best case that all customers should expect, is (as you alluded to) robotic service, which is actually what the OP described.

No one is saying these people have to involve themselves in customer's lives, but to have every person you come across when there's a problem to simply toss up their hands and say "Not my fault! Too bad for you.", well that's just BAD SERVICE.

I think that is really only a reaction to what the customer projects to the CSR: Probably something like, "This is bad; I don't like it; so you should be mortified about what happened to me; and you should turn over Heaven and Earth to placate me." 9 times out of 10, when I observe a CSR interaction at an airport, that's the tenor of the discussion. So the muted reaction of the CSR is to be expected.

In the end, "stuff" happens. All the CSRs can do, and all they should do, is follow protocol in offering alternatives for displaced passengers. The old "guest recovery" program is even dead at WDW (mostly due to abuse) so surely don't expect it from airlines.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

They claimed that they had mechanical problems with three of their planes. Thats scary on its own. Problems occur when you travel, my issue is how the airline responds.

They claimed they had mechanical problems? Do you think that USAIR was making this up? Did you want them to fly an unsafe plane? Problems do occur when you travel and you have to learn to deal with it. Haven't you ever had car problems? Or taken a train which was late?

I have flown USAIR many times and the last time I flew them, they lost my checked bag for over 24 hours. Did I vow never to fly them again? Of course not. Every other airline has similar problems.

 

[goofy4tink]

I couldn't imagine having a job where you had to project that you "cared" like that. It would be too tiring. Our best expectation is that the CSRs do their job. They shouldn't try to become emotionally invested in each passenger -- they see thousands per day, and each one that gets to a CSR has a similar problem. In other words, what is a remarkably difficult experience for the passenger, is routine for the person who's sole job is to handle remarkably difficult experiences for passengers.

Without malice, I think your step-mother gave the CSR a bit of a hard time, going "a bit ballistic" on the CSR -- again without malice. I think it is reasonable, given today's industry-wide service quality standards, to accommodate displaced passengers in middle seats. I think it was very nice of the CSR to go one step further, and displace other passengers for your step-mother's benefit.

I guess my dad's big issue was that the CSR kept telling them that they had already left, the day before!! He couldn't seem to figure out exactly why the CSR kept telling them this when they were standing right in front of her, with their correct flight confimation in hand. Can you imagine if you showed up at Logan, for a particular flight that you had all the paperwork for, and the agent told you that it seems that you had already flown out, the day before!!?? So, no seat for you...too bad, live with it, not our problem. For them to make an error and then expect my parents to go along with it, quietly, was expecting a bit much I think.
I don't think my step-mother wanted to 'bond' with the CSR or to get all huggy with her, but a bit of concern about what the airline had done would have been appropriate. Not looking to the CSR to invest anything...just to give decent customer service. Isn't that their job?? I am getting tired of CS people treating me as if they are doing me a favor by helping me out. If I get this kind of treatment, a letter/email goes out to the appropriate dept regarding my experience telling them that I will no longer be using their services. There are plenty of airlines out there that I can use. At the moment SW and JB have gone out of their way to help me out. They get my business.

Anyone can give good customer service when things are rolling along smoothly...it's great customer service when there is a problem and they get it resolved. Those are the people I will give my business to.

 

[Tess'smom]

I agree with you 100% goofy4tink! It is outrageous that anyone would think that it is acceptable to have a confirmed reservation and to be told that it sucks for you and we won't honor that. Your MIL should have been upset. Regardless of how much we pay for our ticket, it should include a minimum amount of decent customer service. If I treated people like this in my job, I wouldn't have a job for too long.

 

[Tess'smom]

They claimed they had mechanical problems? Do you think that USAIR was making this up? Did you want them to fly an unsafe plane? Problems do occur when you travel and you have to learn to deal with it. Haven't you ever had car problems? Or taken a train which was late?

I have flown USAIR many times and the last time I flew them, they lost my checked bag for over 24 hours. Did I vow never to fly them again? Of course not. Every other airline has similar problems.

Yes, they "claimed" to have problems with three planes. I don't necessarily believe that they had problems with three planes at the same time. Do you believe everthing someone tells you? It is ridiculous to imply that anyone who is sane would choose to fly an unsafe plane. You missed the point entirely I'm afraid. I clearly stated that problems happen but it is how an airline responds to those issues that is important. Bad customer service is bad customer service.

 

[Alexander]

Yes, they "claimed" to have problems with three planes. I don't necessarily believe that they had problems with three planes at the same time. Do you believe everthing someone tells you? It is ridiculous to imply that anyone who is sane would choose to fly an unsafe plane. You missed the point entirely I'm afraid. I clearly stated that problems happen but it is how an airline responds to those issues that is important. Bad customer service is bad customer service.

Unfortunately, I think USAir has more problems with their ground crews than they do with their planes. Therefore, if the ground crews aren't getting the job done, then there is a problem with the planes. USAir management isn't going to confess their problems with the grounds personnel to the customers, so saying there is a problem with the plane is a round-about way of getting the message acrossed.

All in all, I have said numerous times, we have got to be kind to the people we want to help us. No matter how frustrated we are with their company or them themselves. Getting mad and yelling at the person who holds all of the cards (or boarding passes as the case may be) isn't going to get you very far.

 

[safetymom]

I flew USAirways once where the planes at my gate and the one next to it had mechnical problems. You could see the mechanics on the planes. The first plane was the one I was supposed to take and it was going to be delayed and I would miss my connection so they put me on the other flight. When it arrived it had issues, they worked on it and then we boarded the plane. We got up in the air and realized there was no air conditioning. Then about 20 mins into the flight we heard a loud explosion. The left engine quit working. I had the previous flight crew about 2 rows in front of me. The captain of our flight called the previous crew and they were talking on the phone on the wall behind me. Then they decided to make an emergency landing. We landed with the runway lined with fire trucks and ambulances. Not the way I care to land.

There were no more flights that night so we were taken to a hotel to return the next morning. It wasn't so bad for me since I was coming home but some people missed their flight to London.

So yes several planes can have issues at the same time.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Yes, they "claimed" to have problems with three planes. I don't necessarily believe that they had problems with three planes at the same time.

While I know that airlines do not always tell the truth about why a flight has been canceled or delayed, I do know that no airline would deliberately inconvenience passengers by canceling or delaying flights.

Personally, I feel it is absurd to get so worked up about these issues, as there is nothing you can do, as a passenger, to prevent these types of problems. You need to work up alternate plans and always have enough reserves to pay for a hotel or other means of transportation.

As has been stated in this forum many times, ALL airlines have the same problems and boycotting a particular airline because of a bad experience is meaningless. If you travel a lot, you are bound to encounter similar situations on different airlines.

The only reason I would avoid any particular airline is for safety issues.

 

[bicker]

I guess my dad's big issue was that the CSR kept telling them that they had already left, the day before!! He couldn't seem to figure out exactly why the CSR kept telling them this when they were standing right in front of her, with their correct flight confimation in hand.

I can understand why the CSR would do that: As you indicated, the system records showed that the passengers actually few the day before. As a CSR, seeing the passengers present themselves to me in person, when the system says they had already taken the flight, in the context of all the security and other measures applied to ensure that something like that never happens, would freak me out to the extreme. The CSRs statements should be taken at face value, i.e., that the records indicate what they indicate, and that's the cause of the problem. Then, they need to work things out from there.

As an aside (having nothing to do with this case, perhaps), I have overheard discussions between CSRs and passengers where the CSR was trying to explain something critical for the passenger to understand in order for their transaction to reach a mutually-successful result, and the passenger just simply not hearing it, so imagine that there could be something like that going on in any scenario where there is a clear communication issue between CSR and passenger. That's not to say that CSRs are always perfect -- they're surely not -- but perhaps you'd be as shocked as I am realizing just how often communication problems track back solely to the passenger, rather than the CSR. Again, that's just an aside (not necessarily having anything to do with this case, perhaps).

Can you imagine if you showed up at Logan, for a particular flight that you had all the paperwork for, and the agent told you that it seems that you had already flown out, the day before!!??

Yup, I can imagine that. My perspective at that moment would be, "Please get me to my destination." Wouldn't that be your perspective?

So, no seat for you...too bad, live with it, not our problem.

I guarantee you 150% that that is not what the CSR said, meant, implied or projected. I can imagine some passengers, however, inferring that from any statement other than, "Here's your boarding pass."

For them to make an error and then expect my parents to go along with it, quietly, was expecting a bit much I think.

There is no cause to take one's frustrations out on the CSR. It's not even a good idea, because the CSR is the one who's in a position to help make things right.

Not looking to the CSR to invest anything...just to give decent customer service. Isn't that their job??

And again, I think, after mid-way through your story, the CSR had done that. We can agree to disagree about that.

I am getting tired of CS people treating me as if they are doing me a favor by helping me out.

CSR people don't generally think that way, but they're often perceived that way. How would you account for the disparity?

 

[goofy4tink]

After working in CS for more years than I care to remember, and also in retail, I think I have a pretty good handle on what the job entails. I dealt with many unhappy campers, so to speak. While I couldn't always give them exactly what they wanted, I did try to listen politely and not treat them as if they were trying to get away with something.
We will continue to disagree here....While I realize that there are a lot of terrific CSRs out there, there are some who just don't seem to care how they are 'perceived'. I had some terrific SW people help me out of a jam a week ago...same thing with an Alamo agent. I was wrong, and when I realized it, I apologized to her. I can only imagine how it would feel if the SW people treated me as if I were trying to pull something fast, and treated me as such. But, they didn't. They apologized for an error on their part....ooops, sorry, I hit the wrong button.....that went a long way to ease the tension!!
In my dad's situation, there was never an apology, nothing....their system had messed it up....why in heaven's name couldn't they just have admitted it and gone on. But, no..they stood there, arguing with an elderly couple (who fly quite frequently btw), telling them that they have no seats since they really weren't there...they had flown out the day before. They didn't seem to feel that the written confirmation, printed that day, meant anything. If, they had flown out the day before, how in heaven's name did they get their correct confirmation, with the correct flight info on it, printed out 8 hrs beforehand, the same day they were to fly??

I'm not trying to be argumentative. But, sometimes people mess up, a computer system messes up, whatever. Someone should admit the error rather than try to make the person standing there look like an idiot or a criminal!!! I'm completely supportive of the airline folks, and the job they have to do. If I do something wrong though, I apologize. That's all I expect from others....plain and simple. My dad was given shoddy treatment...it could have been handled differently that's all.

 

[bicker]

I think companies would be more willing to admit errors if there wasn't such a tendancy for our litigious society to convert such admissions into sanctions with financial penalties. Many commodity markets, like air travel, operate on very slim (or negative!) margins, which have no capacity for sanctions for routine errors. We, the general public, have crafted the environment that these companies need to operate within, so we end up having to live with the ramifications of what we have wrought.

Of course, free of sanctions, we're as likely as not to get an admission of responsibility regardless of whether or not they actually are responsible. Therefore, I'm not sure that either approach really serves any useful purpose.

Clearly, though, a CSR should never "admit" a mistake which they're not empowered to admit -- in other words, a CSR shouldn't decide on behalf of a company that the company is "at fault." That's a legal decision, and shouldn't be made by line personnel. That's like a McDonald's cashier admitting that Big Macs are a major contributor to a customer contracting diabetes. So all a CSR can do is admit that they personally made a mistake, which is not applicable in this situation.