Can a bad airline deliver good customer service?

That’s the question Donna Passentino and Yaakov Sheinfeld must be asking themselves about Spirit Airlines this morning. How is it possible for an airline with a truly awful reputation for customer service to do the right thing? And it leaves me wondering if their experiences signal some kind of turning point in Miramar.

Spirit, of course, used to be a great little airline until it recast itself as an “ultra” low fare carrier, outsourced its customer service department, and added a slew of creative new fees. Two positive customer experiences won’t even begin to make up for the last five years. But still …

Passentino, who is flying from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., tomorrow had prepaid a $15 checked luggage fee. Then Spirit changed one of its flights, and in the confusion, one of her luggage vouchers had the wrong information.

I inadvertently added another bag going instead of one each way. When I realized my error I checked the Web site for any way to correct the situation. There was no way to correct it.

I then called Spirit Airlines. I spoke with a representative named Olivia, and I told her my problem and she explained that baggage fees were not refundable. I told her that I didn’t want a refund, I just wanted her to switch from two bags going to one bag coming and going.

Olivia said the only thing she could do is give me a $15 credit for my next flight. When I explained to her that there would never, ever be another flight on Spirit she said that she could add a bag going for another $10.

Needless to say, Olivia charged me the fee again.

I suggested Passentino send a brief, polite email to one of the following executives at Spirit, which she did. A representative named Jeremy Schoggins contacted her and fixed the problem, reversing the new charge and changing her voucher.

“I was sure that Spirit was going to brush me off, but he came to the plate and took action,” she says.

Sheinfeld tried to book an advertised $9 promotional flights between New York and Florida. When he phoned the airline, he was told he’d have to pay $39.95 for a one-year membership in Spirit’s fare club.

I explained to the representative that I was only interested in signing up and paying the fee if the promotional fares were available on the dates I was interested in traveling. I was assured that was the case and so I thanked the associate and immediately signed up for the fare club, only to find that there were no return flights for the date I was interested in returning to NY (or two-three days in either direction of that date).

I picked up the phone and called Spirit Airlines back and asked how this was possible. I was told that there were no guaranties as to availability and that the other phone representative must have been mistaken. I said I was disappointed to not get the promotional fare, but understood that a mistake was made and requested a refund of the $39.95 fee paid to join the club, as I only joined on the assurance by the first representative that the promotional flights were available. The representative told me that unfortunately the fee was non-refundable. I pressed the issue further and made no progress. I felt as if some sort of bait and switch was pulled.

Again, I suggested Sheinfeld contact someone at a higher level at Spirit. He did, and he heard back from none other than Schoggins.

Thank you for taking the time contact Spirit Airlines.

We have received your email in our executive inbox and we are more than happy to refund the membership of $39.95 to the fare club.

When you joined the club, the terms and conditions clearly outlined that you would be billed the full year’s membership right away. We apologize for any confusion that may have occurred during this process. As a one time courtesy, we have refunded the fee and cancelled the account at your request.

You can expect to see that refund back on your card within 7-14 business days.

In other words, you have to abide by our terms, but you can’t take us at our word when we say a fare is available. Hmmm.

Spirit may be one of the worst airlines — if not the worst airline — in America. But it’s still possible for its employees to offer the best customer service they can.

I seriously doubt Spirit plans to change its ways any time soon. But it’s nice to know there are people like Schoggins who are trying to do right by passengers.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

Tagged as: customer service, Help!, spirit airlines, TRAVEL

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