Got a travel complaint? 3 mistakes you should avoid

As far as e-mails go, the one I received this morning seemed about as level-headed as could be expected. A car rental company had overcharged a reader because of an apparent clerical error, and she was asking for help. What she didn’t say — but what a subsequent call to the company revealed — is that in trying to get this resolved through normal channels, she’d turned abusive and had hung up on a phone agent.

And that got me thinking. What kinds of behaviors will doom your efforts to get compensated when something goes wrong on the road?

Here are my top three:

1. Yelling. This could be by phone or e-mail (TYPING IN UPPERCASE or using lots of !!!!!!!). Raising your voice lessens your credibility. It means you aren’t in control of your emotions and your story becomes less believable.

2. Threatening. The most common threat is, “I’ll never fly on your airline again!” Or, usually, “I’LL NEVER FLY ON YOUR AIRLINE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!” So what incentive does a travel company have to make things right, then?

3. Hanging up. No one should be hanging up on anyone. Each call should end with a “thank you for your help,” even if you haven’t been helped, and even if you aren’t thankful. Remember: calls are recorded. What you say could be heard by a manager, a supervisor — or a judge.

This isn’t a complete list, but it’s a start. If you have any behaviors that you’d like to add, go ahead and leave a comment.

Incidentally, the car rental company I mentioned at the beginning of this posting did fix the problem, much to its credit.

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.

2 comments