Think this is bad?
It could get worse. Much worse.
Travel is still at the beginning of its long descent into mediocrity. Airlines seem to invent new surcharges and passenger-hostile rules every week. Hotels aren’t far behind. Just the mention of the word “customer service” in the back office can be enough to evoke cackles of disdain from the underpaid employees. Worse, there are virtually no consumer protections against any of the inevitable abuses.
But you don’t have to go along for the ride. Sure, the latest customer surveys suggest customer satisfaction scores have plummeted to their lowest levels in years. (How bad is it? In one notable case, the industry celebrated a customer-approval grade of C-.) And if you read this column, you can try to count the many times the travel industry has let its customers down.
What, you’ve lost count? Me too.
“They have little regard for the customer,” says Ed Smith, a retired minister from Lenoir City, Tenn. “We used to be considered guests, but now — especially on the airlines — we are considered a necessary evil.”
There is hope, though.
While the travel industry seems hell-bent on downgrading your next trip, (and I have to be careful here not to single out my friends in the travel agency community — you’re the victims here, too) there are a few things you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen.
You can upgrade your trip. How? Here are a few tips I’ve picked up as a consumer advocate:
Problem: Airlines that treat us worse than cargo
Face it, you want to fly like you did before airlines were recklessly deregulated in 1978. Ah, those were the days! Back then, everyone was served an in-flight meal by a smiling stewardess, the planes were comfortable and on-time. Well, that’s not likely to happen again any time soon. But there are still two airlines — JetBlue and Southwest — that have outstanding corporate cultures and go easy on the fees. Avoiding bad service is not as easy. You could read the Transportation Department’s monthly report card, but you’ll probably just go cross-eyed doing that. You’re better off asking friends, monitoring the online buzz, and trying the airlines for yourself.
Solution: Vote with your wallet — or just vote
The trouble with avoiding bad airlines is that even when you’ve identified one, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can stay away from it. This is where my airline apologist friends and I differ. They believe market forces will compel bad airlines to behave, that inferior airlines will be unsuccessful because people will refuse to fly on them. But you don’t always have a choice in airlines. When that happens, you have two options: stop flying or tell your elected representative you’re unhappy. That’s right, get political. It’s a mediocre airline’s worst nightmare: passengers who let Congress know they’re ticked off.
Car rentals: Clunkers for cash
A few years ago, it was difficult to tell one car rental company from another. Most of the vehicles were low-mileage, late model cars. The only thing that separated them was the price, at least from a traveler’s point of view. No longer. Today, after a series of car industry bankruptcies and consolidations, companies are trying to save money by “aging” their fleets — that’s industry-speak for keeping their vehicles as long as possible — and cutting corners everywhere. Not only that, they’re also inventing new fees and tightening their rental rules in the hopes of squeezing more money from their customers. That’s right: Less for more. Always a winning proposition … if you want to drive your customers away.
Solution: It’s still a buyer’s market, so shop around
At a time like this, car rental companies are desperate for your business. So if you find a car rental agent harassing you to buy unneeded insurance, pushing you to take an unnecessary upgrade, or adding unexpected surcharges to your bill, walk away. Go to one of the other car rental locations at the airport and ask for a rate. You can still do that. And unlike airlines, you do have a choice when you rent.
Problem: Predatory cruise lines
Back in the days of the “Love Boat”, a floating vacation was an all-inclusive experience. Today, the love’s gone — and so is the “all-inclusive.” Cruise lines, like airlines, have discovered so-called “ancillary” revenues. They hand you a drink at the welcome reception — sign here, please. You want bottled water in your room? That’ll be an extra $6.95. You’d like to eat in a specialty restaurant? A $20 fee will be added to your bill. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that the low cruise fare was just a way to lure you on board. Now that you’re trapped at sea, it’s time to give your credit card a workout. (If you ever wonder what it’s all about, get up early on the last day of your cruise and watch people settling up at the front desk. You’ll see a lot of disappointed passengers.) The cruise experience is well on its way to becoming a massive bait-and-switch operation.
Solution: Find a good agent, but do your homework
A competent travel agent is an excellent resource for planning a cruise vacation, but don’t rely on one exclusively. Instead, research the kind of cruise you want before visiting a travel counselor. Some upscale cruises such as Seabourn’s, are far more “all-inclusive” with tips and alcoholic beverages part of your fare. Have a cruise line and a destination in mind, and more importantly, know what you don’t want. Then ask a cruise agent for help. (Keep in mind that cruise agents take a commission of around 10 percent of your booking.) A good agent can prevent an avaricious cruise line that’s just trying to get inside your pocket from broadsiding you. Plus, travel agents can ensure you don’t end up on a singles cruise for your 20th wedding anniversary.
Problem: Hotels that hate us
You’ve probably checked into one of these properties before: The place is falling apart. The proprietor is a dead ringer for Basil Fawlty, the cranky innkeeper in the 1970s British sitcom, Fawlty Towers. You feel entirely unwelcome. If you’d only known about this disaster beforehand. Unfortunately, the number of these hotels appears to be on the rise, and unlike the TV show, they’re no laughing matter. One night in a dump like this can leave you wishing for a quick end to your vacation. Bad hotels don’t just take their guests for granted, they prey on them with poorly-disclosed surcharges like “resort fees” and mandatory gratuities. They barely tolerate our presence, and when we have the audacity to complain about something, they shrug us off.
Solution: Get social
Use social media to find — and punish — the worst properties. When it comes to hotels, the Internet is by far the most effective way to avoid a troubled hotel. Despite the best efforts of these awful hotels, it’s impossible to hide from an angry public. Sites like TripAdvisor, Twitter and Facebook let them name names. Don’t stay at a property that hasn’t been vetted by the Internet. (It’s true that hotels — both good and bad — try to influence social media, but their efforts have a minimal effect.) Bottom line? If your hotel checks out online, chances are you’ll have a good stay.
It’s a shame that I have to write a column like this. Travel should be getting better, not worse. But as basic principles of customer service get pushed aside by people with titles like “revenue manager” and “vice president for analytical systems” there is no other way.
If you don’t act now, you’ll get downgraded.
(Photo: fatcontroller/Flickr Creative Commons)
✓ Get the latest travel news, tips and commentary from Elliott’s E-Mail, the subversive newsletter from consumer advocate Christopher Elliott. You’ll travel like a pro. Sign up here. It’s free.
Similar Posts:
- Seriously? Poll finds car rental companies have the most surprise fees
- No toilets in their Destiny
- 3 tips for steering clear of outrageous car rental fees
- Airlines make a money grab
- Minding our manners
Sign up for my
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
“before airline were recklessly deregulated in 1978″? Chris, man I love your site, but you have got to be kidding. Before 1978, the average “joe” could not afford to fly. Just business types and the rich. Can you imagine what the price of food would be if the government regulated supermarket prices? I have never heard of a paying passenger call an airline to make a reservation ask “what’s for dinner?”
Chris – Thats some good advice
Get social – We used TripAdvisor last year for a three week trip to Europe, staying at five different hotels and the posts for each each one was right on. It was worth it’s weight in gold.
I have in fact changed car rentals at the airport when I showed up and the agent didn’t have what I ordered. You can make changes at the last minute.
Doing your home work for cruises is crucial, not only for costs but for the type of passenger its geared for is even more important. Maybe even crucial to whether or not you will have a good time.
Although I think that air travel is now a lost cause, you may have a point with Congress. It seems that they are trying to help, but it looks like a long work in progress.
I agree about the power of the Internet. I don’t book a hotel before I check it out on Trip Advisor, and that has saved me many times from staying at a property that looks great on paper but has been panned by the vast majority of people who have stayed there. I also post my own reviews on the site. Of course, almost every property has a few bad reviews, but those are mostly from very cranky people who would probably be unhappy at Windsor Palace. They complain about things like “the air conditioner was too loud” or “the continental breakfast sucked”–well, anyone who expects a continental breakfast at a Best Western to be good pretty much deserves what they get.
You just have to ignore those types of reviews, and focus on the ratio of good to bad reviews. The site also has forums for every city where you can ask questions about anything related to that city, and people who live there or who have visited will answer.
I recently followed your advice and posted a review of a disgusting motel I was forced to stay at for a conference here:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g56079-d99157-Reviews-Inn_of_the_Hills_Resort_Conference-Kerrville_Texas.html
It is the first review titled “A Complete and Total Dump. Avoid at all Costs.”
I sent a copy to the hotel but never received a reply. I guess they really just don’t care.
I can’t help but think that we are getting what we pay for. Everyone is looking for the absolute lowest prices when we are traveling. Something has to give somewhere and that “somewhere” will be in customer service, in extra fees, etc. What do you expect? If you want bus-fare rates on the airlines, you are going to get bus-like service. The same applies to hotels, cruises, etc.
Plus, as a frequent traveler, it seems to me that the people who work in the travel industry are just reacting to the public they encounter. Having watched some jerk scream at a gate agent because a flight was delayed due to weather (yes, as if the snow was her fault) makes me yearn for the days when good manners and civility were the norm, rather than the exception.
Berkeley – you hit the nail on the head. The deterioration in decorum in the travel industry is a two-way street. You have a toxic combination of entitled travelers who feel they have the right to be rude and obnoxious if everything doesn’t go 100% perfectly, and travel industry workers (especially airline employees) who feel it’s acceptable to take out their frustrations about company management on their customers.
From our, the traveler’s, side, we have to do a better job of constructively dealing with problems that crop up during our trips. If a flight, hotel room, or car rental doesn’t meet your expectations, there are ways to politely yet firmly make your point about your dissatisfaction. No, you don’t have the right to yell at a gate agent in front of 100s of other travelers just because your flight is an hour late, even if it is the airline’s fault. Or at the hotel clerk because he won’t upgrade you to the oceanview suite for free when you paid for a standard room. You aren’t going to die because your flight is late or you didn’t get the room you wanted.
And to all industry employees that may be reading this blog – the same applies for you, too. No matter how much you hate [insert airline's CEO name here], or how much you feel we don’t deserve any courtesy or service because of the cheap fare we paid, you do not have the right to mistreat a customer. It’s not my fault that your management sucks. If you feel your company is really that crappy, then exercise your constitutional right to work somewhere else.
@ O. Berkeley:
Hear, hear!
I do see bad behavior on both sides of the counter, but how often will you see a rude agent in response to a nice customer? It is just not likely. People are human. You can say “keeping your cool” is part of the job, but when you get screamed at, blamed for things that are not your fault over and over, you develop a little sensitivity to it. The number of unreasonable customer requests — or demands — have gotten out of control, and a service worker who simply declines to accommodate that request is called rude. The traveling public is often out of control.
Can’t say anything else other than to agree with Berkeley’s comment. It’s a sad reality, and one that essentially needs both sides somehow “working” together.
Easier said than done. And I guess we’re going to continue having this discussion ’til kingdom come.
When I read the “headline” that said “Four secrets for upgrading your next vacation” I thought “great” — Chris is going to pass on some secret dope on getting moved from Coach into Business or First Class, from the Over the Dumpster Room to the Penthouse or Presidential Suite, from the Itty Bitty Little Car to the Jaguar Sedan, etc. Nope, I was the dope to thing I was doing to get such dope.
I don’t think that carping to the DOT or Congress is likely to change the way airlines do business. While some airlines might provide a better level or service than others, it seems to me that part of the problem with air travel is antiquated air traffic systems, and part seems to be we passengers insisting on the “lowest possible fare” even if it results in the “lowest possible level of service.” (For some suggestions on how to attempt to make air travel more bearable, readers might want to look at my “No Fly List” blog posts (http://bit.ly/76eytN).
If you don’t like how Car Rental Company “A” is treating you, is it realistic to to expect that walking off in a huff to the next company’s counter in the terminal is going to get you better treatment? Should you tell Company “A” to cancel your rental before finding out whether any other company has cars in your desired class available? (When I went to Phoenix last year I learned that every rental car in town had been reserved and those flying in and hoping to rent a car would be out of luck; fortunately, I had reserved a car in advance). If the car rental companies are so desperate for our business, then why are they increasing rates an adding on fees, assuming that we are guilty until proven innocent of inflicting the most innocuous little scratches (let alone major damage) to their cars, and gouging us on refueling charges? Can any reader recommend a major car rental company that operates at all of its locations world-wide on the principles that “That Customer is Always Right” and “We Value Our Customers”? If so, please pass on the name(s).
I don’t go on cruises, but I do know that you have “to read the fine print” to determine what is and what is not included not only in the price of a cruise, but also in the price of a bus or other organized tours or a vacation package. I assume that a knowledgeable travel agent can help one sort out the truth so one doesn’t learn only much later that the asterisk after the “as low as $999.99″ deal for a two-week trip means “but it will really cost you at least $5,000″ to go.
I find that a well written guidebook (and many now have more updated information on their Websites) that rates accommodations can help one avoid inadvertently booking into sub-par lodgings. Pay $15-$20 for recently published guidebook, look at the Website sfor the hotels, B&Bs, lodge,s etc., and read on-line reviews, too. (Final tip: At least in the U.S., never, ever book a room at a place that doesn’t want an advance deposit or your credit card number to hold the room for you. You’ll end up with a lumpy bed that guys in plaid shirts sleep in with their dogs during hunting season and a filthy bathroom, or a hotel that is “conveniently located” near train tracks such as the place where “Cousin Vinnie” stayed and was awakened in the wee hours of the morning by passing freight trains. I’ve made this mistake twice and had both of these travel experiences. The retelling of these tales of woe amuse my friends, but it was no laughing matter to live through them).
Scott – I must respectfully disagree with one portion of your comment – “but how often will you see a rude agent in response to a nice customer? It is just not likely.” Sadly, it’s this exact behavior which occurs all too often today. I once had an AA check-in agent at DFW yell at me and my wife. Our infraction? Stepping too close to the bag drop counter before my wife’s name was called (the two of us didn’t say a word to the agent; we did nothing to provoke her). I can point out to plenty of other examples of airline employees especially being rude or abusive towards customers, without any provocation on the part of the customer. Who knows, maybe another customer before was rude to the employee – but that gives them no excuse to be rude in turn to a totally innocent bystander who walks by later.
@ Scott – “I do see bad behavior on both sides of the counter, but how often will you see a rude agent in response to a nice customer? It is just not likely.”
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –
Every day at US Airways at their PHX operations.
Chris wrote an excellent article, Where’s the Service?, http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/insider-text/2, at the National Geographic Traveler which I think hit the nail on the head.
Chris wrote “the Internet may be the biggest culprit of them all; it mostly replaced the ranks of travel agents and turned every travel experience except the super-luxurious into a commodity. In this new world, service takes a backseat to price.” I agree…travel has become a commodity not an experience. It seems like most travel providers do not know how to sell its value, how to sell its unique value proposition and etc…instead they just cut prices and services to match the discounters.
Also, Chris wrote “The prevailing customer attitude is rude, entitled, and occasionally, abusive. It’s an attitude I encounter more and more. So what if the ticket is nonrefundable—I want my money back! Who cares if I paid for a courtyard room—I deserve oceanview accommodations! Don’t you dare charge me for the dent I put in my rental car—it’s the cost of doing business! It isn’t just that we want more; we want more than we deserve. The most common request is from airline passengers who are delayed because of thunderstorms or faulty equipment. It’s not enough that the airline offers meal and hotel vouchers for the inconvenience—passengers feel entitled to compensation for the half day of their missed vacation, and they want it now.” I agree…part of the problem is the consumer…the other part of the problem is the travel provider.
Airlines are airlines. Nothing is going to change – you have a unionized culture where the old, surliest and meanest people, who are just burned out on the job, are protected from layoff while the newer, or younger, or whatever adjective fits, lose their jobs first and simply leave the airline industry. Thats why you see mostly old battleaxes on the main line carriers today.
Car rentals – do not accept a beat old clunker with nasty tobacco smells or worse. Leave the car and go to the counter and demand another one. Tell them you have an allergy and could have a reaction to the tobacco smell, or you have asthma if they give you any guff at all. They should say, sorry, here is another car. They ALWAYS have a car. Don’t EVER buy the we are sold out excuse since if you are member of the double secret Black Platinum club , you don’t NEED a reservation and they WILL have a car for you.
Hotels – if the room you get is next to the elevator or ice machine or the teenagers on spring break – do not accept it. Make sure you are aware what the room description says: “A relaxing 220ft square feet with court yard views” and you get a 10×20 noisy room with loud noises and a view of brick wall – again – they ALSO have rooms and if they do not – they have suites – ask for a one night upgrade at their expense until they find you are room fitting their description.
Cruises – easiest way to prevent problems is do not take one. I know – some people love them – and post their towel animal pictures and their cute Indonesian cabin steward who would rob them blind if they encountered him on a street corner in Jakarta – but the fine print is extensive, many many people get sick on the boats – hygiene leaves ALOT to be desired and they are pricey vacations if you intend to consume alcohol, leave the ship or eat anything other than dining room slop or carbohydrate laden buffet food.
Kinda makes staying in B&Bs [not the froofy ones but the ones from the old days where you stayed in someones home] look better every day, renting a car from rent a wreck or some local guy where at least your expectations are as low as the prices . . . and you really meet some neat people.
Just wanted you to know that Travel Agents do not get “10% of your booking”. The cruise line pays us about 10% of the BASE fare. That is before taxes, airfare and transfers. Most of the time this works our to about 5% to 6% of the total.
Cruises pay travel agents the lowest commissions in the industry and it takes the longest to book and maintain. Most agents are starting to charge small fees because of the work involved in booking and maintaining the cruise. As a travel agent, it is my job to make sure if a sale comes out after they book it is my obligation to get them that lower price, hence a lower commission. I also do their pre board registration or Fast Passes since that is why I feel they are using us.
All Inclusive vacations are the best way to avoid dipping into your wallet, everything is included, drinks, taxes and tips.
{ 2 trackbacks }