Ask Bonnie Friedman about her worst customer service experience, and she won’t hesitate to tell you about the time she checked in for her flight from Venice to Frankfurt.
An agent at the counter, who appeared to be on a personal phone call, ordered Friedman to return 15 minutes later.
“She never lifted her head,” she remembers. “She was just plain nasty.”
And that was only the beginning of an ugly series of exchanges between the two, in which Friedman repeatedly tried to check in and the agent ignored her. With her flight about to depart, she pleaded for help, and finally, the agent angrily issued a boarding pass, but not before informing the American that she was rude.
“I realized that arguing or losing my temper would be of no use whatsoever, so I thanked her for her help and wished her a good day,” she says.
Stories like Friedman’s are shockingly common. As the industry wraps up one of the most difficult years since the invention of the wheel, it’s taken a visible toll on the people who work in travel. You don’t have to look far to find an agitated gate agent, a surly flight attendant, an indifferent hotel worker or a mean car rental agent.
Bad service is everywhere.
The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index finds that airlines score a failing 64 percent. Hotels? Guests give them a gentleman’s “C” (75 percent). Ditto for car rental companies. Even though there aren’t any reliable customer service surveys, the one or two I’ve seen suggest no one is particularly happy with the way they’re treated at the counter.
Friedman, a fellow writer who lives in Hawaii, made her flight to Frankfurt, but others aren’t so lucky. Some are denied boarding, or removed from their flight, refused a hotel room or a car — all the while being treated worse than cargo.
I know. I had the misfortune of being on an international flight where the flight attendant had me in her crosshairs. My carry-on bag was “too big” (it was regulation size) my laptop needed to go in the overhead bin, not the seat pocket, and no, I couldn’t have the whole can of sparkling water, it was against the airline’s policy. Oh boy. At some point, I felt certain the crewmember would open the cabin door and kick me off the flight. I think she wanted to.
What do you do when you run up against a brick wall like that?
1. Don’t provoke an angry service employee.
If you’re faced with someone who is unpleasant, try to avoid a confrontation. Instead, do whatever is necessary to ease the tension — even if it means agreeing with someone who is obviously wrong. CeliaSue Hecht, a media consultant in San Francisco, recently had a run-in with a hotel manager, who forced her to wait several hours for her room and didn’t seem to care. Rather than rant against the hotel employee, she wrote a-n email complaining about her treatment. “This got me a complimentary stay, which I appreciated,” she told me.
2. Put yourself in their shoes.
Think someone is being rude? They probably feel the same way about you, says Freeman Hall, author of the new book, “Retail Hell: Confessions of a Tortured Sales Associate” (Adams Media, 2009). “They’re pointing the blame finger at each other,” he says. “What I’ve discovered after years of waiting on customers is it’s usually — not always — a misconception that occurs when the customer and service provider first encounter each other.” For example, the service provider says “hello” and the customer doesn’t respond. Or the customer thinks the salesperson is ignoring him or her. Many misunderstandings can be averted by simply acknowledging travel industry employees and empathizing with them just a little.
3. Ignorance is bliss.
When you encounter bad service, as Jenni Brand did on a recent flight from Philadelphia to Chicago, it’s easy for the situation to spiral out of control. It began when a flight attendant spilled water on her. As she tried to dry herself with a handful of napkins, the crewmember snapped at her that “it’s only water.” Brand held her tongue. “I chose to politely ignore her, because these days, the flight attendants hold all the power,” she told me. “Had I responded, I could have been deemed combative and had to deal with the authorities, or who knows what!” Then the attendant skipped her aisle for beverage service. That prompted Brand to shake her head. “Are you shaking your head at that?” the attendant demanded. At which point she realized how fortunate she had been. Openly challenging a flight attendant in a bad mood could have indeed gotten her into more trouble than she expected.
4. Try a smile.
A charm offense can be the best defense against an unhelpful ticket agent. At a time like this, everyone expects the complaints. But going positive can have shocking results. When Lori Lenz and her friend, Lisa, wrapped up a convention in Tampa, Fla., recently and tried to get home early, they were stopped by a ticket agent who demanded they pay $385 to board an early flight. Instead of whining, they tried a little nice. “She could see our disappointment,” Lenz remembers. Then the agent began typing on her terminal, and in a few moments, handed them two tickets on the next flight. “I have great friends who are named Lori and Lisa,” the agent said. “Great people with great names.” The fee to change tickets? Zero.
5. Document everything.
So you’ve tried being nice, you’ve backed down and you’ve ignored their inappropriate behavior. What if they persist? Unfortunately, that can happen. I’ve personally had to deal with vindictive employees who were hell-bent on making my trip a living hell. Elisse Goldstein-Clark has, too. She told me a chilling story about what she called the “worst airline experience of my life” that involved “perhaps the nastiest, most unhelpful, spiteful human being I have ever dealt with,” and her takeaway from the ordeal is interesting. “Control yourself, and take really good notes,” she says. Sometimes, asking for names will result in better service, but often you have to wait until getting home before drafting a brief, polite letter to the company. “That often works,” she says.
What if none of these strategies work? As a consumer advocate, I’m the first to admit that these strategies aren’t foolproof. A letter to a company is sometimes ignored. Foul-tempered employees may continue to harass you even after you’ve smiled and walked away. I’ve seen it.
I have a few suggestions on what to do next on my Web site. Better yet, you want to find a company that offers excellent customer service every time.
That’s the subject of next week’s column.
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
My personal tool for dealing with a stupid customer service agent is to use their name. Using a person’s name is a powerful tool. Hopefully it will create a personal connection will will diffuse the situation. But if not, you’ve also informed the person that they cannot hide behind anonymity. That you know their name and that you are prepared to use it in any complaint that you file.
I’ve been “busted” for having my laptop in the seat pocket too. Why on earth can I not have it there?
Using a person’s name is frequently helpful, but be careful: say the name on their name tag, don’t shorten it (i.e. if the name tag says Christopher, don’t call him Chris). It’s probably written on the name tag that way for a reason.
I don’t know why we think we need to just take it and suffer the arrogance of some flight attendants, gate agents, etc. Yes we should all be polite and nobody deserves to be yelled at or demeaned but…come on! Why should I have to kiss someone’s behind to actually get boarded on a flight I’ve paid for? If my 3 yo cries because he is scared or misses his daddy that should be a valid reason for some self righteous flight attendant to kick me off a flight?
I’m just boycotting all airlines. I’ll drive or take a bus rather than put up with being treated as subhuman by someone with an inflated ego.
What has happened with humanity? When did it get to be OK to treat folks in this manner. We are witnessing the downfall of humanity as we speak. Heaven save us all!!
Why can’t carry on items live in the seat pocket during takeoff and landing?
I asked about this and was informed that they do not want the pockets expanded too far since it’s an impediment to evacuation. Same for carryon items that extend from below the seat ahead of you. Or straps on those items that can cause trip hazards.
While I realize that arguments can be made about the efficacy of these measures, at least there is a known goal for the rules.
I have to be honest, I’ve never had a truly bad customer service experience. I’ve dealt with some surly people, and I try to stay sympathetic — but not patronizing — and I tell you, it works wonders. I remember one nightmare day at DFW, when I dealt with an obviously PO’d customer service agent who was dealing with a line of disgruntled people with missed connections. I was nice and he was obviously prepared for battle, opening by telling me that the next flight was full, and he’d put me on the standby list, but it probably wasn’t going to happen, so-there. I said, “I know you’re having a pretty bad day here. All I care about is getting back to LA tonight. Anything you can do to help, I’d really appreciate.” His response? He put me on standby on the next flight *and* gave me a seat on the flight after that. “That way, if you don’t make this one, you’ll definitely get the next one.” I even got a smile out of the guy! (And I made it out on the first flight.)
I also try to keep my expectations realistic. When United replaced our 767 with a 757, and the ticket agents had to assign one bunch of people to new seats and tell another bunch they weren’t getting on the flight, I realized it was not the time to ask for a window seat closer to the front of the plane.
Remember, these people basically get yelled at for a living. A storm hits San Francisco, and they suddenly have 200 people taking it out on them. Having some sympathy and patience always helps. — Aaron
Judy, thanks for taking your 3 year old on the bus or car! I think you should encourage all parents of young children to do the same! Those airlines are just horrible to children!
Judy; I could not be happier; heaven has solved one problem; no longer will I have to endure a 3 year old screaming on a plane for his daddy for possibly 6 hours; an angel as a flight attendant has answered one prayer .
The “bad egg” employees are both a symptom and victim of their company’s uncaring culture. Where possible, vote with your wallet!
I don’t remind having a bad service experience.
Some issue can be reviews
- First, EXPECTATION, may be I don’t have big expectation in services with the travel related industries lately, having some compassion for the global economical retreat.
- RESPECT myself before asking other for respect : Dress neatly and speak respectful but affirmative. I never raise my voice or swear. Always address other party by Mr or Mrs.
In difficult situation, I always get upgraded to upper Class or upper Floors not even asket.
Didn’t learn a thing in this article did we? I think Judy has something of a valid point, although naturally no one wants to be on her plane. But hey, lets all take the opportunity to be nasty to her. I guess it’s okay, since we’re not trying to get something out of her, though…except perhaps quieter travel in the future, eh?
Toddlers do behave inexplicably sometimes, as Chris himself can attest. No one here would want to be kicked off a flight because you were the one with that toddler, and no one here wants to be on the flight with that toddler either. What do you do?
To Christopher: You have a problem with a frequent commenter on your board, and I’m dismayed to see you doing nothing about it. “barbie45″ continually posts insulting and offensive comments, and yet you allow them to appear on your site. This is an established pattern that been going on for many weeks. Just in this article, she has posted an offensive comment directed to another commenter, about how happy she is that she won’t have to encounter them taking a child on a plane. Her comments are frequently hostile, argumentative, insulting and attacking. It is rendering your site extremely unpleasant to visit. I have taken to avoiding participating in what used to be valuable discussions, knowing that she is likely to jump in and divert it into hostility and insults.
Please do something about it and clean up the mess.
@LeeAnne I will talk with her about this issue. I’m sorry you feel the comments have turned hostile. That’s not the kind of blog I want.
On the flip side, I have seen some really nasty customers. One incident prompted me to buy some of those vending machine roses for the flight attendent at the gate. That poor woman needed some appreciation. I often wonder if brightening her day helped her pay it forward to the next frazzled encounter. She didn’t get on my plane, and I never saw her again.
Carolyn, if there were more people like you in this world, we wouldn’t NEED a “travel troubleshooter”! But then Christopher would be out of a job…and we sure don’t want that, do we? ;-)
Amen.
Thank heavens I’m not the only one who dislikes the negative comments Barbie45 makes. I’m so glad you pointed it out, LeeAnne, and that you responded so quickly, Christopher.
While I think it’s fine that Barbie45 has strong opinions about kids on airplanes, I don’t think it’s fine that she uses those opinions to insult and demean others. Just my $.02 worth.
Id on’t recall ever having a bad customer service experience on any flight or travel that I have taken. But then again, i always have a huge smile on my face and am bursting with excitement because I am going away somewhere… even if it is 5am in the morning and I really just want a cup of coffee!
I tend to just talk anyway, asking the check in clerk how on earth they manage to look so awake at this time of the morning, must have had about a million shots of espresso to look so fresh!
But I agree, politeness can go a long way, they are human too.
If you find that a frequent poster tends toward making mean, hostile comments, the easy fix would be to simply skip that post and move on to the next. I think part of their intent is to rile people up just to see who else will add more mean comments. Just ignore them and don’t play their game.
While I agree it’s best not to provoke an airline employee already upset, why are they allowed to treat anyone who crosses them like a criminal? It’s a scare tactic to promote timid travelers. No one should ever feel as if they are on the verge of being arrested simply for asking for an attendant to serve drinks in their row. Hasn’t this gotten out of control?