No one likes to be wrong, especially when you write the best darned travel column in American journalism. So when a flight attendant flagged an inaccuracy in one of my recent stories, my heart skipped a beat.
Read more “5 things that need to be fixed in travel now”
Tag: RULES
Are tarmac delay rules backfiring?
On a Valentine’s Day almost nine years ago, an ice storm changed the course of an entire industry. Hundreds of flights were unexpectedly grounded, leaving some planes stranded on the tarmac for as much as 11 hours. Toilets overflowed, food was scarce and tempers frayed.
Read more “Are tarmac delay rules backfiring?”
Should companies break their own rules? Yes, and here’s when …
Last week, when I suggested that consumers should sometimes apologize to a company, a few of you thought I had completely lost it.
You believed I’d gone soft or turned into a corporate shill — or both — for suggesting that sometimes you should apologize to a business.
So today, in the interest of fairness, I’ll look at the flip side: when companies should offer a no-questions-asked refund on a product, even though they aren’t required to.
A recent study by researchers at the University of Vermont and the University of Iowa found that retailers with restrictive exchange policies may be losing potential business, a finding that should find some traction among highly competitive businesses.
Read more “Should companies break their own rules? Yes, and here’s when …”
Why don’t we end the silly rules that make flying a misery?
I see it every day. A reader contacts me asking for help with a refund on a nonrefundable airline ticket or to change the name on an unchangeable reservation or to get their expired airline miles unexpired. Common sense tells you it shouldn’t be a problem. But spend a little bit of time studying the rules, and you’d know it is.
Ah, rules. They’re dense, cryptic, wrapped in legalese. But they do not apply to all customers.
A small subset of air travelers has taken the time to obsessively study every restriction, paragraph and clause. They often spend hours figuring out a creative way around those silly roadblocks that are meant to extract more money from customers. They get “free” airline tickets, as they did last week. That doesn’t make these “hackers” better or more deserving of the preferred treatment they get — they’re just better-informed.
Read more “Why don’t we end the silly rules that make flying a misery?”
Changing the rules of engagement (for the better, let’s hope)
It’s been an interesting few months for this site. Late last year we introduced a crew of volunteer moderators and a few simple rules of engagement.
But like everything else, both the rules and the roles played by the moderators evolved.
Today, I’m proposing to clarify some of the rules of engagement and to more clearly define what the moderators do.
Until now, we’ve had a very succinct comment policy and no real definition of moderator duties.
Read more “Changing the rules of engagement (for the better, let’s hope)”