Since I’m a C-19 sicko and they really don’t want me on their planes, I started what I thought was the cancellation process on their website Wednesday. I even uploaded a PDF of my diagnosis paper per the website request to consider refunds. But as of this morning, the trip is still showing in My Trips and I got notified it was time to check in.
I’ve gone at them two ways this morning. First, I’ve been on hold with the Skymiles member service line for 1 hr 55 minutes and counting. Second, I’ve been had an open chat box with an “agent,” which is obviously really a computer program, for 1 hr 40 minutes and counting. That at least asked me if I still needed help about 10 minutes ago. Kind of a dumb question since they’ve never provided any response.
When we were in Europe in July we tried to ask a simple question about bag check-in and it took 14 hours to get the answer. When we finally were able to communicate with a human, it was dealt with in 2 minutes. I don’t blame the front liners there, but I do blame the upper management. They got a boatload of PPP money. It would be interesting to see where it went. There was also a mass email last week crowing about their intent to hire 1300 more customer service agents. I’ll bet that’s a challenge. Who would want a job where you’ve got fed up customers to talk to eight hours a day? (For the record, I’m always nice to those front liners; it’s not their fault and they’re doing the best they can.)
Our cruise that we were supposed to take in November got cancelled. The cruise line provided a refund. The airline would only give us credit for another flight (which has to be used by the end of 2022). Airlines suck.
Got it solved! Someone came on the phone line after 2 hrs 10 minutes. It took them about 15 more minutes to resolve the cancellation and the refund issue. It turns out the website cancellation system did not do it correctly. I’m anxiously awaiting their satisfaction email where I can praise the lady who helped but rip on them for these idiotic wait times.
We have a Hawaii trip in November that hopefully doesnt get cancelled like it did last year.
Our return flight from Maui had a 8:00 pm flight from Maui to Honolulu, then a 10:00 pm flight direct to SLC.
Delta recently notified us of a change. Our first leg stayed the same, and our flight from Honolulu to the mainland was now an 8:00 AM flight, with a layover in LA. It would be a 24 hour trip.
When we checked other flights for better options, and there was another flight from Honolulu to SLC that night. Their rescheduling AI (more like AS, AF) chose the worst possible alternative for us.
Companies are hoping AI is the future. That future is a long way of from being effective or profitable.
Last time I had to call Delta, I got the standard “we’re experiencing heavy call volume” message. They asked if I wanted to schedule a call-back, which I did.
I suspect that happened for our return from Europe, too. I got the email that there had been a change and didn’t think much of it since those are usually changes of a few minutes. When I finally did look a week before we left it actually had bumped our flight back out of Amsterdam 24 hours. Literally the same flight a day later. Luckily we could be flexible enough to just book a hotel at the AMS airport, which as it turned out was also the location for our required C-19’ test to allow us to come home.
I think they’ve gotten so big they can’t manage it all anymore. Customer service was better in the mid-2000s when they were in bankruptcy.
I traveled every week with Delta for business for a decade, and as a Diamond Medallion Frequent Flier, rarely had any issues. I also stayed most weeks in Marriott Hotels, and again, as a Platinum Medallion stayer, had top notch service.
A little over a year after making a career change, and losing the high status, (particularly with Delta), I had a few personal occasions to travel and was stunned at how bad the customer service tor the common man is. I knew there would be a big drop off, but had no idea it would be this big.
My guess is, that like most organizations, the airlines took another major hit in providing reasonable service during the pandemic - I cannot imagine how bad it is now…
The reality, is that these organizations cater very heavily toward those who are paying a lot for regular travel, or for those who spend the money for first class. Everyone else, well, not so much.
My big career travel years were from 2006 thru about 2011. It’s not that great of a life, but as consistently a Platinum or Golf Skymiles guy the perks and service made it tolerable. I never had to wait several hours for help on the Skymiles line until this year. Now when my wife and I travel we look longingly at the Sky Priority line, or non-line, and the sky club door, and reminisce about the good ‘ol days.
I normally travel a few times each year for work (Fortune 100 company). Delta treats us like gold because we have a travel contract for our 96,000 employees and they don’t want to lose that. Hotel and rental cars are the same way. On occasion, my wife will schedule flights on her own and we definitely see a drop in customer service.
Speaking of Hawaii; we went in June during the Covid lull. They were reluctantly relaxing restrictions but I’m hearing that’s all coming back. One of my clients in Honolulu is saying they’re talking about shutting it down like they did last year.
I went from at least bi-weekly Delta/Marriott trips for 10 years, to getting on a plane once in the past 18 months. Like you, I’ve also been quite shocked at how bad their “normal” customer service is, at both organizations.
I believe that I would have jumped on it as well. We’re supposed to fly back to SLC for a wedding reception at the end of July. I’m kinda hoping something happens so I don’t have to fly.
Oh Hell yeah! A few years back when my mother was still healthy enough to fly commercial, we got offered $1500 each to take a later flight to Rapid City that routes through MSP. My wife and I were ready to jump but my mother said, “I really want to get there earlier.” My only thought was, “Well, there goes a free buy up to business class for a trip to Europe.”