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Here’s the response I got from United re: my trip to see my mother that was a nightmare– thanks to absolutely horrible customer service from both United and USAir. (The details of trip are below) But I have to say, as I hear experts debate how these recent terror threats will impact the bottom line of airlines, I can’t say I feel for them. I always like to support businesses- it’s what makes our country operate. But when customer service, which does not cost a dime, can’t be achieved… how business strategy, let alone safety procedures be achieved. I will not stop telling anyone and everyone about this experience!!
United
Dear Ms. Davidson:
The Department of Transportation as asked our office to respond to your recent complaint registered with them. I am sorry for any misunderstanding about the ticket you recently purchased for Ms. Peg Care and regret the difficulties that you and Ms. Care experienced on December 6 at Philadelphia’s airport.
We realize that at times we are not doing as well as we should be in assisting our customers with their reservations and tickets. Your comments will be shared with our Philadelphia management, so they understand how this experience felt from your point of view and can follow up with their teams to ensure more support in the future. We appreciate your candid feedback very much as this allows us to share your experiences and to learn from them.
Regardless of the reasons for the inconvenience, our agents certainly could have done more to acknowledge the situation, to be empathetic and to better assist you.
Ms. Davidson, while I can’t undo the circumstances that you and Ms. Care experienced, please accept the attached electronic travel certificates as a gesture of good will. The certificate numbers and the terms and conditions are below. Also I have opened up Ms. Care’s ticket 016 2199 573 044, so that she may apply it to future travel. Please remember when exchanging the ticket that it should reflect her name as it appears on her government issued I.D.
We look forward to welcoming you and Ms. Care onboard United in the near future.
Sincerely,
Donita Mincey
Customer Relations
Here is the response I received from US Airways. Do you think they sound like they really even care?
Dear Ms. Davidson:
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We appreciate hearing from our customers and having an opportunity to address their concerns.
Please accept my apology for the disappointing service you and Margaret Care received. Our customers deserve a pleasurable experience each and every time they fly with us, and I am sorry this trip did not meet your expectations. Your comments regarding our service are important, and we appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your experience.
Your tickets were purchased on ticket stock of our codeshare partner United Airlines. Therefore, any changes or reimbursement would be under their control and they would have made the changes to Margaret Cares’ ticket under their policy guidelines. We do apologize that you were not immediately directed to the correct ticket counter to reissue Margaret Cares’ ticket and was glad to hear that Terrance was able to provide some assistance to you during this ordeal.
Although Ms. Care gave up her seat, on the subsequent flight, we do not offer compensation unless it is designated an oversold flight. Under those circumstances, she would be asked by the agents to relinquish her seat and provided compensation according to the denied boarding policy.
Again , we apologize for any inconvenience caused you and Margaret Care. We appreciate and value your business. We’re working hard to earn your continued patronage. I sincerely hope we have an opportunity to restore your confidence in our service.
Sincerely,
Sandra May
Representative, Customer Relations
US Airways Corporate Office
For those of you who don’t know what happened- here is the story:
A trip to visit my sick mother. Made reservations for myself and friend Peg Care. TSA personell turns us away because they don’t accept Peg as a nickname for Margaret- which is the name on her license and passport, both of which she shows. We go back to ticketing for US Air, wait for a half an hour in a line. The agent says a supervisor has to be called. We wait another 15 minutes for the supervisor to tell us “She’s not flying today.” I say, “don’t we have any other options?” Response:no. I say, “what if ibuy her another ticket?”. She says, ‘the flight is booked”… to which I respond that one of those seats is being held for Peg Care. The supervisor finaly admits that’ll work. Then I get out my credit card to be told, “Oh, I can’t help you, you’ll have to get back in that line and see one of my ticketing agents.”
We get back in line for another 20 minutes and are finally dealing with the only US Air employee who gave us any customer service all week. Terrence (counter in Philly) tells us that United, who issued the ticket (it was a code share flight) could have easily re-issued the ticket and that the USAir supervisor should have sent us there right away. By now, it is 30 minutes before the flight is supposed to depart. I pay for *another ticket*. Terrence tells us he’ll make a special notation so United can see what happened.
We run to the gate, to find the flight delayed because a baggage carrier ran into the cargo door. Then the flight is subsequently cancelled. We wait in line to be re-booked, and are told that my friend Peg now has a ticket on the 5:55pm flight, and I am on stand-by.
Of course the flight was overbooked, so I could not get on, so Peg gave up her ticket so we could both fly on the 8:35pm flight. She asked if she would get a voucher for giving up her ticket and was told no. But she gave up her ticket… NO.
5 hours after were were supposed to depart Philly, we were able to fly out on the 8:35 flight. How disappointing.
Return:
I call United to make sure I can get a ticket re-issued for her for the return flight and was told that a notation was never made in the system. So since they had her as a no-show for the flight out to Phoenix, they canceled her for the flight back. And a supervisor, Arnie, told me there was no way they could re-issue the ticket because the TSA has a list of acceptable nicknames. When I questioned that, she wanted to give me the 800 number for the TSA and not help me. I said that I would call TSA at a later date and had to buy another ticket at a price of more than $500! I did ask that day when I checked in with the TSA if they had a list. They do not. Not sure where Arnie got that information.
I cover business so I know the economic factors the airlines are up against, I’m just not sure that customer service can cost that much..
Tags: complaint, tracy's blog, united, us air
Comments
Hello Tracy. i think that is a discrace. how they treay people. you should both get your money back. i would of went off for sure. good luck let us all know how you make out
#Margaret, being my ‘given’ name…all I can say is that it was a monumental inconvenience to an already stressfull trip…What is US thinking? That there are no other options for flyers…WRONG! If they are in trouble, there were about 6 documentabal reasons why they are in that position..I, personally, will NEVER fly US Air unless someone else buys the ticket!
#Un-officially, Philadelphia is one of the worst airports there is, and USAir flies the same flag! I won’t even comment on cutomer service or TSA!
#It seems that your problem began with the TSA. Your problem was mostly their fault for not recognizing Peg and a nickname for Margaret. If they did recognize it then you would have no problem at all with your flight. I would have asked to see the list. There isn’t one on the TSA web site. After you got the ticket re-issued as Peg, the remaining problems were due to the cargo door being damaged and flights being booked. It seems to me though that a few of US Air counter personnel need to be trained in a few areas.
All of my previous jobs dealt with customer service or customer facing situations. Sometimes the answer is no. Many times it is more in how you say it rather than the actual no. I probably would have been fired for providing the answers that you received.
BTW I know of a woman who had problems cashing a check because the teller would not recognize Trish as a nickname for Patricia. The teller insisted that if her name was Patricia then people would call her Pat not Trish.
I think bottom line is don’t use nicknames as your name.
Here is something from the TSA web site regarding your friends situation.
“Q. If the name printed on my boarding pass is different than what appears on my government ID, will I still be able to fly?
A. Secure Flight is a behind-the-scenes process that TSA and airlines collaborate on to compare the information you provide against government watch lists. The additional data elements that you may be asked to provide, such as date of birth and gender, serve to better differentiate you from individuals on the government watch list.
Due to difference in boarding pass systems, boarding passes may not always display the exact name you provided when booking your travel. The name you provide when booking your travel is used to perform the watch list matching before a boarding pass is ever issued, so small differences should not impact your travel. You should ensure that the name provided when booking your travel matches the government ID that you will use when traveling. Small differences between the passenger’s ID the passenger’s reservation information, and the boarding pass (such as the use of a middle initial instead of a full middle name or no middle name/initial at all, hyphens or apostrophes) should not cause a problem for the passenger.”
Here’s the link: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/secureflight/index.shtm
Sorry you had such a bad experience in such a trying time.
I expect the answer that you received was “Sorry, but we did everything according to the book.”
Bruce
#I think this thing got way out of hand. Although, The ticket should of been written as Margaret (your given name), the way they handled it was atrocious! The only time you get a voucher for giving up your seat is if “they” ask you to. Since you gave it up because you wanted to fly with Tracy, they are not obligated. I am just giving a different perspective, I am not trying to be non sympathetic to what happened because I am and do feel bad for what you went through. These are just some things they may tell you so I want you to have a good comeback for them. It was horrible what happened and I find that company to be most rude. They are also paired with America West and they are also not doing their jobs.
#Just heard the story of Mike Jerrid interviewing the poor man who thought him and his wife were flying usAir over the weekend to see the Pope and the mess that happened to them…give me southwest anyday….
#I have never had a problem with them This is just for you Tracie..realize you are not going to mention another tv station, just wanted to let you know.
Its unfortnate that you and your friend were literally given the run around and all it cost was frustration. I had stuff stolen out of luggage out of Philly and the customer services is one to be desired, I will say this I know some people perfer their nicknames versus their given name, but I would never use a nickname especially when flying it just creates aggrevation and a hassel that could have been avoided.
#I had a feeling about what their response would be. I just love companies that are part of other companies pass the buck, don’t you?
#The fact that one of their drivers damaged the cargo door was the reason that the next flight was overfull..whether it was overbooked or overfull was still their responsibility…I think that US air just doesn’t care…from the ticket agents to the CEO…how are they justifying charging you over 600. to fly back from Az. when they mistakenly cancelled my ticket to return home on the other end?
#You’re surprised by their response – I’m not! I am more inclined to write a letter when I get EXCEPTIONAL customer service. We have come to expect mediocre or bad customer service as the norm. I know it’s not right.
And – this really all started when the customer service person ticketing your flight issued the ticket to “Peg” rather than asking if that was her given name on her passport. Since my given name is Beth – not Elizabeth – I am asked that all the time when booking travel.
A comedy of errors all around!
And – for future reference – my travel agent once told me that, if your flight is cancelled, don’t wait in the line at the airport to be re-booked – along with everyone else. Head to the nearest phone and call the airline reservation line. You have a better chance of getting on flight quicker!
#USair has made it so unpleasant to fly from Phila. that we now drive the extra distance to fly out of Newark on Continental. We have done it several times over the past year. So far they have been great! My husband had a problem with United when the flight never left due to mechanical problems. The passengers boarded, started to taxi & the pilot returned to the gate because of an engine problem. They made everyone deplane until it was repaired. My husband ended up cancelling his meeting & not getting back on the plane. Would you want to fly on a plane that had engine problems aside from the long delay. United would not refund the first class,full fare, fully refundable ticket because they said he checked in. However after being on hold for 45 minutes they finally credited his return portion. No wonder the airlines are having such problems!
#Do you Want to say something?