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Don’t bother calling with your travel complaints
If you do give feedback, be specific and realistic — and keep your cool
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United Airlines is putting the kibosh on calling in with complaints.
Last week the airline confirmed that, come April, it will disconnect the phone line to a foreign call center contracted to field customer compliments and complaints. Customers with issues to discuss will still be able to call the airline’s general 800-number but, as anyone who’s tried navigating United’s (or any airline’s) automated phone tree knows, the focus there is on selling tickets and tweaking reservations.
From here on out, even if you get through to a live United Airlines agent, you’ll likely be told to send post-flight comments, good or bad, in old-fashioned letter form or via e-mail.
Why quit answering the phone?
United Airlines spokesperson Robin Urbanski says the company did research on the success of the feedback line and concluded that “people who e-mail or write us are more satisfied with our responses.”
However, many travelers, hospitality industry experts and folks in the field view the call-center closure as a cost-cutting measure and yet another step away from focusing on customer care.
In a tough economy, when keeping every customer you’ve got is more important than ever, United’s move puzzles folks like Zeke Adkins of Luggage Forward, a door-to-door luggage shipping company. “What is unclear to me is how this [research] led United to conclude that eliminating, rather than improving, their call centers would be the best strategic decision.”
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Others suspect that as the economy worsens and budgets tighten, live customer-service centers will disappear elsewhere as well. But that’s doesn’t mean well-mannered travelers should stop giving feedback on service. We may just need to learn some new skills — and sharpen some old ones.
“It’s a skill that anyone can master and everyone should,” says Betsy Whitmore of Angie’s List, a Web site that invites consumers to rate and review companies and services. “Whether it’s travel, home improvement or restaurant service, not speaking up about bad or good service is a disservice to you and the company involved.”
Whitmore is right, says John Crotts, director of the hospitality and tourism management program at the College of Charleston. “Customers or guests who complain are a business’s best friend. They are telling you where your problems are and giving you the opportunity to correct mistakes, thereby keeping their loyalty.” His advice to travelers: “Speak up!”
How to give feedback
OK, we will. And if no one answers the phone, we’ll put our issues in writing using some of these tips from well-mannered, experienced travelers and experts in the field:
• Don’t yell. When writing your complaint letter, always keep your cool, says customer service consultant Esteban Kolsky. “While calling someone names in a letter may help you feel better, it does not improve your odds of getting what you want — it actually does the opposite.” Business travel expert Chris McGinnis agrees. “Write your emotion-packed ‘I'll never use you again’ letter first, then put it in a drawer and re-write it later.” He adds, “Keep things short and sweet. Include an ‘executive summary’ at the top of the letter, show the details below, but never, ever more than a single page.”
• Be specific. When complaining to an airline, Anne Banas of SmarterTravel.com says be clear about the details of your experience and very specific about what you want to happen. “Always ask for some form of compensation and attach an appropriate dollar figure. Of course, this is easy if your loss was tangible, but even if it is not, come up with a figure for inconvenience and hassle. Do you want a voucher for future travel? More frequent flyer miles? A check? An upgrade next time you travel?”
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