How to get the service you deserve

By Joel Widzer

Travel columnist

We all mess up sometimes. The world traveler may forget his ticket, and even a five-star hotel can lose your reservation. When mishaps happen, the best travel providers will often go out of their way to make amends. After all, their reputations are at stake. The circumstances of the mishap and the way you present your case will determine what happens next. With patience and courtesy, a knowledgeable traveler can sometimes turn misfortune to advantage.

Quality travel companies strive to maintain a credible reputation for providing exceptional service. An unhappy customer is the last thing they want at their door. Every mistake and mix-up, then, gives rise to two opportunities: one for the company, to uphold its reputation, the other for the customer, to achieve a fair resolution. Here is some advice for striking a balance — and getting a good deal.

Take responsibility. First things first: Responsibility for the quality of your travels starts with you. Know what to expect from your airline, hotel, cruise line, tour operator or rental-car company, and you won’t be caught in a lot of misunderstandings. You’ll also learn where the benefits and perks lie.

Over the years, I have gotten to know my preferred travel providers quite well. For example, I have studied the routes that Delta Air Lines flies out of my home airport, Orange County; I’ve learned what planes are used on each route; I know which flights arrive and depart on time; and I know which flights offer the best opportunities for an upgrade. Yes, I’ve had to read a lot of fine print. But taking responsibility means I get to fly in first class for free.

Taking responsibility also means not taking advantage of your travel providers. Fox News Channel recently ran a story about a man who suffered a heart attack while reviewing his bill in a restaurant. The problem is that this was the 18th time this man happened to have a heart attack after a meal at this same restaurant. The restaurant decided not to take it anymore, and the man got free meals for the next 90 days in jail.

Attitude counts. In an earlier article (“Good Views = Lousy Service?”), I wrote about poor service at two hotels in coastal Orange County. Their respective responses speak volumes about their dedication to quality service.

When the owner of the Montage Resort & Spa read my article, he immediately dispatched an e-mail to his general manager to find out what went wrong. The general manager contacted me and expressed sincere concern, asking me how the hotel could improve and prevent future lapses of quality service. Prompt action, solicitude and a willingness to change are sure signs that goodwill really matters to a travel provider. You just have to follow their lead.

Conversely, when my friend Claudia gave my article to the manager of the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, he retorted that he knows the hotel has good service because guests tell him so. When she told him I’d received a number of e-mails from readers concurring with my assessment, he demanded that I send him some proof. Arrogance is a sure sign that a travel provider lacks consistent quality. The best providers offer top quality to every customer, whether it’s a mega-superstar or an average traveler like you and me. There is little you can do with a provider like this, except take your business elsewhere.

Ask and you might receive. Recently, my 16-year-old daughter was traveling from school in upstate New York to see her mom in Dallas. I had mistakenly booked her on an itinerary with a three-and-a-half-hour layover in Atlanta. Concerned that she would be alone on a Friday night in a busy airport, I called the Delta Crown Room in Atlanta two hours before her flight to ask if I could purchase a one-day pass so she would have a safe place to wait for her next flight. It was probably too late to contact her, so I had little hope of success. But I thought I’d ask.

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Luckily, I spoke with a Delta employee who was willing to make a champion effort. She made the arrangements in Atlanta, relayed the information to Syracuse, made sure my daughter got the message — she even waived the $50 fee for the one-day pass. All the while, she was extremely sympathetic and helpful.

My friend Lance got in a similar jam. After bragging about the low fare he had gotten just one day before a trip to Washington, D.C., he took a second look at his ticket and discovered that he had actually booked a flight three weeks hence. (I have done the same thing with hotel reservations.) Lance called the airline, explained his mistake, and got a full refund. It turns out most quality airlines and travel providers (including a few third-party Web-based providers) will refund your purchase if your plans change within 24 hours of booking.

Extra effort and consideration are signs of real quality, and customers should reward such companies with their continued patronage.

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