Now That's Customer Service
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Now That's Customer Service
OK So I am looking to go to Adelaide again.
So I hit the Virgin website first up but couldn't make it work, so I rang them.
As I was talking to the operator in my first couple of sentences I realised why I couldn't make the webpage work. It had become evident to me that the webpage default setting for the month field is June, and it isn't smart enough to realise that you are asking for travel on a past date.
I told the operator that I had simply made an error to that end and would go back and use the internet for booking now, and thanks for her help, to which she replied "GO HAVE ANOTHER DRINK".
I didn't protest, I went and had another drink and booked my flight with Qantas even though it was somewhat more expensive. At least the operator treated me with respect there.
Well done Virgin, Now that's customer Service.........
So I hit the Virgin website first up but couldn't make it work, so I rang them.
As I was talking to the operator in my first couple of sentences I realised why I couldn't make the webpage work. It had become evident to me that the webpage default setting for the month field is June, and it isn't smart enough to realise that you are asking for travel on a past date.
I told the operator that I had simply made an error to that end and would go back and use the internet for booking now, and thanks for her help, to which she replied "GO HAVE ANOTHER DRINK".
I didn't protest, I went and had another drink and booked my flight with Qantas even though it was somewhat more expensive. At least the operator treated me with respect there.
Well done Virgin, Now that's customer Service.........
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I would have replied with "ABSOLUTELY" but then again, thats just me.
Wonder what the reaction to that would have been, though he/she may not have been smart enough to pick up on the joke, especially if they arent smart enough to realise how important customers really are to their company.
Wonder what the reaction to that would have been, though he/she may not have been smart enough to pick up on the joke, especially if they arent smart enough to realise how important customers really are to their company.
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Ahhh prunehead…..you have touched on a subject that I would be interested in seeing the opinion of others out there who grace the far forward section of the long metal tube, or those who walk the boards, so to speak. Everyone involved in this great industry of ours, will, at one stage or another, have sampled the service of the opposition.
‘Fess up now. Let’s get some stories of the service, both on the ground and in the air, good and bad, of the various airlines around the world.
Personally, I’d like to see QF take all their FA’s out and have them sample, indiscreetly, the service that I have copped from them over, say, the past two years. Now to be fair, there has been a number of QF FA’s, in this period, that bear a special mention. Unfortunately, they are far outweighed by those that need a good swift kick in the rrr’s. eg: The two gentlemen who frolicked down the isle (terminology only) late one night on a Sydney – LAX trip some two years ago, who, one would consider, were rehearsing for the Gay Mardi Gras. Or the two lovely ladies at the QF Club in Sydney who seem to take delight in the belittling the pax of Asian origin, trying to make sense of what were and when.
On the other hand, the United chap in LAX 6 weeks ago, who couldn’t do enough for me to get to Oklahoma City, when my flight, and the one after it, had been cancelled. So he went out of his way, with a crowd in the background baying for blood (and/or USD$200.00 for the inconvenience) and rearranged my flight details so that I could make my pre-arranged appointment in Wichita (I intended to drive up from Oklahoma City). Or the AN lovely at Brisbane Golden Wings that organised a letter of introduction for me when I realised that my Membership card was out of date and the replacement had got lost in the system. Took her all of ten minutes.
Some of these may appear trivial to some, but it’s the small things that count (said the actress to the Bishop).
‘Fess up now. Let’s get some stories of the service, both on the ground and in the air, good and bad, of the various airlines around the world.
Personally, I’d like to see QF take all their FA’s out and have them sample, indiscreetly, the service that I have copped from them over, say, the past two years. Now to be fair, there has been a number of QF FA’s, in this period, that bear a special mention. Unfortunately, they are far outweighed by those that need a good swift kick in the rrr’s. eg: The two gentlemen who frolicked down the isle (terminology only) late one night on a Sydney – LAX trip some two years ago, who, one would consider, were rehearsing for the Gay Mardi Gras. Or the two lovely ladies at the QF Club in Sydney who seem to take delight in the belittling the pax of Asian origin, trying to make sense of what were and when.
On the other hand, the United chap in LAX 6 weeks ago, who couldn’t do enough for me to get to Oklahoma City, when my flight, and the one after it, had been cancelled. So he went out of his way, with a crowd in the background baying for blood (and/or USD$200.00 for the inconvenience) and rearranged my flight details so that I could make my pre-arranged appointment in Wichita (I intended to drive up from Oklahoma City). Or the AN lovely at Brisbane Golden Wings that organised a letter of introduction for me when I realised that my Membership card was out of date and the replacement had got lost in the system. Took her all of ten minutes.
Some of these may appear trivial to some, but it’s the small things that count (said the actress to the Bishop).
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NASA,
I agree wholeheartedly, it is the small things that make customers happy. This one has lost Virgin my business for perhaps forever. It is not all price that counts, and in this case it cost me a bit more to fly Q.
I also have my criticisims of Q, and lets face it the cattle class food that they serve, even rats would be insulted to eat; but at leat they havn't been rude to me of late.
SJ, As for "Guest" relations, I have always thought that the term "guest" in place of the term "customer" was a bit of a w ank. Looking it up in the dictionary, I find that it can't be used in that context. I remain a CUSTOMER, not a GUEST.
I would like to pass on a complimentary airline experience that I have recently had, and that was a BA flight from LHR-SYD. Both the food and service were restaraunt quality, and the IFE was gread; which far exceeded the companies reputation in those areas.....Well done BA
I agree wholeheartedly, it is the small things that make customers happy. This one has lost Virgin my business for perhaps forever. It is not all price that counts, and in this case it cost me a bit more to fly Q.
I also have my criticisims of Q, and lets face it the cattle class food that they serve, even rats would be insulted to eat; but at leat they havn't been rude to me of late.
SJ, As for "Guest" relations, I have always thought that the term "guest" in place of the term "customer" was a bit of a w ank. Looking it up in the dictionary, I find that it can't be used in that context. I remain a CUSTOMER, not a GUEST.
I would like to pass on a complimentary airline experience that I have recently had, and that was a BA flight from LHR-SYD. Both the food and service were restaraunt quality, and the IFE was gread; which far exceeded the companies reputation in those areas.....Well done BA
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Oh Prunehead, get over yourself. Yes a silly comment from the operator at VB, but one comment does not detract from the mostly good service that is offered. If we all decided to bouycott each company that gave bad service we would have to lock ourselves away forever.
As for me I would never fly QF internationally again due to the very poor service given coming back from Hawaii. Cabin closed down and ooops one for passenger had the audacity to get sick and ruin the 10hour break that the crew decided they were entitled too.
Guess we have all had the good and bad experiences and all companies have good and bad staff, lets hope this one was being called monitored at the time and won't do it again.
As for me I would never fly QF internationally again due to the very poor service given coming back from Hawaii. Cabin closed down and ooops one for passenger had the audacity to get sick and ruin the 10hour break that the crew decided they were entitled too.
Guess we have all had the good and bad experiences and all companies have good and bad staff, lets hope this one was being called monitored at the time and won't do it again.
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prunehead,
if the same situation had happened to me then i probably would have laughed, gone back online and booked virgin as planned.
the operator may have been trying to copy someone elses lead in a poor manner, but to me it comes down to "how" it is said.
if i'm a goose then i don't mind someone calling me a goose. granted, in the correct manner.
BTW don't be shy. call back and let your feelings be known. you may be pleasantly surprised at the response you get. most companies don't like your business walking away to the opposition.
if the same situation had happened to me then i probably would have laughed, gone back online and booked virgin as planned.
the operator may have been trying to copy someone elses lead in a poor manner, but to me it comes down to "how" it is said.
if i'm a goose then i don't mind someone calling me a goose. granted, in the correct manner.
BTW don't be shy. call back and let your feelings be known. you may be pleasantly surprised at the response you get. most companies don't like your business walking away to the opposition.
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Given that VB's entire market positioning is based around an "irreverent" (sic?) attitute, it probably was just a ham fisted attempt at humour.
The problem comes when people like myself who do like a laugh at appropriate times are in a hurry and just want to complete the transaction and be on our way. At that time I would walk past the VB's of this world and look for professionalism every time...
Edited cos I cant spel.
[ 20 August 2001: Message edited by: notmyC150 ]
The problem comes when people like myself who do like a laugh at appropriate times are in a hurry and just want to complete the transaction and be on our way. At that time I would walk past the VB's of this world and look for professionalism every time...
Edited cos I cant spel.
[ 20 August 2001: Message edited by: notmyC150 ]
Exceptional customer service experiences happen every day, we just don't hear about them. Remember the rule, a happy customer will tell 5 people about their experience, an un-happy customer will tell 20 people.
When I was at Qants, there was a letter written by a business man detailing one of the most exceptional customer service experiances. The exact details are a but fuzzy now, but here's the jist of the story.
A good few years ago, there was a businessman in Rome who got a frantic call from his wife, to say that their 23 year old daughter was gravely ill in Canberra hospital after an accident and was not expected to live 24 hrs.
He rang Qantas reservations and attempted to change his ticket and was told there were no seats available. Apon explaining his predicament, the res sales agent told to "leave it with her and she's get back within an hr". Half an hour later she called him back to say he was on the next flight out of Rome and was upgraded to 1st class.
As that aircraft was continuing on to Melbourne, an airside transfer was organised at Bankok(the Sydney aircraft was held on the ground so the man could connect with it).
About halfway between Bankok and Sydney, the captain was able to get a satelight patch through to the hospital in canberra allowing the man to talk to the doctors direct from the aircraft. The prognosis had got worse and the doctors urged the man to get to the hospital as urgently as possible, the daughter was not expected to live more than a few hrs.
After landing in Sydney, the captain realising he lived in Bowral(about halfway to Canberra from Sydney) decided to drive the man in his own car from the airport to Bowral where the captains wife met them and continued driving the businessman the rest of the way.
The good news of the story is I belive the daughter lived and ultimately had a full recovery.
When I was at Qants, there was a letter written by a business man detailing one of the most exceptional customer service experiances. The exact details are a but fuzzy now, but here's the jist of the story.
A good few years ago, there was a businessman in Rome who got a frantic call from his wife, to say that their 23 year old daughter was gravely ill in Canberra hospital after an accident and was not expected to live 24 hrs.
He rang Qantas reservations and attempted to change his ticket and was told there were no seats available. Apon explaining his predicament, the res sales agent told to "leave it with her and she's get back within an hr". Half an hour later she called him back to say he was on the next flight out of Rome and was upgraded to 1st class.
As that aircraft was continuing on to Melbourne, an airside transfer was organised at Bankok(the Sydney aircraft was held on the ground so the man could connect with it).
About halfway between Bankok and Sydney, the captain was able to get a satelight patch through to the hospital in canberra allowing the man to talk to the doctors direct from the aircraft. The prognosis had got worse and the doctors urged the man to get to the hospital as urgently as possible, the daughter was not expected to live more than a few hrs.
After landing in Sydney, the captain realising he lived in Bowral(about halfway to Canberra from Sydney) decided to drive the man in his own car from the airport to Bowral where the captains wife met them and continued driving the businessman the rest of the way.
The good news of the story is I belive the daughter lived and ultimately had a full recovery.
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In this industry - passengers can boycott a whole airline forever just because of the treawtment they receive on one flight. They may have been treated like royalty for the 10 flight they had previously, but one bad custoemr service experience wipes all that out!
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I recently had my first flight with VB out of Brisbane.
Fabulous crew, they all seemed to actually enjoy their work. Something that I have rarely if ever seen with QF or AN, I would definitely fly with them again.
As for internationals? Emirates gets the nod every time...the Aussie airlines could learn a lot from having friendly crew that realise that they are not doing you a favour by letting you on their aircraft.
The inflight entertainment is also light years ahead of poor old Qantas. Granted I've only flown on the 767's for the past 4 years (internationally) but it's like getting off a state of the art aircraft (from a pax viewpoint) and onto a steam driven bird. :cool
Fabulous crew, they all seemed to actually enjoy their work. Something that I have rarely if ever seen with QF or AN, I would definitely fly with them again.
As for internationals? Emirates gets the nod every time...the Aussie airlines could learn a lot from having friendly crew that realise that they are not doing you a favour by letting you on their aircraft.
The inflight entertainment is also light years ahead of poor old Qantas. Granted I've only flown on the 767's for the past 4 years (internationally) but it's like getting off a state of the art aircraft (from a pax viewpoint) and onto a steam driven bird. :cool
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We will always have bad experiences and we will always have good experiences. But as has already been said, it is the bad experiences that stick in our mind more (because we are paying for good service). I recently flew QF on the Kangaroo route from London, the crew on the first leg were great but the crew on the second leg had obviously not slept well because they were predominantly rude. The same can be said about every other airline, everyone has their good and bad days. It happens with every service encounter you have!
Domestically in Australia, I have flown all of them, and can say VB is the only one that hasn't rubbed me the wrong way yet. Domestically in the US, make sure you fly Southwest (crew are just like VB). Domestically in Europe - Easyjet wins hands down. Once you get international though, there are plenty of airlines who have their moments...
All I say is, Never Say Never!!!
Prunehead...I had a similar experience trying to book VB, so I called up their operator and she booked my flight over the phone and didn't hesitate...
It isn't the disgruntled customer that loses, it is the company that loses, especially if you complain and they don't do anything about it...
Domestically in Australia, I have flown all of them, and can say VB is the only one that hasn't rubbed me the wrong way yet. Domestically in the US, make sure you fly Southwest (crew are just like VB). Domestically in Europe - Easyjet wins hands down. Once you get international though, there are plenty of airlines who have their moments...
All I say is, Never Say Never!!!
Prunehead...I had a similar experience trying to book VB, so I called up their operator and she booked my flight over the phone and didn't hesitate...
It isn't the disgruntled customer that loses, it is the company that loses, especially if you complain and they don't do anything about it...
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pprunehead GET A LIFE MATE! If youre such a sap, that a little 'joke' like that would turn you away from VB, then give it time and Im sure you will be taking the bus soon,as you have put down VB and Q in the same sentence,so your fast running out of carriers(god help you when you give Ansett a go),we will all sit back and wait for the flack.You sound like a sooky prat.
I hope the beautifull banquet on Q was worth the extra $$
I hope the beautifull banquet on Q was worth the extra $$
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Im sorry nasa,but people like pprunehead really do become tiresome. Whinge,whinge is all you hear out some peoples mouths.Im sorry if you thought I was to harsh on the poor sensitive chap. 
