United Strikes Again for Poor Customer Service

I've blogged about United's poor customer service before, but they've just added to their dossier of inept handling of problems.

Here's the situation.  I had purchased "Economy Plus" seating for my daughter and son-in-law for their trip to visit us in Hawaii.  They were flying the Newark-Honolulu non-stop (ten-and-a-half hours) with a one year old, so seat selection was very important.  I spent a lot of time of the phone with an agent to get the best seats that I could: bulkhead seats so the little munchkin would have some room and not bother someone in front of them by pounding on the seat back.  A few days before the flight, my daughter checked the reservations only to find that the seats had been changed.  When she asked why, she was told that infants (laps) couldn't sit in a bulkhead seat.  This is despite the fact that when I booked the seats the agent was well aware that an infant would be traveling (which is why I wanted those particular seats in the first place). 

I called United to try to straighten it out.  I first got an agent who simply said that nothing could be done.  Now, anyone that knows anything about customer service knows that there's always something that can be done.  The agent also didn't offer an apology.  An apology is always in order even if the situation can't be fixed.  At the very least, the company should be apologizing for whatever caused the customer's frustration.

I then asked to speak to a supervisor.  After being on hold for some time, the agent came back on the phone and said the supervisor wouldn't come on the line because "nothing can be done."  Wow.  I'm pretty sure that's not United's policy, so I said that I would like to speak to the supervisor anyway. 

After another long wait on hold, the supervisor came on the line.  I had to provide my customer identification information (again).  There was no apology.  She informed me that, per the terms of the contract of carriage (an official set of rules), the airline could change seating assignments.  Now, I've been in the travel business and I know they can change seat assignments ... but my big question was why wasn't anyone informed??  I was told the airline has no requirement to do that.  Also true.  But wouldn't good customer service indicate that you should communicate with customers even if you're not required to communicate with customers??

The supervisor also cited all the lines that drive customers crazy.  "I don't make the rules."  "It's our policy."  "The rules don't require this."  I suggested several ways that the situation could be resolved.  A refund.  Blocking an empty seat in the same row.  Reward miles.  All these were "not possible" according to the supervisor.  I asked what was possible ... and the answer was "nothing." 

United has pretty much been in the cellar when it comes to rating airlines for customer service.  They obviously need to train their agents and supervisors.  A few years ago, a disgruntled United passenger produced a youtube video about his experience ("United Breaks Guitars") which got millions of hits.  It should be required viewing for all United agents. 

If Marketing is the Problem ... Can It Be the Solution, Too?

Today is earth day, a great time to think about sustainability.  In Hawaii, before Western contact, the islands were totally self-sustaining.  They grew or harvested everything they needed for hundreds of thousands of people. 

Admittedly, the islands have grown a lot.  There are now about 1.4 million residents and about 180,000 visitors on an average day.  But, the islands have changed from an ecosystem that grew its own food to a market that imports about 90% of its food needs.  Even though we have some of the most potentially productive agricultural land on the planet, we import most of our produce, eggs, meat (and even seafood). 

If you take a step back and look at the big picture, the reason for this state of affairs is really marketing.  Marketers have developed highly efficient distribution systems that can bring fresh produce and dairy products from the west coast inexpensively.  Marketers have fostered mass production of commodities like lettuce, milk and eggs which provide the consumer with a low price for products sourced from the industrial farms on the mainland.  Marketers have also promoted the value of processed/packaged foods and national brands which come from the giant packaged foods manufacturers like Kraft, Procter & Gamble, Purdue Chickens, etc., etc.

With all that marketing power, is it any wonder that local food production has suffered?  Locally grown food is more expensive ... and it doesn't have the cachet of national brands.  A double whammy.

But, what if marketing were employed to change the equation?  What if marketing created more efficient distribution channels to get local produce to market?  The rise of farmers' markets is an indicator that this is possible.  What if marketing convinced people that they should prefer local products ... because they're fresher and more nutritious (and, incidentally, support sustainability for the state)?

Of course, it isn't easy to change behavior (especially when the current model of off-shore production of food results in lower prices at the check-out).  But, people will pay more for something that they value.  Whole Foods is testimony to that.

All we have to do is develop an integrated program (all the four Ps of marketing ... Product, Promotion, Distribution, and Price) that provide the consumer with a reason to buy local.

Can we change behavior?  Mothers Against Drunk Driving did with their red ribbon campaign.  There are lots of examples of using marketing to change behavior.  So, I'm sure - with concerted effort - we can create a demand for locally produced food products in Hawaii.    

Crazy Customer Communications

A little while ago, we spent a very nice week end in Hilo.  We stayed in a nice little inn near the volcano ... and since Hawaii is the BIG ISLAND we rented a car from Budget and enjoyed driving all over the place.  We turned the car in at the end of our trip ... and the transaction was uneventful.

Three weeks later, I got a letter (a real, snail-mail letter) from the "Budget Vehicle Damage Control Department."  It read ...

Dear Frank Haas:

The investigation process of the damages incurred during your rental period indicates that we did not receive sufficient information upon your return.  Please complete the information below:

Location of Accident:
Date of Accident:
Injuries?  Y/N
Name of Person Injured:
Police Case #:
Witness #1:  #2:
Name of Other Vehicle Operator:

(and more ... ) 

Needless to say I was surprised.  Stunned, really.  Injuries?  Police report?  Date and location of accident?  There was no accident.  So I wrote to Budget, telling them that the report was sent in error.
This is the reply that I got:

Thank you for response to our inquiry letter. Our department is conducting an audit of the location. When a vehicle is taken down for repair, our system (at our corporate office in Virginia Beach, VA) automatically generates an inquiry letter to the prior renter. You were the last renter and we are trying to find out the condition of the vehicle during your rental period.

It is not a letter of accusation or an invoice; however, it is a universal form where renters can document if the vehicle was rented with damage, if there was an accident or incident or if the vehicle was returned without damage.  We investigate damages for vehicles from our locations all over the U.S. Without documentation on file, the letter will automatically be generated (from our system at our corporate office in Virginia) to the first prior renter to inquire about the condition of the vehicle; therefore the letter is not sent in error.

If they were trying to find out the condition of the vehicle ... why not say so?  Why send what looks like an accident report?  Couldn't they use a cover letter?  Is the language in the reply really customer-friendly?  "Therefore the letter is not sent in error" is essentially saying that "we're right and you're wrong."

I wonder who in the corporate suite authorized this?  Or, a more troubling possibility ... maybe they don't know how they're communicating with customers.

Two thumbs down, Budget Rent a Car.  
 

Unfortunate Editorial Environment ...

Advertisers spend a lot of time and effort getting their message "just right."  Sometimes, however, all that effort goes for naught when the ad is placed within an editorial environment that is "just wrong."

Click here for a link to some really funny (and unfortunate) placements.  (Be sure to use the navigation arrow on the right hand side of the image to scroll through the examples).

I once had a client who was personally interested in what's called "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM) and insisted on placing an ad for his Hawaii attraction in a new CAM magazine.  When the publication came out, his ad was placed next to a story on deep colonic enemas.  I thought it was funny ... but he certainly didn't get the editorial environment that he expected.