I'm Fed Up With Delta Airlines
I was a frequent flyer for many years. Living out of a suitcase isn't the most exciting lifestyle. But, during that time I amassed a fair amount of frequent flyer mileage. I usually tried to fly Delta where possible and recently attempted to redeem some of my accrued frequent flyer mileage. Since the internet is the great equalizer and voice of humanity in a sea of corporatism and thoughtlessness, I thought I'd air some of Delta's dirty laundry. (Many large companies have people who scour the internet and blogosphere for negative news.)
First off, Delta's customer service has become an oxymoron. I've made four calls to Delta's main number over the past few months and have waited a grand total of three hours. Yes, I started timing my calls when it became ridiculous. Two of the times the person answering the phone was unable to help me and wanted to transfer me to someone else. Both times I declined after sharing my horrid wait times with the customer service representative and politely asked them to help me. While trying to find a ticket to redeem some frequent flyer mileage, I looked out until February of 2008 on every single day and there were NO flights available with SkySaver seats available between two of the largest cities in the U.S. Not exactly talking travel to Fargo, North Dakota. I became curious and tried searching multiple cities with the same results. Zero Skysaver tickets available.
Is Delta using underhanded tactics by forcing its loyal customers to spend nearly 60,000 miles per domestic ticket to redeem SkyChoice tickets in lieu of the standard 25,000 mile SkySaver tickets? Is this an attempt to remove the obligation of accumulated frequent flyer miles from their books by forcing higher redemption mileage? There must be some legal framework under which Delta has to run its frequent flyer program. Something simple like making travel available.
When I called customer service and asked them if there was a problem, they said no. When the representative was at a loss to explain the situation, I asked if there was a process for customers to file a complaint with a customer service agent that would eventually get to that Grand Poobah in the sky; the head of customer service. Her polite answer? No. To which I responded, "Are you serious?". Just a little bit different than the response I would have received at Southwest where their employees actually give a hoot. I guess there is a reason why Southwest has been profitable for something north of thirty straight years as I recall. Delta, you might try benchmarking your customer service processes against Southwest in an attempt to remain relevant with customers. You know, those people that pay your salary? I can't wait to buy Delta stock. That's going to be a real winner.
First off, Delta's customer service has become an oxymoron. I've made four calls to Delta's main number over the past few months and have waited a grand total of three hours. Yes, I started timing my calls when it became ridiculous. Two of the times the person answering the phone was unable to help me and wanted to transfer me to someone else. Both times I declined after sharing my horrid wait times with the customer service representative and politely asked them to help me. While trying to find a ticket to redeem some frequent flyer mileage, I looked out until February of 2008 on every single day and there were NO flights available with SkySaver seats available between two of the largest cities in the U.S. Not exactly talking travel to Fargo, North Dakota. I became curious and tried searching multiple cities with the same results. Zero Skysaver tickets available.
Is Delta using underhanded tactics by forcing its loyal customers to spend nearly 60,000 miles per domestic ticket to redeem SkyChoice tickets in lieu of the standard 25,000 mile SkySaver tickets? Is this an attempt to remove the obligation of accumulated frequent flyer miles from their books by forcing higher redemption mileage? There must be some legal framework under which Delta has to run its frequent flyer program. Something simple like making travel available.
When I called customer service and asked them if there was a problem, they said no. When the representative was at a loss to explain the situation, I asked if there was a process for customers to file a complaint with a customer service agent that would eventually get to that Grand Poobah in the sky; the head of customer service. Her polite answer? No. To which I responded, "Are you serious?". Just a little bit different than the response I would have received at Southwest where their employees actually give a hoot. I guess there is a reason why Southwest has been profitable for something north of thirty straight years as I recall. Delta, you might try benchmarking your customer service processes against Southwest in an attempt to remain relevant with customers. You know, those people that pay your salary? I can't wait to buy Delta stock. That's going to be a real winner.
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