If you said, “not really,” then maybe you know Theresa Putkey, a consultant from Vancouver. She had a run-in with a TSA agent recently after trying to opt out of a full-body scan, and sent a complaint letter to the agency assigned to protect America’s transportation systems.
Here’s the form response from the TSA:
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Frank and Lucy Pirri are unhappy with their cruise on the Carnival Destiny, and they’re even more unhappy with how the cruise line responded to their complaint.
Sound familiar? Given Carnival’s recent Triumph troubles, it probably does.
But this wasn’t a short island-hopper with a bad ending. We’re talking 18 days in Europe, which was “poorly planned and poorly executed” from start to finish, says Frank Pirri.
How so? Let’s count the ways. (Warning: laundry list ahead.)
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Editor’s Note: This is the final installment of the Insider series on managing the TSA when you travel. Here’s part one, part two and part three. As always, please send me any suggestions on topics or content I may have overlooked.
If you have a problem with the TSA, what’s your next step?
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No complaints come close to the passion of jilted cable TV subscribers. Including this one.
Today, I’m starting a new feature called “Complaint of the week.” With so many to choose from, it’s not going to be easy (but hey, someone’s got to do it, right?).
This one is from a Cablevision Systems customer. By the way, I list all the Cablevision contacts on this wiki.
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Our fearless researchers have added another category to our growing customer service wiki: cable TV companies.
For the last year, On Your Side has become a trusted resource of travel industry contacts. But with the publication of my upcoming book, Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals, I’m expanding the site to include other companies.
This blog, meanwhile, will begin featuring general customer service tips and cases from other industries.
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When Jason Plott’s Western Caribbean cruise was delayed because of dense fog in Galveston, Tex., earlier this year, Carnival offered two possible resolutions before casting off: Either a full refund or an abridged cruise, which included an onboard credit and a discount off a future vacation.
Plott didn’t like either choice.
“It wasn’t enough,” says Plott, a director at a Lubbock, Tex., software firm. His family couldn’t return home early without incurring an airline change fee. And the shortened cruise skipped their favorite ports of call and the offer meant that they’d have to take another Carnival cruise — something they were reluctant to do.
Travelers are faced with decisions like Plott’s every day. Something goes wrong — a flight is delayed, a hotel room is flooded or a rental car breaks down — and they’re made an offer that they have to accept or reject on the spot.
Increasingly, those offers are being generated with the help of technology, either directly or indirectly. Carnival relied on external technologies such as its Twitter account to keep passengers updated, as well as internal systems to proactively deliver a set of identical offers to every passenger on Plott’s cruise before they boarded, according to Aly Bello, a company spokeswoman. “Most of the guests chose the option of sailing on the modified voyage,” she says.
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