But some of the loudest implosions are off limits to me. Like the young blogger who was reportedly booted from a United Airlines flight. His crime? Taking pictures of his seat in apparent violation of the airline’s photography policy.
Even though colleagues urged me to come to his assistance, I couldn’t. He didn’t ask me for help, and I have a strict policy of staying away from cases where I’m not invited.
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Elaine Regienus-Gravbelle, who was recovering from a double mastectomy and two other minor surgeries, was on her way to way home to Redondo Beach, Calif. She asked a ticket agent if she could get on the plane first.
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Not a day seems to go by that I don’t hear from an angry car rental customer — folks like Craig Solomon, who rented a car in England from Avis for two weeks recently.
“Toward the end of the rental one of the tires blew out,” he says. “It ultimately cost about $500 to replace, and Avis has been unwilling to date to accept the responsibility.”
The way Solomon sees it, Avis should have rented him a car with good tires. He wasn’t taking the vehicle off-roading, and had driven it safely and never gotten so much as a parking ticket.
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I spend a lot of time harping on customers who screw up. Sometimes I can’t help myself. Not only are the cases interesting, but they’re also instructive.
For example, one reader who will remain nameless recently visited an airline website with a “best fare” guarantee. She assumed she wouldn’t have to shop around, because if she found a cheaper fare elsewhere, she could just invoke the guarantee.
She made her purchase, but later found a better fare. The airline denied her claim.
If you’re wondering why, just check out the fine print on your average “best price” guarantee. They are maddeningly complicated, and ultimately worthless. All you have to do is read them to know why.
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Customers do the dumbest things.
Last week, I dissected some of the outrageously mindless online behaviors. But that’s really nothing compared with what they do offline.
If you remember only one thing from this story, then please let it be this: Companies are counting on your stupidity to turn a profit.
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As a frequent car rental customer, Parker Mann has endured countless sales pitches for optional insurance. But recently, the hard sell efforts have crossed a line, he says.
“The latest gimmick is to give the customer a false choice with the question, ‘Do you want the full insurance or the basic?’ — the implication being that the insurance was required,” he says. “I’ve heard this line essentially word for word from three agents at two rental companies in the past year.”
Just in case you were wondering, insurance is an option on practically every car. Asking which policy a customer wants implies it’s mandatory.
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The best way to fight bad service is right now, in real time.
Don’t wait until you get home. Businesses expect you to put it off, so by the time you’ve written a letter or figured out what to say by phone, you can bet the company has prepared an appropriate response. Or, in some instances, an inappropriate response.
Say something. Now.
Not always easy, I know. You have to take a deep breath and speak up and be prepared to stand your ground. But it’s by and large the fastest way to fix something.
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