Southwest scores a zero on service for 2nd time

Mr_Creepy

Mr_Creepy

Well-Known Member
I had my second disappointing experience with SWA flying home from Albany yesterday. Two legger: ALB-BWI-MCO.

I have come to expect better things from Southwest. This is normally a high level of passenger service airline!

I got to ALB 2 hrs before my flight and got an "A" ticket (board first.)

They would not issue me a boarding pass for my BWI flight. They said "maybe next week we can do that." Note to SWA: Don't say that, it doesn't help me. I am not going to delay my travel a week so I can get a better seat.

I went to the gate and the earlier BWI flight had been delayed. I thought I might catch it and have a better chance of getting a B pass for the long leg to MCO. I asked at the gate how it looked for getting a better pass if I took the earlier flight.

Without even checking the girl switched my pass to the delayed flight, took my A pass, ripped it up and gave me a B pass. I said hey, I was only asking. She said "do you want to switch back?" I said, "to the A pass? YES!"

She switched me back to the later flight and gave me a C pass! I was dumbfounded! I said, "What happened to my A pass?" She said, "Oh once I deleted it, it was gone. This is all you get now."

I looked at her incredulously and said, "Do you realize what you have just done to me?"

She didn't even answer - just turned and walked away.

There are times I really like reserved seating! I sat in middle seats all the way to MCO and it was very frustrating. It's amazing how much a little thing can bother me when I am stressed out traveling.
 
Just get there at the last possible second and take a C pass. I'd rather spend that extra 1.5 hours at home then stand in the A line for an hour like a bread line in Soviet Russia.

Not sure how reserved seating would make sure you get a better seat? You still have a one in three chance of getting the dreaded middle seat on a full flight.

On Southwest you can print you boarding pass from home. You could have had A for both flights.
 
Did not know that one.

Of course, I can never check in online because I am always selected for special TSA treatment.
 
Damn John, that sucks! Ususally SWA is better than that. I'm sure there is a customer service line or something. call it an complain. You might get something out of it. I know I wouldn't want to sit "b#$*h" for a flight that long. When you fly SWA, you take your chances with seating. I only fly SWA off peak.
 
Well it may have sounded a little harsh. I still am a LUV fan. It's so rare to have a bad experience with them, it upset me.

The flight attendants need some new jokes, though. Tell a joke to every SWA FA you meet
grin.gif
 
Sounds to me like you had an attitude with this young woman, and she stuck it to you. People can only shovel so much crap per day from people and you might well have pushed her a little too far.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I only fly SWA off peak.

[/ QUOTE ]

grin.gif
grin.gif


I only fly SWA when I want to give my money to an airline....
tongue.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
People can only shovel so much crap per day from people and you might well have pushed her a little too far.

[/ QUOTE ]

People like this don't belong in customer service positions. In over 25 years in this business I've seen people who can do the job and people that can't. Anyone who has a limit on their "crap shoveling" can't do the job. They aren't professionals.

In fact if they look at it as "crap shoveling" they aren't professionals and shouldn't be doing the job. A professional takes a bad situation and fixes it or at least leaves the customer less frustrated than when they started. A bozo takes a situation and consistently makes it worse, as in the above example. This is a talent in itself and too many companies fail to fire these bad acts.
bandit.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
People like this don't belong in customer service positions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do agree with that. When it comes to customer service positions, you can't have a limit to the amount of crap you take. It's the nature of the job. Don't like it? Find a new line of work.

Pet peeve of mine? When a fast-food worker gets my order all screwed up (there's a computer screen in front of you, for goodness sake - your only job is to bag the food!!) and somebody says, "Well, you can't blame her ; she's only making $5.50 an hour".

Well, hello, you're barely doing $5.50 worth of work apparently!
mad.gif
 
The problem comes in when you're doing a job that should pay $15 an hour, but you're only making $6.00. That's when your crap shoveling limit comes in. When you've got managment breathing down your neck threatening to fire you (and then firing a few people at random to prove their point) every day of the week, you're pulling down $5.70 an hour when the dudes across the street are making $11.00 an hour (but they're not hiring) and you've got a ton of screaming kids and pissed off parents...you can only take so much.

Moral of the story: Don't work at Toys R Us. I don't know what the climate at Southwest is, but you can only give it your all at a working environment like the above stated so for long until the customers start to get piss poor service (and TRU wonders why they've been bleeding money for 3 years).

EDIT: Re-reading this post, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you can't squeeze blood from a turnip like so many company's try to do these days. They treat their employee's like they're less than human, pay them like they're in a third world country and expect superhuman strength and skills out of them. There's something wrong about this equation and it happens across the board. Where have the good employers gone? I've seen this happen from entry level work to corporate flight departments.

Cheers


John Herreshoff
 
I had a friend that worked for FedEx throwing boxes for a few weeks. He said it was the same job that we did at TRU, but it paid a little better and managment wasn't as big of pricks. The thing that really killed it for him was having to work Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until 3:00 a.m. Totally killed the party scene for him.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I do agree with that. When it comes to customer service positions, you can't have a limit to the amount of crap you take. It's the nature of the job. Don't like it? Find a new line of work.

[/ QUOTE ]
Amen to that.

I think JT had every right to say what he did, however he wanted to say it at that point. He's the customer for crying out loud.

JT, did you get the CSR's name? Perhaps a quick call to SWA headquarters might help with a little attitude adjustment.

You know that's not what SWA is all about. She apparently was having a bad day and you got the ass-end of it.

Better luck next time.

R2F
 
I seriously don't know how they get people to put up with the whole A, B, C, boarding stuff. I mean, people talk about Southwest like it's the best thing since sliced bread and I'm like, as long as they've got non-assigned seating, I ain't flying them. When I say that, people have actually said to me, well, that's all part of the fun.

Fun? You call that fun? Hey, how about the ole prostate exams? Aren't those fun, too?
insane.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I had a friend that worked for FedEx throwing boxes for a few weeks. He said it was the same job that we did at TRU, but it paid a little better and managment wasn't as big of pricks. The thing that really killed it for him was having to work Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until 3:00 a.m. Totally killed the party scene for him.

[/ QUOTE ]
Everyone's got their priorites I guess.
grin.gif
 
Yeah, he's knee deep in college. I'm too fixated on making cash to fly to take his route
smile.gif


Did anyone else notice it's a slow day at work...
 
[ QUOTE ]
. . .I'm like, as long as they've got non-assigned seating, I ain't flying them.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's one of the things that keeps me going back to Southwest!!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds to me like you had an attitude with this young woman, and she stuck it to you. People can only shovel so much crap per day from people and you might well have pushed her a little too far.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you even read what I wrote John?

Seriously you need to get off this "Attack John Tenney" kick. My comment was made AFTER I was screwed.

Maybe I should have said, "Will you at least send me flowers in the morning?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top