24 Jul United Airlines doesn’t like me
I am flying to London today. I squirrel away miles so that on international flights I can upgrade to business class.
Last night, miles disappeared from my account. I called. It seems they forgot to credit 15,000 miles from a flight I upgraded… and didn’t get. I got transferred around to 4 different people.
The last woman I talked to, Anna Dantes, was unable to mask her hostility. From the moment she got on the phone she made it clear what she could not do.
I can not credit your miles.
I can not help you.
You need to call someone else
I have told you what I can do.
Her disdain for me was like venom. The words were so professional – her attitude was shocking. I also began speaking with the same tone.
I caught myself in the middle of it. Simply asked her if this is how she’d want to be treated as a customer?  She told me that I was the one who was being unreasonable.
I tried to plea to her sense of fairness. She agreed that they had made an error in not crediting the accounts and she still could not work outside the system to credit the miles back. It was my fault for not calling earlier. I gave her the name of the person I talked to in January. I was told I should have followed up.
I didn’t help matters. I was frustrated. I told her that when I first got on the call.
I suppose it isn’t her fault either. She is likely working under strict rules.
I made another attempt while writing this blog. On hold listening to music. I talked with a woman with a lovely southern accent-= Lauren in the CHicago office. I told her I needed help.. she joked that she was not the miracle desk- that desk was busy. It was funny. It lightened things.
She couldn’t help me either and yet I got off the phone happy. She was nice about it.  Shared my concern for the problem. Joked with me a little. Individualized the experience.
Customer Service isn’t giving the customer what they want when you can’t – it is giving them a relationship.. letting them know they matter.
It will be a REALLY long night in coach tonight. Â Â My husband is picking me up some Nyquil so I sleep!
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