Recovering from customer service failures

We landed in St. Louis right on schedule. My wife, three and a half-year-old daughter and myself were anxious to get settled in on the 6 p.m. connecting flight. It had been an enjoyable and tiring Forth of July weekend, and we looked forward to getting home to Fort Myers late Sunday night.

We scurried to our gate, then promptly boarded our plane. All ready to go, a flight officer came on the intercom. "Hello this is the second officer," said the voice. "I wish I had better news for you. We are currently waiting for the captain. We believe he is in the airport, and we are trying to contact him now."

Service Failure #1: Pilot no-show. This service failure may have been unavoidable.

Some time later, the captain was still not found. We were asked to "hold tight." Passengers were offered the chance to de-board the plane to stretch their legs. Growing concern and uncertainty filled the cabin as passengers returning from their walk claimed that the flight was shown as cancelled on the gate and departure displays. Clamor erupted as passengers questioned the fate of our flight and tried to get straight answers from the flight attendants. Still later, the flight was officially cancelled, and we were instructed to exit the plane and wait at the gate for further instructions. It was after 8 p.m.

Service Failure #2: No communication to reassure passengers. Passengers are left to themselves to find out what is going on.

Passengers piled off of the plane and crowded around an airline agent. She curtly announced that all of our tickets were going to be handed back, and we would have to bring them to the Service Center. At that she immediately began calling out our names and handing back tickets.

Where exactly is the service center? When is the next flight? Do we have to stay overnight? Passengers hopelessly turned to each other for answers as the confused mass headed in the direction of the main terminal.

The Service Center was easy to find. It was located prominently at the front of a long line of people that started at gate C6 and ended past C10. Obviously our flight was not the only one having problems.

As we waited in line we heard that 11 flights out of 90 were cancelled that evening. We heard that talks between the pilots and management over pay had resulted in the pilots refusing to work overtime. One woman heard that the airline was folding. Many in line wondered if we were going to be stuck in St. Louis more than one day. Others wondered if they would have to buy a ticket on another airline to get home.

Service Failure #3: Poor instructions and directions. No communication to passengers as to what is going on. Agent lacked courtesy and concern for her customers.

After close to two hours we inched up to the front of the line, our slim hopes of getting out of St. Louis that evening vanished. With a beckon of her hand, a Service Center agent suggested she was ready for us, and we anxiously approached her despite her scowling visage. After reviewing our tickets, without a word, she handed me two mini tote bags containing overnight essentials and informed us that she reserved seats on the 10:19 a.m. flight the next morning.

I asked about accommodation. "Don't worry," she responded, "We've looked after it for you. We are putting you up in a hotel, the Sheraton, for free. We have included a food voucher as well."

At this point I asked the Service Center agent what she thought was the unthinkable. "Are you going to provide us with a free flight voucher for our inconvenience?" I was referring to the free flights the airlines seem so happy to hand out like candy to lure passengers off of overbooked flights once they realize they have been caught in their own game of selling more than they have. In dismay, the Service Center agent scowled, "We don't do that!"

"Why not?" I asked. "It is not like weather or something else totally beyond your control occurred here. Isn't it worth it to keep a customer satisfied?"

"If I gave free travel vouchers to you, then every one else would want them too!" she retaliated.

Service Failure #4: The airline did not empower customer service employees to make the necessary decisions to maintain satisfied customers. This employee was bound by policy and could not do what was necessary to satisfy her customer. Despite the cost to the airline, free travel vouchers would ensure that we flew with them again, giving them a chance to make up for the current mess.

Realizing I was getting nowhere, I asked what the process was for voicing a complaint. She glared at the long line of people waiting behind me and then without looking at me immediately turned on the microphone and called her supervisor to the Service Center.

The supervisor showed up and spoke with the agent behind the desk several feet away. At the end of their brief interaction, the supervisor attempted to leave. I asked her directly, "Miss, is there anything you can do?"

"We can't do another thing for you," she responded aggressively. "If you want to write or call, the agent can provide you with the address and phone number."

Service Failure #5: It is inappropriate and unprofessional for a manager or supervisor not to acknowledge or address the customer. When there is nothing the supervisor can do personally, he/she should at least demonstrate concern and interest in the customer and assist the customer to the right avenue for problem resolution.

Feeling rather defeated and tired, I left the Service Center with the address and phone number, explained the situation to my wife and daughter and turned my thoughts to a relaxing dinner and glass of wine at the Sheraton dining room.

We got off the shuttle at the hotel, and the large glass doors automatically opened, whispering "comfort" as we entered the lobby. A cheery Sheraton employee smiled as he efficiently checked us in. I asked for directions to the dining room and found out that it was closed. In fact most everything in the area was closed by 10 p.m. on a Sunday. "I am really sorry about this, but the airline knows our dining room hours, we have had this problem before," he replied in defense.

Service Failure #6: Offering a food voucher that cannot be used is worse than not offering one at all. The airline had no process in place to ensure that late night passengers would be fed.

Deflated, angry and fatigued, we retreated to our room, ordered a pizza and swore to ourselves that we would never fly that airline again. The pizza arrived 45 minutes later. I ate one piece and called it a day - a horrible, yet memorable day at that.

The airline was clearly not properly prepared for such an event, despite the fact that St. Louis was one of their major hubs. The airline's processes for communicating, assisting and caring for customers were weak. The customer service skills of their key employees were atrocious.

T