AC Presence on FT
Jul 3, 2015, 4:57 pm
#1666
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: YQB
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, Bonvoy Gold, HHonors Diamond, VIA Premier, NEXUS/GE
Posts: 816
If I worked for an airline or a hotel or a car rental company or a travel agency, I would view FT as a way to get completely free and brutally honest feedback from a bunch of peeps who actually know and understand not only my product but those of my competitors. As such, I would try to cultivate a relationship of sorts to encourage a continuous flow of feedback and suggestions which I could then use to improve my product offerings.
But I guess that's just me.
But I guess that's just me.
Some company would pay for this kind of information/feedback sharing. Well actually quite a few do via market surveys and the like.
Jul 3, 2015, 5:55 pm
#1669
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 4,153
For the record I voted with the majority. Unfiltered and unedited it should be. Clumsy it should not be.
Last edited by tcook052; Jul 3, 2015 at 6:28 pm Reason: content
Jul 3, 2015, 7:12 pm
#1671
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: YVR
Programs: ACSEMM QRGold SPGLifetimePlat FairmontPlat HyattD AMEXCenturion SerenaPlat TalkBoard Founding Member
Posts: 8,963
Jul 3, 2015, 9:00 pm
#1672
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Obviously it should be a short list but sadly in AC's case it's much longer than it needs to be. And I do find this odd. I posted earlier, somewhat in jest, that FT is a great place for free, brutally honest feedback. And some companies leverage FT quite effectively - the SPG Champions are, I think, a perfect example of how to have an effective online presence that both maintains the corporate line and still draws customers into a healthy conversation.
AC on the other hand, only grudgingly seems to maintain an online presence here and even on Facebook / Twitter etc. But engaging your customers is not something to be feared; there is much to be gained by reaching out to customers especially those who are as crazy passionate about the products as we are.
But ... we'll just add this to the list of things that AC chooses not to do.
AC on the other hand, only grudgingly seems to maintain an online presence here and even on Facebook / Twitter etc. But engaging your customers is not something to be feared; there is much to be gained by reaching out to customers especially those who are as crazy passionate about the products as we are.
But ... we'll just add this to the list of things that AC chooses not to do.
Jul 3, 2015, 9:03 pm
#1673
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Peru (business) YUL (home)
Programs: AC E50K *G
Posts: 59
Obviously it should be a short list but sadly in AC's case it's much longer than it needs to be. And I do find this odd. I posted earlier, somewhat in jest, that FT is a great place for free, brutally honest feedback. And some companies leverage FT quite effectively - the SPG Champions are, I think, a perfect example of how to have an effective online presence that both maintains the corporate line and still draws customers into a healthy conversation.
AC on the other hand, only grudgingly seems to maintain an online presence here and even on Facebook / Twitter etc. But engaging your customers is not something to be feared; there is much to be gained by reaching out to customers especially those who are as crazy passionate about the products as we are.
But ... we'll just add this to the list of things that AC chooses not to do.
AC on the other hand, only grudgingly seems to maintain an online presence here and even on Facebook / Twitter etc. But engaging your customers is not something to be feared; there is much to be gained by reaching out to customers especially those who are as crazy passionate about the products as we are.
But ... we'll just add this to the list of things that AC chooses not to do.
To be honest though, I would have quit long ago based on what I had thought which was the majority of people not wanting him here. Thankfully Sparseflyer's poll dispelled of that incorrect thought!
Jul 3, 2015, 9:23 pm
#1675
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
...and what will this "unofficial" "referendum*" get us?
(*not to diminish the Canada, Scotland, Greek, etc. ones)
(*not to diminish the Canada, Scotland, Greek, etc. ones)
Jul 3, 2015, 9:28 pm
#1676
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YUL
Programs: AC SE (*A Gold), Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Hilton Gold, Amex Platinum / AP Reserve, NEXUS, Global Entry
Posts: 5,691
Jul 3, 2015, 10:33 pm
#1678
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
Programs: *$ Green
Posts: 5,403
For the lolz
But me too am surprised some would rather not have AC here at all.
Actually, I wonder what Ben voted...
Last edited by tcook052; Jul 3, 2015 at 11:13 pm Reason: merge separate posts
Jul 4, 2015, 12:30 am
#1679
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: Aeroplan AA
Posts: 249
I voted for Ben. Yes, he's made a few missteps, but it seems to me like he's a dedicated employee who's making an honest effort to engage a segment of his company's customer base.
I'm not a fan of Air Canada, nor its management, but I sincerely appreciate his efforts and viewpoints on this forum, and I'd hate to see it end.
I'm not a fan of Air Canada, nor its management, but I sincerely appreciate his efforts and viewpoints on this forum, and I'd hate to see it end.
Jul 4, 2015, 7:40 am
#1680
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Montreal
Posts: 260
It's amazing to me to see that Air Canada actually pays employees to come out and fight with customers on the board, including making sarcastic and aggressive comments to them.
Ben, you make this kind of comment then you do the, "Oh my, it's so hard to be here, what with the difficulty of having to parse my comments for all you so sensitive people. I'm just here to be honest and so sorry IF that offends some of you."
You can't play this both ways. You cannot be hostile and aggressive in engaging with customers even if you don't like what the customer has to say, AND then claim that it's just the oh so sensitive customers overreacting out of their inability to deal with plain talk.
This is hypocritical and painting yourself as the victim. If you are a company rep you can't use personal comments and personal attacks like the one above to work your own personal feelings off against individual posters and then also claim that you're just giving straight talk on behalf of the company.
When I see stuff like this, it turns me so far off the brand. There are other companies out there who actually fight for business. AC at best comes off like it doesn't give a damn, and at other times, like they really do prefer to shed all this inconvenient business.
I can't wait until the economic pendulum swings the other way and AC comes groveling back to the customers that it flipped off when it felt times were good.
No company has ever worked out well that has taken this arrogant approach to dealing with customers. Even a pissed off, unreasonable customer needs to be treated with respect. You can bang your head against your desk, you can go to the bar and ..... about the idiot you dealt with at work today, but you don't go on public forums and engage in petty, flippant personal comments when wearing your company badge.
So many AC people do work hard to give the brand a good name and stupid comments like this will seem justified and applauded by fanboys but it leaves a sour taste in a lot of other people's mouths.
So disappointed.
Ben, you make this kind of comment then you do the, "Oh my, it's so hard to be here, what with the difficulty of having to parse my comments for all you so sensitive people. I'm just here to be honest and so sorry IF that offends some of you."
You can't play this both ways. You cannot be hostile and aggressive in engaging with customers even if you don't like what the customer has to say, AND then claim that it's just the oh so sensitive customers overreacting out of their inability to deal with plain talk.
This is hypocritical and painting yourself as the victim. If you are a company rep you can't use personal comments and personal attacks like the one above to work your own personal feelings off against individual posters and then also claim that you're just giving straight talk on behalf of the company.
When I see stuff like this, it turns me so far off the brand. There are other companies out there who actually fight for business. AC at best comes off like it doesn't give a damn, and at other times, like they really do prefer to shed all this inconvenient business.
I can't wait until the economic pendulum swings the other way and AC comes groveling back to the customers that it flipped off when it felt times were good.
No company has ever worked out well that has taken this arrogant approach to dealing with customers. Even a pissed off, unreasonable customer needs to be treated with respect. You can bang your head against your desk, you can go to the bar and ..... about the idiot you dealt with at work today, but you don't go on public forums and engage in petty, flippant personal comments when wearing your company badge.
So many AC people do work hard to give the brand a good name and stupid comments like this will seem justified and applauded by fanboys but it leaves a sour taste in a lot of other people's mouths.
So disappointed.
Last edited by Braindrain; Jul 4, 2015 at 11:04 pm Reason: Removed personal attack
