Wow..... 17 minutes and holding to speak to AS

david4455 · Jan 3, 09, 1:48 pm

I haven't called AS in a long time so maybe this is the norm these days........

I have no status and when I went to check an upcoming reservation it was not available due to a schedule change. I have to call AS on a regular line and I have been on hold for ... well now 20 minutes ( slow typer). If I didn't have to call AS I would have hung up long ago and taken my business elsewhere.

ANC · Jan 3, 09, 1:55 pm

Well generally the regular line can take quite a while...10 minutes maybe. 20 minutes is pretty high but Im guessing its because Washington is getting dumped on with snow yet again in some areas causing delays and cancellations, its still the holidays and people tend to move more sluggish at their respective jobs, myself included. And to top it all off again the holiday rush home is underway right now!

david4455 · Jan 3, 09, 2:26 pm

It is a shame that AS, trying to move towards more internet dependancy, has not created a way in which we can acknowledge schedule changes without calling in. I can't even view the old reservation until I call.

amorsell · Jan 3, 09, 2:34 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANC

but Im guessing its because Washington is getting dumped on with snow yet again in some areas causing delays and cancellations

Um, no, there's no snow in Washington today. There's a storm coming in tomorrow late but it's only supposed to rain in Seattle. We're supposed to get another 8 inches in Spokane Sun/Mon. I hope it's okay because we're heading to Fairbanks Monday morning for two weeks. We're going from record snowfalls to -45 degree temps and 0 visibility ice fog. Yippee.

ANC · Jan 3, 09, 2:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by david4455

It is a shame that AS, trying to move towards more internet dependancy, has not created a way in which we can acknowledge schedule changes without calling in. I can't even view the old reservation until I call.

Well Im in 100% agreement. I had to call just to find out a flight was changed from 1230AM to 1245AM

What irks me more though is the occasional reservation for whatever unknown reason doesnt give me the change reservation link online and I have to call

jackal · Jan 3, 09, 8:03 pm

Wow! Is it really taking this long these days? I've been spoiled by the MVP/G desk (side question: everyone here refers to it as the MVPG desk, but do the same people handle MVP and MVPG, and do MVPGs receive priority in the call queue? I've never waited more than a minute as an MVP...) and have not called the main line in over a year. (Before that, I usually did everything online.

But if AS is making it hard for people to give them money and understaffing their sales department, then

. Another

for not allowing more things to be done online--it seems ludicrous to me that companies don't allow more functions to be done online when people WANT to avoid calling to save time and the company WANTS people to avoid calling to save staffing.

But not to be all negative--

to the MVP/G desk! I think I just may have to make sure I requalify next year!

david4455 · Jan 3, 09, 8:30 pm

FWIW.... I tried 3 or 4 times this afternoon and never got through. I waited 5 -10 minutes each time then hanging up.

This evening at around 5:30 I tried one more time and I got to someone on the first ring.

But.... if I didn't need to reach AS, as I said, I would have taken my business elsewhere after the first long wait.

OverThereTooMuch · Jan 3, 09, 9:30 pm

I usually get through almost immediately too.

Today I've called twice. First time I was on hold for > 10 minutes. Second time I was on hold for ~15 minutes before giving up.

No mention on the call about the approximate wait for another agent.

Might just be a busy day.

Called just before 10:30 today. Less than 5 minute wait.

david4455 · Jan 3, 09, 10:21 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by OverThereTooMuch

I usually get through almost immediately too.

Today I've called twice. First time I was on hold for > 10 minutes. Second time I was on hold for ~15 minutes before giving up.

No mention on the call about the approximate wait for another agent.

Might just be a busy day.

I noticed that too.... usually a recording comes on and says an agent will be with you in approx. so many minutes. Not today.

doog · Jan 3, 09, 10:31 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by david4455

It is a shame that AS, trying to move towards more internet dependancy, has not created a way in which we can acknowledge schedule changes without calling in. I can't even view the old reservation until I call.

This is by FAR my biggest pet peeve with Alaska Airlines.

AA handles this in a much more sane way: if your flight gets canceled, changes its flight number, or changes times they change your itinerary to put you on the flight that most closely matches your original itinerary. They then send you an email to let you know about the itinerary change and put a note on the itinerary screen letting you know about the change. If the change isn't to your liking you can call and get yourself on a different flight, if the change isn't a problem then you don't have to intervene at all.

Forcing you to call in every time your PDX-SEA flight changes a flight number (which happened 4 times to me over the course of two months for a single itinerary) is just a pain and ties up the phones needlessly.