TwilightZoneGirl

I am flying BOS-DCA today (or so I hoped), and had my original and re-booked flights cancelled. Not a surprise due to weather. But now I have been on hold for over 3 hours to re-book. I lost my Gold status last year, so I don't have access to the Priority phone numbers. There is no other way to re-book that I know of. Since I have to get to DCA sometime today (I am missing one whole day of an important meeting, but it continues tomorrow), I am still holding on...

PHLstudent

Is Amtrak running on time? With all the delays, it might just be quicker to try and get your money back from US Air, and get on the first train to DC.

Arrzee

Hang up the phone and just hop aboard Amtrak.

cwe84

I wonder what you were expecting the wait would be. A severe weather event happened on the east coast effecting the entire east operation. the 3:00 still has 12 seats in y, 4:00 has 28 seats in y. Just go to the airport and get them to move you to the 3 and stand by for the 2...

ClueByFour

I guess I'd expect that whomever runs the phone operation in res would ramp up staffing in accordance with a known weather event.

Then again, I have some pretty smart operational types running my firm's call centers. That's one expectation (smart operational types) that most of us are conditioned not to expect from Tempe.

I had to make a small transaction with LUV's reservations last night on the way to BWI as it was snowing. Took 2 minutes to get a human on the phone.

DWilliamson5002

I guess they have cleared it all out but I know Amtrak around here was shutdown due to trees and all on the tracks...

us2

By any reasonable standard, 3 hours is excessive. There's no excuse for it, weather or not.

AllanJ

Maybe there is a malfunction in the phone system. For example there are ten lines and line #4 is bad. The fifth caller gets through. If the fourth caller hangs up and tries again, he may be lucky and leapfrog to good line #5 or #6 because someone else called in and get stuck on line #4. I have been suspicious of this because it is not unusual for me to get someone much more quickly when hanging up and trying again.

Most of us are too busy to wait on the phone that long anyway. So the idea of just calling back later when it is not busy coupled with the idea that there is a problem with the phone system as described above should together suggest you should hang up after about half an hour.

Not exactly on topic but several years ago I was calling a business that had the bad habit of putting me on hold when someone else called and helping that person instead. I happened to be there in person and seeing it happen to others. Sometimes three or four deep. So I resolved to myself that the next time I was put on hold I would hang up and dial in again and then the clerk would take care of me. Unfortunately the company closed up shortly thereafter and before I could try my idea.

Travel tips: http://www.cockam.com/travel.htm

bkafrick

In the three hours you waited on the phone, you could have gone to BOS, and rebooked your flight in person.

I know thats not what you want to hear, but I've always found everything is easier in person.

Although maybe the situation was worse in BOS yesterday? Its easy when you fly out of a small airport like mine.