Originally Posted by quinella66
Well I think that mileage problems have little to do with 911. In fact, maybe someone can find out why the same terrorist group attacked the WTC in 1993 (with only 40% of the required explosives to take down the towers from the bottom). There is a long history here that is beyond the scope (and relevance) of this thread ....
Honestly, I think that customer service in the US, almost across the board, has been degrading over the last 10 years. The "customer is always right" is a long extinct phrase. Undoubtedly, this is fueled in part by customers who try to find loopholes to screw the company, but it is mainly due to cost cutting. As far as I am concerned, I do not prefer to deal with any company that cannot resolve issues with a human being. I would rather pay more and have good service, but maybe I am in the minority. It is a more pleasant experience than having to constantly fight with people who could care less if your business came or left.
As to points.com, I have never dealt with them, it seemed that their conversion rates and/or fees seemed to be a raw deal. Kind of like CO's regular "transfer miles from one account to another" - and pay as much in cash as the miles are worth (to me).
I think that MM's website is a good idea. The points (no pun intended) on the website are accurate. Sometimes I do get tired of calling numerous times asking for points to be posted and waiting it out. As much as I hate to waste time calling again and again, I think some of these companies figure that you will give up before they do. Probably the best solution is to stop dealing with a partner who does not fulfill the request without a fight - and let them know it and post it here on FT.
thanks.
my point about 9/11/01 had to do with acountability and how I felt that those who should be revealing to us all a bit more on why and how this happened are too hush hush about it to save their own butts. Yes, it is for another subject elsewhere but in keeping with you said, I totally agree: Customer service is either automated (and therefore, not covering all the real issues that could possibly take place in life) or it is handled with less care than it should be. I have run into issues with places like Amazon.com who cannot even put you thru to managers! Ebay has no way to talk live or even to mail or fax them! Everything is email! Everything is low-level personnel and all of it comes back with these annoying "happy to serve you" and "we're working hard to make this a better consumer experience"
in the case of points.com, the manager who went on vacation twice during a long drawn out period of several months when one of her own promos fell apart affecting over 100 people, does not reply anymore to the emails coming from those patiently waiting customers. Her autoreply says her title is "manager-customer delight"
what is delightful about that?
The onus is on us, and so I have actually become one of those people who refuses to do business with several companies all across the board. (Wow, and my choice doesnt even have to do with environmental problems caused by some company or political issues like that, but it may as well be the same thing! I chose to stop doing commerce with companies because they have bad CS policies in place!)
Now if a lot more people started to do like I have done, what do you think would happen to our economy--or to the businesses that affect you negatively in this way?
(Gee, over zealous CS manager, have any ideas? Hmmm, I wonder if THIS is somehow tied to it!)
All I want is some accountability and someone willing to try to fix it and work outside the box.
The only thing I can equate this to where it DOES work is this:
When I worked as a bartender years ago, we had many locals come in who kinda deserved a break once and a while. It was a ski town and there is a sub economy in places like those. Beach towns can be similar. Anyway, we decided to have a sort of comp list that was loosely held by the owner and the bar staff and manager. We could, as bartenders, use our position to give a drink here or there and have the establishment pick up the tab on it once and a while. We did this with discretion and none of us abused it. Granted we were a smaller group of co-workers (and maybe that too is the key to making sure good service takes place!) but we tried to take care of people, and that list could modify over time to be fair to all who we dealt with on this level.
The reason I bring this up is because I think that when company policy prevents the fixing of extenuating circumstances, someone in there should have the power to override it once and a while and employ some sort of "comp" or adjustment (manually performed) for a customer who can show that something beyond the norm has in fact occurred. The key is also to try to take care of existing customer and not just blow them off like they dont matter after you have the money. Points.com has done this all too often. I have said in another thread that I dont tolerate stupid companies and they WILL ultimately go out of business if I have any hand in making sure this can happen.
MM