Question: The Various Methods of "Communicating" with Air Canada Reps - Your Experiences?
Aug 21, 2015, 6:34 am
#16
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
Programs: *$ Green
Posts: 5,403
Sharing an experience about "face to face communication".
Went to the airport with le wife to book a last minute ticket to anywhere in J (yes, we just walked up the ticketing counters and asked for quotes to various destinations leaving "today").
Everyone was confused as to why we are doing this. We did both the TB and Dom/Int ticketing counters in YUL.
Although they all tried to help (and one even suggesting a flight that was just about passed the 45m mark since we had no luggage), just getting a single quote was super slow.
The prices quoted at the airport were also the exact same ones as in the website, minus maybe the very last minute flights who would just not show up.
Went to the airport with le wife to book a last minute ticket to anywhere in J (yes, we just walked up the ticketing counters and asked for quotes to various destinations leaving "today").
Everyone was confused as to why we are doing this. We did both the TB and Dom/Int ticketing counters in YUL.
Although they all tried to help (and one even suggesting a flight that was just about passed the 45m mark since we had no luggage), just getting a single quote was super slow.
The prices quoted at the airport were also the exact same ones as in the website, minus maybe the very last minute flights who would just not show up.
Aug 21, 2015, 7:57 am
#17
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Nova Scotia
Programs: SPG Lifetime Gold
Posts: 92
The social media group (I followed on the advice of a FTer to FB PM) helped to push through a complicated ticketing issue related to inaccurate pricing information on the website. I found that they responded much quicker than the initial contact with agents or customer services. The social media groups intervention helped to have the appropriate people examine and resolve the issue. It took time but I was pleased with the result in the end.
Aug 21, 2015, 11:22 am
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,467
Sharing an experience about "face to face communication".
Went to the airport with le wife to book a last minute ticket to anywhere in J (yes, we just walked up the ticketing counters and asked for quotes to various destinations leaving "today").
Everyone was confused as to why we are doing this. We did both the TB and Dom/Int ticketing counters in YUL.
Although they all tried to help (and one even suggesting a flight that was just about passed the 45m mark since we had no luggage), just getting a single quote was super slow.
The prices quoted at the airport were also the exact same ones as in the website, minus maybe the very last minute flights who would just not show up.
Went to the airport with le wife to book a last minute ticket to anywhere in J (yes, we just walked up the ticketing counters and asked for quotes to various destinations leaving "today").
Everyone was confused as to why we are doing this. We did both the TB and Dom/Int ticketing counters in YUL.
Although they all tried to help (and one even suggesting a flight that was just about passed the 45m mark since we had no luggage), just getting a single quote was super slow.
The prices quoted at the airport were also the exact same ones as in the website, minus maybe the very last minute flights who would just not show up.
I'm happy for you! 
But you see, this is still a problem. All methods and modes of communication should, essentially, be equivalent. Someone who communicates via social media shouldn't get better service than one who uses a telephone call centre vs one who talks to an agent face-to-face.
Well, ideally at least.
But you see, this is still a problem. All methods and modes of communication should, essentially, be equivalent. Someone who communicates via social media shouldn't get better service than one who uses a telephone call centre vs one who talks to an agent face-to-face.
Well, ideally at least.
If the person you're talking to has never dealt with that request, or there's something unusual about it (try making a change to a single day, nine segment PNR for Earn Your Wings), there's going to be back and forth with a supervisor, complex reticketing, etc.
If you're on the phone for this, it's 20 minutes of talking and 60 minutes of holding.
If you send a DM on Twitter or an email to the concierge, they can forward it on to anyone in the company, calling in whatever specialist they need, whenever they're available. You may not get a response for six hours, but your invested time is 3 minutes instead of 80.
I've even had a "No" change to a "Yes" over Twitter because the first answer was the "correct" answer, but the second answer was "we forwarded this to someone higher up, and they said it was fine". But it took an hour for them to reach that person.
What can go on behind the scenes of an asynchronous communication method (email, Twitter, FB, or even fax) is why I greatly prefer it over anything synchronous (phone, face to face) when the issue can wait 24 hours.
