Contacting AC - not accepting calls
Mar 15, 2019, 10:46 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 39
I needed to call AC this morning and used the Elite 50K number. Got the message saying calls might take up to an hour, so was pleasantly surprised when it was picked up in about 5 seconds. That said, my call was about something that should have been easily done on the website (e-upgrade cleared but couldn't book seat).
Mar 15, 2019, 12:33 pm
#32
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,369
PLUS
Failure by AC to consider that they should improve their handling of calls (answering and customer service) because "call wait times are longer because all you people keep calling in to buy tickets, change tickets, upsell tickets, cancel tickets, and really, we don't have a website that can handle a lot of this."
Failure by AC to consider that by advising customers who are traveling in the next 72 hours, to call in, but no calls are answered. And yes, understandably, AC was not prepared for the MAX grounding and so many pax needing to be rebooked.
Imagine if AC had other really awesome and functional points of contact along with a website that allowed some of the simpler changes.
Imagine if those affected by the MAX, who actually tried to rebook on another flight and aircraft were able to rebook on the website and not hit with the demand for another $1,000, when there should be no increases or fees.
just saying...
Failure by AC to consider that they should improve their handling of calls (answering and customer service) because "call wait times are longer because all you people keep calling in to buy tickets, change tickets, upsell tickets, cancel tickets, and really, we don't have a website that can handle a lot of this."
Failure by AC to consider that by advising customers who are traveling in the next 72 hours, to call in, but no calls are answered. And yes, understandably, AC was not prepared for the MAX grounding and so many pax needing to be rebooked.
Imagine if AC had other really awesome and functional points of contact along with a website that allowed some of the simpler changes.
Imagine if those affected by the MAX, who actually tried to rebook on another flight and aircraft were able to rebook on the website and not hit with the demand for another $1,000, when there should be no increases or fees.
just saying...
AC should have anticipated that there was a good chance of the MAX 8 being grounded and planned accordingly.
Mar 15, 2019, 12:48 pm
#33
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 669
And, how would they do that? Adding 100's of staff and K's of phone lines takes time. If people stopped calling for flying in more than a month out and stop asking unanswerable questions, this problem would not be a problem. You can't manage stupid!.
Mar 15, 2019, 1:00 pm
#34
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
The schedule is a mess, AC IT and call centres are overwhelmed at the best of times. Some people less informed that FTers and FFers are panicking, partly because they don't know how things work and don't know where to get answers, and may be calling AC because they fly in 2 days, or may be calling AC because they know they were on a MAX and their flight is cancelled AND.....
.....RE-READ these posts:
PLUS
Failure by AC to consider that they should improve their handling of calls (answering and customer service) because "call wait times are longer because all you people keep calling in to buy tickets, change tickets, upsell tickets, cancel tickets, and really, we don't have a website that can handle a lot of this."
Failure by AC to consider that by advising customers who are traveling in the next 72 hours, to call in, but no calls are answered. And yes, understandably, AC was not prepared for the MAX grounding and so many pax needing to be rebooked.
Imagine if AC had other really awesome and functional points of contact along with a website that allowed some of the simpler changes.
Imagine if those affected by the MAX, who actually tried to rebook on another flight and aircraft were able to rebook on the website and not hit with the demand for another $1,000, when there should be no increases or fees.
just saying...
Failure by AC to consider that they should improve their handling of calls (answering and customer service) because "call wait times are longer because all you people keep calling in to buy tickets, change tickets, upsell tickets, cancel tickets, and really, we don't have a website that can handle a lot of this."
Failure by AC to consider that by advising customers who are traveling in the next 72 hours, to call in, but no calls are answered. And yes, understandably, AC was not prepared for the MAX grounding and so many pax needing to be rebooked.
Imagine if AC had other really awesome and functional points of contact along with a website that allowed some of the simpler changes.
Imagine if those affected by the MAX, who actually tried to rebook on another flight and aircraft were able to rebook on the website and not hit with the demand for another $1,000, when there should be no increases or fees.
just saying...
Mar 15, 2019, 1:04 pm
#35
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,369
I would add that if an airline sells tickets to stupid people (although they probably have no choice as I suspect that discrimination against the stupid would be illegal and moreover it would be too expensive and time consuming to require IQ tests before tickets can be confirmed), then they need to provide adequate customer service to answer all those stupid questions where the person cannot easily find the answer. The alternative is to suspend all ticket sales and go out of business.
Mar 15, 2019, 1:05 pm
#36
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
I would add that if an airline sells tickets to stupid people (although they probably have no choice as I suspect that discrimination against the stupid would be illegal and moreover it would be too expensive and time consuming to require IQ tests before tickets can be confirmed), then they need to provide adequate customer service to answer all those stupid questions where the person cannot easily find the answer. The alternative is to suspend all ticket sales and go out of business.
Mar 15, 2019, 5:18 pm
#39
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: YVR/YEG/YYZ depending on day
Programs: E35K, FPC Platinum
Posts: 392
That's why I always call my credit card's "Call Collect" number on the card.
When they're paying dollars per minute, you get good people and they tend to avoid putting you on hold. Just be sure to have some kind of answer for "where you're on holiday", or just say you're in that area code so you thought you'd call that number instead of the toll-free.
When they're paying dollars per minute, you get good people and they tend to avoid putting you on hold. Just be sure to have some kind of answer for "where you're on holiday", or just say you're in that area code so you thought you'd call that number instead of the toll-free.
To add to this thread:
1.AC absolutely needs to introduce a "call back" option, like a lot of other customer service lines. It would reduce stress enormously, and avoid the 50minute wait I just ensured.
2. Altitude numbers changed recently? I always call the number under "contact us" within the app, and tend to have low wait times. Today, that number just redirected to a voice message and gave me the mainline number and the wait was brutal. So how to find the new altitude number?
3. WRT to people saying those who call into AC "are stupid"- I would also argue that many of the AC employees match many of the callers- they simply are unable to handle a request or understand what to do with it. Its getting frustrating. I thank folks from another thread who linked me to the AC general domestic tariff document. Only after I quoted that file verbatim did I get what I wanted... until that I even got "I double checked with my supervisor and that is not our policy".
AC needs to take a hard look at customer service.
Mar 15, 2019, 5:22 pm
#40
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
Posted a number of times. Log in to your Altitude page and click My Priority Contacts tab at the top
I think they did. They hired the people they hired, pay them what they pay them, train them with what they want the agents on the phone and at the airport to know. It works for them. It just doesn't work for the customers. DL and others had the call-back option many years ago. And yet, here we are with AC.
I think they did. They hired the people they hired, pay them what they pay them, train them with what they want the agents on the phone and at the airport to know. It works for them. It just doesn't work for the customers. DL and others had the call-back option many years ago. And yet, here we are with AC.
Mar 15, 2019, 5:31 pm
#41
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: YVR/YEG/YYZ depending on day
Programs: E35K, FPC Platinum
Posts: 392
Posted a number of times. Log in to your Altitude page and click My Priority Contacts tab at the top
I think they did. They hired the people they hired, pay them what they pay them, train them with what they want the agents on the phone and at the airport to know. It works for them. It just doesn't work for the customers. DL and others had the call-back option many years ago. And yet, here we are with AC.
I think they did. They hired the people they hired, pay them what they pay them, train them with what they want the agents on the phone and at the airport to know. It works for them. It just doesn't work for the customers. DL and others had the call-back option many years ago. And yet, here we are with AC.
Mar 15, 2019, 5:36 pm
#42
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
The number is in my contacts. Also, if you have the AC Altitude digital card in Wallet or on your phone, click the "i" on the lower right and on the back are the numbers.
Mar 15, 2019, 6:14 pm
#43
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Toronto, ON
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 6,358
Mar 15, 2019, 6:33 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: YVR, HNL
Programs: AS 75k, UA peon, BA Bronze, AC E50k, Marriott Plat, HH Diamond, Fairmont Plat (RIP)
Posts: 7,830
Except they don’t. It isn’t offered as an option when the lines are busy. As I said in the OP, I was just told to call back another time. I would have been happy with a call back even if they said it would be two hours. But I couldn’t get in the queue and couldn’t request a call back. So they have one, except for when they are too busy. Kind of defeats the purpose.
Mar 16, 2019, 10:16 am
#45
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: MEX/YVR/YYF
Programs: AS MVP/AC75K/AM Gold/UA*S/SPG-Marriott Lifetime Titanium/Accor-FPC Gold/HHDiamond/Hyatt Exp
Posts: 5,035