Get rid of bad employees - Hire who wants to work
Dec 18, 2012, 6:34 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 523
Get rid of bad employees - Hire who wants to work
Who here is annoyed by bad service in airlines? Not just AA, but all airlines should get rid of these horrible employees and hire people who really want to work in a customer oriented business.
Just had a horrible experience with AA agents in SMF.
First, my brother (CK) was flying SMF-LAX-MCO, my family and friends were on SMF-DFW-MCO.
I was able to check flight loads and SMF-DFW was wide open, so I told my brother to stand by on our flight. He walks up to the agent and she says, you must pay $75 dollars to confirm, you can't stand by. The other agent tells him the same thing. Finally this other lady (which looks like the supervisor) calls the Exec Desk and confirms him on the flight, so now he is no longer on stand by. This entire thing lasted about 40 min, unbelievable.
Anyway, I'm also CK and was traveling with my wife (PLT). We were already confirmed on first class, pending me pay for her 5-500 mile upgrades all the way to Orlando ($150). My brother, now confirmed, has over 30 500 mile upgrades left on his account from years ago and offered to have them pull it out of his account for my wife. The same lady, said NO, in a really arrogant way. She says: "I already did him a favor by confirming him on this flight, we are not going to pull the upgrades from his account." I refused to pay as I said I know the rule and she was not following, as we are allowed to apply upgrades to one companion. She then started screaming at me: "YOU ARE NOT LISTENING, YOU EITHER PAY OR I WILL PUT HER BACK IN COACH". I said, put her back in coach and I did not complete the checkin. I then called the EXP desk for them to adjust to pull out of my brother's account and was going to attempt to check in on the kiosk. Anyway, the EXP desk was doing and we were getting close to the 30 min cut off for bags, so I disconnected and just tried the kiosk. For some odd reason, it could not find her PNR and I went back to checkin with the agent. Anyway, the same arrogant lady checked us in with my wife back in coach.
Now I was going to try at the gate, hopefully someone with more common sense. I get to the gate, I tell another agent: "Can you add my wife to the upgrade list?". She looks me extremely strange, but extremely strange and says: "are you the one that tried to change accounts for your wife's account? I was ordered not to do that". That just pissed me off and I took a picture of her with her name tag with my iPhone while saying: "You either follow the right rules or I will get your ... fired for not complying with passenger rights and Advantage guidelines" (at this point I was also waiting on Exec Desk). So she gets on the phone with the supervisor back at the checkin area and I'm explaining to the Exec Desk that they are refusing to put my wife on the upgrade list. I hear her talking to the lady on the phone saying "he is trying to do both, he is talking to me and talking on the phone with the exec desk at the same time". Suddenly she hangs up and says. Please sit down and I will call you. At this point I was pretty confident that the supervisor that started all this told her to allow the upgrade from my brothers account.
5 min later I was called to the gate. She went from wine to water, extremely nice, polite asking for my brothers advantage account to upgrade my wife.
anyway, my point on this thread is, this lady was trying to show power as opposed to do the right job. we all know there are plenty of employees like her. these people need to be fired in my opinion as there are millions of people out of a job and want work.
Despite this happening, I'm a great fan of AA, first time CK after years of EXP, with 187k EQP just this year.
Just to make things fun: Flight from SMF-DFW, my wife's tray is broken, there is no tray. My friend also in F class, had what looked like a yellow/black lady bug on his salad during lunch. THe bug was alive and walking through lettuce. He took a picture of it, I will try to post it if he sends it to me.
Just had a horrible experience with AA agents in SMF.
First, my brother (CK) was flying SMF-LAX-MCO, my family and friends were on SMF-DFW-MCO.
I was able to check flight loads and SMF-DFW was wide open, so I told my brother to stand by on our flight. He walks up to the agent and she says, you must pay $75 dollars to confirm, you can't stand by. The other agent tells him the same thing. Finally this other lady (which looks like the supervisor) calls the Exec Desk and confirms him on the flight, so now he is no longer on stand by. This entire thing lasted about 40 min, unbelievable.
Anyway, I'm also CK and was traveling with my wife (PLT). We were already confirmed on first class, pending me pay for her 5-500 mile upgrades all the way to Orlando ($150). My brother, now confirmed, has over 30 500 mile upgrades left on his account from years ago and offered to have them pull it out of his account for my wife. The same lady, said NO, in a really arrogant way. She says: "I already did him a favor by confirming him on this flight, we are not going to pull the upgrades from his account." I refused to pay as I said I know the rule and she was not following, as we are allowed to apply upgrades to one companion. She then started screaming at me: "YOU ARE NOT LISTENING, YOU EITHER PAY OR I WILL PUT HER BACK IN COACH". I said, put her back in coach and I did not complete the checkin. I then called the EXP desk for them to adjust to pull out of my brother's account and was going to attempt to check in on the kiosk. Anyway, the EXP desk was doing and we were getting close to the 30 min cut off for bags, so I disconnected and just tried the kiosk. For some odd reason, it could not find her PNR and I went back to checkin with the agent. Anyway, the same arrogant lady checked us in with my wife back in coach.
Now I was going to try at the gate, hopefully someone with more common sense. I get to the gate, I tell another agent: "Can you add my wife to the upgrade list?". She looks me extremely strange, but extremely strange and says: "are you the one that tried to change accounts for your wife's account? I was ordered not to do that". That just pissed me off and I took a picture of her with her name tag with my iPhone while saying: "You either follow the right rules or I will get your ... fired for not complying with passenger rights and Advantage guidelines" (at this point I was also waiting on Exec Desk). So she gets on the phone with the supervisor back at the checkin area and I'm explaining to the Exec Desk that they are refusing to put my wife on the upgrade list. I hear her talking to the lady on the phone saying "he is trying to do both, he is talking to me and talking on the phone with the exec desk at the same time". Suddenly she hangs up and says. Please sit down and I will call you. At this point I was pretty confident that the supervisor that started all this told her to allow the upgrade from my brothers account.
5 min later I was called to the gate. She went from wine to water, extremely nice, polite asking for my brothers advantage account to upgrade my wife.
anyway, my point on this thread is, this lady was trying to show power as opposed to do the right job. we all know there are plenty of employees like her. these people need to be fired in my opinion as there are millions of people out of a job and want work.
Despite this happening, I'm a great fan of AA, first time CK after years of EXP, with 187k EQP just this year.
Just to make things fun: Flight from SMF-DFW, my wife's tray is broken, there is no tray. My friend also in F class, had what looked like a yellow/black lady bug on his salad during lunch. THe bug was alive and walking through lettuce. He took a picture of it, I will try to post it if he sends it to me.
Dec 18, 2012, 6:49 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 1999
Programs: AA EXP, SPG PLT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton GLD
Posts: 974
You're lucky the gate agent didn't call the cops and have you removed from the airport for threatening her if you accurately described what you said and your tone.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:13 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 523
not a matter of being cheap, just didn't like who I was treated to begin with. She was the arrogant screaming lady, which I ended up being right. Cheap is the airline after years of money spent on them to be treated this way and for them now knowing or not following the guidelines.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:16 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, AA EXP
Posts: 2,702
Dec 18, 2012, 7:18 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HND
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,230
Two in one day!
This story totally doesn't add up -- if you're CK and your brother is CK, you both have access to premium services in advance of the flight and certainly day of at the airport. If you fly as much as you say you do, I'm sure you have an admiral's club membership and know that you'd likely have better results there. Ticket agents are trained to deal with EVERYTHING decently but AC AAngles and certainly the premium services staff you have access to are trained to be good at a few things (like taking care of you) REALLY well.
Instead of throwing a temper tantrum at the gate, just stay on the line with the ExecPlt desk, visit the AC, or reach out to premium services. Oh, the other options to ensure everything goes the way you want it is to fly private.
This story totally doesn't add up -- if you're CK and your brother is CK, you both have access to premium services in advance of the flight and certainly day of at the airport. If you fly as much as you say you do, I'm sure you have an admiral's club membership and know that you'd likely have better results there. Ticket agents are trained to deal with EVERYTHING decently but AC AAngles and certainly the premium services staff you have access to are trained to be good at a few things (like taking care of you) REALLY well.
Instead of throwing a temper tantrum at the gate, just stay on the line with the ExecPlt desk, visit the AC, or reach out to premium services. Oh, the other options to ensure everything goes the way you want it is to fly private.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:22 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 523
Two in one day!
This story totally doesn't add up -- if you're CK and your brother is CK, you both have access to premium services in advance of the flight and certainly day of at the airport. If you fly as much as you say you do, I'm sure you have an admiral's club membership and know that you'd likely have better results there. Ticket agents are trained to deal with EVERYTHING decently but AC AAngles and certainly the premium services staff you have access to are trained to be good at a few things (like taking care of you) REALLY well.
Instead of throwing a temper tantrum at the gate, just stay on the line with the ExecPlt desk, visit the AC, or reach out to premium services. Oh, the other options to ensure everything goes the way you want it is to fly private.
This story totally doesn't add up -- if you're CK and your brother is CK, you both have access to premium services in advance of the flight and certainly day of at the airport. If you fly as much as you say you do, I'm sure you have an admiral's club membership and know that you'd likely have better results there. Ticket agents are trained to deal with EVERYTHING decently but AC AAngles and certainly the premium services staff you have access to are trained to be good at a few things (like taking care of you) REALLY well.
Instead of throwing a temper tantrum at the gate, just stay on the line with the ExecPlt desk, visit the AC, or reach out to premium services. Oh, the other options to ensure everything goes the way you want it is to fly private.
Last edited by JY1024; Dec 18, 2012 at 9:49 pm Reason: Merged consecutive posts by member
Dec 18, 2012, 7:30 pm
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,861
Who had the out-of-control power trip? Twasn't AA.....
Dec 18, 2012, 7:30 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: HND
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K
Posts: 1,230
Fair point -- and admittedly, I don't have CK so don't know what's included but I find it hard to imagine that it comes with the exact same level of at-airport support as does an economy ticket for a no-status kettle...
Dec 18, 2012, 7:33 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Valley Springs, Ca USA;Proud Retired AAer SJC Ramp/ AA- 2 MM Platinum;Hilton Diamond
Posts: 851
I find the Flagship Lounge in Sacramento much more convenient whenever I take the SMF-NRT nonstop.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:40 pm
#11
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
Dec 18, 2012, 7:42 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
Thanks Xero! I could care less for $150, it was just a matter of how I was treated. I've seen good treatment, bad treatment and indifferent treatment. This was a demonstration of power. I just think on this economy, people who really want to work should have a chance as opposed to these employees who want show power.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:46 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Wanting First. Buying First.
Programs: Lifetime Executive Diamond Platinum VIP with Braniff, Eastern, Midway, National & Pan Am
Posts: 17,481
This is what disgusts me about the AApologist-laden AA board. We have a poster reporting extremely unprofessional and rude behavior on the part of an AA employee (that didn't want to do things that are clearly permitted within AAdvantage's rules) and to this point we have 4 of 5 posters leaping to AA's defense.
Now maybe OP could have escalated in a different way but still the fact remains that this entire incident was instigated by AA employee incompetence/rudeness.
The degree to which this board will go out of its way to make excuses and/or take the side of AA and its employees is shameful.
Semi-related topic: is SMF Passenger Service now outsourced to Eagle? I don't fly through SMF as much as I used to but back in the day it used to have some very good AA agents. Last time through there I did not recognize any of the (very senior) friendly AA faces from years past.
Now maybe OP could have escalated in a different way but still the fact remains that this entire incident was instigated by AA employee incompetence/rudeness.
The degree to which this board will go out of its way to make excuses and/or take the side of AA and its employees is shameful.
Semi-related topic: is SMF Passenger Service now outsourced to Eagle? I don't fly through SMF as much as I used to but back in the day it used to have some very good AA agents. Last time through there I did not recognize any of the (very senior) friendly AA faces from years past.
Last edited by Herb687; Dec 18, 2012 at 7:47 pm Reason: syntax
Dec 18, 2012, 7:46 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 523
Let me tell you where the arrogance started
1) At check-in, saying she already did my brother a favor by confirming him on the flight
2) When she was loudly saying: "You ARE NOT LISTENING" several times
3) When she instructed the gate agent to not allow any upgrades to come out of my brothers account.
I agree I did become arrogant at one point, but don't believe I was the one who started this.
1) At check-in, saying she already did my brother a favor by confirming him on the flight
2) When she was loudly saying: "You ARE NOT LISTENING" several times
3) When she instructed the gate agent to not allow any upgrades to come out of my brothers account.
I agree I did become arrogant at one point, but don't believe I was the one who started this.
Dec 18, 2012, 7:46 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Valley Springs, Ca USA;Proud Retired AAer SJC Ramp/ AA- 2 MM Platinum;Hilton Diamond
Posts: 851
When we were told of our demise in SJC last April we were told at the same time the SMF agents were going as well. They had survived there since 1995 when I was outsourced from the SMF ramp. So maybe they were real AA agents at the counter but maybe not.