Jun 18, 2015, 9:11 am
Last edit by: JDiver
AA "Enhanced" IVR / Interactive Voice Response System
including "Remember Me" discontinuation (as of 19 May 2015), quality, etc.
Note: bypass command is "Agent"; one can also tap "0" several times.
Note: The IVR recognizes ICAO / NATO phonetic alphabet; that can come in handy when IVR can't respond to accents:
ICAO / NATO phonetic alphabet
NOTE: Numbers pronounced as normal, but for “fife” and “niner”.
NOTE: “Concierge” and "Executive Platinum" Desks are separate agents, allegedly with extensive knowledge and supervisor powers. (Gold, Platinum and Platinum Pro "desks" are prioritized lines into the main telephone service bank).
Consolidation (Los Angeles, Tucson, Hartford EP Desk center's have been closed) and the need to bring in new agents have seemingly reduced the quality of EXP Desk services.
including "Remember Me" discontinuation (as of 19 May 2015), quality, etc.
Our interactive voice response system
When you call, just tell the system what you need and the information will be passed along to an agent. If your cell number is saved in your account the system will recognize who you are and can help you with things like:
To make sure you’re recognized: AAdvantage customer service
Did you sign up for Remember Me? The new system will provide you with all the help you need and more, but getting recognized is a little different – as long as you have a unique cell number in your account we’ll recognize you. It’s that easy and there’s no need to sign up.
Update your AAdvantage account
When you call, just tell the system what you need and the information will be passed along to an agent. If your cell number is saved in your account the system will recognize who you are and can help you with things like:
- Flight information, including connecting flights
- Reservations assistance
- AAdvantage mileage balance and elite qualifying activity
- 500-mile upgrade notifications for elite status members
- Save your cell number in your AAdvantage account
- Don’t include this number in any other account, like your child’s account
- Call us from this cell phone
- Include your AAdvantage number in all reservations
- If you need help with recognition of your cell phone number please contact AAdvantage Customer Service.
Did you sign up for Remember Me? The new system will provide you with all the help you need and more, but getting recognized is a little different – as long as you have a unique cell number in your account we’ll recognize you. It’s that easy and there’s no need to sign up.
Update your AAdvantage account
E-mail from AA 18 June 2015:
Hello John Q. Customer,
AAdvantage® Executive Platinum Number: I28IVR
If you've called us recently, you probably noticed we're speaking in a new voice. We've made enhancements to our voice response system that are designed to be more conversational so you can tell us what you need in a few short phrases. When prompted, your responses allow us to get you the information you need on the spot, or pass the details you provide through to an agent. Your interactions will help us fine-tune the system and improve its responsiveness.
Learn more »
Recognition is now handled differently and the "Remember Me" service you subscribed to no longer applies. Our system will recognize you when you're calling on your cell phone, as long as that cell number is listed in your American Airlines AAdvantage account — and not in any other member's account. With this functionality, we'll be able to quickly pull up your account to answer your questions and proactively provide you with your flight information. We understand that sometimes you prefer to speak with a person and we're working on ways to help you reach an agent more quickly. Please keep the feedback coming, we are listening and refining the system based on your direct feedback.
Update your cell phone number
Hello John Q. Customer,
AAdvantage® Executive Platinum Number: I28IVR
If you've called us recently, you probably noticed we're speaking in a new voice. We've made enhancements to our voice response system that are designed to be more conversational so you can tell us what you need in a few short phrases. When prompted, your responses allow us to get you the information you need on the spot, or pass the details you provide through to an agent. Your interactions will help us fine-tune the system and improve its responsiveness.
Learn more »
Recognition is now handled differently and the "Remember Me" service you subscribed to no longer applies. Our system will recognize you when you're calling on your cell phone, as long as that cell number is listed in your American Airlines AAdvantage account — and not in any other member's account. With this functionality, we'll be able to quickly pull up your account to answer your questions and proactively provide you with your flight information. We understand that sometimes you prefer to speak with a person and we're working on ways to help you reach an agent more quickly. Please keep the feedback coming, we are listening and refining the system based on your direct feedback.
Update your cell phone number
ICAO / NATO phonetic alphabet
NOTE: Numbers pronounced as normal, but for “fife” and “niner”.
NOTE: “Concierge” and "Executive Platinum" Desks are separate agents, allegedly with extensive knowledge and supervisor powers. (Gold, Platinum and Platinum Pro "desks" are prioritized lines into the main telephone service bank).
Consolidation (Los Angeles, Tucson, Hartford EP Desk center's have been closed) and the need to bring in new agents have seemingly reduced the quality of EXP Desk services.
AA Service Phone Voice Recognition / IVR Issues (After May 2015)
Apr 6, 2016, 9:57 am
#256
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 223
Weird experience yesterday. I called in to the EXP line and was greeted with a "Welcome back, Annie" after confirming my AAdvantage number. 1) my name is not Annie and 2) I've never heard a greeting by name before... I hung up (in case it got the wrong account somehow) and dialed back - no voice greeting the second time.
Apr 6, 2016, 9:58 am
#257
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: South Florida
Programs: AA LTG (EXP), Hilton Silver (Dia), Marriott LTP (PP), SPG LTG (P) > MPG LTPP
Posts: 11,329
My number is not tied to another account unless someone has listed it in error. AA has no answer for why it doesn't work and continues to politely refuse my request for a call back from the clown who thought switching phone systems from a perfectly acceptable system to an inferior one was a good idea.
Did you have a US account and was it linked to your AA account before the merger (even if it had a zero balance)? Maybe they created a new account and carried your number over. I would hope someone could do a number lookup and find out if there is another account with the same number.
Checkout Sideline.com to get a free second number assigned to your cellular and put that in your AAcount, maybe it will isolate your account.
Apr 7, 2016, 7:59 am
#258
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP / LT PLT / 3MM, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 35,389
Apr 7, 2016, 8:18 am
#259
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 1,590
Top executives (where he/she has been promoted) does not have time to deal with customer issues. Between looking for the Executive Washroom, he/she may be looking for a good financial adviser to shelter the bonus pay.
Did you have a US account and was it linked to your AA account before the merger (even if it had a zero balance)? Maybe they created a new account and carried your number over. I would hope someone could do a number lookup and find out if there is another account with the same number.
Checkout Sideline.com to get a free second number assigned to your cellular and put that in your AAcount, maybe it will isolate your account.
Did you have a US account and was it linked to your AA account before the merger (even if it had a zero balance)? Maybe they created a new account and carried your number over. I would hope someone could do a number lookup and find out if there is another account with the same number.
Checkout Sideline.com to get a free second number assigned to your cellular and put that in your AAcount, maybe it will isolate your account.
Had a US account that was dormant but I linked it prior to the merge. Agreed, they should be able to tell me if my # is linked to some other account. I'll check out your suggestion on sideline.Losing top notch employees when they made this decision is just a double whammy, adding insult to injury so to speak. Now where is that executive washroom exactly, RogerD408?
May 15, 2016, 7:33 pm
#260
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New Orleans (MSY)
Programs: AA EXP, IHG PLT, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Amtrak, WN
Posts: 2,617
Even this far after the merger, phone service seems to be consistently deteriorating.
Yesterday, while calling to make a flight change, the rushed agent hung up after making the changes without any notification. No verification of changes. No "anything else?" or even a "goodbye." It really was, "okay, done" *click*. If the rushed nature of the phone call weren't annoying enough, I pulled up the reservation after the call was done and noticed that EVERYTHING was wrong. EVERYTHING. The specific flights I had asked for were not booked. I can live with the errors, but is this the new norm? Because this is terrible. It's as if the agent had to hang up to diffuse a warhead.
I'm consistently given wrong information by agents, but this is a new low.
Instead of all this short-call-time BS, it would be nice if AA put a short survey at the end of each call (like a one-question, push-button survey) that asked something along the lines of "How was your phone call experience today, on a scale of one to five?"
That way, all of the EXP agents who spend 20+ minutes assisting me, using due diligence, and getting things correct the first time can get fives and all of the agents who give me blatantly incorrect information (like, do you even work for American Airlines?) can get ones and twos.
It gives a measurable metric of performance that makes more sense than simply using call times, especially when it seems that some agents just give you wrong info to get you off the phone faster.
Yesterday, while calling to make a flight change, the rushed agent hung up after making the changes without any notification. No verification of changes. No "anything else?" or even a "goodbye." It really was, "okay, done" *click*. If the rushed nature of the phone call weren't annoying enough, I pulled up the reservation after the call was done and noticed that EVERYTHING was wrong. EVERYTHING. The specific flights I had asked for were not booked. I can live with the errors, but is this the new norm? Because this is terrible. It's as if the agent had to hang up to diffuse a warhead.
I'm consistently given wrong information by agents, but this is a new low.
Instead of all this short-call-time BS, it would be nice if AA put a short survey at the end of each call (like a one-question, push-button survey) that asked something along the lines of "How was your phone call experience today, on a scale of one to five?"
That way, all of the EXP agents who spend 20+ minutes assisting me, using due diligence, and getting things correct the first time can get fives and all of the agents who give me blatantly incorrect information (like, do you even work for American Airlines?) can get ones and twos.
It gives a measurable metric of performance that makes more sense than simply using call times, especially when it seems that some agents just give you wrong info to get you off the phone faster.
Jul 28, 2016, 3:51 pm
#263
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Houston, TX/Australia
Programs: AA EXP/Exec Citi, NZ* G, Nat EE, Avis PP, HH Gold
Posts: 649
I'm running into this today. Calling the EXP line, it reads my AAdvantage number back to me correctly, then says something like "I can't find that number". However, when the AAgent comes on the line, he addresses me by name so somehow it's saving the number and keeping me in the EXP queue.
Jul 31, 2016, 2:26 pm
#264
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: ATL
Programs: UA 3.6 MM, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,582
Nasty and Inconsistent EXP AAgents Charging Fees and refusing to fix mistakes
I am an EXP and picked up my AA flying since June.
The experiences (particularly with reservation agents) have been poor to say the least.
Recently I was scrambling to book brand new award tickets for my family who were on cancelled flights on another airline. I was in the car driving and had just minutes to book tickets as they had one hour prior to departure on AA. I was bracing for a bad experience with AAgents telling me that they didn't have enough time to ticket with an hour prior to departure.
To my surprise, I got an AAgent who happily set-up the tickets and then as we were ready to ticket told me I had to pay $60.00 for a Telephone Ticketing fee for the passengers since I wasn't the member traveling. I protested and she said you are free to write refunds and see if they would refund it, but she was charging the fee and we had to ticket now. She said that the only way to waive it was to get online and book it myself, but it wasn't an option given the timing.
Another prior experience, I was scrambling to book a ticket 45 minutes prior to departure on AA and realized that as i hit submit it was the wrong date. I called within minutes of the ticket being sent through and got the following responses:
AAgent 1: The 24 hour cancellation rule does not apply when you are 7 days from departure. The full value of the ticket is lost. She made a dismissive comment about "It was only $150 ticket" as if I shouldn't worry about throwing the money away
AAgent 2: I can't refund the ticket, but i can apply it to another reservation within 24 hours of it being ticketed and waive the penalty.
AAgent 3: We changed our policy to prevent abuse of the 24 hour rule--you should know this and you agreed to it when you clicked the check-box that you agreed to the terms and conditions of travel. So I will not refund the ticket, you can write to refunds and I can assure you that they will not refund it either.
Outcome: I wrote to refunds and they easily refunded it.
A third experience was after a disastrous series of cancellations due to mechanical and crew availability issues. I had a trip in vain. Everyone Res AAgents and Airport AAgents said i would get a full refund. Customer service and refunds treated it like a forensic investigation and after 10 days issued a travel voucher. No refunds. I will use the travel voucher, but it is another maddening example of consistent inconsistency.
If this is a nasty new customer service for EXP's I can only imagine how the infrequent fliers are being treated.
The experiences (particularly with reservation agents) have been poor to say the least.
Recently I was scrambling to book brand new award tickets for my family who were on cancelled flights on another airline. I was in the car driving and had just minutes to book tickets as they had one hour prior to departure on AA. I was bracing for a bad experience with AAgents telling me that they didn't have enough time to ticket with an hour prior to departure.
To my surprise, I got an AAgent who happily set-up the tickets and then as we were ready to ticket told me I had to pay $60.00 for a Telephone Ticketing fee for the passengers since I wasn't the member traveling. I protested and she said you are free to write refunds and see if they would refund it, but she was charging the fee and we had to ticket now. She said that the only way to waive it was to get online and book it myself, but it wasn't an option given the timing.
Another prior experience, I was scrambling to book a ticket 45 minutes prior to departure on AA and realized that as i hit submit it was the wrong date. I called within minutes of the ticket being sent through and got the following responses:
AAgent 1: The 24 hour cancellation rule does not apply when you are 7 days from departure. The full value of the ticket is lost. She made a dismissive comment about "It was only $150 ticket" as if I shouldn't worry about throwing the money away
AAgent 2: I can't refund the ticket, but i can apply it to another reservation within 24 hours of it being ticketed and waive the penalty.
AAgent 3: We changed our policy to prevent abuse of the 24 hour rule--you should know this and you agreed to it when you clicked the check-box that you agreed to the terms and conditions of travel. So I will not refund the ticket, you can write to refunds and I can assure you that they will not refund it either.
Outcome: I wrote to refunds and they easily refunded it.
A third experience was after a disastrous series of cancellations due to mechanical and crew availability issues. I had a trip in vain. Everyone Res AAgents and Airport AAgents said i would get a full refund. Customer service and refunds treated it like a forensic investigation and after 10 days issued a travel voucher. No refunds. I will use the travel voucher, but it is another maddening example of consistent inconsistency.
If this is a nasty new customer service for EXP's I can only imagine how the infrequent fliers are being treated.
Last edited by JDiver; Aug 5, 2016 at 7:50 am Reason: Restore original post title
Jul 31, 2016, 2:40 pm
#265
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,597
The fee at the airport was correctly charged
From https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...s-benefits.jsp
There is also no entitlement to a fee free cancellation within 7 days. It seems consistent that the agents refused to refund it rather than there being "consistent inconsistemcy"
From https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...s-benefits.jsp
Originally Posted by AA
Waived ticketing service charge
The ticketing service charge is waived on tickets issued by American Airlines Reservations, an airport agent, or at a Travel Center for Executive Platinum members and their companions booked in the same PNR. Companions travelling in separate PNRs must travel with the member on at least one of the segments in order for the charge to be waived.
The ticketing service charge is waived on tickets issued by American Airlines Reservations, an airport agent, or at a Travel Center for Executive Platinum members and their companions booked in the same PNR. Companions travelling in separate PNRs must travel with the member on at least one of the segments in order for the charge to be waived.
Jul 31, 2016, 2:44 pm
#266
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: DL: Silver; AA: EX PLAT; UA: Silver; HY: DIA; HH: DIA; MR: TIT
Posts: 1,708
To the OP, I am sorry you've experienced such poor treatment. The only thing I'd recommend is that at least you were given the refund and voucher which is to say it could have been much worse. I'd be frustrated too if I was you..
AA is not what it used to be...
AA is not what it used to be...
Jul 31, 2016, 2:49 pm
#267
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: ATL
Programs: UA 3.6 MM, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 2,582
If they are going to charge ticketing fees to award reservations booked by EXPs for others then they should also be consistent and charge change and refund fees to award tickets booked by EXPs for others. That will certainly help remove any motivation i have to send any of my business to AA.
The fee at the airport was correctly charged
From https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...s-benefits.jsp
There is also no entitlement to a fee free cancellation within 7 days. It seems consistent that the agents refused to refund it rather than there being "consistent inconsistemcy"
From https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...s-benefits.jsp
There is also no entitlement to a fee free cancellation within 7 days. It seems consistent that the agents refused to refund it rather than there being "consistent inconsistemcy"
Jul 31, 2016, 2:55 pm
#268
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,597
The airport ticketing fee is different to the change/redeposit fee for awards and the terms are different
From the same page
For the 1st 2 items at least, the information from the agents seems correct regarding fees and refund eliibility
From the same page
Originally Posted by AA
AAdvantage award change and reinstatement charge waived
Charges will be waived for Executive Platinum members when:
◾Reinstating a fully unused award ticket that hasn't expired
◾Changing a date or eligible origin/destination on a MileSAAver or AAnytime award when using miles from your account
Charges will be waived for Executive Platinum members when:
◾Reinstating a fully unused award ticket that hasn't expired
◾Changing a date or eligible origin/destination on a MileSAAver or AAnytime award when using miles from your account
Jul 31, 2016, 3:32 pm
#269
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
Jul 31, 2016, 4:06 pm
#270
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
AA keeps good records, notes what OP has asked for and what he has received. If it appears that there is abuse, that is the sort of analysis which isn't going to be handled by a line agent on the phone.
To take just one of these. The rule could not be more clear. OP is playing travel agent for others, e.g. his family. But, he isn't traveling with them. So, there is a phone fee. It's also not for the agent to do the waiving.
OP is free to jump ship to DL or UA if he thinks that it's better. But, he isn't looking for customer service, he's looking for rules which apply to everyone: except him.