Continental is getting the message
 

This morning I talked with a very nice Continental gate agent who works out at the same gym that I do. I asked her how the EUA program is going, she said it WAS NOT going well. She indicated that massive numbers of complaints have been received. She said the agents are not fond of the system either, because it causes too many uncertainties for them. There is a general lack of understanding about how the system works. She also indciated that she would not be shocked to see changes to the system sometime soon. She told me she would keep her ears open and let me know if anything is coming down the road. But, the early reviews are not good from the most frequent travelers, and the word is making it to the top.

This just goes to show that Flyertalkers are not out in left field.

We are just a little more informed that the average Flyer and thus ahead of the curve.

Ok, we're a little more vocal also http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Yeah, just a little! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

rjwx2man:

Are you saying that the responses whch you registered were for the system to go back to the call-in system or for the auto system to work without any glitches? A key difference.

Negative response can come from both, yet one is for the call-in and the other for the auto--were you able to discern from the feedback?


Another view about CO listening:

The two agents with whom I spoke this last week said that they were receiving an overwhelmingly positive response. One agent did say that several negative reponses had been from a few silvers, who had missed out on an upgrade; she couldn't say whether it was because of the auto system, but they weren't happy about no upgrade. The other agent said that a variety of platinum members had expressed much appreciation for the system, as they had missed some upgrades with the old system, despite calling several times (guys, I promise http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I'm not putting words in her mouth, really). She also said that it was because of the hassle, and missing of upgrades, for which CO had received complaints, as well as parity with other programs that engendered much of the change. I also willingly suggested that probably it was for CO to save money, too. She said that the upgrade people are being switched to sales and not being layed off.

So in terms of hearsay, add that to the debate, for whatever it's worth.

Perhaps if we want to talk about CO really listening, it is more the case that they have, and in fact that is why we are moving toward an auto system in the first place.

JL2

Well, everybody take a look at how I just made 60 more one pass miles on my Continental airlines Visa:

www.denycontinentalthefreddie.com

I waited a week for them to respond to my e-mail. Maybe they were having difficulty with my e-mail address. I made it easier for them. It is now

a_very_angry_Gold_elite@denycontinentalthefreddie. com

I can give away up to 5 other e-mail addresses at this domain. Free to the first 5 who ask me.


[This message has been edited by NJDavid (edited 11-02-2000).]

[This message has been edited by NJDavid (edited 11-03-2000).]

David:

You must reserve one of those email address for everyone's friend JAWS.

I believe he has earned it.

JeffLewis2,

The complaints my friend spoke about were in regard to the Auto-upgrade being a pain to deal with. Apparently, ( and I don't want to put words in her mouth either)there was about as much communiction between Continental and gate agents as there was with many of us....zip. The agents have to deal with the problems that arise when flyers miss the upgrade, don't know about the program etc. She said the complaints about the new system have been many, and have been loud too. She reminded me of the time the program would not allow Silvers to upgrade, and how quickly that was changed. ( I was not with CO then, so I am not sure of the details) She has worked for them for many years, so I would guess she is in the know, and has never mislead or let me down before. She did not address any favorable comments about the new system.

Njdavid,

the link was dead.

It takes 24-48 hours to get registered in all the DNS' world wide....Try again tomorrow.

Spoke with a Wall Street Journal reporter who is looking into the whole thing, based on the noise coming out of places like Flyer Talk. Apparently the company is telling the press that awarding of upgrades is based on status, and who made the earliest reservation. That would seem to be at variance with why they are gathering all this information on passengers in the first place(spending, etc.), since, in most cases, the earliest booked reservation would lkely have been the cheapest. Remember, fares go up closer to actual day of departure. The whole thing smells...and by the way, where's Randy on all this....maybe worried aboutjeopardizing those ad pages?

[This message has been edited by deelmakur (edited 11-02-2000).]