Horrifying experience in SLC today
 

Today I had the worst-ever Delta experience. Mind you, I have been extremely pleased with Delta since switching from American 3 or so years ago (Delta was happy to match my status, and I have been a Platinum Medallion ever since); I have always found the customer service to be exceptional and any problems handled efficiently and in a very pleasant manner.

My itinerary today was from SNA to EWR via Atlanta. A few hours before the first flight, I received a message that the flight from ATL to EWR had been cancelled, and I had been rebooked on a later itinerary connecting through SLC.

All seemed to be progressing well, when about an hour into the flight from SLC to EWR, the pilot announced that, due to power outages at EWR, and apparent uncertainty as to the reliability of power at EWR, the plane was returning to SLC, but was too heavy to land and so would fly about for about another hour to burn fuel.

Immediately upon landing, I phoned the Delta Platinum desk and was rebooked for the morning flight.

So far, so good. Although not really the schedule I had in mind, and being unable to make my meetings set for Thursday, all I needed then needed to do was pick up my bags and find a hotel. Unfortunately, doing so became a nightmare.

Not being at all familiar with SLC, and not needing to be rebooked, I did not join the throng at the gate, but continued down the concourse until I located an unoccupied gate agent. I inquired as to where I could obtain my luggage and some assistance with a hotel and was informed that I “would not be provided with a voucher because the cancellation was due to weather” and that I should go to the baggage office to obtain my luggage or “check with a Red Coat.” When I inquired “what is a Red Coat,” a received a look of incredulity and a snotty “you don’t know what a Red Coat is?”

I sped to the baggage office (knowing the line would be quite long if I dallied). About three or four people were in line ahead of me. When I reached the baggage desk, I indicated that I was on the cancelled EWR flight, and needed my luggage.

The baggage agent was not pleased with my request, and wanted me to agree to simply leave my “luggage overnight.” Naturally, I needed a change of clothing, etc, so that course of action was not acceptable. I was then informed that it would “be at least an hour or more” before the baggage agent could “look for” my luggage (why the entire plane-load of bags wasn’t just dropped on the carousel, as none of the passengers were going anywhere that evening was beyond me). The baggage agent wrote down my name and bag numbers on a post-it note and began to ask me the description of my bags (how she would remember this an hour or so later when she got around to looking for my luggage, as well as the luggage of the other 50 or people now in the line, was baffling).

I described one of my bags as a “black pullman suitcase.” To the agent’s query of “you mean a bag with a pull-up handle,” my response of “no, a pullman-type suitcase with four wheels, not a pull-handle” was, apparently, the cause of great distress, because after going back and forth with the same questions and responses a few times, she began yelling at me. I indicated that it was unacceptable for her to raise her voice at me and stepped aside to phone the Platinum desk for assistance. (This baggage agent refused to provide me with her name and, in fact, turned away so that I was unable to read her name tag before I walked away from the baggage desk).

As usual, the Platinum desk was most pleasant, but indicated that they did not have the number of the SLC baggage office, and transferred me to the main baggage line. That agent was beyond unhelpful and insisted that it was “Delta policy” that the bags would not be “released” that night (by this time, I had observed a number of people on the cancelled flight, including many who were behind me in the baggage line, have their luggage brought out to them).

I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told that I could not do so. I asked for the baggage agent’s name and the baggage agent said she would have to “terminate the call,” refused to provide me with her name and then did, indeed, “terminate” the phone call without any attempt to actually assist me.

At this point, I again telephoned the Platinum desk and was in the process of explaining my predicament once again, when a police officer arrived and asked to “speak” to me, apparently having been called by the baggage desk (it is important to note here that I hadn’t actually spoken with anyone in the baggage office after being yelled at by the first agent, I had been on the telephone booking a hotel and attempting to obtain assistance from someone at Delta who would not be nasty to me). While this officer was most pleasant (far more than anyone at SLC purportedly trained to assist Delta customers), requesting a police officer, apparently for the “crime” of complaining on the telephone was simply horrifying.

At this point, the matter resolved itself, as bags, including mine, began appearing on the nearest luggage carousal. Unfortunately, however, one of my bags had been damaged, a fact that I did not note until arrival at my hotel. I will not, however, subject myself to the wrath of SLC baggage agents again.

I am beyond shocked and appalled at my treatment by more than one Delta employee (and if I, a Platinum Medallion is treated in that way, how are customers with low or no status treated?).

Even if you made it to EWR you wouldn't be going to any meetings today (thursday).

You do know there is a blizzard going on over here on the east coast right?

As for the cop being called thats wrong not sure what to say about that but as they say two sides to every story.

Hang in there.. safety first! Good luck.

Those are some touchy baggage agents! :td:

Then again, where have you ever met a nice baggage agent? They're all pretty much the same foul and grumpy employees you'll ever meet :rolleyes:

That just makes me sick. You should definitely file an official complaint with Delta.

Honestly a storm in the NYC area is almost always a bad ending for travellers. I think you are alot luckier than most people trying to get to NYC right now. I don't think your meetings would have happened anyway they are calling for 8-14 inches in NYC area with a possible mix in of freezing rain.

SLC is usually the best delta staff. I bet if you had tried this same thing in ATL or JFK it would have taken more time. Delta at JFK is a horror show this story is nothing compared to the waits ive had at JFK for much simpler things. Remember the agent had to go and look for your bags by hand and im sure there were others who wanted them also so this isnt that simple or common a task. Personally this is the exact reason why i usually pack a clean undershirt and toothbrush in my carry on at all times so I don't have to wait if i get stuck waiting.

Theres a pretty large storm out there so i wouldn't be too surprised if you spend a little more time in SLC. Sundance is going on you really do not have the worst time to be in SLC go see a film or take a trip out to Park City or hit the slopes if your morning flight gets canceled.

Flights in and out of NYC seem to be canceled until Friday I have several friends coming into NYC or leaving NYC and they are all being rebooted onto Friday/Saturday flights.

Cut that to a third of its length and then send to DL. You have some very legitimate complaints:

1) general non-return of baggage during an extended, overnight WX situation
2) rudeness of SLC baggage agent in person, especially hiding her name tag from you
3) rudeness of general baggage agent on phone, including refusal to provide name or connect to a supervisor
4) by far worst of all -- calling in an SLCPD officer to pressure you

I also don't like that the PM/DM phone agents can't connect one to a specific airport baggage office. This was an issue for me last month when I (stupidly) left my laptop on the plane. The DM line couldn't connect me, so my only recourse was to race back to JFK from Manhattan and go straight to the baggage office myself (where, happily, my laptop was waiting). A simple call would have saved me almost three hours of hassle as I could have simply picked it up when I flew out of JFK the following day.

Sounds odd that you had three agents yell at you and a cop called. Is it possible you may have had just the tiniest bit to do with *your* actions and/or general demeanor with these agents? I'm willing to bet it does.

Agreed.

Logic would tell me that customer service employees generally don't call the cops unless there's a serious problem.

That seems to be the policy. It could well be that some or many pax don't want their bags back, so Delta doesn't want to dump them all onto the carousel and have a lot of them just sit there unclaimed.

I ran into this years ago at SLC, though after firmly holding my ground I got my bag. Since then, I pack one days' worth of clothes in my carry-on.

David

There must be something more here. The few times I have been to the SLC Baggage office they have been very helpful. Once a Gate Checked bag went to SCL :D and the next time a $1500 jacket was damaged in the FC closet. I was amazed at how easy the process was and how friendly they were. I was shown a large card with photos of bags and told to point to they type of bag that was delayed. I also wonder why they told you it would be an hour and then started to pull other's bags. Lastly while the GA should not have been rude to you, how is it a PM does not know what a Redcoat is?

They call the police when they think there's going to be a problem. From reading the OP's email and his use of adjectives, like "horrifying" I'm willing to bet your sense his entitlement has a negative effect on the way he deals with people.

Sorry to hear that. My company never closes but, I received news that all New York offices will be closed due to snow. So it must be serious.

+1.. I think there is more to the story...,

regardless, the OP will reduce the story, send it to DL, and end up with 7500-10,000 SM

i did not believe it was policy to return bags to pax during irrops as such. It has been my experience that the bags meet you at the destination.