Delta joins Sprit on the "naughty" list....
Nov 28, 2012, 1:12 pm
#31
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It's funny to read the disparaging comments about CR from the Delta lovefest crew 
This from CR mission statement - "Consumer Reports is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves".
I respect CR, but I never consider their opinions as gospel. They approach things from the consumers standpoint. I'd say most unbiased folks would say they were spot on on Delta and the poor value provided by the "flex" fare purchase.
This from CR mission statement - "Consumer Reports is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves".
I respect CR, but I never consider their opinions as gospel. They approach things from the consumers standpoint. I'd say most unbiased folks would say they were spot on on Delta and the poor value provided by the "flex" fare purchase.
Which other airlines don't have the same sort of disparity between cheapest advance purchase and flexible/refundable fares? Why pick on Delta for being the one that reveals the difference in large print?
Nov 28, 2012, 1:19 pm
#32
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I'd put DL on the naughty list for that Deltalina finger wag safety video 
But not for pointing out how much more it is to buy a fully refundable ticket that is the same markup as all other airlines.
The fact that they chose that minor reason to put DL on the naughty list and not the glaringly obvious reason of their award calendar and general low level award availability goes to show that they don't have a good grasp of the industry or the consumer. They took one incident that irked one reporter and decided that was reason enough to berate an entire airline.
But not for pointing out how much more it is to buy a fully refundable ticket that is the same markup as all other airlines.
The fact that they chose that minor reason to put DL on the naughty list and not the glaringly obvious reason of their award calendar and general low level award availability goes to show that they don't have a good grasp of the industry or the consumer. They took one incident that irked one reporter and decided that was reason enough to berate an entire airline.
Nov 28, 2012, 1:55 pm
#34
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Next day I get an alert that they did a hard inquiry on my credit. Never did they say the would check credit, and never did I give permission for them to. Heck, I never even entered into a contract or attempted to make a purchase!
Nov 28, 2012, 2:00 pm
#35
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For quite a while Consumer Reports has long stopped being about unbiased reviews and more about advocacy of a position.
There expert reviews are a joke of you know anything about the industry or items they are reviewing.
Most of the time they produce these lists, you can usually trace it back to some position that CR is pushing that the company listed disagrees with.
CR is junk science at its worse.
There expert reviews are a joke of you know anything about the industry or items they are reviewing.
Most of the time they produce these lists, you can usually trace it back to some position that CR is pushing that the company listed disagrees with.
CR is junk science at its worse.
I stopped using their web site 3-4 years ago. I could never seem to get what I considered a real review of a product. I think once they started putting links to 'Price & Shop' for products - that was the end of credibility for them.
Nov 28, 2012, 2:24 pm
#36
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For quite a while Consumer Reports has long stopped being about unbiased reviews and more about advocacy of a position.
There expert reviews are a joke of you know anything about the industry or items they are reviewing.
Most of the time they produce these lists, you can usually trace it back to some position that CR is pushing that the company listed disagrees with.
CR is junk science at its worse.
There expert reviews are a joke of you know anything about the industry or items they are reviewing.
Most of the time they produce these lists, you can usually trace it back to some position that CR is pushing that the company listed disagrees with.
CR is junk science at its worse.
At one time in a former life I interviewed with them for a job testing things. Seemed like a satisfying idea - try to break things for a living. After seeing the makings of the political view I was expected to take, I politely backed away.
So it's really no surprise that they picked Delta over this relatively minor issue. It's not like Delta didn't disclose - it tried to upsell.
I've got plenty of bones to pick with Delta over it's policies, pricing, and bait-and-switch tactics (see: price changes when you go to buy a selected itinerary on the Delta website). Had CR picked that, the award calendar, the continued advertising of AF upgrades that are unavailable, or the no-notice changes to the Skymiles program, I might well have agreed with CR's inclusion. But including DL for the upsell? Please give me a break.
Nov 28, 2012, 2:45 pm
#37
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Politics has nothing to do with it. I'm a pretty liberal guy and I wholeheartedly agree that CR has become a joke. They don't take their work seriously anymore so why should anyone else?
Nov 28, 2012, 4:35 pm
#38
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What surprises me the most about that "study" is that Uninental is not scraping bottom just above Delta.
Who really cares about their attempt to collect $7xx for a "flexible" ticket. Most people would just notice the "7" at head of the figure and make a mental note as what they can do with it.
Overall customer service & satisfaction is what matters, and none of the large legacies is shinging in those areas.
I resemble that remark.
^
Shame was spelled L-e-o. They've never fully recovered from the damage he did.
They were a really nice airline to fly on when I didn't also have to participate in SkyPiles in the post-Leo years.
Seriously, I use to book as much of my domestic travel as possible on DL, even though i wasn't getting upgraded. At the same time the thought of ever trading WorldPerks for SkyPiles was just a bad dream.
Who really cares about their attempt to collect $7xx for a "flexible" ticket. Most people would just notice the "7" at head of the figure and make a mental note as what they can do with it.
Overall customer service & satisfaction is what matters, and none of the large legacies is shinging in those areas.
I resemble that remark.
^
They were a really nice airline to fly on when I didn't also have to participate in SkyPiles in the post-Leo years.
Seriously, I use to book as much of my domestic travel as possible on DL, even though i wasn't getting upgraded. At the same time the thought of ever trading WorldPerks for SkyPiles was just a bad dream.
Nov 28, 2012, 4:42 pm
#39
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It's funny to read the disparaging comments about CR from the Delta lovefest crew
This from CR mission statement - "Consumer Reports is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves".
I respect CR, but I never consider their opinions as gospel. They approach things from the consumers standpoint. I'd say most unbiased folks would say they were spot on on Delta and the poor value provided by the "flex" fare purchase.
This from CR mission statement - "Consumer Reports is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves".
I respect CR, but I never consider their opinions as gospel. They approach things from the consumers standpoint. I'd say most unbiased folks would say they were spot on on Delta and the poor value provided by the "flex" fare purchase.
That's why they see no value.
I don't even need it too often for work travel.
But, I do understand the industries they usually report.
Nov 28, 2012, 4:53 pm
#40
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Doesn't matter which political party you support, those hold true.
I submit that a large part of the reason that CR has become a joke is that they are no longer truly impartial with respect to the entire population they claim to serve. I walked away from the employment opportunity because I felt that being truly impartial would be a hindrance.
Yes, it has direct bearing on DL because the attempt to twist something that was a non-issue into a "worst company" award while ignoring those things that truly represent issues is prima facia evidence of the problem with CR - the failure to fully and impartially examine those that they are trashing.
I'll leave it at that.
Nov 29, 2012, 7:46 am
#41
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CR is biased, sometimes unintentionally (e.g. their panel of experts almost all happen to use the same brand of sewing machine, so that brand is rated "easiest to use". Except it isn't, unless you already know how to use it.)
Which other airlines don't have the same sort of disparity between cheapest advance purchase and flexible/refundable fares? Why pick on Delta for being the one that reveals the difference in large print?
Which other airlines don't have the same sort of disparity between cheapest advance purchase and flexible/refundable fares? Why pick on Delta for being the one that reveals the difference in large print?
IMO this is a sort of tip of the iceberg ; IMO the list of consumer issues with Delta goes on and on from weather waivers, service to small and medium cities, Frequent Flyer program etc.
Nov 29, 2012, 9:08 am
#42
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I believe the answer is, that it is not per se product issue in this case, it is a process issue, i.e. trying to upsell a poor value.
IMO this is a sort of tip of the iceberg ; IMO the list of consumer issues with Delta goes on and on from weather waivers, service to small and medium cities, Frequent Flyer program etc.
IMO this is a sort of tip of the iceberg ; IMO the list of consumer issues with Delta goes on and on from weather waivers, service to small and medium cities, Frequent Flyer program etc.
Now, if CR had picked on DL for the C- high school project DL calls a "website" (leaving out the "h"), I don't think anybody would object.
Dec 3, 2012, 4:53 pm
#43
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Not of a T fare, though.
Dec 4, 2012, 12:16 pm
#44
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Dec 4, 2012, 2:14 pm
#45
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Try traveling as a contractor on a government contract. The last time I traveled to ANC on business I was forced to pay through the nose for a nonrefundable ticket, on DL, when I could have paid less than half the price for a nonrefundable ticket. The rationale was that I wouldn't have to pay to change it if needed, but I could have paid at least 3 change fees on the cheap ticket and still come out ahead. As it turned out, I didn't have to change it at all.