StayingHomeIsBetter

How do you identify what call center they are in?

MSPeconomist

Multiple choice:

1. Accent.

2. Attitude and competence.

3. Just ask.

sethb

That was your mistake. Wait for the survey and give her a "1".

Keyser

i think my mistake was not hanging up or asking for a supervisor at the start of the call when i noticed the rude behavior....

18sas

Don't assume that asking for a supervisor will actually get you one. Worked at a call center ages ago, and it was common practice for an agent to hand the call over to a co-worker when the caller requested a supervisor.

btonkid12345

Except Supervisors/Leads are needed for certain overrides or to make decisions on certain requests by customers. For example allowing changes to an E ticket.

When requested via DL, I believe they do get someone with more authority.

sethb

They're certainly supposed to.

Fly_Delta_Jets

Yep. The "supervisor" (called a Lead) is similar to a Red Coat at the gate. Not necessarily a manager per se, but someone with more authority that can authorize certain changes.

jdrtravel

I believe that I have experienced this with other companies. IME when calling DL, when I've been transferred to a supervisor, that person has almost always had more authority and been able to help in ways the first agent was not.

wlau

Sorry to vent here - I don't know what's going on at Delta lately, but Diamond Medallion desk agents are getting rude, unhelpful and condescending. It seems if I call during day time, there is a chance of getting a really good agent, but late at night in the US (day time overseas), the Diamond agents are just incredible unhelpful, like they are from a completely different company.

I booked a RT international flight on Delta.com, like I have done dozens and dozens of times, but after "submit", the system gave me an error message. At the same time, my bank app alerted me to an authorization of the amount of the ticket. I waited a bit and still don't see the trip under My Trips and no email confirmation. I have gotten post "submit" errors before, but they don't usually progress enough to send authorization to the card and even if they did, certain type of error could cause system to immediately void the authorization, but not in this case. All signs indicate something occurred but didn't process right.

I called in and got an earful from a DM agent on how credit card works, like I am an idiot, and there is no reservation and no ticket and I need to call the ticketing agency, not even bother to listen to me clearly saying I booked it on Delta.com. Asked for supervisor, she hangs up. Called back, requested a supervisor and got one. She similarly said there is nothing and again lecture me about credit authorization and how banks drop those holds after a few days. I finally firmly asked her to please search for a ticket, a reservation, or look at charges to my credit card.

Meanwhile, I logged out and in several times and while we were talking (20 min later), a new trip showed up under "My Trips", but she still insist it doesn't exist until I gave her the confirmation number. She went silent, probably felt embarrassed. She gave me a bunch of excuses but became more grounded. I then discover this flight was not ticketed because there is no receipt under this trip. She finally confirm she see the card authorization but not sure why it wasn't ticketed. She then had to manually ticket the flight, which triggered another card authorization. These agents are becoming so lazy that they don't bother to search or do any of the basic things expected out of similar situations - they just spew some scripted or common answer, without spending the time to listen to the specifics.

An entire hour goes by and I still don't have the email confirmation, so I logged again and see the receipt was formed, so I try request the system to email me but no email after several attempts. Called again and got another DM agent, and again this person didn't listen even I explained I already tried to get the system to email me but nothing was received. Instead of just generate the receipt email and end the call, she goes off asking me if my email really works - right after I told her system email me about a cleared upgrade to C+, but never the receipt email. Finally... she decided to email the receipt and it worked.

I really start to question why I give Delta so much business while getting these substandard service, almost like abuse. These agents don't value us at all - it's too much to ask even for little things that are completely not our fault.

MSPeconomist

flyerCO

This seems to becoming common. DL.com authorizes a charge, it hiccups and never tickets. We had a thread on thus about C+ upgrade. I've also experienced it when buyin a ticket recently.

WillBarrett_68

whenever I see these posts there are a number of things that go through my head. There's usually a pattern.

btonkid12345

There has always been a cache of sub-par agents, and I try to rate make sure I can rate them at the end of the call. However, I also am noticing the prevalence of these folks seems to be slightly increasing - especially at US night time.

My solution has just been to not call at US night time unless it is either a simple question, or absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I reach out via Twitter, or wait to call the daytime agents. During the daytime, I've talked to some of the most empathetic, friendliest, competent agents that are shining examples of Delta's service standards.

I recently had a SLC reissue agent question my routing of flying Europe-Chicago-New York-Boston. His tone was insanely rude, and he was just making stuff up instead of abiding by the fare rules. He transferred me to a "CES Agent" [the appropriate term for supervisor; this ensures you get a Customer Experience Supervisor] who fixed everything, but I did not get to rate him. It was late at night, during the weekend, in the US, and it was an urgent call. But I wish I could have given the SLC agent a 1 because he was abysmal and wretched.


I find that most of the agents do value us. And what keeps me going back are the shining examples of their service, not just on the phone, but in airports and on board. Most of their employees do care. There are a few here and there that simply don't match up to their colleagues, and the best way to deal with it is to minimize your interaction with them, and provide negative but constructive feedback about them, either via asking a CES agent to speak to them/file a complaint/ask for a review of the call, or writing in, or by simply giving a low score at the end of the call.

btonkid12345

what does this even mean?