AtlantaFlyer

The Atlanta newpaper published three full pages in editions of 7/20/98 on Delta's customer service problems. These can be viewed online at www.ajc.com.

One of the people posting messages to the online forum on ajc.com set up to discuss the Delta issues said that all customer service personnel at Delta were recently sent a sternly-worded memo forbidding them from waiving any rules for anyone, no matter how frequent a flyer the customer might be.

I had an experience last week where a favor I am normally granted no longer could be done by the Delta employee with whom I was dealing. She indicated that it was the result of a recent change in policy. Therefore, I suspect that the post by the writer elsewhere is accurate.

If so, it is a shame when a company categorically rules out any effort by employees to bend rules. This will only lead to more discontent with Delta, in my opinion.

jeyna

I have said it before and I will say it again...Delta is a business. They need to make money to stay alive. Delta was SO lenient in the past...waiving fees etc. That - like the FF program - got out of hand. Just stay within the guidelines and you shouldnt have to worry about paying fees anyway.

Beckles

Jeyna ~ I'd have to agree with you on this one. I'm a Gold Medallion member, and I think that not waiving the rules for anyone is the right thing to do.

When you are truly a frequent flyer, you will have your medallion status which comes with preferrential treatment built into the benefits of that status. I don't think its fair when some other Gold Medallion member gets something waived that I don't. How is that fair?

AtlantaFlyer

My point on this is that if you categorically rule out empowering employees to bend the rules when appropriate, I think it is bad.

For example, a couple of weeks ago I was booked on a flight from Atlanta to Knoxville which encountered a mechanical delay. I went to the Crown Room and asked the agent if he could just put me on the flight from Atlanta to Tri-Cities (100 miles from Knoxville) instead. He pointed out that since I was Platinum Medallion he would be happy to do that and that he would not charge me to change anything.

Now, as I would interpret the strict new rules, he would have been forbidden from doing that. He would have had to charge me the applicable fare to the new destination plus the $75.00 fee.

I have no problem with following the published rules (even though I think $75 is excessive) during regular operations. However, I think employees need the flexibility to make things happen when it is appropriate, and a strict no-exceptions policy will make them very hesitant to do so.

JoanH

Some Delta people that I have spoken with have said that they are still empowered to assist in unusual circumstances but that "I'm a Platinum, I don't like to pay fees, I don't want to stay over the Saturday night but I want the cheap fare, etc." are no longer considered unusual circumstances. Basically, I think that they were just bending over backwards to waive everything just because people asked or, worse, because people yelled, made a scene and threatened them. It sounds like they are no longer rewarding this childish behavior. As a person who travels on mostly Business fares, they are usually refundable and have no fees attached to making changes so I don't have to worry about waivers. As for the fees being too high, from what I've seen, Delta is pretty much the same as everyone else. Heck, my bank charges $28,00 to stop payment on a check (up from $12.00 about 5-6 years back) and $1.50 (plus another $1.50 for using a foreign ATM) for an unassisted ATM withdrawl that saves them from having to pay an actual human to wait on me. I sat next to a bank executive on a flight the other day that was upset over paying $25.00 for having his frequent flyer ticket expressed to him. Yet he completely understands his company charging these high fees on their products.