Write, email, or call customer care for compensation?
 

I had missed my connection in Atlanta, due to mechanical problems and then a gate shortage (I sat on the tarmac for 40 minutes waiting for an ASA gate to become available, meanwhile, my connecting flight left). Had to spend the night in Atlanta. Delta said that while usually they would pay for the hotel, a convention in town had booked up all the hotels that they have contracts with.
No compensation, no meal vaucher, no nothing. I had to fork out $200 to spend 6 hours in a hotel before getting on my morning flight.
I thought that Delta would compensate me for the delay, at least for the hotel.
Is it best to write them, email them, or call them? And what is typical compensation in this situation?

Go to http://www.delta.com/emailus/servlet/EmailUs?cmd=go and leave your complaint. Expect it to take 2 weeks to a month before you get an answer. Suggest what you feel is a fair resolution -- pay expenses plus some points for inconvenience or whatever.

Call, ask for CSD explain the situation to the agent. If you paid $200 for the hotel don't expect a refund for that amount probably half that and a voucher for future travel or miles. You deserve the compensation just call, it will be a lot faster.

Good luck on a call. As a PM it might work. Last time I called as a GM I was given a fax number and told to put it in writing.

I am not use whether vouchers can be used over the phone or whether you have to go to a ticket office. Some TA's take vouchers. Last I knew you could not make a reservation on web site and save the booking fee, get bonus miles and use a voucher. If the offer you a voucher, ask them to add at least $50 for the inconvenience in using it.

I've have emailed them when I had problems (Both recently) and actually got a pretty good response in good time also

For something of this nature - WRITE and then either fax or mail your letter. Calls and email are more for suggesions or complaints you want a polite reply to. If you want to get anything done like this you will need to write - Delta pooched an international connection we had to pay for our room. They latter sent a check for the room. Took a while but it happended.

E-mail usually works for me just fine. Don't forget to suggest a fair resolution: compensation for the room, meal and some Delta miles thrown in for the inconvenience, say 5-10K.
Good luck.

Is that typical for compensation? I realize that I will not get the $200 that I spent for the room. As my company will pick it up, I am ok with that. Is $100 and 5-10k typical?
I do not want to be greedy, just be compensated fairly.