Call TWA and they will HANG UP ON YOU
 

If you call any TWA LLC phone number (reservations, Aviators, etc.) and an Agent does NOT immediately pickup your call, then their IVR phone system will ultimately hang up on you. This is true even if you selesct the option to be placed into the "waiting" queue!! Has been happening to me all weekend.

I call this RUDE and DISCOURTEOUS!! IMHO - this speaks very badly about what kind of people there are at AMR Corp. level. Even my dog is more courteous than these AMR Corp. people as she will "ask" for dog treats.

I had heard from AA employees in past years that Bob Crandall was one of the rudest humans on earth. I guess he hired people similar to himself into management slots at AMR Corp.

I am only commenting upon AMR Corp. management folks as my dealings with AAL people have been, almost without fail, VERY VERY COURTEOUS. Repeat - AAL folks are a different - more nice - kind of human being.

d[b]AA[/v]vid -

Rather than a reflection on AMR, you might consider this to be a reflection of that fact that TWA ceased to be a functioning independent airline. AA is interested in consolidation for cost-cutting, and they're probably well along in eliminating the remants of TWA's reservation/customer service system in favor of training AA's own staff to handle TWA's stuff.

This sounds more like a technical glitch than anything else.

Northwest has the same "GLITCH" as well then

AA,

Almost all the airlines have been doing the same thing recently. They cut back on their reservations staff and then announced a big fare sale. Plus major changes to schedules are requiring a huge number of both inbound and outbound phone calls. Unfortunately this is not unique.

Tone down a bit ...

ff

AA is implementing a live chat help for their AA.com online booking service. (Although, its only in a testing stage right now, available only to "specially selected" Plats and Ex Plats).

Obviously, this is because they are doing their darndest to get people to just quit calling them!

[This message has been edited by lisamcgu (edited 11-05-2001).]

Personally, I rather like the LiveChat although the quality of help I receive is variable. In some cases, the web agent offered to do the ticketing right there, in other cases, I was told to call.

But given it's possible to work on multiple chat sessions at once, while it's almost impossible to work on multiple phone calls simulatenously, you can see the advantage. On top of that, a computerized chat system is cheaper to operate than a call center. No LD or -800 charges.

OMG, it just happened to me on the CO OnePass Elite Line!

Something MUST be done! Perhaps we should FEDERALIZE airline res.

ROTFLMAO

This has happened to me when calling UA recently. Even on the Premier line. Not usually, but it's happened.

Happened to me all day today with Northwest! What is going on? I've finally gotten through but have been on hold for 45 minutes... wondering if I should hang up?

I just did a search on the TWA forum. wideman reported that this happened to him on 25 & 26-Oct. So if it is a glitch or bad programming they sure are not in any hurry to fix it.

In any case - my point is:

if they are gearing up big fare discounts to encourage flying and cutting telephone Agents at the same time, thereby causing an "overload" on their phone system, please tell me how this makes GOOD BUSINESS SENSE? When "sales/revenue" is down in a business, I would think you would bend over backwards in your CRM (customer relationship management) efforts. In otherwords, treat your customers even better than you had in the past. If phone systems are just "terminating" callers (click your dead) then someone has to help me understand how this is "BETTER" customer treatment.

Not only is the "click your dead" rude and offensive, but it just doesn't make any business sense when trying to promote more business.

I would think the UA flyers reading this would understand my point considering what they went through summer of 2000.

dAAvid -

I haven't asked anything of the Live Chat person that would send me to the regular Cust Svc lines. They have provided me much needed info that I couldn't find online. I think, though, that I make sure I ask only questions that will help me to book online - although I have found AA.com knows a heck of alot more about promos and bonuses than the call-in AA cust svc.

I've just had them find available dates for a super cheap fare, like instead of just playing it hit and miss, which is great to have real time while you're actually online booking (and getting those online booking bonuses).

Also, the answers to my questions were coming back so quick, I never thought the Live Chat person was working with anyone else but me.