Pre-flight drink in First?
May 28, 2008, 8:48 am
#46
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Sounds like there is sufficient information available for NW or Compass to follow up on this, provided the OP doesn't delay in filing a complaint. I imagine that they can track down the witness passenger if they want.
I would never actively seek compensation for something that was accidental and not negligent. If this had happened to me, my goal would not be to obtain compensation, but rather to make sure that this FA never did this again to someone else. If the facts are as the OP has stated, then this was more than negligent--it was deliberate and malicious. The FA should be disciplined, if not fired. If I were the boss, unless there was independent verification of the facts, I would not fire someone based on one person's complaint. It would be different if the FA has a file full of complaints, however.
OP, assuming you are confident that the facts are as you stated, you should definitely file a complaint.
I would never actively seek compensation for something that was accidental and not negligent. If this had happened to me, my goal would not be to obtain compensation, but rather to make sure that this FA never did this again to someone else. If the facts are as the OP has stated, then this was more than negligent--it was deliberate and malicious. The FA should be disciplined, if not fired. If I were the boss, unless there was independent verification of the facts, I would not fire someone based on one person's complaint. It would be different if the FA has a file full of complaints, however.
OP, assuming you are confident that the facts are as you stated, you should definitely file a complaint.
May 28, 2008, 9:19 am
#47
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I would never actively seek compensation for something that was accidental and not negligent. If this had happened to me, my goal would not be to obtain compensation, but rather to make sure that this FA never did this again to someone else. If the facts are as the OP has stated, then this was more than negligent--it was deliberate and malicious.
I will keep everyone posted.
May 28, 2008, 9:29 am
#48
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I received pre-departure drinks on 2 of my 4 recent flights, and one of those was water only. On one of the flights, there was no drink or snack service the entire flight. No idea why, as there were 3 FAs for about 60 people on the plane, no turbulence, no delay, no bad weather in the area, etc. FA laziness is all I can figure. Anyway, I'll send a note to TTU, not asking for compensation but rather making an observation of the apparent trend towards poor service. (Note, I'm the first to recognize that there are many FAs that do an excellent job, but there are too many that don't.)
May 28, 2008, 10:30 pm
#49
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That's awful! If it were me, all gloves would be off. I would want the FA fired, period! Intentionally going out of one's way to get back to a pax (when the pax was right in complaining) is very, very wrong. If I even came close to treating a client like that there would be NO QUESTION about it; I would definitely get fired. Why should a lazy, disgruntled FA be allowed to continue to make pax miserable?!
May 30, 2008, 4:25 pm
#50
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Promised update
Last week I reported that I was 0 for 2 on pre-flight drinks for my then-current itinerary. Since the circumstances under which drinks were not offered did not seem to make sense, I asked the FA on my third segment about the policy while she was serving my pre-flight drink. This FA also works for Compass, one of the carriers on which the F cabin pax were not offered drinks. She indicated that it is indeed the policy of both Compass and Northwest that F pax be offered drinks when circumstances allow. She suggested that I contact Northwest's Customer Care department and inform them about what happened and they could research as to why the drinks were not offered.
This seemed like a lot to go through for something that was not a big deal, but since she was kind enough to explain this to me, I decided to follow her suggestion. I dashed off an email via the online form at nwa.com and thought little more of it. The next day (Friday last), I received a form email with a $100 travel cert and an apology. Completely unnecessary and unexpected, and also very much appreciated. ^ ^ ^
Fast forward to last night (Memorial Day). I boarded the same flight as my second segment from last week (one where there was no pre-flight beverage service) and discovered that the same cabin crew was working this flight. This time, however, the two flight attendants switched duty stations so that the one who had been in back was now serving the F pax. She offered water before we took off, then came after departure to take our drink orders. As is my wont, I ordered a Leinenkugel.
The FA appeared moments later with a glass of the requested beverage and the remainder in the opened can. She set them down on my tray and stood up, bumping the tray and dousing my lap and shirt with beer. She immediately leaned over, I assumed to apologize, and said, "You should not have complained to the airline."
When I stood up to retrieve some paper towel from the lav, she ordered me back to my seat (the seatbelt sign was on), which contained a small pool of fine red brew. I bit the bullet and sat down, drenching my rear end in beer as well. 
After a few moments, she appeared again from the galley with a tray of napkins and paper towels and the comment (this time said loudly enough for the other pax to hear), "What did you do? How did you manage to spill that all over yourself?" She then made a point of warning the other F pax to be careful with their drinks since "there has been an accident in the front row."
Needless to say, I was furious, but I kept quiet and calm for the remainder of the flight (which goes against my general nature). A few moments later, the other flight attendant appeared from the coach cabin and walked to the front galley to speak with the F cabin FA. "That was the guy from last week," Coach FA said. "I know," said First Class FA. "He got exactly what he deserved."
There followed, incidentally, neither an apology nor an offer to have my clothes cleaned from either FA. I was quite angry for some time about this. However, I am glad that it is behind me. I did file a complaint about this, but just wanted to get others' feedback and thoughts.
Thank you and God bless you.
This seemed like a lot to go through for something that was not a big deal, but since she was kind enough to explain this to me, I decided to follow her suggestion. I dashed off an email via the online form at nwa.com and thought little more of it. The next day (Friday last), I received a form email with a $100 travel cert and an apology. Completely unnecessary and unexpected, and also very much appreciated. ^ ^ ^
Fast forward to last night (Memorial Day). I boarded the same flight as my second segment from last week (one where there was no pre-flight beverage service) and discovered that the same cabin crew was working this flight. This time, however, the two flight attendants switched duty stations so that the one who had been in back was now serving the F pax. She offered water before we took off, then came after departure to take our drink orders. As is my wont, I ordered a Leinenkugel.
The FA appeared moments later with a glass of the requested beverage and the remainder in the opened can. She set them down on my tray and stood up, bumping the tray and dousing my lap and shirt with beer. She immediately leaned over, I assumed to apologize, and said, "You should not have complained to the airline."
When I stood up to retrieve some paper towel from the lav, she ordered me back to my seat (the seatbelt sign was on), which contained a small pool of fine red brew. I bit the bullet and sat down, drenching my rear end in beer as well. After a few moments, she appeared again from the galley with a tray of napkins and paper towels and the comment (this time said loudly enough for the other pax to hear), "What did you do? How did you manage to spill that all over yourself?" She then made a point of warning the other F pax to be careful with their drinks since "there has been an accident in the front row."
Needless to say, I was furious, but I kept quiet and calm for the remainder of the flight (which goes against my general nature). A few moments later, the other flight attendant appeared from the coach cabin and walked to the front galley to speak with the F cabin FA. "That was the guy from last week," Coach FA said. "I know," said First Class FA. "He got exactly what he deserved."
There followed, incidentally, neither an apology nor an offer to have my clothes cleaned from either FA. I was quite angry for some time about this. However, I am glad that it is behind me. I did file a complaint about this, but just wanted to get others' feedback and thoughts.
Thank you and God bless you.
Thank you for writing about your recent flight experience out of
Detroit. On behalf of Northwest Airlines, we sincerely apologize for
the service and humiliation you endured from our flight crew.
I appreciate the time you took to share with us your comments regarding
the lack of customer service you encountered on your flight out of
Detroit. I understand why you wanted to bring this matter to our
attention and I want to express my deepest apologies. I can understand
why you are disappointed with our airline as I have read your previous
correspondences and service was an issue on your flights last week as
well. I am truly sorry that, on this flight as well, you did not receive the service you expected from our flight attendants. Let me assure you
that we expect our employees to be helpful and professional at all times and behavior like this will definitely be shared with the responsible
leadership team for internal follow up. Thank you for bringing this
matter to our attention.
Although I am unable to refund your ticket due to the fare rules of the
ticket purchased, I would like to offer a gesture of apology for the
service that you received by our flight attendants. I have issued the
following Electronic Credit Voucher (ECV) for you in our system. The
issue date is May 29, 2008.
-012027xxxxxxx $75.00 Xxxxx Xxxxx
An ECV can be applied toward the purchase of a new ticket. ECV's are
not transferable and cannot be extended beyond their one year validity
period. Please keep this correspondence, along with the attached Terms
and Conditions, since the ECV number listed above is required for
redemption. The ECV number can also be entered when booking online at
www.nwa.com.
I am truly sorry for the inconvenience caused as a result of our flight
attendant spoiling your clothing. Please be assured I will be sharing
your concerns with the responsible leadership team for internal review.
In order to fully review your claim; I will need a copy of the dry
cleaning receipt.
I hope I have been able to address any concerns you have about our
inflight service. Once again, I want to sincerely apologize for the
humiliation our flight attendant put you through. Also, as a reminder,
please send me your dry cleaning receipt from this incident. Your
business is important to us and given the opportunity of serving you in
the future, I am confident Northwest will not only meet but exceed your
expectations.
Interesting that there was no address to which to send my receipt.
It also frustrates me that they consider this incident to be a "lack of customer service". This strikes me as mocking and patronizing. It isn't a lack of customer service, it is customer hostility!Also interesting that, while not disputing my claim, they made no serious attempt (I do not consider a $75 voucher serious) to address it.
I can pay a lot less money to be abused like this. I will never willingly fly NW again. I recommend no one else does, either. I hope they do not treat all their high revenue customers that way (this was a full fare First Class ticket).
May 30, 2008, 5:26 pm
#51
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I can certainly relate to customer service issues as I am in a 100% service business - and I'm definitely not validating anything these FA's did, but today, with as few choices as there are in air travel today to get where you have to go, I don't know how you can really say that you'll never fly NW again. In every airline forum here on FT there are people that say that they'll NEVER fly that airline again - for some reason or another. If you sample different airlines, I'm sure you'll find customer service gaps in all airlines and eventually you'll be on Greyhound - and then eventually driving.
If your problem is with the response from NW, my guess is if this would have happened on UA or AA you would have gotten a generic response and ZIP in compensation. I'm sure it's difficult to manage EVERY employee in an airline with 20 or 30,000 employees.
(I'm ready to get chewed out for this response!)
I guess my question is - - What did you EXPECT them to do based on - simply - a letter received over the internet?
If your problem is with the response from NW, my guess is if this would have happened on UA or AA you would have gotten a generic response and ZIP in compensation. I'm sure it's difficult to manage EVERY employee in an airline with 20 or 30,000 employees.
(I'm ready to get chewed out for this response!)
I guess my question is - - What did you EXPECT them to do based on - simply - a letter received over the internet?
Last edited by davetravels; May 30, 2008 at 5:38 pm
May 30, 2008, 6:57 pm
#53
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May 30, 2008, 7:07 pm
#54
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[QUOTE=davetravels;9802630]Well if it's anything to go by, I'm pretty sure (ie. never saw the person again and the airline suggested it in their email) I got an out-sourced gate agent fired on another skyteam airline after they lied to me and I subsequently gave the airline all the proof of that employee's tricks.
There are a lot of really good people out there on all airlines (i've never seen the good ones at US Airways though). I've always been treated with respect by NW FA's and Gate Agents although what the flight attendants did in this case deserves getting fired for. Certainly if I was a passenger and overheard the FA's speaking on that flight I would have sent a TTU (just like I have done the same when I have seen pax abusive towards crew members)
There are a lot of really good people out there on all airlines (i've never seen the good ones at US Airways though
). I've always been treated with respect by NW FA's and Gate Agents although what the flight attendants did in this case deserves getting fired for. Certainly if I was a passenger and overheard the FA's speaking on that flight I would have sent a TTU (just like I have done the same when I have seen pax abusive towards crew members)
May 30, 2008, 7:10 pm
#55
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May 30, 2008, 7:37 pm
#56
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[QUOTE=davetravels;9802630]When there is a question about poor service, actions, etc., there is always an investigation.
From what I read about the OPs post, it sounds like the FAs were disciplined for their actions. Now they turn around and try and get even with the guy for getting them in trouble. "Accidentally" spilling a beer in his lap. I would certainly call that retaliation if not outright assault. If a passenger spits on a FA, it's considered assault. If a FA willing spills a beer on a customer, I would think that the same would hold true.
So, these two FAs are facing another discipline action within a week. I do believe that they do face a very real chance of termination.
From what I read about the OPs post, it sounds like the FAs were disciplined for their actions. Now they turn around and try and get even with the guy for getting them in trouble. "Accidentally" spilling a beer in his lap. I would certainly call that retaliation if not outright assault. If a passenger spits on a FA, it's considered assault. If a FA willing spills a beer on a customer, I would think that the same would hold true.
So, these two FAs are facing another discipline action within a week. I do believe that they do face a very real chance of termination.
May 30, 2008, 8:55 pm
#57
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I wonder how they prove 'willful' beer spilling vs accidental?
May 30, 2008, 9:03 pm
#58
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I can understand why you're upset, but if this happened to me, I wouldn't try to resolve it by a TTU email. This seems like something that needs to be addressed by someone "higher up" than whichever customer service agent happens to receive your message. If it was me, I'd start with phone calls to know who to talk with and go from there. Something to consider.
May 31, 2008, 8:16 pm
#59
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Thanks for the followup, jwlowry.
It sounds like the person who replied to you cobbled together several boilerplate canned responses.
I hope that he was serious about bringing this incident to the attention of supervisory personnel.
As far as the $75 voucher, that is an appropriate initial response, but I'd like to think that if they investigate and validate your complaint, maybe they will come back with something more (wishful thinking, probably).
As far as never flying NW again: you'll soon be flying DL! (Actually, if this was Compass, I would not be quite as harsh with NW. I have had a number of complaints about ASA in the past. I don't fully blame DL for issues with ASA, but I have pointed out to DL that even though ASA is a separate carrier, the fact that it is branded as the "Delta Connection" means that independent or not, whatever happens there reflects on DL for better or for worse. Same with Compass and NW.
It sounds like the person who replied to you cobbled together several boilerplate canned responses.
I hope that he was serious about bringing this incident to the attention of supervisory personnel.
As far as the $75 voucher, that is an appropriate initial response, but I'd like to think that if they investigate and validate your complaint, maybe they will come back with something more (wishful thinking, probably).
As far as never flying NW again: you'll soon be flying DL! (Actually, if this was Compass, I would not be quite as harsh with NW. I have had a number of complaints about ASA in the past. I don't fully blame DL for issues with ASA, but I have pointed out to DL that even though ASA is a separate carrier, the fact that it is branded as the "Delta Connection" means that independent or not, whatever happens there reflects on DL for better or for worse. Same with Compass and NW.
Jun 9, 2008, 11:55 pm
#60
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What You DO NOT DO To Your Customers
If this had happened to me, I wouldn't be looking for refunds or vouchers from NW. I would want them to contact the other PAX who sat with me, confirm my story, and then go after the FA's head and terminate them with extreme prejudice.
Two jobs ago, I had an employee who worked for me in a call center environment who took a call from a customer and, during the call, he whispered an "F bomb" into his headset, not thinking it was loud enough to get picked up but was. Since this customer recorded all of their telephone calls, they sent me a recording of the call along with a complaint. I fired this employee on the spot. From a company perspective, you just don't swear (or spill high end beer) on your customers!
-A
Two jobs ago, I had an employee who worked for me in a call center environment who took a call from a customer and, during the call, he whispered an "F bomb" into his headset, not thinking it was loud enough to get picked up but was. Since this customer recorded all of their telephone calls, they sent me a recording of the call along with a complaint. I fired this employee on the spot. From a company perspective, you just don't swear (or spill high end beer) on your customers!
-A
Last edited by Poopdeck90210; Jun 10, 2008 at 12:13 am