Is China Eastern's customer service really this bad?
Aug 16, 2018, 9:03 pm
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,622
Well I’m stuck in Jeju CJU airport just now and China Eastern staff won’t let me check in for the flight. They are asking for German identity cards and any other documentation, which I gave. I am British with a UK passport and residency in Germany. Is this for serious?? The route is CJU-PVG-AMS-DUS. What if I was going as a tourist?? We don’t need visas for Germany.
UPDATE- as this is a customer service thread, it’s only fair to mention that Jeju is a fairly offbeat outstation, not a major airport like those in Seoul and Tokyo, which are other foreign but Asian outstations for China Eastern. They don’t necessarily know all the vagaries of the European Union. I am now through, but it took a long time. To make matters more fun, there is a typhoon just making landfall somewhere near Shanghai and everything is massively delayed. The icing on the cake? There is no SkyTeam lounge for international departures at Jeju.
UPDATE- as this is a customer service thread, it’s only fair to mention that Jeju is a fairly offbeat outstation, not a major airport like those in Seoul and Tokyo, which are other foreign but Asian outstations for China Eastern. They don’t necessarily know all the vagaries of the European Union. I am now through, but it took a long time. To make matters more fun, there is a typhoon just making landfall somewhere near Shanghai and everything is massively delayed. The icing on the cake? There is no SkyTeam lounge for international departures at Jeju.
Last edited by Concerto; Aug 16, 2018 at 10:04 pm
Aug 19, 2018, 7:02 pm
#62
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 585
if you think that I'm ever going to let this go, you don't know me. I wrote the letter for compensation today and it will be sent tomorrow morning by certified letter. In it, I let them know that unless there is a settlement in 30 days, I will file a lawsuit and a complaint with the DOT. If I win in small claims court, I can attach their property for up to the amount of the judgment. I can show this judgment to every person standing in line at the China Eastern ticket counter at LAX. I have a brother that lives in Los Angeles and can visit him for a month or 2. What I can guarantee that, at some point, they will care about what I am doing. Whether it results in a settlement, that's up to them.
Mar 8, 2019, 9:07 am
#63
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 200
Two days ago, I got an email from a China Eastern employee that works at LAX. She asked me for a copy of my email, which asked for $200 compensation for having my luggage lost for 11 days. She said she would then check with her superiors at Shanghai airport about authorizing payment. Whether she is doing this because I’ve sent her emails about taking MU to small claims court, and that I was flying through LAX in March and would pass out letters To passengers in line to checkin to their MU flight, I don’t know. I do have a letter ready. If I don’t hear back from her my the time of my return flight through LAX, I’ll pass them out at that time and file the small claims action then. I was looking forward to serving the small claims papers to the checkin agent for MU at LAX but the lady that handles small claims actions said I (the plaintiff) wasn’t allowed to do that. That’s probably just as well, as I would be concerned for most of my connection time through Hong Kong next Monday that I might be detained.
Mar 26, 2019, 5:39 am
#64
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 200
I’m sitting at BKK, waiting for my return flight on Hong Kong Airlines (mistake fare) and have about 6 hours to kill before checkin, so I thought I’d post how my battle with China Eastern over keeping my checked bag for two weeks. The day before I left the U.S. on March 12, a representative from China Eastern ‘s LAX office emailed me , saying they would issue a check to me for $150.00 to cover my inconvenience. I accepted and this ends the dispute. Was it worth it from the amount of time and energy that I had to expend to come to a satisfactory conclusion? No, but I’m the type of person that will pursue these type of situations, regardless of what it costs me in time and energy. I’m sure that China Eastern Airlines expects most customers to give up quickly. I’m certainly glad that it’s over.
Mar 26, 2019, 10:33 pm
#65
Join Date: May 2009
Location: MAD/LAX/MNL/PIT
Programs: DL DM, PR, TG, UA, CX (Asia Miles), BT, AY, AA
Posts: 906
I dealt with my first IRROPS situation with MU at DEL a couple of weeks ago.
DEL-PVG was significantly delayed. While most people were shuttled off by MU to a nearby hotel (not sure where, but I was told it was in Dwarka, a neighborhood just outside of the airport area), I was persistent. To be fair, the DEL office handled the situation as best they could, but a lot of people were upset.
I had to flaunt my status a bit, but I got the station manager's attention. I told him I was also talking to DL (via Twitter) to help find alternate flights back to LAX since they saying all other flights were full, and when I told him that AF had seats available to CDG, he said he couldn't put me on that flight but nonetheless told me to wait. By then the crowds had abated and most people had gone to the hotel.
A few minutes later, after suggesting earlier they try other SkyTeam airlines (he laughed at my suggestion they put me on SV, for one), he told me he'd try to get me on JL, which aside from having check-in space right next door had a manager who the MU station manager was very friendly with. They were able to rebook me on DEL-NRT-LAX along with one other person, and I made it back to LA around 90 minutes after my scheduled arrival had I taken DEL-PVG-LAX. Ultimately, DEL-PVG was delayed by 10.5 hours, and had I waited I would've arrived well into the evening.
I was told by a friend of mine who dealt with a similar IRROPS situation that the way MU handles these heavily depends on the outstation. He was stranded at DPS and DPS was insisting he couldn't do anything, but DEL was able to do what they claimed they couldn't do. But I'm really grateful to MU for being reasonable for the staff at DEL for how they handled the situation, which in my case was outstanding.
DEL-PVG was significantly delayed. While most people were shuttled off by MU to a nearby hotel (not sure where, but I was told it was in Dwarka, a neighborhood just outside of the airport area), I was persistent. To be fair, the DEL office handled the situation as best they could, but a lot of people were upset.
I had to flaunt my status a bit, but I got the station manager's attention. I told him I was also talking to DL (via Twitter) to help find alternate flights back to LAX since they saying all other flights were full, and when I told him that AF had seats available to CDG, he said he couldn't put me on that flight but nonetheless told me to wait. By then the crowds had abated and most people had gone to the hotel.
A few minutes later, after suggesting earlier they try other SkyTeam airlines (he laughed at my suggestion they put me on SV, for one), he told me he'd try to get me on JL, which aside from having check-in space right next door had a manager who the MU station manager was very friendly with. They were able to rebook me on DEL-NRT-LAX along with one other person, and I made it back to LA around 90 minutes after my scheduled arrival had I taken DEL-PVG-LAX. Ultimately, DEL-PVG was delayed by 10.5 hours, and had I waited I would've arrived well into the evening.
I was told by a friend of mine who dealt with a similar IRROPS situation that the way MU handles these heavily depends on the outstation. He was stranded at DPS and DPS was insisting he couldn't do anything, but DEL was able to do what they claimed they couldn't do. But I'm really grateful to MU for being reasonable for the staff at DEL for how they handled the situation, which in my case was outstanding.
Mar 27, 2019, 4:06 am
#66
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 134
China eastern is actually the first ever airline I fly. I mean I used to not satisfy with them regarding those things, but after encountering UA, Delta, AA, I started to realize that China Eastern is far better than those big 3s in the US. Also China Eastern has always the best price which was equivalent to a budget airline. I mean the thing you encounter happens on every airline, if it was the airline in the US, you may already be pissed off by the AI customer that constantly ask you to listen to the music or press some certain keys but hard to reach to a person. They are certainly not the best, but I may still fly with them, or give them a 2nd chance.
Mar 28, 2019, 2:59 am
#67
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,227
China eastern is actually the first ever airline I fly. I mean I used to not satisfy with them regarding those things, but after encountering UA, Delta, AA, I started to realize that China Eastern is far better than those big 3s in the US. Also China Eastern has always the best price which was equivalent to a budget airline. I mean the thing you encounter happens on every airline, if it was the airline in the US, you may already be pissed off by the AI customer that constantly ask you to listen to the music or press some certain keys but hard to reach to a person. They are certainly not the best, but I may still fly with them, or give them a 2nd chance.
+1 All 3 of the Chinese big 3 are better than any of the US big 3. The only reason to take DL, UA or AA from China is if you like a better selection of cocktails and lots of ice in your drinks. Other than that the Chinese airlines win.
Mar 28, 2019, 3:14 am
#68
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,036
While I agree with you, as primarily an economy class traveler, I like DL's ATL flight a lot. Sure, Skymiles is awful, but they serve good food, and the 9-abreast 777s are great.
Mar 30, 2019, 3:09 am
#69
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South Korea
Posts: 100
China Eastern customer service help... Got denied boarding
Hello everyone, I flew from DPS-PVG-ICN today and had an unfortunate experience. We left DPS late by 30ish min to an hour and arrived in PVG at roughly 8am. My connecting flight boarded at 830am so I justled to get to the gate. Upon getting to the gate (surprise) they were just boarding. I was flying business class the entire trip so I walked up to SkyPriority and gave the lady my ticket. It beeped and she did it again. It beeped again and she said wait a moment.
So I paused she checked the rest of the people in and called a guy on the phone. Another guy was going through economy and the same happened to him. We both were on the Bali flight. She also asked if I had checked baggage and I did not .She looked at us and said your name is not in the system, even though we had printed tickets, and we must go back to the transfer counter. Highly inconvenient as that is located before immigration downstairs. She walked us back and we waited in line for 20 minutes before someone helped us. Still no one told us why our names were bumped. By this point, about 10 more people had arrived all that were on the Bali flight. Once I got to the counter, the guy offered no explanation, just said your flight is at 1230pm now. I asked why but he was clearly focused on the other 15 people with the same problem. Countless people I went to had no answer.
Finally, the business class lounge lady called and said since the flight was late that everyone on the DPS-PVG-ICN flight was bumped since they could not load their luggage from DPS to the plane in PVG. Mind you I have NO checked luggage. My delay accumulated to over 4 hours to take off. To top it off, I was bumped from an A330-200 which features a nice business class seat with lay flight seats and a 1-2-1 config to an A321 that is 2-2 config with only reclining seats.
Any suggestions on how to resolve this or am I out of luck? I have tried googling and seems to be a rather unique case with some regards.
So I paused she checked the rest of the people in and called a guy on the phone. Another guy was going through economy and the same happened to him. We both were on the Bali flight. She also asked if I had checked baggage and I did not .She looked at us and said your name is not in the system, even though we had printed tickets, and we must go back to the transfer counter. Highly inconvenient as that is located before immigration downstairs. She walked us back and we waited in line for 20 minutes before someone helped us. Still no one told us why our names were bumped. By this point, about 10 more people had arrived all that were on the Bali flight. Once I got to the counter, the guy offered no explanation, just said your flight is at 1230pm now. I asked why but he was clearly focused on the other 15 people with the same problem. Countless people I went to had no answer.
Finally, the business class lounge lady called and said since the flight was late that everyone on the DPS-PVG-ICN flight was bumped since they could not load their luggage from DPS to the plane in PVG. Mind you I have NO checked luggage. My delay accumulated to over 4 hours to take off. To top it off, I was bumped from an A330-200 which features a nice business class seat with lay flight seats and a 1-2-1 config to an A321 that is 2-2 config with only reclining seats.
Any suggestions on how to resolve this or am I out of luck? I have tried googling and seems to be a rather unique case with some regards.
Mar 30, 2019, 7:55 am
#72
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,036
In addition to MU, I've gone to battle with CZ, and HU in the past. In all cases, I eventually received nominal cash compensation, but we're talking $1 per hour for my time spent. As much as I would like these airlines to improve on the customer service front, it's simply not worth my time to bother chasing them (e.g. they love to pass the buck between various offices, which makes simple requests complicated).
Mar 30, 2019, 8:38 pm
#73
Join Date: May 2012
Location: BKK/SIN/YYZ/YUL
Programs: DL, AC, Bonvoy, Accor, Hilton
Posts: 2,920
Arrogance, rudeness and disdain for the customer are the norm. Some western airlines promote PEK and PVG as transit hubs in Asia. It isn't working. Once civilized people experience the inefficiency and absence of hospitality of the mainland transit experience, ICN, TPE, HND, NRT and HKG become the preferred transit points.
However, the main reason why a US carrier will ALWAYS be better than a mainland carrier, is the legal protection of the passenger. There is no recourse for a passenger on the mainland carriers, for the simple reason, they just ignore the passenger. Poor onboard service,IROP response; Lost baggage; Change in schedule with no advance notice; etc.: IMO, all the same response: Nothing. No concern, no care and no F's given. Whatever the imagined and real failings of US carriers are, there is a legal framework that applies and a right of redress available to the passenger. Foreigners cannot expect, nor are they granted similar rights when dealing with the mainland carrier when in China and in most other jurisdictions. I learnt my lesson, despite having status, and no matter the airfare savings, the dismal mainland service and quality of care isn't worth it. And BTW, having watched the "enhanced" treatment of some ethnic groups during transit, was disturbing.
Last edited by Transpacificflyer; Mar 30, 2019 at 8:47 pm
Mar 30, 2019, 9:59 pm
#74
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,036
Service? Having had the experience of China Eastern/Shanghai Airlines on the BKK-PVG route (and CA on PEK-BKK, SIN) over the past 3 years I would gladly take a US carrier any day over the the mainland big 3, and I loathe US carriers. Trying to get an alcoholic beverage on these routes is an exercise in frustration and the wine selection if available, is deplorable. Meals are often inedible. On my last J class flight only one entree of "fish" was available. My experience has been that there is only one meal type loaded on the route despite the embellished menu boasting of multiple options. The food itself is of dubious quality. And as for the lounges? Disgusting and an ongoing demonstration of poor hygiene.
Arrogance, rudeness and disdain for the customer are the norm. Some western airlines promote PEK and PVG as transit hubs in Asia. It isn't working. Once civilized people experience the inefficiency and absence of hospitality of the mainland transit experience, ICN, TPE, HND, NRT and HKG become the preferred transit points.
However, the main reason why a US carrier will ALWAYS be better than a mainland carrier, is the legal protection of the passenger. There is no recourse for a passenger on the mainland carriers, for the simple reason, they just ignore the passenger. Poor onboard service,IROP response; Lost baggage; Change in schedule with no advance notice; etc.: IMO, all the same response: Nothing. No concern, no care and no F's given. Whatever the imagined and real failings of US carriers are, there is a legal framework that applies and a right of redress available to the passenger. Foreigners cannot expect, nor are they granted similar rights when dealing with the mainland carrier when in China and in most other jurisdictions. I learnt my lesson, despite having status, and no matter the airfare savings, the dismal mainland service and quality of care isn't worth it. And BTW, having watched the "enhanced" treatment of some ethnic groups during transit, was disturbing.
Arrogance, rudeness and disdain for the customer are the norm. Some western airlines promote PEK and PVG as transit hubs in Asia. It isn't working. Once civilized people experience the inefficiency and absence of hospitality of the mainland transit experience, ICN, TPE, HND, NRT and HKG become the preferred transit points.
However, the main reason why a US carrier will ALWAYS be better than a mainland carrier, is the legal protection of the passenger. There is no recourse for a passenger on the mainland carriers, for the simple reason, they just ignore the passenger. Poor onboard service,IROP response; Lost baggage; Change in schedule with no advance notice; etc.: IMO, all the same response: Nothing. No concern, no care and no F's given. Whatever the imagined and real failings of US carriers are, there is a legal framework that applies and a right of redress available to the passenger. Foreigners cannot expect, nor are they granted similar rights when dealing with the mainland carrier when in China and in most other jurisdictions. I learnt my lesson, despite having status, and no matter the airfare savings, the dismal mainland service and quality of care isn't worth it. And BTW, having watched the "enhanced" treatment of some ethnic groups during transit, was disturbing.