Agent to me: "You are making fun of me because of my accent" ????
Jan 18, 2019, 7:57 pm
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Rapid Rewards, AAdvantage, SkyMiles
Posts: 2,931
Here's the portion I have a problem with:
What BUSINESS is it of yours? YOU do what the customer asks. It's your JOB. If it's a valid routing with availability you WILL book it and you WILL like it!
Agent: Why do you want to go that route? You can fly via Newark or somewhere else
Jan 18, 2019, 8:03 pm
#17
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Programs: BA, JAL
Posts: 689
I'm a little stunned by this. I'll give the long version, and I will be as honest as I can remember about this conversation.
I've been trying to get a MP business ticket on the inaugural TAP flight SFO-LIS. Final destination is AMS.
MP and TAP haven't seen eye to eye lately, and tickets have not been available. But I called on a lark today, and I found an agent who saw the availability. The call was dropped in a dead zone, so I called back.
The next agent did not see the flight at all.
I called a third time. This is where the trouble begins. I am bolding what I said that was out of frustration - and then how the agent initially responded.
Me: I'd like a one way ticket from San Francisco to Amsterdam via Lisbon on TAP.
Agent: When is the return date.
Me: No, just one way
Agent: Oh, San Francisco to Amsterdam, returning from Lisbon
Me: No, I would like to fly to Amsterdam VIA Lisbon
Agent: Why do you want to go that route? You can fly via Newark or somewhere else
Me (now kind of frustrated): Are you listing to me??? I will say it a third time. I want to go from San Francisco to Amsterdam on TAP via Lisbon.
Agent: You are making fun of me because of my accent. I can't believe how rude you are being.
Me (swallowing my pride): I'm sorry. I should not have spoken that way. I apologize (this is verbatim what I said).
Agent: Nothing
Me: Say again?
Agent: There are no flights. Go online look for yourself if you don't believe me.
Me: Let me understand. You are suggesting I go online.
Agent: Yes
Me: Tell me you name again?
Agent: CLICK
I called back, got another agent who found the flights and ticketed right away.
I've been trying to get a MP business ticket on the inaugural TAP flight SFO-LIS. Final destination is AMS.
MP and TAP haven't seen eye to eye lately, and tickets have not been available. But I called on a lark today, and I found an agent who saw the availability. The call was dropped in a dead zone, so I called back.
The next agent did not see the flight at all.
I called a third time. This is where the trouble begins. I am bolding what I said that was out of frustration - and then how the agent initially responded.
Me: I'd like a one way ticket from San Francisco to Amsterdam via Lisbon on TAP.
Agent: When is the return date.
Me: No, just one way
Agent: Oh, San Francisco to Amsterdam, returning from Lisbon
Me: No, I would like to fly to Amsterdam VIA Lisbon
Agent: Why do you want to go that route? You can fly via Newark or somewhere else
Me (now kind of frustrated): Are you listing to me??? I will say it a third time. I want to go from San Francisco to Amsterdam on TAP via Lisbon.
Agent: You are making fun of me because of my accent. I can't believe how rude you are being.
Me (swallowing my pride): I'm sorry. I should not have spoken that way. I apologize (this is verbatim what I said).
Agent: Nothing
Me: Say again?
Agent: There are no flights. Go online look for yourself if you don't believe me.
Me: Let me understand. You are suggesting I go online.
Agent: Yes
Me: Tell me you name again?
Agent: CLICK
I called back, got another agent who found the flights and ticketed right away.
There is no way of knowing whether you would have got the same result if you'd said, 'your accent is irrelevant, I'm only trying to explain to you the ticket I'm trying to buy'. If English wasn't his native language he may have been sensitive and too readily offended.
Jan 18, 2019, 8:34 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Airline reservations agents probably get people asking for crazy things out of ignorance all the time, so trying to understand the why is not unreasonable.
Jan 18, 2019, 8:58 pm
#19
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London / Los Angeles
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver
Posts: 1,631
I feel like, generally speaking, the quality of call center agents across the board, which was already pretty poor, is going even further downhill. I wonder if with such a strong economy and the lowest unemployment level in decades, if they can really only fill these less desirable jobs with borderline qualified people.
I have so many annoying situations recently where the agent just didn't understand basic facets of their own program e.g. with Alaska, booking a partner award to the US and then adding on a domestic Alaska connection. The agent was insistent that this wasn't allowed, even the computer priced it out fine and it is a very basic feature of their program. She thought she would get in trouble for booking it and I had to wait on hold for 30mins while she checked with various people before she came back and sheepishly said she was wrong.
I dread having to phone people these days. Of course there are still any good agents.
I have so many annoying situations recently where the agent just didn't understand basic facets of their own program e.g. with Alaska, booking a partner award to the US and then adding on a domestic Alaska connection. The agent was insistent that this wasn't allowed, even the computer priced it out fine and it is a very basic feature of their program. She thought she would get in trouble for booking it and I had to wait on hold for 30mins while she checked with various people before she came back and sheepishly said she was wrong.
I dread having to phone people these days. Of course there are still any good agents.
Jan 18, 2019, 9:01 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
I think if the agent first acknowledged he/she heard OP's request correctly, then questioned the why, it would have gone a lot better. I also don't think one should just hang up - sometimes it takes some arguing to talk things out and get on the same page.
Jan 18, 2019, 9:18 pm
#21
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Programs: BA, JAL
Posts: 689
I feel like, generally speaking, the quality of call center agents across the board, which was already pretty poor, is going even further downhill. I wonder if with such a strong economy and the lowest unemployment level in decades, if they can really only fill these less desirable jobs with borderline qualified people.
I have so many annoying situations recently where the agent just didn't understand basic facets of their own program e.g. with Alaska, booking a partner award to the US and then adding on a domestic Alaska connection. The agent was insistent that this wasn't allowed, even the computer priced it out fine and it is a very basic feature of their program. She thought she would get in trouble for booking it and I had to wait on hold for 30mins while she checked with various people before she came back and sheepishly said she was wrong.
I dread having to phone people these days. Of course there are still any good agents.
I have so many annoying situations recently where the agent just didn't understand basic facets of their own program e.g. with Alaska, booking a partner award to the US and then adding on a domestic Alaska connection. The agent was insistent that this wasn't allowed, even the computer priced it out fine and it is a very basic feature of their program. She thought she would get in trouble for booking it and I had to wait on hold for 30mins while she checked with various people before she came back and sheepishly said she was wrong.
I dread having to phone people these days. Of course there are still any good agents.
Except, the reason you're phoning is ALWAYS because it can't be done online or with the silly app they keep plugging.
To make matters worse these automated people can never understand and just send me to the wrong department. Earlier, I ended up in a loop earlier when it was asking for information I could not possibly have to verify who I was. So stupid. Only by repeatedly deliberately entering wrong information could I get to the next stage.
But I agree, call center staff recently have been getting worse. They've shipped a lot of them to other exotic locations where the people sound like robots and don't know the product at all, often because they don't get it in their country or because they're too poor to use it. Last time I called up was with Iberia and I had to speak to six of them before they could process a simple one way flight between JFK and LAS. I try to be very patient when they have such strong accents.
Jan 18, 2019, 9:21 pm
#22
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Programs: BA, JAL
Posts: 689
My feeling of asking this in such an abrupt fashion is that it's none of your business. I'm requesting to go from A to C via B.
It's what this guy should be able to do in his sleep, not directing everyone to JFK because he doesn't know how to use the system properly.
Jan 18, 2019, 9:39 pm
#23
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,899
I think one has to assume when working at a call center/with the public that difficult calls (not saying OP was difficult) are part of the job.
It floors me that UA (and other airlines) have staff that talk to customers like this. If I talked to a client like this in my office, I would expect to be fired.
It floors me that UA (and other airlines) have staff that talk to customers like this. If I talked to a client like this in my office, I would expect to be fired.
Jan 18, 2019, 9:49 pm
#24
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Stockholm, Sweden.
Programs: BA, JAL
Posts: 689
I think one has to assume when working at a call center/with the public that difficult calls (not saying OP was difficult) are part of the job.
It floors me that UA (and other airlines) have staff that talk to customers like this. If I talked to a client like this in my office, I would expect to be fired.
It floors me that UA (and other airlines) have staff that talk to customers like this. If I talked to a client like this in my office, I would expect to be fired.
I expect their value to be low, turnover of staff high and that they, on hiring, know about as much about the airline industry as a sardine.
I'm frequently amazed by how bad customer service reps are and their lack of self-awareness. This service rep earlier was smugly telling me her she didn't have any of these services available. She really didn't want us as customers. I'd really like to go and tell her boss that she basically drove us as customers away, but I just don't see why I should. These people are lazy and bad for business.
Jan 19, 2019, 12:47 am
#25
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: HNL
Programs: UA GS4MM, MR LT Plat, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,447
It is entirely their business - If I ask for some wacky routing I consider it their job to present to me better options. Ultimately they book what I want but I'd consider it a job shortcoming if they can't present alternatives such as price or routing.
Jan 19, 2019, 1:09 am
#26
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: JRF
Programs: AA Gold, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 1,784
Has UA fallen so low they've had to outsourced their calls to India ?
That's unmistakably good old American entitlement the rep's just an ........
That's unmistakably good old American entitlement the rep's just an ........
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Jan 19, 2019 at 6:04 am Reason: Innappropriate comment removed FT Rule 12.2
Jan 19, 2019, 1:14 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,674
Think about it a different way. Imagine you are in a city and you go up to a someone and say "I want to go to here, but I must go a weird routing", their response would most likely be "why would you want to do that? the most efficient route is xxx".
Jan 19, 2019, 1:19 am
#28
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: KUL
Programs: UA1K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Spire
Posts: 12
You've just been played by the agent. I did have the same experience before, but my response was, " You do not get to play the accent card with me, please transfer this call to supervisor on duty, as I have spoken to 4 different people who keeps dropping my call ". When calling UA, especially to their Manila call center, I make the habit of taking their name, as they have the same habit of dropping the call. It is frustrating to have to explain the same thing again and again with no resolution.
Jan 19, 2019, 1:25 am
#29
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,520
I don't think that this is worth a second's effort on OP's part. Asking passive agressive questions such as "are you listening to me" (OP follows with three question marks for emphasis) is not appropriate.
The agent's better move would have been to disconnect the call rather than counter OP's inappropriate approach.
The agent's better move would have been to disconnect the call rather than counter OP's inappropriate approach.
Jan 19, 2019, 1:28 am
#30
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,369
If you hang up, the call center agent wins as they can quickly go to the next call (good for their stats) while you must start over.