Comments

The proper response to "We can't waive any fees since we're in bankruptcy." would, in this case, be "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

Posted by Tom O'Leary at August 16, 2005 2:59 PM

Travelers have become jaded and very little phases them, especially when it happens to someone else. What's sad is that United could have taken the opportunity to waive the fee and you would be writing about that - a good news story, not about someone just slogging along and hoping to keep the job as long as possible.

Posted by Gary Potter at August 16, 2005 3:18 PM

Great post Steve

There is little wonder companies are going to the wall with that attitude. If they had any decency whatsoever the receivers themselves would have paid the fees for the little girl.

Small is still beautiful - big is ugly and just getting uglier and big is already blind and deaf.

Posted by Trevor Gay at August 16, 2005 3:21 PM

Steve, that post scared me.

It takes only one incident like that to lose that customer, that customer's family and friends, that family and friends' friends twice removed, etc., etc. And before long, no one wants to fly United.

And United wonders why they're still doing poorly, and Southwest is profitable and Jet Blue keeps building their service.

Hey, I have an idea: What if the employees stopped worrying about being "professional", and started being "problem solvers"? Granted, no one and no company can solve every problem, and no one should be expected to. But exerting the effort noticeably sure wins customers' hearts - and loyalty.

Posted by Ron at August 16, 2005 3:54 PM

Great idea Ron

I have written elsewhere that managers in healthcare should have their wages linked to the number of patient problems they could actually prove they solved in the previous month.

Sadly, in my experience, many healthcare managers would not even recognise a patient if one appeared in their comfortable office and smacked them.

Maybe United Airlines could have a similar pay regime for thier 'professional' (whatever that means!!!!) staff members :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at August 16, 2005 4:00 PM

Steve, I had a United Airlines story from my recent trip to San Francisco, but I thought I'd let it slide. Now that you've given me an opportunity to comment, however ...

The United lines at SF Airport were extremely confusing. Finding the right one was nearly impossible, so there was a customer service rep posted nearby to help lost souls. When anybody told him they had a problem because of standing in the wrong line, he would berate them for not getting to the airport earlier!

I'd guess United lost a lot of customers that day.

Posted by cathy at August 16, 2005 4:51 PM

I just recently got back from leading a group of high school students to Londrina Brazil. We flew on United, out of Dulles (DC) to Sao Paulo. We got to the airport 2 hours early, checked in, but were bumped off our flight because it was massively overbooked. They had seats for 2 of us , but since we were a group of 10 with minors, we needed to stay together. Anyway, they gave us a $600 credit on each ticket, hotel and food vouchers and we even got some calling cards out of the CSAs.
They said that flights from Dulles to Sao Paulo were overbooked every day, routinely. Like any wonder they are going bankrupt.
And a related note - all of their phone representatives close at 7pm. So after 7pm, you can't talk to anyone. How is that for customer service?

Posted by tony sheng at August 16, 2005 7:39 PM

Steve,

Gr8 post! Its definitely nice to note that even a rank & file worker knows that United is bankrupt and that he / she constantly dispenses that to each & every customer without fail religiously!! Does that show care / concern to bail out United at the cost of customers or does it personify deep-rooted frustration??

I strongly believe no matter how frustrated u are or how bankrupt the organization is , customer is always a customer and the customer should least feel that he is neglected or ignored....not that the customer doesnt know that the company is bankrupt! The customer knows for sure and therefore I believe that United should thank its stars for the simple reason that despite the fact of its bankruptcy known to the world @ large, its customers have not lost faith & still give United a chance to prove their mettle in terms of service, price, quality & service-delivery, which am afraid United doesnt understand or is not keen in understanding...pathetic either way!

Maybe United needs to invite Dr.Tom Peters for a "Re-imagine" lecture.....the sooner the better....God save United, Amen.

Posted by K.Sriram (from India) at August 16, 2005 10:33 PM

Of course they're broke with that sort of attitude! I'm with Gary on this one - with a bit of imagination (or Re-Imagination!)United would have had a great story for Steve to crow about on their behalf instead of yet another 'disaster' being told all around the world. Given the post above ("The Big Moo"), United surely do need to "stop trying to be perfect" from their own perspective and "start being remarkable" in their customers' perception. It's not difficult!!

Posted by David Lee at August 17, 2005 12:49 AM

I might be splitting hairs a bit, but I think United (and a good number of other companies) should stop thinking in terms of people being "problem solvers" and start encouraging people to be "problem avoiders". To my mind, the reaction to Steve's mum should have been to waive the fee and also to try to put Mum in touch with Niece there and then to allay any concerns.

I have a bit of a hangup about organisations that reward people for putting out fires when the real heroes (in my mind) are the people who avoid fires or, when they see them smouldering, put them out before they ignite!

Posted by Mark JF at August 17, 2005 3:14 AM

Repeal the Wright Amendment!!!!

Posted by Nik at August 17, 2005 8:26 AM

Sadly, this mentality is not limited to United. Its rampant in my own field as well (education)- when students are bored, listless, and lost... when they fail.. its common practice for teachers to blame them, ie "students just don't care anymore".

This strikes me as the equivalent of an airline employee saying "sorry dumbass, you should have showed up to the airport earlier... what did you expect".

How is it that such an obviously counter-prductive mindset becomes so deeply entrenched in an organization... even as it sinks?

Posted by AJ Hoge at August 17, 2005 9:37 AM

It's a sad state of affairs, but so common...air lines, rather than trying to re-imagine themselves, spend an exorbitant amount of energy (& money) trying to figure out how to cut costs, streamline processes, eliminate headcount. Cut staff, cut services, cut flights...make it as uncomfortable and inconvenient for your customers as possible to save a few bucks in the short term. Meanwhile, the front line (who most likely has no influence on the decisions being made nor do they understand or agree with the rationale behind them), has to deliver bad news to the customer on a daily basis and deal with the repercusions, all while in survival mode because they never know when the ax is going to fall on them. So, the best thing to do is follow orders being sent down from the ivory towers-don't ask questions or make waves and if the company should happen to ride this one out, you'll still have a job. Corporations consistently fail to communicate effectively, engage their employees and make them part of the solution.

Posted by Darci at August 18, 2005 5:17 PM

I found paradoxical that a company with the name UNITED Airlines went broke. Wasn't it expectable in a Brand You world?

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how to get viagra sydney Posted by Omara at August 20, 2005 6:41 AM

Good grief...another "Untied" story. So many and so little time...
It's not even fun to pick on them anymore. I've posted on my blog ad nauseum about their complete lack of corporate communications and customer service. We all know of their woes and their horrible interface with customers and the media...my question is this?
If you're an employee and they've taken your pension and you hate your job, what motivates you to stay? Sheep mentality I guess...lack of motivation...zero recognizable skill set...bitter people doing a thankless, shitty job.
We should all wish the airline a quick demise because then maybe these employees (formerly owners) might get a clue and do something for themselves.

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Posted by Dee Rambeau at August 22, 2005 10:50 PM

Is it chicken and egg time for the airlines? Are the old line major carriers losing their shirts because of this attitude, or do they display this attitude because they are losing their shirts? Which came first--an important question if it is to be prevented again. As long ago as 1995 I was on an trans-Pacific flight (I won't name the airline, but their initials are NWA) that was completely full. Every flight attendant displayed a very bad attitude toward the passengers, and we overheard many comments to the effect that the plane was only half booked a few hours prior to take-off, and they had been looking forward to a nice, easy shift. Ironically, most of the late bookings were military personnel going home for the Holidays--most of whom slept the whole trip and did not require any "service." I believe the airline mentality displayed today had its roots a long time ago, and is not a result of the current financial situation, but rather is one of the root causes.

Posted by Mike at August 23, 2005 7:36 AM