Ok, so I"m stuck over here in the south of France and will first admit there could be far worse places to be stuck : )
That said - when you're sick, you really just want to get home!
I booked my ticket here on Expedia, but then found myself in the hands of Air France after the volcanic eruption in Iceland disrupted air travel across North America.
Now, let me state, unequivocally, that in situations, particularly travel, when shit is going down, PEOPLE NEED TO BE INFORMED. It's one thing to hear or process, "your flight is cancelled", but a whole other thing to just leave people hanging.
Welcome to Air France.
I have, up until now, liked Air France as an airline. Nice planes, good food, decent service.
And it may be tough to scold the whole airline so I'll restrict my angst to the numnuts in Canada who work for Air France.
Let me repeat, PEOPLE NEED INFORMATION. Even if you don't have information, at least tell people that you don't that you're on it, that there is a plan coming. If you're in another part of the work and your flight and thousands of others are cancelled, people are freaked out. It's costing them money, they're stuck someplace and don't now what to do.
Air France, you could have really shone here. Stood out amongst the pack by provide stellar customer service. And you failed. For 48 hrs you had NO information, you had the wrong day that the flights were cancelled AND NO NUMBER TO CALL. WTF Air France??????
Do I call Air France in Canada or Air France in France?
And how about adding more call center reps? How would any of you like to be on hold for 25 minutes on international roaming? Like I don't have better things to do than spend $100 on a phone call???
Tell us what's going on, not just that everything is cancelled.
Tell us where to call.
In light of this extraordinary event, bring on more staff. It's a chance to show what you're made or, to rise above, to help out thousands of people who have no idea what to do.
Set up a specific number for us to call, OR use your same number but set up a specific " press one if your stuck abroad and trying to rebook" Think. I mean who the hell is running Air France in Canada? Who's the VP of Marketing with his or her head up their ass not thinking.
When I managed to get through to the call center, on Friday April 16, 2010, the call center rep told me I got a flight from Nice to Amsterdam and Amsterdam back home. She said I was lucky to get this - and all things being equal, I would have been. But she booked me straight in to NW Europe exactly where the problem was, with Air France's Skyteam partner KLM. Call me crazy, but if that's where the problem is, why am I being sent there? I'm thinking - hmmm, Skyteam alliance, how about Delta from Nice to JFK, JFK back home. I felt like the dumbass at call center just showed up and took request, they didn't actually think. Another poor reflection on Air France. After having reserved that ticket, which was then cancelled, I"m back in the same situation, and now, Air France's office in Canada is closed!
On the KLM Web site, at least they have the where with all to send you to Delta for their 24 hr call center.
Alas, I remain, in Nice, and yes, it is nice, but I'm sick, and tired, and would just like to get home.
I will go out of my way to avoid Air France when I can, at least Air France Canada, proud recipients of this month's dumbass award!
Yours, respectfully,
M.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Hey Citi and Bank of America - Welcome to the human race!
I was listening to NPR today and it was with pleasure that I heard Bank of America has revamped their debit card charges - you know the ones where if you order a latte and you don't have enough money in your account, it processes it anyway and charges you $20-$40 over draft fee. Like WTF is that about.
So, to my post heading, yes, welcome to the human race, although Citi and B of A are still way down on the evolutionary scale.
These sort of behaviors, the NOT declining a purchase like the way a credit card works, and charging someone $40 for an over draft, it's just wrong. Why did they do it in the first place. You're usually screwing the people who have the least amount of money. And really, a $40 charge on a latte, really? Really? Who was the marketing asshole who came up with that. Would you want to do that to your mother? Grandmother? This is just so wrong on so many levels and that it's taken so long for Citi and Bank of America to come around, it's just a sad state of affairs in our country today. What happened to the virtues of our fore fathers - make money the old fashion way - earn it. Don't F#$% people for a living. Don't f#$% your customers - it will hurt you in the long run.
This is just one in a long list of pathetic moves that banks do or charge fees for that really don't add any value to the customer relationship. They just cost the customer. Is this really a way to run a business? Is this just not legalized robbery? Hire an asshole lobbyist or lawyer to make screwing people legal.
I always wonder, who are these f'n assholes at the banks that come up with this. Do they go out after in NYC and brag or talk about how smart they that they have this new service? Is this what they were taught in school? Is this the best our MBA schools can come up with? I'm just saddened as a consumer, person, shareholder, civilian, whatever, it's just wrong and sad and that it's so prolific in America is ever sadder.
I'm glad Citi and BoA have taken one step in the right direction. I would like to think, as an ideal, that they would not need Congress to armtwist them to do the right thing. That the people that work at these banks are smart enough to make money, earning it. By providing value for service. Not f'@#$ people. Not gouging. Not coming up with more bullshit fees, but running the service of a bank. And maybe if compensation wasn't so high at the top and disproportionate to the rest of the company and society they would not have to f#$% john q. public to make a living. One can only hope.
If you're still with a bank that charges these fees - write them. Write to investor relations and tell them that even as a shareholder this type of activity is just wrong. Write to the President of the company. Vote with your dollars and move to a bank that is fair. That doesn't charge you fees while providing no value in return. Have hope that some companies will have the mindset of providing value and can run a business without screwing its customers.
So, to my post heading, yes, welcome to the human race, although Citi and B of A are still way down on the evolutionary scale.
These sort of behaviors, the NOT declining a purchase like the way a credit card works, and charging someone $40 for an over draft, it's just wrong. Why did they do it in the first place. You're usually screwing the people who have the least amount of money. And really, a $40 charge on a latte, really? Really? Who was the marketing asshole who came up with that. Would you want to do that to your mother? Grandmother? This is just so wrong on so many levels and that it's taken so long for Citi and Bank of America to come around, it's just a sad state of affairs in our country today. What happened to the virtues of our fore fathers - make money the old fashion way - earn it. Don't F#$% people for a living. Don't f#$% your customers - it will hurt you in the long run.
This is just one in a long list of pathetic moves that banks do or charge fees for that really don't add any value to the customer relationship. They just cost the customer. Is this really a way to run a business? Is this just not legalized robbery? Hire an asshole lobbyist or lawyer to make screwing people legal.
I always wonder, who are these f'n assholes at the banks that come up with this. Do they go out after in NYC and brag or talk about how smart they that they have this new service? Is this what they were taught in school? Is this the best our MBA schools can come up with? I'm just saddened as a consumer, person, shareholder, civilian, whatever, it's just wrong and sad and that it's so prolific in America is ever sadder.
I'm glad Citi and BoA have taken one step in the right direction. I would like to think, as an ideal, that they would not need Congress to armtwist them to do the right thing. That the people that work at these banks are smart enough to make money, earning it. By providing value for service. Not f'@#$ people. Not gouging. Not coming up with more bullshit fees, but running the service of a bank. And maybe if compensation wasn't so high at the top and disproportionate to the rest of the company and society they would not have to f#$% john q. public to make a living. One can only hope.
If you're still with a bank that charges these fees - write them. Write to investor relations and tell them that even as a shareholder this type of activity is just wrong. Write to the President of the company. Vote with your dollars and move to a bank that is fair. That doesn't charge you fees while providing no value in return. Have hope that some companies will have the mindset of providing value and can run a business without screwing its customers.
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