Some People Make Me Sick.....

Adam84 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:31 pm

Today I finally went back to work, it wasnt quite as bad as I had thought it would be. Anyways I worked from 9:30am to 10:30pm. Some of the calls I had really bothered me.

For example a lady in Los Angeles (her name was Barbara something or another) thought she was the first lady. She was originally scheduled to fly tommorrow (all BA flights for tommorrow are cancelled) and she used her mileage to book her trip. She found it unacceptable that we could not confirm her until around the 21st of Sep. She also found it unacceptable that we are not giving her priority because she worked for a well known LA area paper. She said that we should have to pay for the vacation rental in Nice that she payed over $3,000 because it is nonrefundable and it is our fault she isnt going to make it.

I told her straight up "British Airways is not providing compensation because this was an act of terrorism" and her reply was "I dont care". At that point I said I would contact a manger, and I "accidentally" hung up on her.

She really deserved it and personally I dont care if she ever flys BA again. We dont need people like that flying our airline.

airbus380 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:32 pm

What a stupid gardening tool.

Notar520AC · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:37 pm

chuckle... What an idot.

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:45 pm

At that point I said I would contact a manger, and I "accidentally" hung up on her.

She really deserved it and personally I dont care if she ever flys BA again. We dont need people like that flying our airline.

Yeah, what a tool--you are.

Tell me something...how would you like it if someone were to fax this little story to your manager? I doubt that it is your job to decide which passengers your airline "needs" as their customers.

And just for that, whenever I visit England, I'll choose Virgin Atlantic, Icelandair, or another carrier that respects my business enough not to hang up on me.

Boy, you've really done BA a wonderful service with that story. Thanks for sharing.

Cathay Pacific · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:47 pm

i wonder why some people can be so insensitive.....it really makes me sick!!!!

RIP to those who died in this horrible attack

Ken
from HK

TonyBurr · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:47 pm

N202PA

Some people make you wonder if they are idiots. The lady on the phone confirmed it by opening her mouth! Some do it by typing.....

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 12:59 pm

I'm not saying that the woman on the phone was right. She's an idiot. BA has no responsibility to provide compensation for what she was claiming.

However, part of the job of working for an airline is to provide the customer with respect, no matter what they're claiming. Hanging up on a customer who has clearly requested to speak with a manager (which would end your responsibility, anyway) is poor professionalism and shows disrespect for all customers. I have no idea how any self-respecting airline employee can say that they hung up on someone with pride, but as a result, BA just lost me as a potential customer.

TonyBurr · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:02 pm

Lucky BA!

HlywdCatft · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:14 pm

Look, who cares about that lady on the phone!! She was insensitive and thought her s*** didn't stink. I would have hung up on her deliberately and prior to that given her a few nice words.

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:15 pm

We'll see how Richard Branson feels about doing business with me.

I'm not being an overbearing ninny like this two-bit bitch-woman in the story. Just asking for some common respect, that's all. If a customer is not accepting the answer they've been given, they get to talk to the manager. At that point, if the customer is full of it, that person of authority can tell them so. Case closed.

coboeing777 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:19 pm

Adam, do not let anyone here make you feel ashamed of what you did. It is unbelievable that someone could have the audacity to say the things she said. It's amazing, thousands......perhaps even tens of thousands of people lost their lives on Tues, and she has the audacity to have a fit because SHE has been inconvenienced???? What about the people who are affected by this personally. I just found out about someone who was in the south tower on the 70th fl when the 2nd plane hit yet made it out and is home safely now. Truly a miracle from God. So to have someone who lives 3000 miles from where these tragic events took plae rather than 3 miles like I do is behave the way she did is deplorable. If anything I wish you'd go into her account and get her information and post it here so that I aan the thousands, even millions of people personally effected by this event can give her a piece of our minds.

N202PA, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should move to where I live so that everyday from now on you can look out your front window and be forever reminded of the horror that went on on the other side the river from me. Maybe you'd actually have some remorse....

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:25 pm

N202PA, I feel sorry for you. Maybe you should move to where I live so that everyday from now on you can look out your front window and be forever reminded of the horror that went on on the other side the river from me. Maybe you'd actually have some remorse....

Who the hell said anything about not having remorse for the terrible tragedies that happened on Thursday? Good God, the fricking Pentagon, in my back yard, had a 757 with humans flown into it. I was on here reporting every last bit of information about what was happening so that A.net visitors could get the latest straight from Washington! And you say I don't have any remorse?

I'm just saying that I expect airline employees to behave with some respect for my business, that's all. Again, I think the woman's commands were full of garbage. But never hang up on anyone--just let a manager deal with it.

Adam84 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:26 pm

202PA I would like to see how you would have handled the situation. This lady was practically yelling at me yet I was more then pleasant with her until those 3 little words came out of her mouth. "I dont care", it really hit me on a personal level then. She was obviously more concerned about her precious vacation then about the current situation.

1011 FAN · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:27 pm

I have to agree with N202PA. I have had alot of experience with customer service. Many people on the phones are genuine assh**es, BUT the first thing they teach you is always be polite and NEVER hang up on customers. Besides it gets to them more if you keep your composure and keep smiling...Believe me.

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:32 pm

Adam,

I understand what you mean by her being insensitive. What a bitch she must have been to put her own desires ahead of the pain and suffering of others.

All I'm saying is that you shouldn't really be all that proud about hanging up on her. I don't know how BA handles these things--maybe your management encourages you to hang up on people you deem not to be worthy of your time. In that case, I apologize. (Still would choose Virgin or Icelandair over BA, though, because of such a policy)

However, the first line of American airlines are foolish to hang up on anyone, no matter how much they rant. Just hand it over to a manager. That's what they're paid to deal with. After that, she's not your problem, and you can get on with your day without having to listen to her. This is how I, personally, would have handled it.

Adam84 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:45 pm

Oh the managers do not condone hanging up. If that call was monitored I will be scolded for it. I dont regret what I did, but I do realize I could have handled it better. My emotions did take over.

Anyhow, I would have still had to be the middleman for awhile. We dont just transfer people to the supervisor when they ask. We are supposed to have a supervisor on one line and the pax on the other and try to diffuse the situation. I would have probably ended up making her even more furious. Why you might ask. Because at that time I didnt know that people on mileage bookings could not be waitlisted.

But I digress.

NAACREW · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:45 pm

Didnt he say that he "accidentally" hung up on her?

jgardner · Fri Sep 14, 2001 1:56 pm

Here's what I would have said:

"In light of the fact that there are thousands of people who have lost their lives as a result of Tuesday's attacks, I would think that your inconveniences are a little bit trivial."

V1-Rotate · Fri Sep 14, 2001 4:00 pm

Adam84,i'm totally on your side.
N202PA,you should be ashamed of yourself.I would have said and done the same.There are some things that are more important.You go and fly with VS,I certainly do not want anyone like you on one of my flights....goood ridance to you

eal401 · Fri Sep 14, 2001 4:55 pm

Well said V1-rotate. At least we now know BA emply people who give a sh*t.

N202PA, let me know which airlines you plan to fly on so I can avoid them like the plague.

srbmod · Fri Sep 14, 2001 5:13 pm

As a former airline employee (I was a ramp rat) saw a lot of the tantrums and demands that customers put forth when delays and cancellations were caused by situations beyond our contol (which was usually weather, thank goodness). Blaming the gate agent and the airline for missing: a.) a wedding b.) a cruise ship c.) a family reunion d.) a funeral e.) a concert or sporting event f.) part of a vacation or g.) school. So I feel for Adam84, but I don't condone hanging up on the customer. I had it happen to me several weeks ago with my credit card company. I felt as though they had messed something up, and asked to speak to a supervisor; they acted like they had transferred me to a supervisor, when in fact they hung up on me. I was not happy, in fact I had to calm down before I called the company back. Hanging up on a rude customer is not a very good idea, the consequnces could be great.

Ilyushin96M · Fri Sep 14, 2001 5:26 pm

To anyone who says that people calling customer service lines should be treated with respect, I wholeheartedly agree...until the person calling in becomes crazy and unreasonable.

Try working customer service for awhile. I've done it, and have thankfully managed to avoid some of the screaming, foaming-at-the-mouth, unreasonable nutcases that call in. However, I've also handled some pretty tense situations.

Adam84, I think given the situation, you did the right thing. I've known people in customer service for a long time, and in addition to having worked in their positions, I've seen some of them hang up from calls literally in tears from the nastiness they received. It's better sometimes to "lose" a call than stay on the line and get drawn into someone else's selfishness or ugliness.

N202PA, managers DON'T always deal with unreasonable people. As much as possible, they prefer these calls to be handled on the lower levels.

Let's all keep in mind that we are pretty reactive due to the events of Tuesday. That is colouring almost everything on the Forum now.

N202PA · Fri Sep 14, 2001 5:27 pm

I don't see what I said that warrants my treatment as if I was some sort of Nazi.

Customers deserve enough respect from employees of a company to, at the very minimum, not be hung up upon. That's all I'm saying.

gerardo · Fri Sep 14, 2001 5:29 pm

Adam84, WELL DONE!! The customer is King, that's true, but even Kings can be kicked in the a...

Perhaps this lady won't fly BA anymore, I for one would give BA the choice over other airlines, just because there is at least one person with some courage.

Regards
Gerardo

EIrob · Fri Sep 14, 2001 5:34 pm

I agree with Adam84's handling of the situation. If the caller made rasist comments, I think we'd all expect the call to be terminated. This caller showed the same lack of respect for other human life, so I believe the right action was taken. If when the caller thinks back on it, she thinks she has been handled badly, then she should call again and ask to speak to a supevisor directly, and take it from there. If she has an ounce of humanity, she'll realise she was wrong.

Guest · Fri Sep 14, 2001 10:37 pm

Adam84, your reaction has not only been understandable, it has been fully justified!
We are witnessing one of the most horrific tragedies in History, with thousands of innocent men and women horribly tortured and killed, with tens of thousands of people whose families have been destroyed forever, and that inhumane bitch has the audacity to pronounce these 3 incredible words "I DON'T CARE"!?!!!!
You should have even told her what she deserved to hear...

Greg · Fri Sep 14, 2001 11:54 pm

She's just rude. Why sweat it?

Take your anger out on the folks who put WTC rubble on E-Bay to sell!

On a level of being crude...I hope that puts it in perspective.

NOTE: E-Bay has removed most WTC items from their catalogue..however some are still viewable.

It's pretty hard to believe!

akelley728 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 1:08 am

I see both sides of this arguement.

I've been in customer service for years. I've dealt with these SOBs for years. Rule #1 - never take it personally. However, we're human and sometimes emotions get in the way of what one is 'supposed' to do.

Adam84 - What you did was wrong; however, in light of the current events, I'm really glad you did it. However, I probably would've given this B*tch a piece of my mind and then hung up on her if she didn't back done.

N202PA - You're right, the customer should not have been hung up on, but again, show some sensitivity to Adam84 - in the stress that many of us are going through now, he couldn't help himself.

airbus380 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 1:18 am

I was referring to the lady as the gardening tool, not Adam.

N202PA · Sat Sep 15, 2001 1:27 am

N202PA - You're right, the customer should not have been hung up on, but again, show some sensitivity to Adam84 - in the stress that many of us are going through now, he couldn't help himself.

Okay, in retrospect, I will say that we all make mistakes as human beings. I can understand that. Given your explanation, Adam, of beingput off by her insensitivity, I can understand why you did what you did. Still doesn't make it right, in my opinion, but I can understand.

I apologize for calling you a tool earlier. I think I was just put off by the fact that you sounded proud, in the capacity of a customer service position, about hanging up on a customer. American passengers like me tend to get very testy about that sort of thing because it's generally a representation of the lack of respect that most customer service people have at the major airlines. It represents an attitude from the airlines saying, "Just give us your money, and go to hell." I can see that wasn't your thought process however.

Again, very sorry about the name-calling. Hopefully, that harpie is out sitting in some foreign airport, gritting her teeth and kvetching to every second passer-by. It'd serve her right.

akelley728 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 1:38 am

Speaking of insensitivity, on Tuesday one of our clients called around 10:30 am and DEMANDED that we complete a pretty insigificant task for him by 12 noon (a task that was minor, but would take a some time to complete).

The CEO of our company had just announced that we were closing, and told everybody to leave. We're located in north Jersey, and alot of people were upset because they knew people at the WTC. We also had two people missing in Manhatten (found out later they were only a mile from the WTC - and saw the second plane go in; fortunately they were okay). The Project Manager for this client was very upset (she wanted to get home to her children). However this guy didn't care... he needed this done because he was GOING ON VACATION and leaving at noon.

Anyway, someone offered to do the task for this jerk, and it got done.

However, we found out yesterday he never made it to his vacation, since all flights were cancelled. Serves him right.

jmc1975 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 3:37 am

Are you all referring to a Ditch Witch?

Stretch 8 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 4:05 am

Adam84: You should have told this woman that she is a ghoul. Bravo to your actions on behalf of BA. (And let's see if we can get her a body cavity strip search when she does make the trip.)

777236ER · Sat Sep 15, 2001 4:37 am

I work for BA too, and i KNOW that anyone else from BA in your position would have done the same. We all know BA has problems at the mo, but being so close to the event, which affected everyone, especially those in this biz, i think even the highest levels of BA management will be moved enough by the events to be absolutly appaled at the insensity of the woman.

I don't care if BA was down to it's last plane and it's last £1, i'd still be glad she didn't travel.

Regards.

LYNDON · Sat Sep 15, 2001 7:35 am

N202PA go find a corner and have a word with yourself!!After what went on on tues that selfish bitch didnt deserve to fly BA or any other airline for that matter.If people have tunnel vision like this its their problem andnotthe people who are trying to sort out their petty little problems.Adam84 i would not have been so polite mate.WELL DONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

skyhawk · Sat Sep 15, 2001 8:14 am

N202PA-I completly agree with you and what you said. The public, not just the travelling public, can be as general pain in the a**, but if you work with the public then you must be able to deal with them. And before someone comes down on me for not knowing what I am talking about, I did work with the public for 21 years as an F/A.

zeus01 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 9:16 am

First, I would like to express my deepest sympathies for those whose lives have been lost in the attacks.

Next, I would like to point out, that you should bever be rude to a customer. I also highly doubt that if this post was faxed to BA, they would commend you on it.
Yes, the lady sounds like a bitch, but you know what, that doesn't matter. Even US airlines are giving refunds and according to Europeans, US airlines suck.

Thats just one more piece of proof that BA is "THe Wourlds Worst Airline" Stupid BA, treat ur customers with some respect.

yhu · Sat Sep 15, 2001 9:32 am

From what I read, BA has nothing to refund her. She bought the tickets with her mileage and wish to book her on a later (although very later) flight. What she want; a refund on is her hire car, which has nothing to do with BA. She should be on to the car company for that. Or better yet, get a hold of the terrorists families and get them to pay. BA is not responsible for that car hire.

Dave

HlywdCatft · Sat Sep 15, 2001 12:02 pm

That lady's name was Barbra, what was it Barbra Streisand?? Sounds like something she would say if she was inconvenienced. What next? Does that Barbra lady need her own private lav on the plane with rose petals in the toilet??

I guess I'm a cold hearted bastard but I worked in the collections business so I got used to hanging up on idiots like Barbra.

Guest · Sat Sep 15, 2001 12:19 pm

For my next trip to Nice, I will choose Air France.I guess they have better service...

hadpa

mirrodie · Sat Sep 15, 2001 12:53 pm

Oh, gee, another post put in the wrong damn forum.
thanks!

Adam84 · Sat Sep 15, 2001 12:55 pm

But see she was the only one that really bothered me.

Some other ones did bother me but I ended up getting these people to realize we have tens of thousands of stranded passengers on both sides of the pond. The thing that really shut most of these people is when I said "British Airways is just waiting til they feel it is safe to resume service" thats when they realize this is a serious issue.

But I am so happy to report that it looks like we are going to resume service for real tommorrow. We actually may have one passenger flight from JFK tonight, when I left work at 9 it was scheduled to leave at 12:45AM.

Today was even more stressful, but I am happy to report I didnt get any of those "I am the most important person in the world" calls.

jmc1975 · Sun Sep 16, 2001 3:56 am

Adam84-
I commend what you did. It's important to offer respect and superb customer service until they cross the line. Then people like that woman deserve the wrath of God upon them. Believe me, I've worked in customer service and I know how it is. With the serious issues at stake in the airline industry, the people on this forum that are giving you grief are just blowing sunshine out their butts. BA has alot more important issues to deal with now than worrying about an employee accidently hanging up on a ditch witch.

Jetstreamer · Sun Sep 16, 2001 5:46 am

Having worked in various call centres for the best part of seven years, I have been called every name under the sun. People tend to be ruder on the telephone because to a certain extent it is anonymous. You may know their name but you can't see their face.

I sympathise with Adam and all his call centre colleagues who must be under a great deal of pressure at the moment. The tragic events of Tuesday have taken an emotional toll on most of us after a number of vicious attacks which I wouldn't have thought possible even in my wildest nightmares.

One of the worst calls I remember during my call centre career was on the day of Princess Diana's funeral. A woman called to change the date of her travel plans. We were going to observe a one minutes silence and this was explained to the customer before they were put on hold. Well this customer could not wait one minute and hung up. She called back and screamed down the phone "Diana's dead. I'm alive. Deal with me NOW."

I afraid to a certain extent society has bred a very selfish me me me culture.

LJ · Sun Sep 16, 2001 5:52 am

Only those who've lost relatives on Tuesday are the most important persons in the world.

Regards
Laurens

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