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My Letter to NWA About Computer Damage
Wednesday April 28, 1998
Riley & Associates,
Inc.
1323 West Cook Road
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Robert Young
North West Airlines Inc.
G3425 West Bristol Road
Flint, Michigan 48507
(810) 234-8393, Direct (810) 767-0525, Fax (810) 767-9417
Subject: Rude North West staff coupled with poor service.
Dear Sirs,
My daughter and I were returning from Washington National Airport via Detroit Metro Airport to Flint Michigan on Tuesday April 21. NW993 & NW1793.
We rode a hotel shuttle to the airport, during which my daughter, Meghan, was using a Compaq notebook computer. When we arrived at the airport (about 4:00 PM) the computer was put into a padded storage case and the case put into a leather book bag. My daughter carried that bag while I checked the baggage at the outside check point.
We then proceeded to the security area, passing through the far right aisle. I loaded my bags (which contained my DEC notebook) on the conveyor first and my daughter, Meghan, set her book bag with the second computer on the conveyor last. The security staff person asked me to power my computer, and when she saw that I had a gel cell battery and inverter to run the computer she called for a supervisor.
When the security supervisor arrived she called for NW’s supervisor. While waiting for the supervisor my daughter (Meghan) had powered the Compaq computer and half of the screen was blurry. Initially I dismissed Meghan concerning the computer screen, but after we had settled the battery-inverter issue I looked at the Compaq computer again.
The active matrix screen had been broken while going through or while sitting on the x-ray machine’s out-feed conveyor. I asked the security supervisor about the screen and she claimed it was not their responsibility. I explained that the computer had been fine before and that it was damaged while in their possession.
I asked her for a business card, which she was not willing to supply. I then asked another women at security what to do about it and the first woman chimed in that she had already told me they were not going to do anything about it. I continued to press the issue and the security supervisor told me to go to the counter at my gate and report it. She said they would take care of the problem.
I went to the gate and the gentleman there said that was not the place to raise the issue. He was polite and I explained that the security supervisor had sent me there. He immediately volunteered to get his supervisor.
When his supervisor came over it was the same person who had given the OK for the battery-inverter. He told me that I should make a claim at my destination. I asked him for his business card and he supplied it. He was very polite and professional. His name is Edward Bequette (703) 419-6201.
We took the flight to Metro. After landing, the plane was kept on the runway at Metro for twenty to twenty-five minutes, and we had to run from the 993 flight arrival gate to the 1793 departure gate. We barely made the plane.
We arrived in Flint at 9:45 PM and I immediately went to the North West counter. There was no one there. After waiting five minutes or so I went to the station at the far left end of the counter, because there were people there. They told me that all the NW staff was out unloading luggage. I then went to the luggage pickup area.
After retrieving my luggage, one bag of which was damaged, I returned to the NW counter. There were two people waiting in line at the counter and I joined the line. We waited ten to fifteen minutes during which four other people came and were waiting.
The clerk came and waited on the first customer, who was there to collect a package. He then waited on the person ahead of me. I waited quietly while he waited on those who were there ahead of me.
As he was waiting on that person, three of the people who were behind me walked up to the station left of me. The clerk proceeded to wait on the first one and I interrupted . The clerk dismissed me, saying he would take care of me in a minute.
The clerk proceed to wait on all three of those people, leaving me waiting. I was becoming more steamed by the minute. He then announced to another person who walked up that I was there first and that he needed to wait on me. When he came over I demanded to know why he had waited on us out of order.
He got snippy with me, and started to walk away while telling me that if I did not calm down that he did not have to wait on me. If he had apologized and taken the damage claim, I still would have been disgusted with NW, but I would not have complained about this specific employee. But instead he acted like I should be thankful that he had finally got around to waiting on me.
I then demanded his name and his supervisors name. He refused to give it. I continued to demand the name, loudly and making much more of a scene, and he finally told me it was Chris. I demanded his last name and his supervisors name. He refused to give me his last name and said his supervisor’s name was also Chris.
I then told him I was sick of the crummy service from NW and that I was going to put his ass into a sling. He walked off again, announcing that he was not going to wait on me and that I could come back in the morning.
After he walked away, I tossed the broken wheel I was holding behind the counter and loudly told him he was a ******* *** ****, several times, and that I was going to see that he was fired. I then departed the airport mad as hell.
This is not the first time I have seen customers treated rudely by NW staff or been treated rudely myself. In fact, NW has the worst service I have experienced in the airline industry.
I mentioned before that I had issued a directive about fifteen years ago in Sun Oil to give preference to carriers other than NW. About two years ago, I needed to fly somewhere where the only reasonable flight was on NW. I took that flight and everything was fine. I started to use NW again, in part because Metro airport is in my cell phones home service area.
But then I started getting crummy service again. The last three or four NW flights I have taken have been plagued by canceled flights, damaged luggage - where it took an act of god to get it taken care of, and some very rude and indifferent staff. In each case, if I take the problems to a high enough level they are rectified. But the cost in time and aggravation to do that is tremendous.
The fact of the matter is that the last several flights with NW have had multiple problems, problems similar to those I experienced while at Sun, and problems that cost NW a great deal of Sun business for a decade.
Time is money. If you waste my time with:
Canceled flights
Long waits for alternative ground transportation.
Charge me air fare rates for the ground transportation.
Damage luggage on just about every flight.
Break my equipment, such as the computer on this flight.
Make it ridiculously difficult to make damage claims.
And then top off crummy service with:
A large percentage of staff who pass the buck and who will not address the problems.
Compounded with other staff who do not wait on customers in order.
Compounded with staff who are then frequently belligerent.
Most of NW staff are courteous and helpful. I would guess that maybe one out of ten is not. The problem with any consumer oriented business is that bad PR goes at least 100 times further than good. And if one out of ten of NW staff pass the buck or are rude people are going to remember the rude or indifferent one and not the people who are doing things right. The end result is that NW and it’s employees all will pay a price for the problem when NW customers become so disgusted that they will not use your service.
Which brings us to my situation. If one out of ten of NW staff do not give me reasonable service then I am likely to do business with other firms. And even worse for NW, to pass the word to hundreds or thousands of other potential customers.
All companies have occasional problems with staff. The difference between a good company and one who is not so good is that the good companies either train their staff in how to deal with customers, or get rid of staff who just don’t understand the impact their bad attitude has on the company’s long term prospects.
Probably only one percent of customers who are treated poorly bother to tell a company about it, they just quietly start using another vendor. Of that one percent another one or one tenth of a percent may have the inclination and ability to seriously damage the offending company’s reputation and ongoing business. I know of no way that any business can predict just which customers may be in a position to let a disproportionate number of people know just how bad service is. And if you can not tell which customers may be a shaker and mover then you had better treat all customers well.
I understand that much of the problem lies with NW management at a high level. And that you, and most of your staff, are probably victims of upper management’s decisions. It is clear that one person on the counter is inadequate. But, there is no excuse for anyone who deals with the public acting in the way Chris and other NW staff have acted. And unfortunately for you, Chris has abused the wrong person at the wrong time.
I will be ordering a replacement computer in the next day or two. I expect to be reimbursed for my computer promptly by NW. The security people are a NW contractor and NW can collect from them. I am not going to be bounced back and forth between NW and their contracted service providers.
I have done some checking,
and based on the feedback I received, I believe you to be a
decent (Editorial Note - Boy
was I wrong) person
that happens to be in a company with serious problems. And
because you have a good reputation, I will defer to your judgment
as to whether or not Chris should be terminated. But if he is not
terminated, I expect a profuse and sincere written apology from
him, one where he does
some serious groveling.
Sincerely,
Ronald J. Riley
President
Associated Aviation Underwriters Reponse
Globe Aviation Services Corporation Response
 Northwest
Made |
Ronald
J. Riley
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 Wasted Time & Money |