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NWA Has Some Good Ex-Employees - Here is one: Professor James Dixey.
NWA Has Some Good Employees - #1
Even I can not help but have empathy for people like this. Names have been removed to protect the innocent. NWA employee comments are in black, my replies are in brown and underlined for the benefit of blind people who are using a screen reader.
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 1999 12:32 AM
Dear Mr. Riley
First off let me tell you I work for Northwest Airlines as a customer service manager. Under my jurisdiction are a number of gate agents, and many other employees of Northwest Airlines.
I am a member of the **** list, and have closely followed your thread of tales of bad treatment by Northwest Airlines, and your goal of being David and taking down Goliath.
I can't believe how ignorant you are being. You seem to think that if a bunch of Northwest exectutives are fired, then the problem of airline abuse of passengers is over.
You keep saying you have friends in high places. Why don't you use these connections to get airline service in general approved? Great, Northwest is a better company because of the efforts of Ronald J. Riley, but what about TWA, USAirways, America West, American, United....? We are still stuck with bad service. So once you have accomplished your mission you can just sit back knowing that you have been avenged. This is incredibly selfish. I am sure their are others that share this view, but I, just from reading your posts and viewing your webiste, have come to the conclusion that you believe that Ronald J Riley has been wronged, and they must pay. This isn't customer advocacy- this is revenge.
As for your stories, I find them full of holes. I have no doubt you have broken laptop. But you can't say 100% that it is the fault of Northwest.
As much as you say you acted appropriately, your attitude has certainly had a role. I am as patient as I can be with even the most irate of passengers. Its my job. But if had someone yell at me like you did to "Chris", I would have walked away too. And you wanted his name- the man's not stupid - you coud truly get him fired, so why on earth would he have any inclination to tell you just who to go after?
I am sorry to see that you were mistreated by Northwest management. We have our bad apples, as does any company, and I will be the first to admit that things like this do happen. But if you are so aggraved because Northwest is ignoring you when you think you should have undivided attention, why don't you sue? Hell, sue in the name of abused passengers everywhere!
But how can you justify these actions when a main sticking point, the laptop, is only an assumed fault of Northwest Airlines? What if you are wrong, and get what you want?
You are trying to fire my coworkers, my friends. And ME.
I subscribe to Air Transport World, and routinely see Northwest airlines ranked near the top in passenger complaints. We have problems, I will be the first to admit. But they are being fixed. Rome wasn't built in a day - Northwest Airlines will not improve in a day either. It takes time. We have to change an entire corporate mentality! Not something that can be done at a snap, I can tell you.
But I hate to see my company rated so low. When I chat with other employees, I do everything I can to make their day better, so in turn they may be nicer to the customers. When I have direct contact with a customer, I smile and come over as very friendly, I should hope. I want to see improvement too. I do my best.
But I have days when passenger afyter passenger has a complaint. Some are more irate than others, and when this happens they tend ot be vocal about it. Tell me, Mr Riley, if you had people yelling at you 12 hours a day 5 days a week, would you be in a jovial mood? Not a chance. But I do my best.
I am in a position that if you were to have your way, I could lose my job. I have nothing to do with your little scheme, yet you could change my whole life. As I have told you, I am working to make Northwest Airlines a better company. I am only one man, and not exactly the head of the company. But I am working to help you out, by getting you better service. In return you won't rest until you see me and my fellow workers fired.
How could you? I am working to help you, and this is what I get in return.
And please, don't give me "but you are only one person trying to make things better while the vast majority continue their ways". I most certainly am not. My coworkers are working just as hard. Yet you are trying to take their jobs.
I sincerely hope you see what you are doing. I support your casue, but not your method. Fight for better service in general, you would garner much more support.
Name removed.
PS- On the **** list, I believe your updates letters on the status of Northworstair.org are having a reverse effect. If people are upset with Northwest, they will come to your site. But shoving it on our faces day after day is having a negative impact. You're like a telephone salesman - the first few times we'll listen, but after a while we'll hang up at the sound of your voice. Tread carefully.
The Reply
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 1999 12:08 PM
Because you have sent a reasonable letter, one which I believe is sincere, I am taking the time to answer you at length.
I appreciate that there are no doubt many people in NWA who are trying to do a good job, and I still believe that the root of the problems are in management. I am somewhat sympathetic, just not enough to quietly accept the shoddy treatment and financial loss. So call it what you will - revenge or advocacy, but I have every intention of adjusting NWA's attitude. Adjusting Goliath's attitude is something I have done numerous times.
As to other airlines, yes I get reports that other airlines are also treating travelers poorly, but I have not personally experienced poor service from those airlines and therefore I do not have strong feelings about those airlines. But I do recognize that Northwest is not alone, hence I am promoting airline legislation which holds all to the same standards. While my web site is designed to specifically address the NWA problem, my legislative goals are to hold all airlines to the same standards.
Holes in my story? I don't think so. The computer was operational during the shuttle ride to the airport. It was placed in a Targus padded case and the case in a leather book bag. It was carried by my daughter, whom I was next to the whole time, to the security screening station. There were no incidents where it could have been broken between the shuttle and the security screening station. The computers active matrix screen was broken when we powered the computer. The odds that the computer was damaged somewhere else are zip. Less than the chance of being struck by lightening.
If the $4000 computer was the only bad experience I had with NWA I would most certainly have stopped flying them, but I likely would not have considered it worth my time to organize other NWA customers. But it was not. I repeat that there is a consistent pattern of NWA not delivering value for the travelers fare.
As to litigation, I am an inventor and inventors often have to litigate to receive compensation. Litigation is very expensive, especially in terms of ones time. It often drags on for years. It is inherently biased in favor of the deepest pockets. It is the type of game that even if I won that I would lose, just as I lost on my NWA luggage claim because I ended up with $2000 worth of time invested in getting $400 for the luggage.
For the same investment in time I can make a much bigger splash in public relations. Hence the web site coupled with media contacts.
As to clout, yes I have more clout than many people and most certainly not as much as many others. But this is not really about my personal clout, it is about the fact that people with much more clout than I have in many cases, far too many cases, been subjected to the same type of treatment as I have. It is my opinion that by providing a focus, a rallying point, that I can have the most impact.
I am sure you are right about backlash on the **** list. I knew when I joined the forum that there were likely many airline employees who would have a different outlook about the issues than I, and in fact I was harangued and ridiculed from day one. And that is the reason for ramming the issue down the throats of those who gave me such a nice welcome. And why would I enter the lions den? Well I knew there would be some sympathizers, but I also knew that those who were hostile would shoot off their mouths and give me some great material to pass on to journalists. They have not disappointed me.
As to how difficult your job may be, I do understand. I suspect that the job is even more difficult because so many NWA customers are really disgusted with the company. It follows that NWA agents who are on the front line are going to have to deal with many more irate customers than normal.
Chris...
1) Waited on other customers out of order.
2) Got lippy with me when I objected.
3) Forced me to make a big scene to get his name.
4) Refused to wait on me at all.
This after a whole day of a mixture of other rude and indifferent NWA staff.
And after two previous flights with similar treatment.
Award winning Chris is, in my opinion, a lying conniving *** hole, pure and simple, who happens to work for a company who has a disproportionate number of like minded people.
I hope that you and similar minded people can clean up Northwest, but I think that is unlikely. As I have said many times, the problems with the company go back at least 15-20 years, and if they have not changed in that amount time they are in my view, unlikely to change now. I suggest that you and other like minded employees would be better off if you found jobs with a more reputable company, a company which shares your views about delivering good service.
I honestly hope you have a good day. Give some thought to moving to another company, you deserve better than NWA.
Ron
Date: Wednesday, March 24, 1999 11:53 PM
Dear Mr. Riley
I have been with Northwest Airlines for nearly ** years now. I will admit that the company is of slower breed when it comes to change. As I believe you mention somewhere, Northwest is, overall, more of a bureaucracy than a company. I am quick to point out faults in the company because I see them every day.
But things are changing.
I do what I can to make Northwest Airlines a better company. You should understand (once again going to Biblical analogies), I am David against Goliath. I am one man trying to change the company. You are doing the same thing. Why can't you trust in people like me? Its not like I am the only one either. Over the coffee table on break I routinely hear about gate agents and other Northwest employees that have direct customer contact griping about how badly things are run, or how they were treated by an irate passenger that had missed his flight because his car got stuck in a traffic jam.
But 98% of those people go back out with a smile. We don't want you to go home hating us, vowing never to fly us again. If a smile is what it takes, so be it. It may sound corny, but I smile at everyhting. Every little bit helps. A smile and a friendly face can go a long way in this business. Now you probably noticed I didn't say 100%. There will always be that 2% that is having a bad day. This can't be helped.
Now I won't put up excuses for "Chris". What he did was wrong, as I see it from your view. But I couldn't point blame without hearing his side of the story. As truthful as one may try to be, I am sure that at some point something usually gets exaggerated, an expletive added here and there as spoken by the opposing party, etc. Once again, no accusations. But I can't say you didn't do this. I can't say otherwise. We would have to find someone that witnessed the event, and that could never happen.
If Chris truly acted the way he did, he doesn't deserve to work for Northwest Airlines. I would have him fired.
Now I have long seen that your anger has morphed into a crusade against Northwest Airlines, and bad customer service in general. But I still have a hard tme supporting it. First of all, the biggest factor, is that my job is at risk if you get your way. Customer service types will be among the first to get the axe. Now what motivation does this give me to help clean up Northwest Airlines? Damned if I do, damned if I don't.
You have shown a tremendous ability to garner support for a cause, and you are able to get media attention. This whole thing won't matter one bit if, as a traveller, your destinations don't include MEM, MSP, and DTW. Yet if you were to attack customer service by airlines as a whole, everyone benefits. True, you say that this is what you are aiming for. But in the end, if any results do in fact come about, the average Joe going from Chicago to Dallas won't be effected one bit. They will still suffer at the hands of United and American. I think you can do it. You'll have a hell of a lot more support in a war against bad airline service overall than in a campaign against Northwest Airlines where many of the folk that hear about it are questioning whether this is consumer advocacy at work or you are out for personal benefit and the kick of seeing Northwest grovel.
My suggestion to you is to fly Northwest Airlines one more time. I know you have given us many chances. But I beg you - give us one more. When I was living in *** as a manager for NWA at ***, I routinely flew Continental Airlines out of *** Airport because I had relatives in ***. Continental Airlines was my only choice. I flew them, and hated every minute of it - the worst service I had ever experienced. On one trip, I lost my luggage and it as such a hassle just to file a claim that I decided never to fly them again. For four years I flew Delta through Atlanta, suffering a stop over just to avoid CO. But one time I decided to try them again (after Bethune had taken over), and had the best flight ever. I haven't flown any airline domestically since. As unlikely as it may seem to you, Northwest Airlines could do the same for you. But you have to promise not to go on the flight expecting bad service. Fly NWA pretending you have never flown us before. Bad expericneces cloud your judgement. If you have a bad flight, well I am sorry. In that case I am wrong about Northwest Airlines, and maybe your course of action is best. But give us a chance.
The problem here is that we are attempting to change. We have the misfortune of having every mishap make front page news, while every good deed goes unnoticed. And we have bad luck, plain and simple. But if a newspaper sees a story of a Northwest passenger that lost his luggage and a Northwest passenger that was upgraded to first class when his seat was taken in coach, which one will they cover. The luggage one. Negative press is much more popular it seems than positive, and we suffer because of it. But how can you know this if you don't fly us?
I, as a Northwest Airlines employee, beg you to give us one more chance. I do my best to make things better. You may be surprised to see things have changed, if even a little.
Please consider it.
Sincerely,
Name removed.
Reply
Date: Thursday, March 25, 1999 1:12 PM
Look at this from my perspective, I and my staff had some pretty bad service from NWA fifteen years ago, bad enough that I did not fly NWA for a decade. I come back and take four flights, one of which went very well and the other three were all marred by rather serious problems. Bottom line, a loss of $6000 to $8000, not counting my time to purchase and configure a new computer.
But even worse than the actual loss in each case was the treatment received from NWA. Treatment which my letter really glossed over.
You seem really sincere, and if I had been dealing with someone like you there probably would not be a www.NorthWorstAir.org web site today. I assume that you have read my letter to NWA. I politely and firmly warned them that there would be consequences if they bounced me between the insurance carriers. I tried to resolve the problem for six months, and I had decided early on that if the problem was not resolved in six months that I would write off the computer and take my pound of flesh on the PR front.
They did not deal with me in a reputable or acceptable manner and I am now following through on my promise. Now I have invested many tens of thousands of dollars in lobbying time and other efforts to raise awareness. I resent the fact that they forced me invest this amount of effort in this issue. The more time, the more resentment. Time is money.
There is absolutely no way I will ever travel NWA again, I doubt if I would fly them even if they gave me a free lifetime pass. The incidental expenses are simply too high. I would be a fool to give the company a chance to screw me over again.
Ron
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