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What happened to customer service?

By
Real Estate Agent with Price & Company Realty

The key to a successful business is to provide outstanding customer service.  It's no wonder, then, that various carriers in the airline industry have such a hard time staying in business.  On a recent trip across the country, my wife and I flew a major carrier that we hadn't flown with in quite some time.  And it didn't take long to remember why we chose not to use their services.

While the staff at the check-in desks were friendly while attaching the luggage tags (which is the extent of the service they provided - the kiosks did the rest), the flight attendants were the most rude, arrogant, and disinterested bunch I've ever experienced -- on all four legs of our trip!

While people were being seated prior to take off, they would stand in the middle of the aisle and gossip about other flight attendants, making the most inappropriate comments in front of the passengers.  When one passenger had an issue with the person behind them, the flight attendant proceeded to verbally berate the passenger for making "silly complaints" and wasting her time.

It's incredible that this type of behavior can exist in a service industry.  Thanks to this reminder of this airline's disinterest in serving their clients, I will be patronizing my usual carrier from now on - regardless of the "great deals" they provide.

The very best customer service should always be strived for - in the airline industry or the real estate industry.  It is those loyal patrons that keep us in business and honor us with their referrals. 

Comments(3)

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Sean Allen
International Financing Solutions - Fort Myers, FL
International Financing Solutions

Customer service is #1, if someone doesn't believe it....they will find out when they go out of business.

Sean Allen

Sep 25, 2007 10:51 AM
Marchel Peterson
Results Realty - Spring, TX
Spring TX Real Estate E-Pro

Hi Christopher, I agree about customer service!  We always remember those places where we get bad service and we are only too glad to share our bad service experiences.  I would cringe to think that someone would say that about me so I strive to give the best service I can possibly give.

My husband is with a major airlines so I sure hope that is not the one you were on.  The airline he is with strives to give great service so hopefully that is not the one, although if it was they would sure want to know about it.

Sep 25, 2007 10:53 AM
Chris and Maria Jeantet
Shasta Living Real Estate - Redding, CA
Top Realtors in Redding CA

Wow, that is pretty bad.  We had a similar experience last year on a flight from San Diego to Redding, we complained and requested to talk to the "supervisor/manager on duty" who to our surprise was supportive of his staff and rude himself, couldn't believe it. We stopped flying that airline completely.  I (Maria) use to work for the hotel industry and was in charge of training over 800 employees on customer service, focusing on "loyalty".  I would stress to these employees how it's more expensive to attract new customers than it is to keep them.  We were a 5-Star hotel!

 

Sep 25, 2007 10:57 AM