We all deal with a multitude of problems and dilemmas on a regular basis. Some of them overwhelm us because we don’t know how to resolve them on our own. Whether in regards to our jobs, an item we may have purchased, a government agency or our children’s schools – some situations require the assistance of an outsider.
Well, you won’t have to face them alone anymore. Marvelous Mimi has years of experience in problem resolution and is here to help you. You can reach Mimi at [email protected].
Situation: 10 family members checking in for an American Airlines flight. Among them children and an elderly person in a wheelchair.
Problem: American Airlines employee in an irate and rude tone told the family that they must pay for luggage they believed to be acceptable for carry-on. Employee says it has to be checked and becomes more belligerent as the family attempts to reason with her. A crowd gathers and some family members begin to get nervous and embarrassed.
As time is of the essence – they still need to get through security and to the gate – the family member in charge feels she has no choice but to put the $240 charge on her credit card. As they near the gate, they see that their luggage has not even been placed on the plane, although it seems that all the other baggage is already aboard.
While the family attempted to get a refund from American Airlines and some sort of apology and explanation, they were unsuccessful.
Mimi to the Rescue: The first thing we did was get names of all the passengers involved along with travel documents – and the names of employees with whom they interacted, most especially the supervisor who caused the delay and acted unprofessionally.
In our first call, on the local level, I spoke with a supervisor, explained what happened and made it clear that we expected the employee who had been rude and nasty would be disciplined. The person I spoke with was shocked and said I would hear from her within 48 hours.
48 hours came and went and no return call. Several days later, I called again and was told, “They were working on it.”
I waited another week and called again. Surprise! The person I had been dealing with was on vacation, but I was “welcome to give all the details to Mr. so and so.” That was not going to happen. I insisted there must be some notes and they should be on file. All I got in return was a run around.
I tried calling the same office several more times and was finally given the phone number of American’s corporate offices. When I got through there, I was transferred from one office to another. After several calls, and a lot of patience, I succeeded in reaching the office of the CEO. This was after a month of making calls to the airline.
I explained the circumstances of this family’s plight and laid out a list of requests. The first was a refund of the $240 charge. Second to have the supervisor reprimanded for her inappropriate and rude behavior. Then I said that at a time when competition between airlines was fierce and the newspapers were filled with one horrific story after another about the way customers are being treated, I would think that American would want to do all it could to keep its passengers.
Not only was the charge refunded, and the supervisor reprimanded, all ten members received vouchers for free round trip travel.
Baruch Hashem, another situation resolved and another family satisfied with the results.