Delta Redeems Itself
After a long delay, and lambasting Delta several posts ago and on Twitter, they have responded quite well. Mr. Anderson, referred to below, is the CEO. Credit where credit is due:
Dear Dr. Weiss:
RE: Case Number XXXXXXX
Thank you for alerting Richard Anderson to the unsatisfactory customer
service you encountered at Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) on May 29.
Richard has asked that I extend his personal apology,
on behalf of Delta Air Lines and our Delta Connection Carrier, Mesaba
Airlines, for the many inconveniences you suffered with a duplicate
billing and for not receiving a refund for your original flight coupon
from MSP to Boston. We are also truly sorry for our delayed response.
Your comments are well received and your frustration is understandable.
Clearly, we recognize the value of your time. Our goal is to provide
caring and accurate service at all times. I am truly sorry in this
instance you did not receive the service you expected and had every
right to receive. Feedback like yours will help us improve our overall
customer experience. Be assured Richard has shared your letter with our
Airport Customer Service leadership team at MSP for internal follow up.
As a result of your experience, I will be taking the following actions.
-ticket XXXXXXXXX – asking passenger refunds to issue a full refund
for the MSP-Boston flight coupon
-ticket XXXXXXXXX – asking passenger refunds to check your AX card
for a duplicate billing of $934.70 for your travel from MSP to
Providence
As a Gold Medallion member, you are an integral part of our customer
base. Thank you for writing and again, we apologize for your
inconvenience. We deeply value your business.
Sincerely,
Kathy Johnston
Administrator
Executive Communications
Delta Air Lines/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Guido Thys
I don’t think Kathy Johnson replied, but a semi-automated complaint-handling system did.
The letter announces that things will be straightened out. No big deal. They should.
Everybody knows that a substantial part of a complaint is emotion.
Where is the emotion in this letter? Who can detect one personal note among the hollow phrases, let alone a sign of personal interest of the CEO who has probably never seen the complaint letter?
#fail, as we would call it on Twitter!
Jeffrey Summers
So they fix the problem. What did they do to mend the relationship? This reads like any other corporate apology letter to me…just 86 your name and details and insert anyone else’s. If you were my customer, I’d have picked up the phone and called you personally. What is lifetime value of a customer like you?
Alan Weiss
Your solution is ideal, no argument. I’m just happy that a single letter, albeit after a month, put things right.
With an annoying issue with American a couple of months ago, I did get a personal call from a presidential assistant who told me specifically what action they were taking in response to the condition I reported, and that was within 10 days.