Is Customer Service Dead?

1/11/2018 2:18:08 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

I’ve heard many times that customer service is dead. We all make jokes about having to call customer no service in some strange foreign land multiple times before giving up and never resolving whatever issue we might have. It doesn’t matter if its travel related like an airline, or if it’s the cable company or anyone else. No one wants to accept the responsibility to help the consumer. Recently, I had a problem with the cable company. It took no less than 7 phone calls to customer service and a letter to the utilities commission before my simple request, a new cable box, could be arranged.

The same can be said for the airlines. Try to talk to a person, and good luck. Heaven forbid you have an emergency and need to change plans, you are going to pay. The price of a booked flight goes down and they will charge you to lower your fare. Fees, fees, and more fees, and its perfectly clear that the fees are not going to hire helpful well trained staff to assist the customer.

I had a customer that recently had a problem at Disney World, the place that was once known for customer service and a true believer in the customer is always right slogan. Well it appears that times have changed. These people were a little upset about the time it took for their transfers to the hotel. Let’s just say that the Disney all but called my clients liars. I had a friend that ran into a very disrespectful employee that was complaining about tourists to other guests. Hello, this is Disney World, they make their money by charging TOURISTS ridiculous amounts of money to visit. In any rate, after filing a complaint, Disney World didn’t even make an attempt to respond.

So what can we do? First, document everything. This includes times, places, and names of everyone you speak to. Details are important. Second, be persistent. Third, and most importantly, use small businesses that care.

All Aboard Vacations is one such place. We want your business, and no request is too small. One of the reasons to use a travel agent is to help fight on your behalf. Book with one of those mega websites and see how long it may take to even talk to a human let alone one who can help. Sure, you can book a cruise right through the cruise line, but try to complain about the cruise line to someone who works for a cruise line and see where you get. Book through an agency like this one and you will get a person who will do everything to help. We know who to talk to and will go out of our way to help so that you come back. We survive on personalized service.

Customer service isn’t dead, you just need to know where to find it!