Mu-mon-kan

I recently wrote (twice) to JetBlue about my experience with their services and systems. Both of which seem chock-full of fail. Here are the two stories:

I recently returned from a weekend in Vermont and possibly the worst customer service experience I’ve ever had.

Last Wednesday, I was originally set to fly out of Dulles at 6:30 PM from gate B66. However, when I arrived at the airport around 5, I noticed that the departure time printed on my ticket was 7:45 PM. Given that, I assumed I had plenty of time to work and eat prior to my flight. When I arrived at the gate at 7:15, I was informed that my flight had departed at 6:30. I was irritated, but calm. I asked if it was possible to get a seat on the flight to Boston and, upon arriving, I planned to drive to Vermont. At this point, the gate supervisor(?), Norman, became belligerent and blamed me for missing the flight and informed me that the plane could leave at any time and I should be waiting patiently at the gate. He said he could put me on the flight to Boston for $100 extra. At this point, I walked away and called JetBlue to file a formal complaint, not because of _what_ he was saying, but _how_ he was saying it. Someone in his position who is supposed to diffuse customer aggravations shouldn’t be agitating customers more. His position/promotion was nothing short of a mistake.

Eventually, I spoke to manager, Anya, who filed the complaint and tried to help me out my current predicament (i.e. stranded in DC). Since I booked my ticket with points (NB: I had no idea what kind of debilitating situation to which that would lead), I was transferred to the TrueBlue CSR, who proceeded to book me on the Boston flight and “fix” the problem (NB: “fix” is surrounded by quotes because the “fix” cost another 7000+ points and led to even more problems, which I will talk about in my next SpeakUp correspondence).

In closing, I have two questions:

1. Since the person in charge at the gate deals with irate customers day-in and day-out, shouldn’t they be someone with a personality that diffuses rather than exacerbates the situation?
2. Why print the delayed time on the ticket? Travelers are already expending large amounts of time dealing with the various agencies within the airport, the illusion of additional time is a boon for some and a bane to others, but giving accurate information that avoids negatively affecting the customer is the only real solution.

I will follow this correspondence with the details of my return trip. Thank you.

My second story:

I recently wrote into SpeakUp about my original trip on August 24th up to Vermont and how I was severely disappointed with how JetBlue handled my situation and inquired as to why incorrect/inaccurate information was printed on the issued airport ticket. The initial leg of my roundtrip flight from IAD to BTV was rerouted to BOS…or so I thought.

While I was in Vermont, just before Hurricane Irene hit, I received an email on August 26 that said my return flight to IAD had been preemptively cancelled and rebooked for Tuesday AM. Though a bit miffed about the lost work time, I decided not to cause any issues.

When my wife and I sat down to check-in to our flight, I noticed that only her name came up on the confirmation number. Thinking there was some mistake, I called JetBlue, which, incidentally, turned into a three hour phone call that ruined lunch with some friends. I was then informed, after more than 30 minutes on hold (after the initial hold time) that I needed to speak to another TrueBlue CSR. The TrueBlue CSR then informed me that I had cancelled my return flight which is why I didn’t have a ticket.

To borrow a line from Fight Club: “We have just lost cabin pressure.”

At this point, I could barely contain my anger. What I was hearing at the time was: “You missed your flight from Dulles to Burlington, though no fault of JetBlue, and you decided to go to Boston, one-way and pay an extra 7000+ points to do so, just so you could rent a car for $130 (plus fuel) in order to spend 3 hours to drive to Vermont, finish the weekend and send your wife home by herself and strand yourself there.” I mentioned that to the CSR and was even more irritated when it seemed like she was blaming me for my predicament (NB: I will concede that I was furious at the time and was possibly taking what she was saying a bit too literally). She reinstated my old flight and said that she could get me on a flight to JFK on Tuesday, but I would have to wait until Wednesday to get back to IAD. I asked if I could get a train ticket from Penn Station to Union Station. I was informed that JetBlue does not purchase train tickets. I asked if I could be rebooked on another airline in NYC. I was informed that JetBlue only partners with American Airlines and they were no longer taking anyone else. Defeated, I said “fine” and went back to eating lunch with the one friend who remained through the debacle.

We eventually realized that we would spend more money with me being stranded in NYC, so we decided to spend the $230 (plus fuel) rent a car (again) and drive from BTV to IAD, where our personal car was located. We arrived home at 5:30 AM and proceeded to work the next day. This is why I vehemently correct people when they ask: “Were you stranded in Vermont because of the hurricane?”

No. I was stranded because of JetBlue.

I’m currently part of the TrueBlue program. I have the JetBlue American Express card. I was a loyal customer of JetBlue, almost to the point of zealotry (i.e. “If JetBlue doesn’t fly there, I probably don’t need to go there.”). The TrueBlue system changed and became less alluring, which, in turn, made paying the annual fee on the JetBlue card rather unsavory. I need to reevaluate my relationship with JetBlue.

Not my finest prose/storytelling, but the exercise was cathartic. Now…we play the waiting game…

. . . which isn’t the best news tonight since I’m slated to go to NY and visit my girlfriend. It does make me happy that I get to use the word inclement in a sentence, though. Such as:

My flight was delayed due to inclement weather.

Good word.

Currently Rocking Out To: Cornerman – St Thomas