Author: admin

Travel

United Airlines could do better

Post author By admin
Post date 2016-10-02

My recent experience with United Airlines reveals some places UAL could improve.

First, when checking in from home and wanting to print a boarding pass I was presented with this question that could not be answered:

Do you want to print or receive your boarding pass by email?

Only options for the question: Yes or No

Bad user experience from United Airlines

A call to United’s customerNONservice did not garner any help. The staff could not comprehend what was wrong with this question and the answer options.

Second, after arriving at SeaTac airport at 11:55 pm, I found an empty check in counter. No hours were posted.

The kiosk says “For assistance please see an airline representative”. Really? How does a person do that when there are no United personnel around?

In an attempt to learn counter hours, a couple phone calls to United produced only inconsistent results: 3:00am, 3:45am, 4:30am, 5:00am. The counter actually opened at 3:15am and the staff there said that’s when they open. Really? Why not post the hours?

Another passenger waiting for the counter to open said “United is lazy.” I agree. There is plenty of room on the various screens at the counter to post hours.

Banks

American Express Exposed

Post author By admin
Post date 2016-03-07

When a large, respected business replies to a customer with illiterate writing, it is reasonable to question the quality of customer service. Such is the case with a response I received from American Express. I had written asking for details about a replacement for the Costco American Express card that would be cancelled because Costco and American Express were ending their relationship. The reply:

We’re writing regarding your recent inquiry.

Please be advised, we have forwarded your inquiry regarding the Blue Cash Everday $100.00 statement credit. If your are eligible and qualify for the offer, will receive the incentive within 2 billing cycles.

If you need more assistance, please contact on the number at back of your card and will be happy to assist you.

Note that the last two graphs are simply illiterate. Obviously, American Express cares so little for its customers that it is acceptable to have anyone craft customer communication.

Uncategorized

No Pizza From DomiNO’s

Post author By admin
Post date 2016-02-27

When hunger strikes getting online and ordering a pizza sometimes makes sense.

We found a good coupon on Domino’s that we wanted. But at checkout we kept getting charged $8.99 instead of $7.99.

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We would have called Domino’s corporate offices, but they were closed.

We thought calling the store would get us past the roadblock. We ended up having an argument with the store personnel because they 1) didn’t have access to the website and 2) they didn’t have authority to honor the coupon price.

This experience brings up an important issue: How should local stores of a huge brand handle corporate mistakes? In my recent experience with 7-11 and now with Domino’s they don’t handle corporate mistakes well at all. Frequently local stores are left in the dark about 1) what corporate is doing and 2) don’t have any training on what to do when issues arise.

As for the pizza, we ordered from a local brand because the DominNO’s just didn’t seem right for out taste buds after the hassle.

Uncategorized

7-11 SMS Woes

Post author By admin
Post date 2016-02-25

During the week of February 25, 2016 I tried to take advantage of the 7-11 text-message promo to get a free breakfast melt if you purchase any size coffee.

According to 7-11, it is a simple procedure. Send the word “breakfast” to 711711.

Did that. For two days. No breakfast. A lot of wasted time finding and talking to 7-11 customer non-service.

Each time I send the promo code I get back this long message:

“7-11 Alerts: Reply Y to confirm opt-in for autodialed marketing txt msgs from -Eleven to this mobile #. Consent not required to buy goods/services.”

711boguspromo

A few things stand out about this response:

There is no mention of “breakfast”
The copy editing is bad: note the inconsistent spelling of 7-11
Consent is not required to buy goods/services; ok, then how do I get my free breakfast melt that requires the purchase of a coffee?

According to my local 7-11 store personnel, who barely understand English, I need to get a response from my “breakfast” message to 711711 that includes a bar code the store can scan.

Calls to 7-11 customer non-service was interesting. After multiple calls, it was apparent the staff was ignorant about this promo. The best they could do was take name and number. Given the speed at which corporations resolve problems, it is likely the promo will be over before they can make the promo work as it should.

Having been involved in quite a few digital projects as project manager and editor, I say without a doubt this promo campaign fails from the user perspective.

Apparently this promo experience was developed by a corporation known as medallia.com. That’s kind of ironic, considering this slug line I found on medallia.com: “Your guides in improving the customer experience.”

711medallia