[UsairwaysHater]

I have been loyal to Usairways for over 23 years and have overlooked much in that time. However, this is the absolute last straw.

Planning a family vacation I wanted to book reward flights. Knowing how fast these seats go, I diligently went in daily to see if my "flight" days were available. When I felt they would open in the next few days I called Dmiles to find out what time their systems refreshed so I could be first to book the reward seats. THe philippean call center could not comprehend my request, so I requested to be transferred to the states. The rep informed me to dial the number I just called, press 3 and ask to be transferred. I informed her, that's how I got her why couldn't she transfer me? her response? Call the number again, press three and maybe you'll get an American. Long story short after 5 people (and SEVERAL poor experiences), I got someone in the US a "supervisor". Who could have cared less about my question or concern.
My reward flights become available and I get up that day at 6am to book.
Three things happened: 1) The site wouldn't take my wife's name and had to book it under her maiden name (which causes an ID issue as her license doesn't have her maiden name) 2) It told me my account didn't have enough miles and I had to transfer them (at the cost of 50.00) even though there were sufficient miles there. 3) We have a dividend miles credit card and if we use it to pay the processing fee, we get a 5,000 point deduction on the cost of the reward. It didn't make the deduction on one reward flight.


Upset sabout my poor experience, the issues with the website and that 23 years of loyalty meant nothing, I found a number for corporate to let them know of the poor service I received. I requested an executive and she told me she would transfer me to Customer Relations. I asked if that was a call center or an executive group: reply "yes". I get transferred to a voice mail. Furious that someone didn't pick up the phone, I get back to the operator and inform her she may have misunderstood, I asked for an executive, not a call center voice mail. She slammed me on hold, comes back and says "do you want transferred to that mailbox"? Resigned I say yes. I leave a scathing message that I expect a return call. In the interim, I find a direct number for the COE and call it, the number is not the COE any longer but Jason empathizes and tries to help. Unfortunately he has to route me to another number which puts me back into call center land. I hang up and prefer to take my changes with C. Relations.

Jennifer from C. Relations calls me back and asks how she can assist. I proceed with telling her in detail about my loyalty, the number of transfers the poor service, etc. Mid sentence she says "I know you have a lot of detail and I appreciate it, but what do you want?". I outline the following:
1) A new ticket with a corrected name
2) Refund of my 5,000 miles that were taken and shouldn't have been.
3) Refund of the 50.00 that i had to pay to transfer and shouldn't have.
4) Compensation for my pain and suffering since no one seemed to care that I was loyal.
She indicated she'd call me back. Several days later she calls:
1) Reservations has corrected my wifes name. Fantastic!
2) 5,000 miles were reapplied to my account. Fantastic!
3) Unfortunately, the 50.00 cannot be refunded since it was a 3rd party website, but we'll issue a 50.00 voucher for future travel. Ok, no problem!
4) Under our policy the issues you have experience are not compensatable as they were not USAIRWAYS fault. however, I'm willing to giv eyou upto 100.00 off a future flight.

UM, if they weren't your fault that your system asked but wouldn't accept he correct name, took too many miles from my account AND told me I didn't have enough, when I did. Whose fault is it mine?

Her response: No, I'm not saying that at all. You wouldn't have known that your wife's name in our system was incorrect. I respond and say, this was Usairways fault. After her trying to interrupt me several times. I finally ask for a supervisor. I had to ask 3 times for a supervisor to be told: they will tell you the same thing I told you. This is not a compensatable situation, we did nothing wrong! I'm told either SHE or a supervisor will call me back within 5-10 days but I'll get the same response. Then proceeds to say. You have been nothing but condescending since you picked up the phone. Maybe had you been a little nicer, we would have helped you faster. Stunned my response, was if any of my employees every spoke to a customer in the manner that you have, they would be fired on the spot. UM if you're corporate customer relations, shouldn't you be trained to address irrate customers? Geesh.

During the 5-10 day period, I calm myself a tad: 1) After vowing never to fly them again (after my reward flight) 2) Vowing that all 10 of us flying would wear t-shirts on that flight saying "I hate usairways" and 3) Taking an add out of the Phoenix paper where doug parker lives saying "DO not fly Usairways". I realize i've not gotten emails regarding the 50.00 voucher and the updated ticket. So I call D. miles back. yeah, you guessed in the philippines cannot comprehend my question. She tells me I should have gotten those at the airport. I tell her I haven't flown yet. DEAD SILENCE.Long story short, I get no where. So I wait 10 days, NO Supervisor call.
I politely leave a follow up voicemail that I was waiting on a sup call, but that I couldn't remember if it had been 10 days or not.

Score: I didn't get a sup, but got Elaine. She was fantastic. Listened to my situation, let me rant. Empathized, Sympathized. Everything that the Jennifer did NOT do. She even went above and beyond to outline what, when, why! At the end of the call, I told her she literally saved the company my business with how she approached the call. I told her all I wanted was someone to care.

I check email and get the updated ticket and a 100.00 voucher (which she threw in for my troubles) in my email. The 50.00 reimbursement wasn't there. I call and leave a voicemail again just stating there may have been some confusion.

Kendrix calls me back. Long story short, he tells me there's no record of the 50.00 I tell him there may have been confusion. He asks me to hold. Comes back and says: According to our guidelines we have made the situation whole and compensated you. Long story short, his attitude and response was: I should be grateful for what I got. Then tried to tell me that they "gave" me 5,000 miles. UM YOU TOOK THEM and shouldn't have. They gave me 50.00, UM your website said I didn't have enough miles, when I did and had to transfer. He responds with, you should have called D. Miles tech support. My response, was I tried, they couldn't comprehend English which started all this trouble. Finally, I was so angry again. (It wasn't about the $$, I just wanted to know if I had confused the situation but his attitude and stance that "usairways did nothing wrong" sent me over the edge. So I respond with, I just want you guys to give a Sh**t about the company and customer. I did for 23 years and didn't get paid for it. I then ask for a supervisor only to be told, they handle internal issues only. We're empowered to resolve all customer issues. SO Jennifer lied to me, which explains why I never got a call. She jsut figured I'd let it go. I finally went too far and told him that the next time USairways went into bancruptcy I hoped they failed and that they would NEVER get another dollar either professionally or personally from me again. His response: why would you want a company you fly to fail. My response, was I've lost nothing if the company fails, their reward tickets. I'll GLADY pay a competitor full fare if that happens. I'll happliy address the lack of customer service with Doug Parker. His response was, it'll customer filter down to us anyway. This reward flight will be my last on any UsAirways plane. Which is sad, because I was so loyal for so very long. I wish I had the technical savvy to A) post something on you tube to get their attention and B) the skill to create a "donotflyUsairways" website for all of that have had enough. Usairways your founding airlines (Allegheny, PSA, and piedmont) would be ashamed at what you've turned into. Hope the tens of thousands of professional and personal dollars I've pumped into your company aren't missed too sorely over the next 30 years.