Customer Service Volunteers heading to HOPE:Rwanda encounter abuse and block of donated event items

Frallicciardi · Jul 12, 2009, 4:36 PM

Delta Airlines refuses to allow HOPE:Rwanda consultant service

Team heading to Rwanda to build a skatepark for the city of Kigali and consult for the HOPE:Rwanda festival is treating abusively by Delta and made to leave behind donation of skate items for the Rwanda youth! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 12, 2009 – Miami, FL
Regarding: HOPE:Rwanda festival in Kigali

Yesterday my husband left on an airplane to be part of HOPE:Rwanda festival in Kigali. HOPE:Rwanda is a festival to give hope to the many affected by the massive genocide in Rwanda, bring healing and forgiveness, and re-build relationships. He is traveling to the festival to build a skatepark that will stay in Rwanda for the youth to use. Next weekend they will have pro BMX riders & Skateboarders perform a demo to 10s of thousands who attend. Then the park will be left with a local pastor who will supervise the new skatepark.

We have seen incredible things when you give a kids a skateboard. Many of these children witnessed horrible violence, were left orphans, and experience things we can not even imagine. When you put a skateboard into a someone’s hands it brings out the child in anyone. Skateboarding in Rwanda will create an great physical activity for the kids, reduce crime, reduce teenage pregnancy & STDs, give a creative outlet and help to rebuild these relationships between families and the youth. We had many skate companies come alongside us to donate boards, shoes, helmets, & even fingerboards (mini skateboards).

We arrive in Miami to the Delta counter 3 hours early for the trip. The line was incredibly long. The first ticket guy we encounter was ridiculing the passengers and calling them names in Spanish. He was extremely rude to my husband (originally from Argentina) and to an Indian man near us. He was using ridiculing names and even profanity towards them.

After waiting in one line for an hour, they moved us to a new line. Forty minutes later, they moved us to yet another. Many people were missing their flights because of the lack of organization. As his departure time was approaching quickly, they finally moved us to yet another line. We asked at this point for the lady to weigh our bag as he had an extra bag to check in.... One bag for his clothing, one for tolls, and one large duffel with the toys and skate supplies. We were told that it would cost $100US to bring this bag and got back into line to get the boarding pass.

Once at the counter, the new ticket agent was extremely rude. She told the people in front of us, who missed their flight, that they should of arrived earlier and there was nothing she could do. (Is 3 hours early not enough?) When we approached, she told my husband that the flight was almost ready to leave and that the back was now $375US to ship (cash). We questioned her and she said that if we wanted to argue that he would miss his flight. She gave us the option to remove some items as the bag was too long. Still it was under the 50 lb maximum weight. When we attempted to remove items, she told us that he had to go or miss his flight.

I remained, trying to get the bag on the flight, but she told me that she would not take it. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told that I could wait but a supervisor could not come up for at least an hour. I never saw the agent call anyone. I proceeded to call the Delta 800 number and was told, after 24 minutes on hold, that they did in fact charge my husband a $200 fee for the bag. I explained my situation but the representative told me there was nothing she could do from her end. I again asked the ticket agent to call her supervisor and made it know that I knew she had not even called her yet at this point. She then picked up the walkie-talkie for the first time to call her supervisor. My husbands plan had now already departed for his first leg to Atlanta.

I waited a total of an hour and a half for a supervisor to meet me at the ticketing counter. During this time I witnessed one customer after another being abused by this ticket agent. One lady was traveling to Brazil for her mothers funeral and was worried she would miss her flight. The ticket agent had this poor women in tears and told her there was nothing she could do for her. This lady too, had waited hours just to get to the counter.

So, finally, I am able to speak to a supervisor who apologizes but explains that to take this bag of items to Rwanda that I would have to personally buy a ticket and travel with it. So, we are left with this bag still in Miami, the ABSOLUTE WORST customer service I have ever experiences, and the youth of Rwanda will not receive these items that many went out of their way to contribute. I can not imagine how an airline as a whole can be so heartless and abusive to it’s customers. They call it customer service but I only witnessed Customer Abuse.

I want everyone to know how badly this airline and it’s employees treated people and am amazed when even companies like Starbucks see the need to bring hope to the people in Rwanda, how Delta can not even help by doing their job as a company. If anyone knows how we might be able to get this bag to Rwanda by Thursday, please email us at info@ChristianSkaters.com