[suegsmith]

In early May 2009 we arrived in Oahu as part of a world trip. We stayed in Oahu for a week and then travelled to Hawaii (big island) on a budget airline. Unfortunately we were delayed by 7 hours (for which we received very generous compensation & exemplary customer servicer). We stayed on Hawaii for a week and then had to travel back to Oahu to connect with an international flight. As we had experienced such long delays on the outward leg of the internal journey and as our international flight was with Hawaiian airlines we decided to pay extra and use Hawaiian airlines for our return internal flight as well. However, when I tried to book the flight on the internet I was dumbstruck to find that the Hawaiian airlines website simply does not accept credit cards that are registered anywhere other than the USA, Canada, Australia or the Philippines. As a result I had to book the flights through a third party travel agent and had to pay USD100 (USD50 per person) more than if I had been able to book through the website. I feel that the policy of only accepting credit cards from the four countries mentioned is not only totally unbelievable given modern day technology but also extremely discriminatory.

Obviously I was very annoyed at having to pay an extra USD100.00 over internet rates but that changed to being absolutely livid once aboard the Hawaiian Airlines long haul international flight. Hawaiian Airlines have a no cash on board policy but to my great incredulity there was absolutely no problem in accepting my British registered credit card (drinks and food which is normally complimentary on other long haul international flights had to be paid for).

Once back in the UK I complained to Hawaiian airlines in Hawaii. Their first dismissive response was to direct me to their UK office (their reply was so quick that I wonder if they even read my email). As my issue was with Hawaiian Airlines in Hawaii I persisted in dealing with them and again asked them to address my complaint. Their reply was as a 1 sentence response which ended with "Hawaiian Airlines considers this matter closed".

As they had not responded in any way to any of the issues that I had raised I contacted the CEO apologising for bothering him with what was, essentially a customer service issue, but stating that I was really unhappy with the customer service department. I was, therefore, astounded to receive another short, terse and dismissive response from exactly the same individual in the so called "customer service department" (2 sentences this time instead of 1) only this time it ended "your case will remain closed".

I believe that good customer service should always address customers' complaints even if no compensation is awarded - this means that not only does the customer feel that their complaint has been heard but, and perhaps more importantly, the provider has the perfect opportunity to learn from its customers. In this case it was clear that my complaint had been dismissed out of hand and that it would have no impact on future service provision.

So the message I want to pass on? 1) If you don't have a credit card registered in the US, Canada, Australia or the Philippines then you wont be able to book online flights with Hawaiian airlines (and will, almost inevitably end up paying more) but accept that they will happily accept your credit card on board to pay for what most international airlines provide for free and 2) If you have a problem/complaint with the airline be prepared to deal with one of the rudest, most dismissive and totally ineffective customer service departments with whom I have ever had the misfortune of corresponding.