| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 71 |
| Copyright: Other |
Handy tips from firefighters may help to quell clients’ raging tempers
Lessons in how to destress customers would have come in handy this week when an elderly client saw redover a ticket-on-departure charge
Broken promisesThere appears to be a lack of communication between the marketing department and the reservations department of the self-nominated ‘world’s favourite airline’.
An agent in Essex recently tried to pre-assign seats for a disabled passenger but his efforts turned out to be fruitless. The client had chosen to fly with British Airways to Denver because he had seen the airline’s advertisement in a magazine for the disabled. The advert assured prospective travellers that great care would be taken to ensure a comfortable flight for disabled passengers. When it came to booking the seats however, the agent found that the attitude was far from caring.
The client, who has an artificial leg, had previously flown on a 747 aircraft and, based on this experience, requested the two seats at the rear of the aircraft where the side of the plane tapers, allowing a little more room. The client has no control over his artificial leg and is very conscious that if he must step over another passenger on his way into his seat or to the loo, he could step on a foot without realising.
Five telephone calls to the airline with the request had elicited five promises that ‘someone will ring back’. A fortnight later, ‘someone’ had failed to do so. Taking matters into his own hand, the agent rang again and was told by a supervisor that: 1) they did not have a seat plan; 2) it was too early to request the seats anyway; and 3) the particular seats requested by the client were reserved for deportees or stretcher cases.
The client was justifiably upset and vented his spleen at his agent, saying: “So I’m better off being an illegal immigrant than a full fare-paying passenger?” The agent had no option but to agree.
Sad but true
This complacent attitude towards disabled passengers seems increasingly commonplace and the airlines seem not to appreciate the sense of humiliation it causes in such clients. Some passengers are so affected that they choose not to fly again.
A recent incident involving a wheelchair-bound client is a case in question.
The travel agent had booked the client, who is severely disabled, and her husband on a flight to Antigua. The airline was informed by the agent of the client’s condition and on-board wheelchair assistance was requested.
Once in the air however, cabin staff realised that the wheelchair that could be used to transport passengers through the aisle of the aircraft had been forgotten. Inevitably, the lady needed the loo partway through the flight but with no wheelchair available she had to be moved in a most demeaning way. The aisle being too narrow to allow the client, her husband and the flight attendant to move her standing up, the client was instead dragged to the loo along the floor.
Unsurprisingly she said she felt humiliated at being handled like a sack of potatoes, all for the want of a little forethought on the part of the airline staff. How sad and how avoidable.
Measuring up a holiday
Most clients resent paying under-occupancy supplements and the couple who called in today to tell us how much they had enjoyed their Thomson holiday were no exception.
The holiday had been great and they were satisfied with the studio accommodation but couldn’t see why they had paid an under-occupancy charge.
“It was supposed to accommodate three people but there’s no way you could get a third bed in that studio,” said the wife.
She admitted that there were two armchairs in addition to the two beds but refused to accept that this meant the studio could have slept three. The idea of a sofa bed in place of the two armchairs defeated her completely.
“If only I’d had a tape measure I could convince you,” she said, although she was finally persuaded not to pursue a claim for the return of the supplement.
Maybe we should issue tape measures with the luggage labels then at least clients could put their case direct to the operators and see how they measure up.
Nearing boiling point
I’m firmly convinced now that agents should all be trained in the art of Indian head massage. This relaxing therapy is the latest in the struggle to combat modern-day stresses and is being used by the Avon Fire Brigade to enhance the performance of their firefighters!
I pondered this as an elderly gent worked himself into a state of agitation over the ticket-on-departure charges levied on his booking.
Due to depart in 16 days’ time, he thought it unreasonable of First Choice to charge him for picking up his ticket when there was ample time to post it. His face reddened and the veins stood out on his neck as Kate explained that a holiday booked 17 days or less ahead of departure is classed as a late booking.
To watch an elderly man get so upset over £14 is quite distressing. Kate feared a coronary event would soon follow and did her best to calm him. If we were all trained in those holistic treatments, we could at least spring into action and soothe those scalps with jasmine oil – maybe that would get rid of the pains in the neck, too.
Just cross your legs…
The openness of some clients takes me aback sometimes. An elderly lady called in for brochures on the Himalayas. As I handed them over, I made the usual enquiries about when she was thinking of travelling.
“Actually,” she confided, “I’m not sure whether to go or not as the friend who’d be coming with me has a weak bladder. It’s OK if she doesn’t drink all day but where would she ‘go’ up there?”
Cyprus bound
It was an early start for my journey to Heathrow to meet up with other agents for our six night educational to Cyprus courtesy of Cyplon Holidays.
It’s been years since I last visited Aphrodite’s island, so I welcomed the opportunity to update my knowledge of it; after all, I can’t have the clients knowing more than me-