I am going to try not to make this a rant, but I am interested in others' opinions on the circumstances.
Back in mid January I booked an award ticket on VS to EWR, travelling on this Thursday, 18 May, and separately a connecting flight online direct with CO to Dayton, OH where I am presenting at a conference. As conference dates and venues are very unlikely to change, of course I purchased non-flexible tickets. I also purchased accommodation pre paid through Travelocity.
Two weeks ago CO informed me that their connecting flight had been brought forward an hour, giving me only 30 mins connecting time at EWR - clearly a no-hoper. So my mate, who's travelling too, called up CO to explain that this was not going to work as we had a connecting flight, where he was told "tough". Of course, once it had been referred to someone else who could help (after being told the usual "the supervisor can't do anything more than I can") the flight got changed to the first one next day gratis.
Then came even more fun. I called Travelocity's Indian call centre (through a US phone number) to change the three night booking to arrive one night later and then be for only two nights. Well, of course I couldn't do that. The hotel was overbooked. I had already checked on Travelocity and there was nothing else showing: the conference attracts about 30-40,000 people to the area. And if I didn't turn up the first night I'd forfeit my entire booking despite it being prepaid. So apparently I had two choices. Cancel now and take a $25 charge for the privilege, or turn up on the day which of course now my flight had been scuppered I couldn't do. So, I suggested to the lady that perhaps there might be someone else who could help me - although this lady seemed to think she was the only person at Travelocity. Eventually, after being on hold twice for fifteen minutes at a time, I got her supervisor who miraculously came up with a hotel half a mile away.
So, becuase of a fairly short notice timetable change on the part of CO, I spent 45 minutes on an international phone call, my mate another half hour, we have had to organise and fund stopover accommodation, I will now be late for my conference, and do CO give a stuff?
I am sure CO and Travelocity are not alone in this. The continual dumbing down in call centres never ceases to amaze me. It's getting almost commonplace to have to refer problems to "someone who can help". The fob off that "the supervisor won't be able to do anything more for you" really gets on my nerves.
Anyone else had similar experiences?
Cheers, Howard
Back in mid January I booked an award ticket on VS to EWR, travelling on this Thursday, 18 May, and separately a connecting flight online direct with CO to Dayton, OH where I am presenting at a conference. As conference dates and venues are very unlikely to change, of course I purchased non-flexible tickets. I also purchased accommodation pre paid through Travelocity.
Two weeks ago CO informed me that their connecting flight had been brought forward an hour, giving me only 30 mins connecting time at EWR - clearly a no-hoper. So my mate, who's travelling too, called up CO to explain that this was not going to work as we had a connecting flight, where he was told "tough". Of course, once it had been referred to someone else who could help (after being told the usual "the supervisor can't do anything more than I can") the flight got changed to the first one next day gratis.
Then came even more fun. I called Travelocity's Indian call centre (through a US phone number) to change the three night booking to arrive one night later and then be for only two nights. Well, of course I couldn't do that. The hotel was overbooked. I had already checked on Travelocity and there was nothing else showing: the conference attracts about 30-40,000 people to the area. And if I didn't turn up the first night I'd forfeit my entire booking despite it being prepaid. So apparently I had two choices. Cancel now and take a $25 charge for the privilege, or turn up on the day which of course now my flight had been scuppered I couldn't do. So, I suggested to the lady that perhaps there might be someone else who could help me - although this lady seemed to think she was the only person at Travelocity. Eventually, after being on hold twice for fifteen minutes at a time, I got her supervisor who miraculously came up with a hotel half a mile away.
So, becuase of a fairly short notice timetable change on the part of CO, I spent 45 minutes on an international phone call, my mate another half hour, we have had to organise and fund stopover accommodation, I will now be late for my conference, and do CO give a stuff?
I am sure CO and Travelocity are not alone in this. The continual dumbing down in call centres never ceases to amaze me. It's getting almost commonplace to have to refer problems to "someone who can help". The fob off that "the supervisor won't be able to do anything more for you" really gets on my nerves.
Anyone else had similar experiences?
Cheers, Howard
