Customer Service Revisited

Posted by Bob Greenberger on December 10, 2008

Now that it has been resolved, let me tell you about my latest skirmish in the world of customer service.

On April 25, I booked three tickets via Travelocity to Indianapolis for my nephew’s bar mitzvah.

On September 5 I called to notify Travelocity that I needed to cancel Robbie’s ticket. I was informed a copy of the death certificate needed to be faxed in. When I followed up, I was informed it had not been received, could I attach a scan of the document. I sent the scan to customer service department, at their repeated request, on September 10, September 12, September 13 and again on the 15th.

On October 9, I spoke with a customer service agent to confirm everything was resolved. The agent said the ticket had definitely been canceled and I’d receive written confirmation within 24 hours.

On November 18, I spoke with a different customer service agent and his supervisor. They had no record of the incident being resolved and in fact, when speaking with an agent at United, the airline had no records.

I wrote a letter the next day to the president of Travelocity and days later, on the 25th, Betty Mangum, Executive Resolution Coordinator, was on the case. I had a letter from her to United Airlines asking them to resolve the matter on their end.

The ever useful Mohammed Khan at United’s web refunds e-mailed me on December 1 and asked for the electronic ticket number, already included on Betty’s letter. He also wanted more details such as our purchase date, departure dates, and other stuff.

This morning, I woke up to an e-mail from Betty stating:

Thank you for taking the time to advise us of the situation you encountered with the airline reservation. Our priority is to offer complete and accurate information as well as superior customer service at all times. Travelocity would like to offer our condolences on your recent loss. We apologize for the delay in responding to your issue.

After a review of your file, Travelocity has contacted United Airlines on your behalf to request a refund of Robert Greenberger Jr.’s ticket. United Airlines has granted a full refund and has processed a credit in the amount of $290.00 to the credit card used for the original purchase.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please be assured that you are a valued customer and we look forward to your continued patronage. Should you require additional information, or if we may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Case closed, but did it have to take three months?