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I know the Delta system. I know how to search for low level seats (and you should too
). I know how to look leg by leg. I know if a rep sounds like they have the intelligence of a sea slug to try to get off the phone as fast as I can and then just call back. I know that many times I must spoon feed reps data (when they say sorry there are no seats, but I know better). I know all I must do to make it all work. But….
I really need to say, a majority of the time, the Diamond Medallion reps are great (same went for the Platinum reps when I was Platinum with Delta). They do know their stuff. They get what I want done. They are willing to let me tell them crazy routes I see award seats on and try to get them all to play nice in the Delta computers. They often go above and beyond for me as well.
Then there are reps like I got the other day that just make my head hurt and make we want to do to my phone what you see above (not my phone btw). This phone rep was unhelpful, was not willing to work with me, kept spouting stuff that I knew was wrong and seemed to just want to get me off the line and that was fine and I felt the same way. Let me digress for a moment and muse.
[youtube width=”300″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku2wFaaPAzI
Why is it kids that we, or at least me, has a burning need to help these kind of reps. Often times I want to walk them through the process and have them “trust me” and plug in the info and push the “red candy like button” and see if it does not spit out on her screen what I know will be true (i.e. it will show low level seats). Why is it I want to have the satisfaction of showing the rep, “see I told ya so”. I need to just stop doing this ever again. There is no point to it; it is not my job to train Delta reps. I must get better at just saying, “let me think about all this and I will call Delta back” and just get off the line ASAP.
Part of the problem is the continued infighting with KLM & Air France. KLM, often times, has space but will not release them to Delta. With some work, from a good rep, you can get this done. Air France is just saying to Delta “Let them eat Cake” and is very hard if not impossible to work with currently!
I have another question that I would love to get input from readers on. Is it just me or can you “hear” when you get a good or bad rep. I don’t care if it is a guy or a gal, most times I can in the first few seconds know if this is going to go well for me or if I need to train them move on.
Here is another issue that maybe you have run into. Before we are connected, we are given the option to press 1 to leave feedback about the rep or press 2 not to. I NEVER EVER choose the option to leave feedback. Why (and you tell me if this happens to you)? There have been MANY times I have been on the phone with a great rep, they put me on hold, and then the call is dropped. Even more times, in the past, when I am say sent to the reissue desk and the phone rep automated system picks up and then drops me and I never get to the reissue desk and then I have to start all over again (and it never fails I then get a sea slug rep on that call back). So, do you have this same fear of the automated rep rating system?
OK I feel much better now and things did work out in the end as you will see tomorrow! Thanks in advance for your feedback. – René
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Had the same experience last night and lost an open Alitalia business class seat in the process. Call dropped on the reissue transfer. Called back and no luck.
@Greg – I hear ya. Just makes me crazy. Even sometimes when a rep just comes back to check on you they dump you!
Has happened a few times to me as well Rene, but when I know that the rep is going to be helpful and good, I proactively give them my number and ask them to call me back in the event I get disconnected. Using skymiles can drive me insane sometimes ( a lot of times ), but almost always there is a way. I just booked 120k ticket from Tpa-HKG and back from mnl-tpa in BE for February and could not believe it. This new naming of award levels though sounds fishy to me. Would love to know your opinion about it.
@Winston – the phone number tip is a good one and have done that too but often times on Skype some place on the planet where they can not call back.
I agree with you that most of the time you can tell if it is going to be a good rep (cooperative and helpful) or a bad rep in the first few seconds of the call. In general the good reps seem friendly and act like they genuinely like their job and appreciate you as a customer. This comes out in the first few seconds.
I almost always accept the feedback option. I enjoy giving all 5’s to a great rep and occasionally have given all 1’s to some. It is dispiriting when the feedback call doesn’t go through. It happens less now than it used to.
The other day after two reps told me “no way” on the third try I got the good rep who spent 20 minutes fighting the computer to get what I wanted and knew could be done. I was so overjoyed, I asked for her contact info and praised her to high heaven on Delta.com. She was delighted when I told her I was gong to do that.
I always opt to give feedback. To the extent those surveys matter, I want to reward the good reps and express displeasure with the bad ones. Do you know how the surveys are used?
@John – I do not but will ask next time I talk to Delta but often times they say that kind of info is proprietary and can not say. My guess is it does have an impact but not worth the risk to get dropped. Do keep in mind you can give a JOB WELL DONE to phone reaps (just tell them the number) as I have done that in the past too!