Hanging Up

Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008 12:59 PM

After waiting for customer service to take me off hold for more than TWO HOURS, I accidentally lost the call when I had to run to retrieve a screaming toddler from his crib. (Little Dude didn't nap long enough and judging by his screams, he wasn't ready to wake up.)

I was so frustrated. (Understatement of the year - I was livid, to put it lightly...)

Little Dude was crying, and then I started to cry - it was not a pretty picture. Then, since I was crying, Little Dude began to cry more.

When the Hubby got home, I tried again, and finally got through. I was very calm and polite, and told the customer service representative why I was calling and how I waited for more than two hours the first time. She said, "Yes, it has been a busy morning here." NO APOLOGY! In fact no apology for the inconvenience of any of this throughout any of the call - and I was nice to her.

In the end, I mentioned that I have a Web site, and that I had already posted this horrid experience for my visitors to read. I said that I knew it wasn't her fault, but that I would appreciate she share my displeasure with her "powers-that-be."

Her response? "You should have used our Web site to cancel your flight, then. It isn't our fault that you had to wait." And then she sort-of huffed into the phone.

Umm, you can read my prior post to see what happened when I tried that method.

Now here is what I have to say to the current executives at Midwest Express, who obviously don't care about long-time customers. Never mind that these customers have shared glowing reports of their service for years, always recommending to others to "pay the little extra as you will never have a bad experience."

(Seriously laughing at that last statement right now...)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Midwest Express -

I used to book you, even when it cost a little extra, as I have always been impressed with your customer service. What happened?

You boast of the, "best care in the air," and I'm happy to hear it, because you certainly have horrible care on the ground, as of recently.

You let the news of the canceled flights hit the media before you bothered to contact your customers about these cancellations, and then you don't even bother to apologize for the inconvenience?

I realize airlines are getting hit heavily with the increase in the cost of fuel and I sympathize. But my sympathy and understanding for you, Midwest Express, went out the window with the HORRIBLE customer service, I experienced today.

Luckily, we were able to reserve seats on another airline, but thanks to you, Midwest Express, I almost lost out on the chance to be with my family this fall. By the time you would have notified us of this change, we wouldn't have been able to afford the only seats left on the other airlines. The prices were going up as I browsed for a new flight this afternoon.

As I told my sister, who is also dealing with this mess, I can deal with receiving a horrible product or canceled services, as long as customer service is wonderful, apologetic and assists me with rectifying the situation. When it comes to bad customer service, though, I tend to shout it from rooftops, which I am now doing.

From what I can tell, Midwest Express is sliding downhill in how they treat their customers - and quickly. And my love for you, Midwest Express, is gone.

You can keep your chocolate chip cookies. (And although my dad would cheer me on, my mom would be horrified, so I won't be crass and tell you what you can do with those cookies.) I prefer knowing I won't be ignored, treated as insignificant and that I will actually have a flight when needed.

Thank you.

(This post originally published on July 20, 2008, at http://hillsmithfamily.com.)