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Airline customer service

My saga with a certain airline has come to an end. I should emphasise “end” and not “resolution”. I know that it can’t go any further but I don’t feel satisfied. Which now leads me to my final lesson that I have learnt from airline customer service.

The two previous sets of lessons can be found at https://onsolution.com.au/blog/jetstars-customer-care/ and https://onsolution.com.au/blog/jetstar-customer-care/

The customer needs to be listened to

In the case of my not so favourite airline, they eventually got back to me within their “15 business days response time”. They politiely listened for 2 minutes and then tried to fob me off with a gift voucher. I had four specific complaints and after each the airline customer service person was just keen to stop the conversation assuming that I had said my piece and the issue was resolved. It felt like I was talking to a person who was going through the motions with the goal of closing the job and not much more.

Practically I guess if you can ring a person, pretend to listen for 5 minutes, offer them a gift voucher and then close the call and that keeps them satisfied, then good luck to you. Pity they can’t do that within 24 hours of the complaint being registered.

But that’s not what I was after. By waiting so long and having time to think this through (and blog about it), I had specific issues that I wanted addressed. I wasn’t after a pay-off.I wanted to voice an issue with their processes.

The customer needs to know they had an impact

The final result – details of my call will be put in the daily summary and passed onto his manager.

Will I get a call back to find out what happens regarding the comments? No.

Will it be lost in a flood of other comments? Yes.

Did I have an impact? No.

Do they care? No.

The personal lesson

When people have a problem, they want to be listened to, they want to have it resolved, and if there is a larger problem at hand, that it is being addressed.

Yesterday we had someone email us with a problem with our web site. It was great. It gave me a chance to fix the problem immediately and try to put in place a check list to stop it happening again. The alternative was for the problem to remain there for ever and have disgruntled customers just give up and put up with problems. More often than not, customers aren’t complaining to make the other person feel bad, but to fix the issue. It’s a win-win, not a win-lose.

Conclusion

So after 3 weeks I have finally had my flight, not had my initial issues resolved by the airline customer service, but then feel fobbed off by the follow up. Hopefully my customers won’t ever experience the same.

What is covered with our shipping insurance?

Our normal terms and conditions (like most businesses) is that you take possession the moment an order ships. If the order is lost or damaged in transit then, in theory, it’s your problem. In reality we will have a conversation and try to work out a good way to resolve the issue where we are both happy (or not too upset).

Shipping insurance is there to remove the drama. If an order is lost or damaged in transit, we will simply send out a replacement, and we will then deal with the courier directly to resolve the original problem.

Our shipping insurance also means that if an order is delayed beyond what is normal and reasonable then we will send you another shipment (stock levels permitting). Then you should receive one of them sooner, and when the second one arrives you simply Return To Sender.

How much is shipping insurance?

Shipping insurance is 5% of the cost of the goods.

Is it worth it? Practically we have had far less than 5% of shipments have problems. It is, however, what Australia Post and other couriers charge. Ultimately insurance is about peace of mind and less hassle when something does go wrong.

Shipping insurance as an option

Shipping insurance is offered as an option on all our web sites. You can select it at the checkout.

For large orders our staff may also ask if you would like shipping insurance.

If you would like shipping insurance on an order you are placing with us, just ask.

Mandatory shipping insurance

Unfortunately we have had a couple of large orders not make it and then the customer refused to pay. A friend suggested that the easy way to avoid the dispute is to insure any shipments where we have a significant risk.

If you would like an immediate line of credit (30 days to pay) and have the goods ship immediately (no credit check delays) and are purchasing over $500 then we will add shipping insurance to your order.

The shipping insurance can be waived if the order is between $500 and $2,000 and you provide us with a formal confirmation that you accept responsibility of the goods once they ship.

Alternatively you can prepay by direct deposit or credit card.

What is not covered?

If there is a clear proof of delivery to the shipping address provided then we class that as delivered. Unfortunately there are cases where it is lost somewhere between the loading dock or receptionist and ending up in your hands. But we also know that a photo of the bag against a generic grey background is not proof of delivery, it is just proof of existence! It needs to be a reasonable proof of delivery.

It also doesn’t cover the expectation of overnight delivery. For example, if we were to ship to Melbourne (we are in Sydney) then we would expect it to be delivered within about 3 days. Most of the time it is overnight, but there are enough floods and other issues that regularly cause minor delays. Sending a second order the next day tends to not fix the problem. If it is super urgent, talk to us about how we can minimise the risk.

For damage claims we ask that you contact us immediately and we will probably ask for photos or some proof. The shipping insurance doesn’t cover claims weeks later. We do have warranty covering our items, but it excludes physical damage (e.g. being dropped). If the goods are damaged in transit then please let us know ASAP so we can cover it under the shipping insurance.