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Northwest Kansas Technical College NWKTC (SCAM)
Posted by
GOODLAND, KANSAS -- First off its very hard to get in touch with anyone at this school. I finally did get a hold of Reina [snip] and she told me how great this school was so I decided to sign up, per our conversation I needed a Mac Book, iPad, and books which she said they supplied. I waited 2 weeks for my stuff to come. I decided to call and after numerous messages and emails for over a week I finally got in touch with her. She then told me financial aid won't pay for that, you have to and I should have been prepared. M,ind you she told me she was sending this out and started my classes. I never heard anything on my financial aid so I decided to call because I'm failing my 3 classes that she started me in. A month of non stop emails and phone calls and not one return call or email from this school. I had to talk to people higher up and they finally made Reina [snip] get a hold of me. She was upset when she talked to me like I'm the biggest hassle. She told me she would find out about my financial aid, and back to not being able to get a hold of anyone at the school. I want to switch colleges as I told her but they have my financial aid held up so I can't transfer schools. My loans are going into default because of this school. They basically took my money and left me hanging. Nobody will help me I wish I could sue this school for everything they have put me through. They are ruining my education and they see nothing wrong with anything they are doing. There is way more they did to me but there's only so much I can type. Test this school for yourself and you will see what I mean. I've been in a bad mood for months.
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Alain on 10/21/2012:
Since Northwest Kansas Technical College is a public institution, it is overseen by the Kansas Board of Regents and problems such as you are facing should be reported to them via http://www.kansasregents.org or by notifying their office (1000 SW Jackson Street, Ste. 520, Topeka, KS 66612-1368) at [785] 296-3421. Be sure and write down/keep any documentation about what you were told, who you have dealt with, and any other specific information about this situation so you can explain to them exactly what has happened to you.
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Poor Quality, Poor Service
Posted by
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON -- Northwest Shower Door installed a frameless glass shower enclosure in our home. The glass door was very bowed. They sent out the same installer to fix the problem. His solution was to insert two additional rubber gaskets between one hinge and the glass. When this was done, the door appeared less bowed but was still not straight. Furthermore, the hinge with the extra gaskets now looks wrong - the spacing is different from the other hinge and there is a visibly thick black edge of material showing at the edges of the hinge.
When we told Northwest Shower Door that we weren't happy with their solution, the owner of the business came to our house. He told me that if they had the manufacturer re-temper the glass it might get scratched in transit; if they made a new door, there was a good chance it wouldn't come out any better the second time. Instead of taking responsibility for fixing the problem, he just kept asking what we wanted him to do. I said we wanted him to fix things in a way we were satisfied with. I left the room for a minute, and when I returned he had left without settling anything.
I emailed the owner (Mr. [snip]) expressing surprise that he left in the middle of our conversation. I asked whether he intended to do anything further to address the issues we had raised, but he never responded. Later, in response to an inquiry from our credit card company, he wrote "she told him he should solve the problem. Which he did, and then he left after the conversation." That is not what happened.
Northwest Shower Door installed a faulty product and did not solve the problem in an acceptable manner. Mr.[snip] exacerbated the situation by his rudeness, then offered an inaccurate account of what transpired.
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trmn8r on 07/02/2012:
The owner made two excuses instead of coming up with a plan that might leave you satified.
I would opt for either of the solutions he suggested, and tell him you will be satisfied when you have a door that is square and not bowed. What a chowderhead.
This company in *not* BBB accredited. That may work to your advantage in filing a complaint - a non accredited company has not paid off the BBB for a fake A+ rating, a practice that is truly despicable.
From the looks of Northwest Shower Door's website, you might assume they will stay and perform favors for you in the dark of night - yet they appear to have totally failed to attempt to satisfy you. FAIL.
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Northwest Airlines - Nightmare & Terrible Customer Service
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DTW, MICHIGAN -- My daughter and a friend were flying from Detroit Metro airport to Dallas-Fort Worth, scheduled to leave on Wednesday, June 13th on flight 701 - leaving Detroit at 7:15 p.m. and arriving in Dallas at 9:07 p.m... Both children are 14 years of age. That being said, below I am outlining a series of events:
I called into NWA when looking to book these flights and I was told
That as long as my daughter was 14 she did not have to be an âaccompanied minor".
When they arrived to check in at the airport we were told differently. They must be 15. So, we had to pay an additional $50 for them to be accompanied. Which is fine. They then instructed my husband, who was escorting the girls, that he would have to walk them to their gate - nothing more. They did not tell him he needed to stay with them. He assumed NWA would look after the girls from that point on - assuming that the fee we paid would cover this. My husband safely got both girls to their gates and left. We are responsible parents, and if we would have known differently he would have stayed with them up to the boarding of the plane.
At 7:30 we get a call from our daughter that they still have not boarded the plane. Odd since the flight was to have left 15 minutes ago. Come to find out, the gate they were flying out of had been changed and no one at NWA informed our daughter and her friend of this change. What really concerns me here is that the flight leaving should have known there were (2) unaccompanied minors on this flight (we did pay for this service). However, they made no attempt to locate them or track them down? I think any reasonable person would assume that they could possibly still be at the original departing gate, did not get notified, or realize there was a gate change and call the original gate to see if they were still there waiting. No one did. Another option would be to try to page them overhead to track them down. This did not happen either. Instead the plane left, knowing there were to be two unaccompanied minors on the plane who were not on board and then made no effort to track them down.
They are now stranded in Detroit airport.
My husband then gets a phone call from a NWA representative Indicating that our daughter was there at the airport and he needed to come get her....she was rude in her tone.
My husband didn't understand and said, "You are calling me in Lansing, MI" .....I can't just come right down there and get her I'm two hours away (he needed to think of some other arrangement). The NWA representative on the phone then stated, rudely, "If you don't come and get her then I'm calling child protective services". This is NOT the way to talk to a paying customer or handle such an unfamiliar and scary situation - especially when your child is stuck in the Detroit airport and you are 2 hours away. My husband then asked for the NWA representatives name and she replied, "My boss will be back in soon, you can talk to him then," again my husband asked for her name, "she repeated the statement above and then HUNG UP ON HIM. Again, our main concern still is our daughter in Detroit. He calls our daughter and asks her if they woman he was just talking to was wearing a name tag and she said yes. He asked her to get the name...her name was "Carolyn". That's all we had to go on.
My husband is then instructed that he needed to fax over a letter to have the girls released to his sister and brother-in-law. My husband faxes it over and when our brother-in-law shows up he is told they cannot be released to him and that it must be the sister. So, he is calling his sister and making arrangements for her to go to the airport to get our girls. My husband calls back the brother-in-law to tell him that his sister is on the way and the brother-in-law says', "they just released them to me"......this kind of like seems like âdoes the hand know what the foots doing".
Since they we had to get the girls rebooked on a flight for the next day. We ask for the early flight, but told there is no room until the 12:22 flight - getting into Dallas at 2:07.
So now, we need to make arrangements for another adult to get these girls back to the Detroit airport, escort them to the gate and wait with them. This means asking someone to take the time off of work, the extra expense of gas (we have to pay out of our own pocket the gas money for the other mother to drive all the way from Lansing to Detroit and back to do this).
I then go to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport to collect their luggage. My daughter's luggage arrives, but her friends does not. I then had to wait in a long line at the airport at 9:00 at night to track the other luggage down. As I'm talking to the representative I tell her the flight they will be coming in on (so we can make sure the luggage arrives on that flight or beforehand) and she tells me "They are not booked on the 12:22 flight, they re-booked them on the 7:15 p.m. flight for the next day". I told her we were told it was the 12:22 flight, that I have already made arrangements down here to get off work to pick them up and now you are telling me they are scheduled again on the
later flight? I did not want this - just in case circumstances got them delayed or missed their flight they could have the option of still getting on a later flight if there was availability. I then had to double check her screen to make sure this time they were booked on the correct flight.
At this point, I'm very concerned how this next leg of the trip is
Update since 6/14/07 letter:
The next day the mother who is responsible for getting the girls to the airport arrives to check them in âas unaccompanied minorsâ and is told she has to pay the $50 fee. She states this fee was already paid yesterday. They tell they do not have a record of this being paid. She then gets my husband on the phone and he begins to give them his credit card information again to pay another $50 fee. The mother escorting the girls looks at one of the boarding passes and realizes that it is a receipt for âunaccompanied minorsâ service. She shows them the receipt. Thankfully, we had this otherwise Northwest would have charged us another $50 because they never kept a record of it.
The girls arrive in Dallas and we go to get the other luggage that never arrived the night before and it is not there. We make a claim in the lost luggage area and the lady we are talking to asks us what the suitcase looks like. She then tells us they located it in Detroit. She asked us to physically describe the contents, which we did successfully. We had a match. She made the request to have the luggage shipped up and that we would have the luggage by the afternoon the next day. The luggage never arrived. We called again to follow up on us this, and it turns out they lost the luggage AGAIN. That it was never requested and that there is no available information or status.
On 6/16 at 10:00 a.m. I call again and talk to a âTomâ who indicates there is still no status. I tell him these girls have no clothes to wear or change into, especially since they were were stranded since the previous Wed. in Detroit in the same clothes. I ask him will NWA reimburse me for any expense to go buy at least some clean underwear and maybe a pair of shorts to hold us over. He tells me âWell, you do have the $50 a day the first day and $25 each day after to cover youââ¦I told him no one ever told me this was an option. It is now 3 days since they were stranded in Detroit and Iâm just being told this?
I call back on 6/16 at 2:00 p.m. and talk to a Suzanna and reiterate our story and tell her that I need to go get the clothes to replace for these girls. I tell her that the suitcase that was lost contained all of the clothes of one girl and ½ the clothes of the other girl. I asked her if I could get reimbursement for both girls. She puts me on hold, comes back and tells me her supervisor has approved an additional $150 dollars for replacement clothes. I asked, is this in addition to the standard allowance of the $50 the first day and $25 each additional day? She said yes. I reiterated so close to $300? She said yes. I asked her if this would be documented somewhere, as I have not been having good luck with NWA and Iâm concerned that if I go and spend the money I may not get reimbursed. She puts me on hold, comes back tells me her supervisor, Donna, has made a note in the system. I then go shopping and purchase approximately $300 worth the clothes and go to the airport at 6:30 p.m. on the 16th to get reimbursement. When I show up they tell me they are only authorized to reimburse for $150..that that is standard and the most that can ever get approved. I ask why then was I told differently and gave the names of the people I talked to. He called a supervisor over and she indicated the same, that they could only reimburse the $150 and they were not authorized to reimburse for more. I then ask them to please call the supervisor that approved it. We call the luggage 1-800 number and ask for Donna the supervisor who I was told originally approved this. I get Wayne the supervisor (in Minnesota). I reiterate my entire story and he tells me the same. I ask him to please talk to Donna as she did authorize this. He gets back on the phone and tells me Donna thought it was only for $150 that she was reimbursing, not an additional $150. I then ask the guy at the DFW luggage counter if he could trying calling Detroit and tracking down the suitcase. He calls Detroit and they locate it. He tells me he put a request in to have the luggage sent and that we should receive the next day. It never arrived. I keep calling, checking the status, and nothing. I am now frustrated and $300 in debt then before.
I call on 6/20â¦by this time it is over 5 days old and I was told that once it is more than 5 days they will start calling around for it. I call the customer service line for lost luggage to use the automatic tracking service, service cannot locate it and I am automatically transferred to a customer service rep. I get a Cheryl (located in Chisholm) and she tells me that she needs to fax me a claim form and that she will fax it over to me right away, that I can complete it, and fax it back. I ask her about getting reimbursed for replacing the clothes. I tell her again about how it is one lost suitcase, but two peopleâs items â which means I need to replace clothing for two people. She said that it was noted in the computer that both girls were missing clothing and that I could be reimbursed for both girls and that reimbursement is per ticketed passenger. That means $50 each the first 24 hours and then $25 for each day after â for each girl. I have yet to go get reimbursed, but honestly I donât have much confidence that this is how it will play out.
The fax that Cheryl indicates she is sending NEVER arrives. I call back and get a new customer service rep. I tell her about my previous call and that I never received the faxâ¦.she tells me she is confused because they have no way of faxing anything and that they donât handle the claim forms and they are only the back up service for lost luggage. Frustrated, I hang up and call the other 1-800 number for luggage lost over 5 days. I get a Marilyn (located at headquarters in Minnesota). She was the rudest by far that I have dealt with over the last few days. She gets my information, puts me on hold and comes back saying they have the suitcase in Detroit and will have it shipped to me. As I explain to her that Iâve been told this before and begin to tell her my story she cuts me off and starts talking over me. I spend a ½ hour trying to give her the informationâ¦she keeps cutting me off or not listening. She tells me they only show one girl and not two girls whose clothes are missing. They have the wrong address, the wrong phone numberâ¦I correct them. I tell her Iâm frustrated and I need her to listen to me. She replies, âI donât know why you are so upset, you should just be happy that I found the bagââ¦..Iâm thinking your kidding right??!! I should be happy after what I went through??? Not very good customer service when you canât even relate or justify my feelings or frustrations.
6/22/2007â¦The saga continues:
My daughter and her friend were to fly out today at Noon. Because they are traveling as unaccompanied minors I had to make special arrangements for someone to take them to the airport, stay with them until their flight left, and arrange for someone to be there to pick them up. Everything was all set. AT midnight, the night before (last night), I get a call from NWA telling me the flight is canceled! They have to put them on an early morning flight and I need to give them a commitment right then. Nice. I now have to have the girls packed, ready to fly out, and get a hold of the two people responsible for taking them to the airport and picking them up at Midnightâ¦and the person taking them now has to be hear in a matter of 6 hours. My girls who are still awake now must finish up any unfinished packing, get to bed and be up in less than 5 hours to catch a flight. This was not a good way to end the trip. Fortunately, I was able to get the mother to re-arrange her schedule (from work) to get to the Detroit airport to pick them up 4 hours earlier then originally planned. I pray this last leg of the trip is uneventful, and just glad my time with dealing with NWA is over. I forgot to mentionâ¦went to the airport last night to get reimbursed for the clothes I bought. I was told I would be reimbursed $50 for âeach ticketed passengerâ the first day and $25 each additional day for each ticketed passenger. I re-iterated on the phone that it was only one suitcase lost, but that it contained the clothes of two people. Customer service reiterated I should not have a problem as reimbursement if per ticketed passenger and not # of luggage. I get to the airport - they will only reimbursed me $150 â for one person. They tell me the policy is only a maximum of $150. So why didnât the person on the phone tell me this? Second trip to the airport to get reimbursed (more gas and time) and Iâm now another $250 in the whole (their replaced clothes actually came close to $400).
Right now I don't have much confidence in NWA nor am I
impressed with your customer service. When will the suitcase arrive? I have no idea? Will I ever get reimbursed for the replacement clothing? I have no idea. Right now I doubt either will happen.
I donât have much confidence in NWA!
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Anonymous on 06/22/2007:
Huge mistake! Never ever leave your child at the gate! You stay with them at the gate until they close the door on the plane. Then at the other end you have someone standing as close as they can get to the arrival gate.
What in the he11 were you thinking? That some oversized badly run airline was going to watch out for your kids?
Anonymous on 06/22/2007:
I have to agree with super, what the he11 were you thinking!!
FoggyOne on 06/22/2007:
I won't be so mean. You paid for and thought your daughter would be taken care of properly and put on the correct flight. BUT at least your husband should have made sure the gate agent knew about your daughter and friend when he dropped them off, not just leave them at the gate.
Your daughter couldn't probably understand (or even know) about the gate change so someone should have helped her.
It sounds like a horrendous situation but part of it, I think, falls on your shoulders. Also, you might teach your daughter how to listen to announcements, read the departure times on the monitors, and pester the gate agent. And to check the monitors frequently - not just once. Take her to dinner at the airport and show her these things. Make it a positive experience!!
rhondam718732 on 06/22/2007:
I get the frustration everyone went through by the airlines not handling things as best as they should have. HOWEVER, as a mother, I am appalled that you ever agreed to dropping off your child and her friend at an airport to fend for themselves. And what was your husband honestly thinking leaving them at a gate regardless of what fee was paid? They are not their kids and the emloyuees get busy and are not watching over your kids to make sure no one approaches them, etc. Hindsight, had your husband waited, he would have gotten to them to the gate change and all the other stuff would never have been an issue.
familytravel on 06/22/2007:
Some passengers might not be as familiar about this, but unnaccompanied minor passengers have very very strict rules that must be followed. Number one, the person in charge of them MUST remain at the gate until the gate door has closed and the flight has taken off. NWA should have told you that however. This sounds like it just keeps going on and on. You must be going crazy!
cadydid on 06/22/2007:
I have to agree with most eveyone here.. leaving them at the gate was not the brightest idea.. The airlines really do not care for the most part. Unites thought it was perfectly fine for my 14 yr old to navigate Denver International on her own and said I didn't need to pay the Unaccompanied Minor Fee. Needles to say, she didn't fly United.
yoke on 06/23/2007:
Whenever my children have flown unaccompanied we were always told we could not leave the gate until the flight was airborn and the gate person tells you it is OK to leave. The child is unaccomanied once they enter airspace, not when you decide to drop them off. If the kids have a change of planes then the airline is responsible for your child at the next airport.
Did you check the children in at the gate?
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The worst airline experience ever
Posted by
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- I had the misfortune of flying Northwest on my holiday trip. I travel about every other month, so I'm not a huge traveller, but I'm not a newbie to flying either. Since you asked, here is the basic outline of my nightmare:
I made the mistake of booking my reservation through Expedia.com and I bought a terrible ticket. The first leg of the trip was from Chicago to Denver on December 23rd, 2006. It was just a couple of days after the blizzard, but that flight went off (almost) without a hitch. It was almost an hour late, but I blamed it on the blizzard. And like I said, I travel pretty often and flights are almost always an hour late, so I'm used to it.
The nightmare started on my return trip. I was scheduled to fly back to Chicago on December 29th, 2006. You got it, the news was predicting another blizzard to hit just as my flight was scheduled to take off. The return flight was booked on Continental, but the fine print at the bottom informed me that the flight was being operated by Northwest. All three airlines' websites said there was a "weather waiver" which would let me rebook the flight either 24 hours before or 24 hours after the initial reservation. Here's where it all began:
1. I called Continental, the airline that my flight was booked on, they told me to call Northwest.
2. I called Northwest, the agent couldn't find my reservation, but I managed to get a hold of a supervisor that gave me a reservation number. She suggested I call back the next day for an update. I agreed to do that.
3. It was the day of my flight. My flight was scheduled to leave at 7:00 PM, just when the storm was supposed to hit. I called Northwest, as I was instructed and reached someone who demanded that I call United, since they held the initial ticket. Once again, I asked to speak to a supervisor. She very rudely informed me that "This isn't a supervisor issue.". I was persistent, and again asked for a supervisor. She said, "I don't have a supervisor." and hung up on me.
4. I called United. I thought I had reached someone who was willing to help me until he told me it would cost nearly $700 to rebook!
5. I called Expedia. They told me there was nothing they could do and transferred me back to United and they told me to call Continental. This runaround went on for a full four hours until I finally reached an agreeable person at Northwest. She re booked me on a flight that was scheduled to leave at 3:15, with a layover in Detroit.
6. At about 3:45, we finally started boarding the 3:15 flight. After about 15 or 20 minutes of sitting on the plane, they informed us that the flight attendants had left the plane because they were flying too many hours. They had to get another crew of flight attendants from Indianapolis. They said we could rebook or fly on the very late flight and spend the night in Detroit, on them.
7. I went to rebook my flight, and the gate attendant told me there was a flight (my original flight) leaving Denver to Indianapolis and then to Chicago. I asked what would happen to my luggage, and she said "You'll probably have to pick it up at O'Hare tomorrow." I asked why they couldn't deliver it to me. She said, "Maybe, but we don't typically do that when it's because of acts of god." What? The flight attendants walking off the plane is an act of God? Something sounded fishy. I asked the gate attendant to pick up the phone and find out if they would deliver. She said, "No, I will not pick up the phone." I then began to raise my voice, although I never swore or became abusive in any way. She threatened to call the police and have me escorted out of the airport. She then threatened to tear up my itinerary and make me rebook everything at full fare. Then she said "I've made your decision for you. You're going to Detroit."
8. The flight arrives in Detroit six hours after the scheduled arrival time. I had to spend the night in a hotel with no luggage, and nothing was open to buy toiletries and something to sleep in. The hotel was only able to provide me with toothpaste and a toothbrush.
9. I arrive at the gate for my flight from Detroit to Chicago. I am informed that the flight is overbooked and they were asking for volunteers to fly to Midway instead of O'Hare. I didn't drive to the airport, and I leave about equal distance from both, so I didn't mind. I did ask, however, if my luggage will be on the same flight. I was assured and reassured that they caught it in time and it would. I agreed to take that flight if they would upgrade me to first class (even though it's only about an hour long flight). The gate attendant agreed. He also informed me that the flight attendants were under contract negotiation... interesting...
10. The flight to Midway is delayed because...you got it...a flight attendant was running the risk of going over. I asked a flight attendant if in fact they were under contract negotiation. She confirmed it.
11. I get to Midway...no luggage. I went to the baggage claim person. She took the info and gave me the numbers for baggage claim for both Midway and O'Hare. She also assured me that they will call me before delivering my luggage. She said I should call at about 1:00 if I don't hear from them.
12. Of course I didn't hear from them, so I called at about 2:00. Midway's number went straight to voicemail. O'Hare's went straight to a FULL voicemail box. I left a message on Midway's. Eventually I got a call back that said my luggage went to O'Hare and they would be calling me.
13. I do finally get my luggage at about 8:00 that evening. Of course there was no phone call. It was just fortunate I was home. Interestingly, there was a bottle of vitamins missing.
14. I called Northwest's complaint line. I gave her the complete rundown. Her only response was excuses, the weather, the luggage delivery company, etc. When I mentioned that the flight attendants were in contract negotiation, she said "That doesn't have anything to do with it." She offered me either miles or a $100 voucher. I told her that anything less than a free round trip ticket would be unacceptable because I will never give Northwest another dime of my money.
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Anonymous on 01/02/2007:
I call this review "The Tortoise and the O'Hare"
Shakra on 01/03/2007:
I know it's frustrating, but a lot of people ended up sleeping in airports for three days due to the weather. I had just as bad an experience with BMI that wasn't even due to weather, but to imcompetency with the airline staff. Guess who supplies the staff for BMI in Chicago? United.
One time I had to stay in Las Vegas for a few extra days because of the fires in LA. It wasn't nearly as good as it sounds. What I'm trying to say is stuff happens. There's a lot of confusion, but NW seemed to have done its best to get you home in a reasonable amount of time.
KCRovert on 01/03/2007:
"The worst airline experience ever"??? I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that the people associated with Indonesian Flight KI-574 would disagree with you.
Hugh_Jorgen on 01/03/2007:
Considering the weather and how much other people suffered over the holidays with flight cancellations and delays, it sounds like you made out pretty good.
Anonymous on 01/03/2007:
It's now 2007 and you may want to just "Let it go!" and have a good start to a new year. Good Luck
Anonymous on 01/03/2007:
I wrote Northwest off after the time I stood at a gate and watched them unload baggage from a jet by heaving it out the side of the plane onto the runway.
Parenthetically, vitamins trip the detectors in the baggage xrays. Apparently they have the same density as something objectionable. I suspect they pulled them for inspection, and failed to return them properly. Sloppy on the part of TSA.
sage1028 on 01/03/2007:
Sorry, I should have specified that it was MY worst airline experience ever. I am very aware that it was far from THE worst airline experience ever.
For those who are saying I was lucky in lieu of the weather, the airport was really back to normal by that point. In fact, it was pretty empty and other airlines were running smoothly. I allowed a lot of extra time which was completely unnecessary. I was prepared for wait time and for delays, but I wasn't prepared to be a pawn in contract negotiations, nor was I prepared to be treated like a criminal.
My posting is less a matter of my not getting over it, than a warning (heed it or not) about Northwest (aka NorthWorst) Airlines.
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Northworst Airlines: A lesson in compassion
Posted by
To Whom It May Concern:
This year for Christmas my 76 yr old grandmother made plans to come and visit myself, my husband and our two children for the holidays in Phoenix, AZ. Although she makes this trip from Mid Michigan several times a year, this one was particularly special because it would be the first time she would be able to spend Christmas with her two great grandchildren ages 1.5 and 3yrs. She was due to fly on Northwest airlines next Tuesday but about two days ago the unexpected happened and she slipped on the ice in her driveway and shattered her wrist in three places. Now not only does she have to postpone her trip for 2 weeks, undergo painful procedures to put things right again, and live for the next 6 weeks with pins sticking out of her arm, but apparently due to northwestâs âno exceptions policyâ she also has to pay a $100.00 fee to change her flight dates. We thought that certainly a medical mishap such as this would be a worthy excuse to bypass such a rigid policy, especially with doctorâs documentation available, but were informed by the very caring northwest representative (note the dripping sarcasm) that they hear excuses like this all the time and would not be making any exceptions to this rule today.
Now being painfully aware that if a 76 yr old woman with a broken wrist cannot elicit enough sympathy to convince northwest to make an exception to their rules, I fully understand that this letter will more than likely fall upon deaf ears. I still feel compelled to make my opinion known, even if only to the person who opens this letter and skims it before throwing it in the trash. I think itâs absolutely despicable that in this day and age certain exceptions canât be made in light of extenuating circumstances. With airlines treating people so impersonally these days itâs no wonder that theyâre the brunt of so many jokes. Itâs moments like this that make me giggle as I think back to a conversation I had with my grandmother just a few years ago when she insisted that airline employees would be more than happy to help me if I attempted to travel with two small children. I wasnât convinced as I recounted a scene from about a year before as I had just passed through security with an 8 mos old in my arms trying to put both our shoes back (yes, his had to be checked as well) while trying not to drop him and open the stroller up with the other hand, all the while several airport employees stood idly glaring at me and impatient passengers nearly ran me over trying to get past. Now nearly two years later it seems that I may have won my argument with her after all. Normally I would be overjoyed at the prospect of winning any argument, but it seems only sad to for me to see a woman who always expects the best out of people to be treated so shabbily and I can find little satisfaction in saying finally, see I told you so.
I decided to Google the words Northwest Airlines and compassion at the same time and was not surprised to find several article that sounded eerily familiar to the above experience. I will attach them to the letter in the off chance that whoever reads this even makes it to the end. I highly doubt this will happen because that would require a small amount of consideration for customer, which not unlike most other big businesses these days, seems to have been passed off as a trend of the past.
In closing I would like to tell you what I donât want to and to inform you of a few new âpoliciesâ of my own. First of all I would like to say to Northwest Airlines that I would rather hear nothing at all back than a reiteration of their above mentioned policy. I donât care what you have to say unless itâs something along the lines of Iâm sorry and I certainly donât want to get a letter of explanation from âCharlotteâ (see attached stories). Nor do I want a refund for my grandmother; in fact if I have my way I will tear her tickets to pieces and pay for her to fly another airline myself. The whole point of this argument was never really about the money in the first place. Now to my new policies, which bring to mind an old customer service saying I once heard that goes something like â a happy customer will tell 3 people but an unhappy customer will tell 10â. I promise to tell everyone about how poorly my grandmother was treated by Northwest Airlines every time the topic of air travel comes up in conversation. I promise that next time I fly back to Michigan I will drive the extra three hours to Detroit so I can fly Southwest Airlines who has always been very understanding and accommodating in the face of the unexpected. Lastly I promise to forward this letter on to anyone who will listen. Iâm sure that like my grandmaâs âexcuseâ you probably also get letters like this all the time so this is probably old news but Iâm sure others will find this interesting. I hope maybe that with enough urging you will reinstitute a little bit of personal care into your customer service because when it comes right down to it all you really have is your customer relations and your reputation.
Thank you,
More tales of satisfaction found when NWA and the word compassion were googled together:
http://www.tripso.com/archives/2003/04/northwests_sick.html (full article)
Q: My husband and I booked a flight on the Northwest Airlines Web site from Cincinnati to Harrisburg, Pa. A day or so before the trip, I contracted a terrible virus, and so did my husband. We were unable to travel due to extreme vomiting and diarrhea. We were also contagious.
I called the airline and explained the situation. It insisted that I change my nonrefundable tickets immediately before the first scheduled plane was due to take off, or I would lose the value of both tickets.
A reservations agent told me the price of the tickets had gone up, so we were expected to pay an additional $60 for both of the tickets plus $200 in change fees. The penalty for getting sick was now $260.
I wrote to Northwest with a letter from our doctor supporting or claim. I said they would not have wanted either of us on that flight.
An airline representative wrote back to me to say they were âsensitive to our situation,â but they would make no exception and would be keeping their $260. Can you help us get our money back?
This article also has several responses from a NWA representative â priceless.
Letters to Charlotte
February 16, 2006
Some airline rules make perfect sense. Others do not.
When I received the following e-mail string from reader Kristina M. Reser-Jaynes, I wondered whether I should take it up with Northwest Airlines or include it in a story about airline rules. Instead, I decided to republish it (with her permission) on the site without commentary.
I think the letters, and the responses from Northwest, speak for themselves.
North ... worst?
Here's the first letter from Kristina to Northwest:
Dear Mr. Steenland:
I am writing to express my disappointment with your airline regarding tickets I recently purchased. I understand you have more important things to be doing with your time, but then so do I. I feel this is an important issue of which you might not be aware.
I am traveling with my mother (departing MSN) and my two young daughters (departing HSV) to Oslo, Norway. Because my mother is 74 (and does not walk or hear very well) we were going to meet up enroute so we could travel together.
I decided to purchase the tickets directly through your airline instead of through the discount Web sites because I had read the service would be better. We got a good price (though I couldn't believe you charge over $200 for my 20-month-old daughter to sit on my lap).
Two weeks prior to our scheduled departure, my otherwise healthy 39-year-old-husband became ill. He remains hospitalized since being admitted in January (which I can easily verify). Although he is on the road to recovery, I obviously can not leave with him in the hospital. He is in the Army and we were just recently stationed in Huntsville, Ala. We have no friends or family here.
I called to change my tickets to another date and was informed I would have to pay $200 for each ticket in order to make this change. After getting over the shock of the additional $600, I found out that even though the ticket prices have gone down since I purchased my tickets (I wanted to change to dates from the end of March to the beginning of April) I would not be able to buy a ticket unless they were of equal or greater value.
I find this absolutely ridiculous. Your airline is not losing any money by my changing these tickets (I called well in advance to give you an opportunity to resell the seats). I didn't even want the difference between the lower tickets back: I just wanted to not have to pay extra.
Your customer service representative was able to find tickets that were "only" an additional $159.48 (plus, of course, the $600 change fee). We couldn't get the return date we wanted because the fare on those days were "too low".
Talk about kicking someone when they're down.
I feel your airline has strong-armed me into spending an additional $759.48 as I had no choice but to rebook or loose the money I had already spent. I don't know who your average customers are, but I don't have an extra $759 lying around. I am stretched to afford to make this trip, which is why I always go off season, but I feel it is important for my mother as well as my young daughters to get to experience her homeland.
This is the first time I have flown with your airline. I can't begin to tell you how disappointing the experience has been so far (and we haven't even left yet!).
I know that I will get the standard note back from you (if even that) saying that I should have "read the small print," but I also know there are exceptions to every rule. I know that someone somewhere can help me. I am at wits end and I am appealing to you for any assistance I could possibly get with this.
These were special circumstances beyond my control. I also believe you need to revisit your policies. I understand that you wouldn't want to refund my money, but not allowing me to have the lower fare for the price I already paid makes absolutely no sense.
These last few weeks have been very hard on my family. I am thankful that things are getting better and have been looking forward to this trip. Our credit cards bills are already piled high. Any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated.
Please be half the airline your commercials make you out to be.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Apparently they donât treat their employees much better, no wonder theyâre so bitter!
And theyâre mean to Turkeys too!
This one takes the cake!
Frugal Flyer
Northwest to Outsourcing Victims: Try Dumpster Diving!
The Bismark Tribune has gotten ahold of a Northwest Airlines handbook entitled "Restructuring Q&A and Employee Support" that includes a list of tips for the about-to-be outsourced.
A list of 101 money-saving ideas suggests they ask friends and family for hand-me-down clothes or ask a doctor for free samples of their prescription drugs. Idea No. 46 - "Don't be shy about pulling something you like out of the garbage."
Also included is an advertisement for a real estate agent, in case laid-off workers need to sell their homes, and tips on how to keep a positive attitude after losing a job.
A Northwest spokesman told the paper the booklet is an attempt to be helpful: "In putting that book together, we were just trying to provide the employees with as much information as possible. Not everything in there is going to be applicable to every employee."
http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2006/08/frugal_flyer.asp (full article)
Apparently even fallen soldiers donât warrant respect:
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Hugh_Jorgen on 12/14/2006:
Complaints like this amaze me. Everyone wants the lowest air fares and those come with restrictions. But when the restrictions impact YOU then they are unreasonable and you can spend hours writing letters, visiting web sites and Googling "Northwest and Compassion". Where does an airline draw the line on this? Bones still under the skin? That's $100. Bones sticking out of the skin? That's a free change! "No exeptions" means just that - you knew that when you bought the ticket. $100 just isn't enough to be this upset over - be thankful Granny isn't badly hurt and will be there to see her great-grandkids, albeit a bit late.
Anonymous on 12/14/2006:
Service does not compute! I agree with Hugh though because your right they don't care but they did warn you. Sorry about your grandmother.
Anonymous on 12/14/2006:
The rules apply to everyone.
familytravel on 12/14/2006:
I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandmother. Unfortunately, NWA policy is NO exceptions, and that is common among most airlines. Unless of course you purchase a refundable ticket (which NW offers) and have valid proof that you really couldn't fly. If NW broke the rules for one passenger, a ton of others would expect them to do the same for them.
Shakra on 12/14/2006:
It's "this day and age" that is actually causing more than just airlines to change their policies. Too many people out there trying to scam people. Sad for the rest of us.
The only airlines that doesn't go by the "$100 change policy" is Southwest. They charge you the difference between the reservation you made previously or a refund if the change is for a lesser amount. However, the change could be over $100, too.
northworst on 12/15/2006:
Thank-you for all who are sympathetic to my grandmother and to hugh whom I am glad that I can amaze. To all who posted that the rules apply to everyone, I am well aware of that fact - hence the whole purpose of the post or letter to begin with. I am also well aware that there are many people who would try to take advantage of these rules if they were allowed the opportunity. I don't however believe that this is a good excuse for the airlines to treat all of their customers suspiciously however. My grandmother is the kind of woman who would drive back to mcdonalds to return a nickel if they gave her too much change and she is certainly not looking for a free lunch and I suspect many of the other customers who have fallen victim to this policy were not either. She purchased the ticket aware that she could not change her flight times without penalty but did not think that this policy would be applicable even under medical emergencies in which she was not able to fly even if she wanted. I do think that hugh has a good point about where to draw the line, perhaps with a medically verified condition in which the doctor will not allow travel such as in my grandmother's case. Maybe someone should create a universal form and reinstitute a little bit of personal service into the airlines. All I know is that it doesn't seem right for good honest people to be treated this way, nor would I think that Northwest (a company that already seems to be having some problems with its image) want to further it's reputation of poor customer service by sticking to its guns so unmoveably. As to the comment that $100 is not enough money to get worked up about I'm glad you have one hundred dollar bills falling out of your ears but to my retired grandmother who is too proud to let me help her, living on a fixed income of social security, $100 is enough money to get worked up over. As for only being concerned when it affected me, this is the first time I was made aware of such treatment and would think it ridiculous and unfair if it happened to any of you also. I didn't purchase these tickets nor will I be paying the difference, but I don't like to see injustice of any kind and felt the need to let NWA know how I felt in an overly dramatic way which was successful in prompting a very quick response. If anyone's interested I can post the results of my phone meeting with NWA tomorrow when it's over. Perhaps I do have too much time on my hands to research these things, but that's kind of like the pot calling the kettle black - after all here we all are spending our time on 3cents.com arguing about airline policies.
Shakra on 12/15/2006:
I certainly do agree that honest people are the majority. I'm sorry it is because of those people that your granny has to pay the extra $100. The $100 fee went into a effect on Oct. 1, 2002.
Here's a list of the airlines change fees (scroll down a little) - http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/travel/090804.html
Anonymous on 03/04/2007:
yellowcanary - If I were you I would go back and reread the rules, you are not allowed to call names on this site. Also you have to learn that rules are for everyone.
Scofo on 03/29/2007:
Who writes these replies? NWA employees. Attitude toward the customer is the difference between success and failure. Hence NWA Chapter 11.
Compassion is important and airlines have seldom show it.
How about paying each customer $100.00 every time the airline changes a flight time . . . a little compassion shown toward a deserving person would certainly make the bitter pill of flight delays go down better.
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Total Lack of Customer Care
Posted by
I am writing concerning travel that occurred on Thursday, August 20th, 2009.
I booked flights for my two children, and their significant others, on Northwest Airlines on March 28th, 2009. I booked the flights far in advance to ensure that they could all attend their step-sisterâs wedding and all of the activities associated with the wedding in Bar Harbor, Maine
Their Flight nrs are as follows:
Thursday August 20th, 2009 Flight: NW 1178
Departs St. Louis-Lambert Intâl, MO (STL) at 10:10AM
Arrives: Detroit-Wayne County Intâl, MI (DTW) at 12:50PM
Thursday August 20th, 2009 Flight: NW3863
Departs: Detroit-Wayne County Intâl, MI (DTW) at 1:30PM
Arrives: Bangor-Intâl, ME (BGR) at 3:32 PM
The problem comes in with the airlines. Flight # NW1178 left (STL) and landed at DTW at 12:54 PM on August 20th. They were on the ground. We were tracking the flight status because we were picking them up at Bangor Intl Airport. They had to wait to get a gate. They all four of them plus 3 additional passengers arrived at their connecting flight before the plane left and at least several minutes before the scheduled departure time. They would not let any of them board the plane.
The airline was aware that their flight was on the ground and should have ensured that all of the passengers made their connection. It was not bad weather it was no act of god, it was simple inefficiency and lack of customer care.
Instead none of them were allowed to get on the plane. There are limited options to get to Bangor, Maine. The result was that they could not get on another flight until the next day, 24 hours and the same flight. However, Nortwest Airlines did put their luggage on that flight. Now they are captive in Detroit with no luggage.
Northwest said they were not responsible for paying for their hotel, and for for the four of them, gave them 100.00 in Airport vouchers for food and told them that they could stay for free at the airport.
Meanwhile back in Bar Harbor, Maine. They missed a family get together on Thursday evening, August 20th. Additionally they missed the family whale watching expedition the next morning. There were two rooms reserved for them in Bar Harbor, Maine, which also were not occupied.
I cannot tell you how disappointing it was to not have them arrive on schedule.
These plans were made for a long time, and we had been looking forward to having all five of our children and their spouses and significant others together for a long weekend. Our children live all over the country and it is not often that they are all together, so this was especially difficult.
If bad weather had been the problem, that is something not under the control of Northwest Airlines. Ensuring passengers made their connections when the flight is on the ground is under the control of Northwest Airlines.
I made the reservations almost five months in advance yet Northwest must have given their seats to other passengers instead of allowing them to get on the plane which was still on the ground and did not depart the gate for at least 15 additional minutes. Otherwise there was no reason for them not to get on that plane as I mentioned their luggage was put on the plane so that tells you there was ample time for them to get on that plane.
I expect restitution from Northwest Airlines for this total lack of basic customer service.
They were not even treated kindly at the gate and were pretty much told there was nothing they could do about it.
There is something Northwest Airlines can do and that is refund the cost of the tickets. The Airline did not deliver the service that was expected and therefore I expect that at the very least. There is no price that can be put on the fact that they missed out on 24 hours of this special weekend.
Let me contrast this to an experience that My husband and I had with Northwest early on a Saturday morning, October 27th, 2007. We were flying from St. Louis to Chicago and then on to Ottawa, Canada. Our flight in St. Louis left over an hour late due to a flight attendant being ill, and they had to get a replacement for her. By the time we landed in Chicago, we only had 10 minutes to make it to another terminal across the tarmac to get to our next flight. They held the flight, when we arrived at the gate they said you must be the Heidbreders.
I donât understand why the same courtesy was not extended to my children. It was a much more significant trip and had lasting results.
Northwest Airlines needs to understand that this type of customer treatment and lack of care has long reaching effects. The airline should always strive to ensure that passengers make their connections if their flights are on the ground in time. There is no reason for this type of treatment. I called Customer Service and was treated rudely again, the customer service representative would not let me finish explaining my complaint. I did get upset and he hung up the phone.
Distressed customer
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Anonymous on 08/31/2009:
That's exactly why "favors" like holding flights shouldn't be done. You'll always expect them. Waiting for a gate and holding flights is an air traffic control issue. Refund? They took the flights didn't they? Maybe they should comp you for something, but not a refund! If you travel by air you must understand these things happen.
Ponie on 08/31/2009:
I don't know about the reasoning given for not allowing your parties to board, but I do know this about weather at DTW on 8/20/09: My Sis and niece came in from DC to DTW at about 11AM. From a few minutes after they deplaned to about 2:30PM, we had severe thunderstorms rolling in and out of the Detroit area. We discussed that they 'just made it' that day.
JR in Orlando on 08/31/2009:
I looked up Northwest Flights for this Thursday from STL to DTW and found flights leaving St. Louis at a) 6:30 a.m. arriving Detroit 9:09 a.m.; b) 8:45 a.m. arriving 11:18 a.m.; and c) 10:20 a.m. arriving 12:59 p.m. You choose the absolute last flight they could take to make their 1:30 p.m. flight to Bangor, Maine leaving only 40 minutes to change planes. If you had chosen an earlier flight from STL, this would not have happened. The fault seems to be yours in chosing a flight that guaranteed "any" delay would result in them not making their Bangor flight. With the limited flights today, one must leave more time to change planes.
Ben There on 08/31/2009:
I would bet those thunderstorms Ponie mentioned had something to do with the delay. JR makes a great point about the very short connection. Just because an connection is valid does not mean it is the best idea. When I am flying on vacation or on international trips, I tend to take the flight before the last flight available to allow for delays... this has saved my trip a couple times. For work trips I sometimes will cut the connections as short as possible.
Ponie on 09/01/2009:
Ben, whatever happened to specific time between flight connections that was in force a few years ago? At the time that I was flying around the country several times a year to attend conventions, any service I used would not book me on a connecting flight if the time between was not at least 45 minutes. Didn't matter if the gates were next to each other at the airport. Looking over that schedule shown in the complaint, it works out to be only 40 minutes, doesn't it? I could very well be wrong...
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Checked Baggage
Posted by
E-mail thread about a forced baggage check on a one-way ticket bought on Orbitz. They gave me my $15 bag fee back in an electronic credit when I fly again. RIGHT, I am going to fly with you again soon. I am sadistic and love being treated like dirt. NWA is really bringing down Delta's customer service standards very quickly. Delta should have let them go belly up.
I work for the Federal Government and travel frequently on various airlines. I was traveling from Tampa to Nashville today and when I checked in, I was informed that my bag would have to be checked and could not be carried on the plane. This is the exact same bag that I use when traveling for the Government and I have NEVER had to check this bag. I made the reservation on Orbitz and I feel that this is a direct
result of me not using NWA as the agent. I was billed $15.00 and when I got to the gate, there were bags that were larger than mine and they
were allowed to take them down the ramp. Some went on the plane while others were checked at the door of the aircraft. Piss poor customer service and rules when I know better. You are not
consistent at all. I do have choices when I fly and will in the future will strive to take alternate carriers when possible.
Submitted: 08/15/2009 10:10:44
Form Navigation:
Field1: nwa.com Check-in
Field2: Boarding Pass"
Dear XXXXXXX,
RE: Case Number 8027162
Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the service provided while traveling with us. On behalf of everyone at Delta Air Lines, I
sincerely apologize for your disappointment in the fee you were charged for your carry on bag when you were required to check it.
I am truly sorry for your disappointment with our carry-on baggage policy and realize that you state you have travelled with this bag in
the past, and I also understand the policy was inconsistently applied. Regrettably, we are unable to verify exactly what was communicated to
you regarding the bag you were going to carry on. Please allow me to explain that for safety reasons there may be times when carry-on baggage
is limited or not even allowed. It is also important for me to mention that adherence to our carry-on policy may be monitored by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). Failure to enforce the carry-on policy with respect to the size and weight of each bag can result in regulatory action against our airline.
We want to make travel convenient for our passengers and feedback like you have provided will help us to improve our baggage process and
overall customer experience. Be assured I will be sharing your comments with our Airport Customer Service leadership team for their internal follow up.
Respectfully, I am unable to refund the fee you incurred as I am unable to verify the actual size of your bag and what was communicated to you.
However, as a tangible gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience you experienced as well as the inconsistency of or carry on policy being
applied, we have reserved the following Electronic Credit Voucher(s) for you. The issue date is August 20, 2009.
-0120272968865 $15.00
An ECV can be applied toward the purchase of a new ticket. ECVs are not transferable and cannot be extended beyond their one year validity
period. Please keep this correspondence, along with the enclosed Terms and Conditions, since the ECV number listed above is required for
redemption. The ECV can be used online at www.nwa.com or when booking directly through one of our Reservations offices.
I hope I have been able to address any concerns you have about the carry on bag that you were asked to check. As a WorldPerks member, your
business is important to us and given the opportunity of serving you in the future, I am confident Delta will not only meet but also exceed your expectations.
Customer Care
Northwest/KLM/Delta Air Lines
Northwest Airlines is now part of Delta Air Lines
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goduke on 08/27/2009:
The apologized and gave you a voucher. Lord have mercy, what more do you want?
Eloise on 08/27/2009:
Did you ever think that the bins might have been full?
jktshff1 on 08/27/2009:
what plane was it? A lot of the puddle jumpers don't have much room and baggage compartments get full fast.
goduke +1
Anonymous on 08/27/2009:
"Delta should have let them go belly up." Hard to do in a friendly merger.
Your Orbitz assertion isn't true, it was started by the airlines and they still hold a minority stake.
Since there is no TPA-BNA service you had to connect to a RJ (regional jet) was that the flight in question? Plane side check is an option you can ask for in that case.
If it was on your first leg (mainline) and the bag was in compliance, perhaps the agent made a mistake - difficult to tell.
Interesting you mentioned you working for the Fed Government... they never make mistakes....
Anonymous on 08/27/2009:
It seems like a pretty reasonable response to me.
When I get elected God, I am going to get rid of all baggage fees, and at the same time I am ending all carry on baggage. I am soooo tired of standing in the aisle while someone tries to wrestle a foot locker into the overhead bin.
Ben There on 08/27/2009:
Dwayne34691 - just how big is your carry on bag? Is it a full sized rollaboard? Does it actually fit in the carry on size testers at the gate?
goduke on 08/27/2009:
Ken, you have my vote. Let me know the date of the election.
DigitalCommando on 08/27/2009:
I think the real story here is the excellent response letter from the airline. It was clearly prepared by a real person who took the time to carefully explain their side and made an acceptable offer of compensation. This is rarely seen nowadays. Good work NW!
nwfan on 08/27/2009:
I agree with Digital Commando. If I received that letter I would have deleted it. It was a rude letter to begin with. Learn how to log a complaint...
Dwayne34691 on 08/28/2009:
OK, I agree that it was a good response from NW. I was angry because that the staff at the counter was so rude about it. It was a mid-size roller bag and fits into the overhead easily. I carry the bag on the plane all the time when I travel and I guess it took me by surprise when they were so rude about it. It is like every other company, you have good employees and you have bad. It added fuel to the fire when I went to get on the plane and like someone stated here they were using a jack hammer to put bags in the overhead and you forced me to check mine. I am normally the type that doesn't sweat the small stuff but this one pushed my button for some reason. I can respect the comments here. Ya'll have a good day.
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The Worst Service Ever
Posted by
LITTLE ROCK ARKANSAS -- I would like to report my experience and concerns about what happened after Northwest flight 293 landed at 8:56pm in Little Rock, Arkansas on February 28, 2009. After waiting for our bags for more than 30 minutes I and 20-30 other passengers were told by a Northwest baggage handler at 9:40pm that there were no more bags coming. That person instructed us to go to the Northwest ticket counter to file lost baggage claims. For some reason Northwest Airlines has no lost baggage office at the Little Rock Airport.
Our large group left the baggage carousel and proceeded to the NWA ticket counter. When we got to the counter no NWA employees were present. After abut 15 minutes of waiting, many passengers grew agitated and restless, and they left the line to try to find someone to help. Some mentioned that lost baggage claims must be made before a passenger leaves the airport.
My wife left me in line and went to the Little Rock Airport customer care counter, and she asked the airport employee to page someone from Northwest Airlines to go to the ticket counter. That person spoke with someone by phone and reported to my wife that the Northwest employees "were cleaning the plane and would be at the ticket counter in about 10 minutes." That was at 10:05pm. I was still standing in line at the Northwest ticket counter when my wife came back and told me what the airport customer care person had said. At that point we had all waited about 30 minutes for a Northwest employee to make an appearance, but no one came.
After about 45 minutes of waiting many passengers had left, but some passengers became so irritated that they went behind the Northwest ticket counter and began rifling through papers, using the computer, opening drawers, removing items and looking behind the ticket counter's baggage conveyor into a room, all in an effort to get some help or perhaps vent frustration. There were Continental and US Air ticket counter people present who had to have seen this group of people breaching security but they ignored the situation.
I felt threatened and nervous about this activity, so I asked my wife to look for airport security or the police. She left the line and walked all parts of the airport that she had access to inside and out. There was a Little Rock Police Car parked at the front of the airport but no officer was in it. My wife finally contacted the same customer care person that she had spoken to earlier, and pleaded with her that there was a security breach and near riot going on at the NWA ticket counter and said "someone needs to get down there immediately". The customer care person said that she would contact the airport manager again, and that he would contact the NWA employees who were cleaning the plane one more time and ask them to go to the counter.
I was the second person waiting in line that evening, and I finally left at 10:40pm after waiting in line for an hour. During that hour no NWA employees, no Little Rock police and no airport manager ever came to the counter. Some of the passengers were still rifling through things behind the counter, and one of the men when told that he might get arrested for what he was doing said that he didn't care, and that he might break everything back there before he left.
I arrived home about 11:15pm, and I tried to call NWA customer service at 1800-225-2525. I waited on hold for nearly ½ hour and finally gave up. On Sunday morning I called another number on you website (800-745-9798) where I reached a real person. I briefly explained the situation and wanted to know what to do about reporting the lost checked bag. That NWA person said that I would have to go back to the airport to fill out a lost bag claim. I asked for the telephone number for the NWA counter at Little Rock Airport and the customer service person said that she wasn't allowed to give that number to me. I asked her to call the counter at Little Rock Airport had have someone call me. She said that she couldn't do that either. I asked her again to please help me, and she said that without a lost bag claim number there was nothing she could do. She said, "sir, I am in Minnesota. What do you think I can possibly do to help you retrieve your bag in Little Rock without a claim number." With that remark I ended the call.
I received my checked bag two days later.
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Anonymous on 03/11/2009:
Lost baggange claims have to be filled out at the airport. Airlines cannot give out the number to the ticket counters. If they did then passengers would be calling all the time and the ticket agents would be busy answering phones rather than helping passengers in line. I used to work at US Airways in Tempe and passengers would get mad if I couldn't help them with their bags. I too would have to explain that I didn't work at the airport and they would get so mad at me.
Dunn Thatt on 03/28/2009:
Given such a SERIOUS security breach, I would have written a letter to the editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, so they could follow up on this with the proper authorities, I find it absolutely shocking that this was allowed to happen.
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Incompetent Agents and Horrible Customer Service
Posted by
Letter I wrote to NWA: I was scheduled to fly from OKC to IND on 1/28/09, but I am 26 weeks
pregnant and very sick. I have a physicians note
documenting that I cannot fly.
On 1/27/09 I spoke to aa NWA.com and reservations agent to see my best
course of action to reschedule my flight. I was
told that I could cancel my flight and would have until 1/28/10 to
reschedule a trip. I specifically asked the reservations agent
if I would lose any ticket value or pay any fees for this change. I was
told by the agent that I would not. I now understand
that this information was incorrect, but it is clearly what I was told.
Today I tried to rebook my flight for Feb. 5 to Feb. 12. When I search
flights 6385/6104 outbound and 6284/6339 return on
NWA.com, the total price of the flight is $238.90. My e-cert value is
$226.89. Given what I was told my the reservations
agent, I expected the cost of the ticket to be $12.01, but the cost to
exchange the ticket is $1390.02
I immediately contacted the reservations department to try to resolve
the situation. I spoke to an agent and to a supervisor
name Sonia. Neither were friendly or helpful. When I asked Sonia if I
could speak to her supervisor, I was told that there
was nobody higher than her within NWA that could help with this
To say the least, I am extremely frustrated with this situation. I
understand that the information that I was given was
incorrect, but it is not my fault that I received false information. If
I had been given the correct information, I would have used
the weather waiver option and moved my outbound flight at no fee.
I hope that you can assist me by waiving the reschedule fee to book a
roundtrip between OKC and IND from Feb. 5-12.
You're assistance is greatly appreciated.
Response I received from NWA: Thank you for writing about your unused ticket. On behalf of Northwest
Airlines, we sincerely apologize that you were unable to travel as
I am sorry to learn that you had to cancel your travel plans and can
understand your disappointment with the reissue fee and fare difference
charged to change your nonrefundable ticket. I apologize if you were
provided any misinformation. Please allow me to explain that a fee and
fare difference applies even if the decision to cancel or change planned
travel is due to an illness or other circumstance that was unknown at
the time the ticket was purchased or is beyond a customer's control.
Respectfully, we must adhere to the terms of the ticket each passenger
has purchased and I must decline your request for a waiver of the fees.
I know this is not the response you were expecting and I apologize for
any disappointment.
I want to thank you, Ms. Strack, for taking the time to bring this
matter to our attention. Again, I am very sorry to disappoint you. Your
future business is important to us, and I hope you will continue to
choose Northwest for your air travel needs.
Erin Clott
Customer Care
Northwest/KLM/Delta Air Lines
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Ben There on 02/15/2009:
I find it hard to believe that an airline employee would say that there is no change fee or fare difference on a plane ticket considering that is what they do all day long. If anything, I bet there was some misscommunication.
For example, lets say you had a 21 day advance purchase low season nonrefundable coach class ticket and you wanted to change it... As long as you are buying another 21 day advance purchase low season nonrefundable coach class ticket there probably would be no fare difference. However, if you were booking a ticket just a couple days before the new flight, there were no 21 day purchase fares left, so you have to pay the fare difference.
Anonymous on 02/15/2009:
Sometimes it's best to go direct to a NWA sales/ticketing office in person. You will get more done and they can't hide behind a phone and treat you like crap. Best of luck to you.
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Worst Customer Service and Theft
Posted by
RALEIGN, NORTH CAROLINA -- On August 15, 2008 I was at Erie International Airport going through the TSA check point where I was stopped and directed to check my bag into NWA luggage due to liquids/hairgel in my bag. They started the boarding process for my flight to Detroit (layover) so I hurried and ran to the ticket counter, good thing Erie is such a small airport. I hurriedly checked my bag and ran to TSA and then to the gate to catch my flight (NW 5818).
I arrived in Raleigh and headed directly to the baggage claim. I was standing where the bags come out since I was in a hurry to catch my ride to my destination. As my bag came out, I saw it was opened and immediately panicked because I remembered that my digital camera was in there. I then searched my bag and the camera was not inside my bag. I headed directly to the Northwest baggage office where I spoke with Loreana (spelling).
I walked into the office and explained to her that my bag was opened and that my camera has been taken out of my bag. She in return stated "what do you want me to do about it?" I was a little drawn back by her statement and then asked her to take a claim for me. She stated that I did not have a right to file a claim because it was an "electronic item and Northwest is not responsible". I then told her that she needs to take a claim because one of their employees went through my bag, no TSA card was in there to show my bag was randomly searched and my camera was gone. I continued to explain that I only fly with Northwest and am a loyal customer and would like some assistance. She stated back to me, "Then go fly a different airline, I am not responsible for this". I was now starting to get upset and told her I will just call customer service. She told me to go ahead, she did not care because they would tell me the same thing.
I called customer service on the way to Durham and they apologized on how I was treated, she (Melissa, agent sign ME) asked if she could place me on hold while she spoke with her manager, I told her that it would not be a problem. After she returned, she told me that I needed to go back to the airport and tell the lady there that I was to file a claim and she was to take the claim. She told me that Northwest would take care of this problem since I am a loyal customer. I explained that I had to be somewhere and if I could go back to the airport tomorrow, Melissa stated that would not be a problem.
The following day, August 16, 2008, after my appointment in Durham, I pursued back to the airport, to my luck, the same generous lady (Loreana) was working. I went over the conversation that I had with customer service. Loreana then reached in her desk and read a pamphlet to me as if I were in Kindergarten stating that Northwest is not responsible. I replied, "I do not care what it says, customer service stated I am to file a claim and it will be handled, start typing." She then started to take the claim and said she will deny it as soon as it is filed. She then asked for my baggage tag which I did not know I needed to have, she told me, "oh well come back tomorrow then with it." I told her my flight was at 8:50 AM and I will be here at 6:30 AM to do so.
I came back the following day at 6:45 AM to file my claim and then to catch my flight to return home. There was a different lady working that morning, I am not sure on her name but she was a younger Arab lady. I explained the whole situation as well as the experience that I have had so far with Northwest over this mishap. She then refused to take a claim and said that I would be able to fill out a lost and found card. I was now on my last nerve with rude customer service. I told her that it's not a lost or found issue, my camera was stolen by your baggage employee and probably at the employee's house most likely on e-bay by now. I then told her that customer service said I was to file a claim and to do so. She came back with, "You only had 24hrs to file", and I explained that I have been trying to file it for a day and a half now. Finally she got fed up and said she is calling her manager and I asked her to please do so. Her manager then told her she is to take the claim. I finally filed the claim and left to go catch my flight. As I was leaving she said they will not be able to do anything on the claim division end, I ignored her and walked on.
WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER and told me that they will not replace my camera that an employee stole!
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Anonymous on 09/08/2008:
Sorry, but they post everywhere in the airport not to put valuables in your checked bags. We know airline and TSA employees steal our stuff which is why you need to carry anything you don't want stolen with you.
bargod on 09/08/2008:
I just went to Mexico a couple weeks ago. I have always put my digital camera in my checked luggage, but after reading all the problems with that kind of thing on this site I deceided to put it in my carry on bag this time. I never worried once about it getting taken as it was always in my possession the whole time.
Ponie on 09/08/2008:
Since this seems to be your very first flight, perhaps your second will be more favorable. It must be your first flight due to your attempt to bring on board liquids/hairgel. For your second flight, be sure to read all the warning posters in the terminal stating what you can/cannot bring on board and what you should/shouldn't pack in checked luggage.
~~~sarcasm off~~~
familytravel on 09/09/2008:
While I understand your frustration and anger with NWA, I can't believe you left your digital camera in your checked bag. They post things all over the airport and the agents will tell you if you ask them..."Do NOT pack valuable electronics in checked luggage."
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The school was conceived as four distinct volumes connected by open balconies. The volumes form a "U" shape that opens toward a nearby forest park and mountains – a backdrop this writer would have much preferred to the drab boulevard of cars her childhood classroom windows faced. The two elliptical volumes house the main classrooms, while the two water droplet shaped volumes contain secondary spaces like offices, an art room, a library, and a computer classroom.
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