Legal Commentary

Desperate Times Cause Outbreak Of Stupidity: Anatomy Of A Lost Customer

By Patrick J. Lamb

Desperate times apparently cause companies desperate for cash to do really stupid things.  And the results are never good for the stupid company.  One of my partners is a million-mile flyer on an unnamed airline, but I wouldn't deny it if you suggested their skies were not as friendly as their ads claim.  This partner wants to take his daughter to spring training, a trip they make together every year.  Time to cash in some frequent flyer miles.  Bodda-bing, bodda-boom, access the website and it's over.  He even paid the extra $116 to get Economy-plus seats.

Except he made a mistake.  So he calls up, confesses his error and asks to have the date of the flight changed--same flight, different day.  That will cost you $200.  Annoyance rate increases.  Then the confirmation arrives.  It's not the same flight.  They have booked him on a morning flight.  Followup call, where they say the evening flight he wanted was booked full.  Except that he had seen what seats were available, and he knew it was two-thirds empty.  Finally, the friendly skies person confesses it was their mistake.  What about the Economy plus seats?  "Oh, that was only on the flight you canceled."  So, because the friendly (and apparently stupid) skies people are so desperate for cash that they won't apply the $116 to the rebooked flight, they have now permanently lost a million mile flyer.  Because despite what people say about O'Hare, the great thing is that there is always another airline that can fly you anywhere you want to go.

Moral of the story:  No matter how hard times get, don't forget that your best customers are the foundation of your business, and if you treat them badly, you will lose them.  To the contrary, you need to show your appreciation more than ever.  Loyalty is a two-way street.

Full post as published by In Search of Perfect Client Service on March 04, 2009 (boomark / email).