As discussed in my last entry I was astounded at the short sightedness by the majority of companies seeking to limit their costs and even capitalise on the recent travel chaos rather than creating invaluable great PR.
My husband and I were congratulating ourselves on how lucky we had been to fly out of Heathrow an hour before all the airports were closed. Increasing concern replaced our smugness , with every passing day, as we heard more shocking and appalling tales of the treatment of stranded travellers. We began to appreciate the potential gravity of the situation we were now in. This transcended to panic by the end of the week when our fears were confirmed, that we too had been stranded in Dubai with our one year old son.
I feel unable to name and shame, on our website, the well known companies that we discovered had dumped their customers with no help or empathy, or even worse the ones that sought to capitalise from them. I will name the companies I had a direct experience with.
My PR shame list
As we were independent travellers our insurance did not cover us. Imagine how much extra business an insurance company would gain from advertising that they were the only company that did pay out!
Travel companies hid behind the “act of God” clause in their terms and conditions. I was appalled to hear how passengers travelling, with well known operators, had been dumped and told to sort the problem out themselves.
Hotels and car hire companies increased their rates by as much as three times to capitalise on distressed and stranded passengers. I also understand that many refused to refund customers or allow them to alter their dates. A bit of empathy with their customers would have gained more credibility then could ever be achieve by expensive advertising campaigns. So many businesses promote themselves on their customer service and this was the opportune time to prove it.
I appreciate that this is a pretty unique situation but there was simply no excuse for the poor information and lack of sympathy from these businesses to their most valuable assets, their customers. Even though the airspace had been reopened I could not get through to any representative at Royal Brunei. The website claimed that all confirmed flights were leaving as scheduled.
Our airline, being international, had no legal obligation to get us back home for “acts of God”. Our flight was confirmed but Royal Brunei still left us waiting at an empty check in desk before sending out a terrified, lone representative, an hour late to advise us all that they had given our seats away.
The only word to describe the airports was chaos. I simply couldn’t believe how rude and aggressive some customer service staff I encountered were. At the airport, in Paris, staff had misplaced our pushchair. This was particularly distressing for me as, by this point, my son had not slept for a day and I faced a 15 hour wait for my next flight with a writhing, exhausted one year old. A mother in tears did not evoke any kind of sympathy so my husband was forced to create such a fuss security had to be called. Only then did we get any help!
How much great PR would have been gained by companies going to the airports offering free services, care and assistance for stranded passengers? What an easily missed opportunity
Some companies, however, behaved superbly and proved to be real champions of customer service.
My PR fame list
Our knight in shining armour came in the form of Air France. Whilst the poor Royal Brunei representative was fighting off customers like a swarm of angry wasps, we jumped at the opportunity when Air France offered to get us to Paris on a flight leaving in 30 mins. They did not charge us, they processed our tickets quickly and efficiently, their customer service at check in and on the flight was outstanding, and they upgraded us to business class and gave my son his own seat. Not only this but they sorted a flight to Heathrow and arranged for our luggage to be waiting for us. Other passengers told us how they had also been rescued by Air France from all over the world. They are my customer service hero’s!!! I will from now on always try to use them and endorse them at any opportunity.
I was also pleased to discover that the company I used for airport parking “Heathrow Drive Fly” were offering customers full refunds, or changing dates and not profiting from extended stays.
Good PR does not come from announcing a new product or service and pestering journalists with dull press releases. It comes from going beyond what a customer expects, standing out from the competition and smart, creative thinking. Excellent customer service at Duport is our priority and my faith has been restored that we are not alone in our genuine care for our customers.
Can anyone else shame or fame a company?
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Have you been thinking about trading abroad and translating your marketing material? Be warned, these well known companies have lost millions following the discovery that their product or slogan was lost in translation!
