SavvySugar

Musician Gets Revenge Against United For Breaking His Guitar

SavvySugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:15:36 -0700

Canadian musician Dave Carroll has spent the past year trying to convince United to compensate him for the $1,200 in repairs his guitar needed after being tossed around by baggage handlers. His trip from Halifax and Nebraska included a transfer in Chicago, where the damage occurred. Carroll has ruled out accidental cause because another passenger witnessed the guitar abuse and spoke out in alarm while it was happening - he even notified the United employees on-board, who were anything but helpful.

United had refused responsibility for the damage, but called to discuss the situation when Carroll released an online video and song (United Breaks Guitars) describing the airline's errors. As of last night, at least 600,000 people had already viewed the video.

The Customer Service Halls of Shame and Fame

SavvySugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:30:26 -0700

Nobody wants a customer service experience that leaves you swearing under your breath, but these situations aren't exactly avoidable. MSN Money knows how important customer service is to consumers and conducts an annual survey that measures customer satisfaction.

It's named 10 companies that need a lot of improvement in the customer service department and 10 that would be good examples to the companies in the Hall of Shame. It's apparent from the rankings that banks in general could step it up.

Customer Service Hall of Shame

Citigroup
Bank of America
Abercrombie and Fitch
Qwest
HSBC
Time Warner Cable
Capital One
Sprint
Comcast
AOL

To see the companies that offer a happier customer experience, read more.
Customer Service Hall of Fame

Southwest Airlines
Costco
Apple
Whole Foods
Publix
Nordstrom
Amazon
Netflix
Trader Joe's
USAA

Source

Restaurant Owner Eliminates Tipping to Ease Tension

SavvySugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:00:34 -0700

Tipping was brought to the US from Europe after the Civil War and was met with opposition - six states even passed anti-tipping laws that prevented diners from having to tip. The laws were later repealed, but the angst toward the tradition of tipping lives on in the minds of many American customers. San Diego, CA, restaurant owner Jay Porter observed that tipping was not only a point of contention for his customers, but was also causing tension between his staff members and adding to the stressful environment.

Porter channeled iconic restaurateurs Alice Waters and Thomas Keller in his proposal to the casual dining staff to replace tipping with a service charge. Waters was first to establish this policy at the esteemed Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and then Keller did the same thing in his French Laundry and Per Se restaurants. Porter's staff was supportive of his idea to impose an 18 percent service fee to be split three-to-one between the front of the house and the kitchen. Only one of his eight servers quit after the new policy was enacted, and his remaining servers acknowledge the elimination of tipping has reduced tension between servers.

The system is obviously working so far for Porter and his staff, but as a customer, would you be turned off by a permanent service fee?

Source

Money Tip: It Pays to Complain

SavvySugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:00:14 -0700

My best friend has been back from her honeymoon for only a few weeks, and she already has another trip on her brain. The difference between her honeymoon and the next vacation? She and her new husband will be treated to a complimentary hotel stay on their next trip! Because of the simple act of writing a complaint letter, they were offered a free five-day / five-night stay at one of the resort's hotels anywhere in the world.

While their Tahitian honeymoon was nothing short of incredible, they had issues throughout their stay with icy cold water in the shower and spa. When they asked about the problem, hotel staff ensured it would be fixed, but they never felt anything resembling warm water.

Upon their return, my friend wrote a letter to the hotel stating her disappointment with the issue and how it was handled. Her recommendation is to give a letter of complaint to your travel agent (if you're using one) to add a cover letter before it's sent off to the hotel for an extra punch. Her situation shows that if you have a real issue that detracted from your experience, it can pay to complain.

Source

Have You Requested a Hotel Room Change?

SavvySugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:19 -0700

Travel professionals surmise that women travelers are more likely to request a different hotel room than men, whether it's a couples or family trip or a woman on a solo business trip. Some room-change requests are made to ensure the traveler is getting the most for her money, but there are some who manipulate the system for a sense of accomplishment.

Have you been known to request a room change or do you usually settle for the rooms offered to you?

Source

I'm Asking: Does Customer Service Influence Your Chances of Revisiting a Business?

SavvySugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:00:25 -0700

Depending on the type of business, customer service can be a big part of your shopping experience. Whether or not you're actually offered service, if the staff has a way of lurking around you, or if they're overly attentive can weigh on your impression of a store.

I'm likely to skip out on returning to a restaurant if the service was rude, but customer service at stores hasn't kept me away or driven me to revisit. Have you stayed away from a business or become a loyal customer because of the service?

Source

I'm Asking: Do You Have a Preferred Airline?

SavvySugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 11:00:54 -0700

Comparison shopping is the name of the game when it comes to buying plane tickets, but I must say I'm delighted when JetBlue or Virgin America turn up on top of my search results. And if the flight is on the long side or a red-eye, I may be willing to pay a little extra for tickets on my favorite carriers. Do you prefer any particular airline to the others?

Source

On Board and Ready To Buy

SavvySugar — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:41:23 -0800

In a new move to up their retail, airlines may soon be offering more in-flight opportunities to purchase anything from limousine services to Broadway theater tickets. Though The New York Times reports that only American Airlines has begun limited testing of the retail concept, nearly all airline carriers have confirmed that they are planning to unveil similar expanded retail offerings on flights.

So why expand retail, especially in the midst of a recession? Well, according to SkyMall president Christine Aguilera, airline passengers are "some of the greatest consumers on the planet," simply because they've got nowhere else to go and nothing else to do. This aspect makes "onboard" retail unique because, frankly, "operators are able to lock their doors with their shoppers still inside."

To learn more about airline retail, keep reading

8 Successful Companies That Are Still Hiring

SavvySugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:45:36 -0700

Personal experience and news reports might tell us that nobody is hiring right now, but Fortune says to think again. The magazine recently released its 40 Under 40 - a list of the hottest rising stars in business - and many of them are looking to expand their teams. To see who these entrepreneurs are and what they’re looking for, read more.

YouTube Debtor's Revolt: Too Far or Totally Justified?

SavvySugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:33 -0700

In the wake of the recession, it's become increasingly common for credit card companies to jack up interest rates - in some cases, without due cause. Typically, outraged customers seek an explanation via customer service representative – but one disgruntled card holder took her case to YouTube

In the now viral video, aptly titled Debtor's Revolt Begins Now, B of A customer, Ann Minch launches a heated attack on the bank, claiming that her interest rate was raised from 12.99 percent to a whopping 30 percent, despite diligent and timely payments. Her attempts to negotiate with the branch, where she has been a customer for 14 years, were dismissed - until her now infamous rant gained some serious media attention, and was finally seen by one of the Bank's executives, who re-adjusted her interest to its original rate.

Since it debuted on Sept. 8, Minch's cyber assault has been streamed more than 350,000 times and attracted over 5,000 comments - some praising her as a crusader, others condemning the outspoken debtor. What do you think?