April 9, 2015
Dear Mr. Shelley:
It is always good to hear from our customers -- even if the feedback is negative. Your comments, while disappointing, remind us of the importance of providing our customers with the best service possible, at every opportunity.
Since you didn't arrive as scheduled starting with your morning flight of 2875 and with your final flight 110 into FCO, it's easy to understand why you are upset. We know how important it is for our customers to rely on the on-time departure of our flights and we will continue our intense efforts to improve this record.We were glad to see that our agents booked you onto a flight that would arrive in time to connect to your FCO flight.
We regard every single customer contact as a welcome opportunity to improve. Your comments serve as a reminder that our responsibility to our customers to provide quality service is a major priority, one that we can't overlook. In appreciation for your constructive criticism and in an effort to make amends, we've added 5,000 bonus miles to your AAdvantage® account. This mileage adjustment will be reflected in your account very soon.
The situation you described was frustrating enough without the lack of customer service you found. Please accept my apology for what happened. Rest assured that the situation will be addressed.
No doubt it was disappointing to arrive at your destination without your bags. The timely transportation of our customers' belongings has our focus and we will continue to do all we can to prevent the kind of aggravating situation you endured.
We are sorry you didn't receive your baggage as expected when you traveled with us. We know how frustrating it is for our customers to be without their belongings, and we continually look for ways to improve and refine our baggage handling procedures to minimize such experiences.
We understand that you made some purchases while you were without your baggage. Our baggage specialists have the responsibility to review these kinds of situations. Please send your original receipts (make copies for yourself) and a copy of your ticket receipt and baggage claim form to:
American Airlines
Interim Expense Reimbursement
P.O. Box 619613 MD1322/HDQ
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9613
Mr. Shelley, since typically the receipts must be received by the Interim Expense Reimbursement personnel within 30 days of travel, please include the date of this reply in your correspondence to them. Please send this information via the U.S. Postal Service. Once a review has been completed, the Interim Expense Reimbursement personnel will correspond with you by mail. The average review time is 6 to 8 weeks.
Thank you for writing. We are eager to demonstrate the level of service you expect and we want to deliver. Please travel with us again soon. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
Sincerely,
Patricia Dosato
Customer Relations
American Airlines
AA Ref#1-3259822262
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Hello Ms. Dasoto,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my complaints. I must say it was frustrating to be forced to use the website with limited space to explain myself and not be able to talk to a real person. I still do not feel I have completely explained the regretful experiences I had throughout my travel with American. At least you are a real person and not a form with a limit of characters I can type. Still, I will try to keep this brief.
5000 airline miles means nothing to me. It is not enough to get anywhere. I have made a commitment to American Airlines by doing the majority of my spending on a credit card linked to my mileage account. Perhaps that was a mistake. I will comment on what I think you can to to rectify my issues at the conclusion of this email.
I have still not received my luggage. Tomorrow will make one week, but I have heard that it is at least in the right country now, and that your company now actually knows where it is. That it was not flown direct from LAX to Italy is absurd. That no one could tell me where it was is absurd.
I want to be very clear that though a gate agent did help me get a flight from LAX to O'Hare, it was only after I chose to disregard the obviously incorrect series of reassurances and instructions from another agent. It was awful to have to contradict her and be insistent (though I always remain civil). Her multiple refusals to help me and insistence that there was nothing she could do was just to get me out of her hair and made me feel like I could not trust the company I had paid over $1350 to fly me to Europe. A but frightening to consider this is how you treat travelers. It was clear that she was lying to me when the agent next to her used the same computer to help me.
It may seem petty to complain about the razor given to me at the airport but please imagine my situation. After traveling so long and being delayed and causing major inconvenience to my host and group I went to make myself presentable without clean clothes and very limited toiletries. To shave with the cheapest possible razor added insult to injury. It reiterated how little AA cares.
It was nice to receive a $12 voucher for food at the airport while I waited for my delated flight to Rome, but as I said this delay caused a domino effect of problems for me, my host, and my travel group. Not having important necessities was more than inconvenient and being far out in the country I have had very limited opportunities to get what I need. It has cost gas and time for my whole group to get me to stores with little selection and bad prices. Now I have spent money on my credit card and you say it will take many weeks to be reviewed. How should I pay off my card in the mean time? What will I do if I need that money in an emergency? Though I spent some money I am now concerned that I may not be reimbursed at all do do some flaw in the "review" system, and that it will not be prompt. My sister in the states can receive the check and deposit it for me, which would be a huge relief. I was also in a rush to buy necessities and did not really get things I would normally want, but what was available quickly, in the time was able. The things I normally want are in my checked bag.
Thank you for including instructions on how to receive my reimbursement. I could not understand why these instructions could not be emailed to me by the delayed and lost baggage representatives I spent over an hour talking to. However I find your instructions somewhat confusing. For one, how can I send my receipts via US postal service if I am in Italy? My return ticket is on the same record locator as the ticket here so can't you see that I will be here far longer than 30 days? Also, a person at the lost and delayed baggage told me to also include my ticket number, file locator, and address to send the check to. Why do your instructions contradict this? Do I need to include those? What would happen if I replied following your instructions and had a problem without this information? The lack of accountability of my bags location throughout this experience leaves me less than confident in the resourcefulness and willingness to problem solve of your company. In addition to not being able to explain how AA will account for the exchange rate of Euros and US dollars, one of the three agents was very rude to me acting as though it were my fault the luggage did not arrive and insisting that $250 dollars was worth more than 377 Euro. Again adding insult to injury. This was after another agent seemed to hang up on me after 8 minutes on hold (After a while I heard ringing and a busy signal and hung up after waiting). I called almost every day to check in as the lost baggage site was not helpful, though the automated phone message always told me I could check it. Another agent worried my by telling me my purchases had not been approved, but when I asked them to double check they said that actually they were. More stress I don't need. I will say that an agent named Linda Monroe was very clear in communication and understanding. She was a pleasure to speak with after the rudeness and lack of consideration I had encountered along the way, even though she could not do much to help me.
I hope you understand that I am sick of hearing empty apologies. I have traveled many times throughout my life with your airline and have never experienced such a series of awful experiences. I think something must have changed in your corporate structure and that you no longer value customer service. I have traveled a lot and know to expect some inconveniences, but this is simply too much.
I have discussed how I was mistreated by your staff and delayed, but I have not even gotten into how awful it has been to now have my warm clothes, things I need to do what I came to Italy to do, and my conveniences. It has rained and even snowed for a short time here and I had to wear the same clothes for many days before we went into town an hour away to get a quick change of clothes. I don't even want to describe how uncomfortable and cold I have been in addition to the rudeness I have put up with. Assuming I actually get my bag tomorrow, you can make this right by upgrading my return flight to first or business class. 5000 miles is an insult. In addition to the flight upgrade a $200 voucher or 12500 miles would be more reasonable. I also want your assurances that I will not have problems getting reimbursed and I expect clear instructions on how to get my money that actually consider my situation here in countryside of Italy for 3 months.
This got longer than I wanted so I thank you for reading all this. I hope I have been clear and I will be glad to clarify anything I can via email, and I assure you it will not take me as long to respond I had to wait for this email.
Ciao for now,
Sincerely,
Maccabee Shelley