JetBlue Addresses My Complaints
Readers might remember that a few weeks back I had an almost perfect nightmare scenario trying to get home from New York on JetBlue airlines. I had pretty much given up on the subject when I got a surprising email from Todd Burke. He is the VP of Corporate Communications at JetBlue.
We corresponded a few times while I explained what happened in more detail. He pledged to look into it more deeply. A few days later I got an email from a customer support specialist. I got her on the phone and she expressed genuine regret for the events I had gone through. I told her that it wasn't just the cancelled flight that had angered me, since flights do get cancelled. It was the seemingly nonstop cascade of events that had put me over the edge.
Well, they gave me my money back for the flight I never took home, and also offered me flight vouchers to make up much of the large expense I had to absorb to actually get home via train and other airlines. This was a welcome surprise since the inital email I got from them pretty much said I wasn't getting anything (I think they offered me 50 bucks). It also went a long way toward alleviating my feeling that these people were just screwing me and didn't care at all about what had happened to me.
So, I will ammend the previous blog post with this information so that others who see it will be aware of how JetBlue responded to my complaints. Even though it took them a little while to do it, I finally feel they accepted some responsibility for what happened and tried to make it right.
That seems like a fair overture from JB. I imagine your blog post is what drove them to address the issue. I hope they addressed the unfairness in their original response as it seems like they have some customer unfriendly processes in place.
Again, I am glad you were made whole by the situation.
DW
Thanks for this site. I will also spread the word. DO NOT FLY JETBLUE!
11/16/07 AFTER MIDNIGHT.
MY FAMILY AND I NEVER GET TO TRAVEL SINCE WE ARE SELF EMPLOYED AND STRUGGLE TO BE ABLE TO SAVE ENOUGH FOR A VACATION. WE PLANNED TO TAKE OUR BOYS TO WASHINGTON DC TO SEE THE INSIDE OF THE WHITE HOUSE FOR MANY MONTHS. WE HAD A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR WITH SEVERAL FAMILY TRAGEDIES AND WANTED MAKE OUR BOYS HAPPY. OUR 14 YEAR OLD WANTED TO GO TO THE WHITE HOUSE FOR YEARS. IN ORDER TO SEE THE WHITE HOUSE INSIDE TOUR, WE HAD TO GET AN FBI BACKGROUND CHECK DONE ON OUR WHOLE FAMILY AND WAITED MONTHS FOR RESULTS. THEY WERE BOOKED WAS THE RESPONSE ONLY ABOUT 1 WEEK BEFORE OUR TRIP, BUT SINCE THEY KNEW HOW BADLY WE WANTED IT, MANY PHONE CALLS LATER, THEY WERE ABLE TO FIND SOME AVAILABLE OPENINGS FOR US. I WAS SO ESTATIC!!!
THE DAY OF THE FLIGHT MY SON GOT OUT OF SCHOOL EARLY, WE WERE ALL HOME AND READY TO GO ABOUT 6 HRS BEFORE THE FLIGHT. WE WERE ANXIOUS AND COULDNT WAIT TO GO TO THE AIRPORT. MY KIDS WERE SO HAPPY AND EXCITED. WE ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT AND CHECKED IN AT 725PM. THE LUGGAGE GUY TOOK OUR BAGS AND WISHED US A GOOD FLIGHT.
OUR FLIGHT WAS SCHEDULED TO TAKE OFF AT 950PM FROM ORLANDO TO WASHINGTON DC. WE WALKED TO THE GATE AND WHEN WE FINALLY GOT THERE, THE AGENT TOD US THAT OUR PLANE LEFT ALREADY A FEW MINUTES AGO. I WAS LIKE...NO, MY PLANE LEAVES 2 HOURS FROM NOW, I THINK YOU'RE MISTAKEN. SHE KEPT REPEATING HERSELF AND I WAS SO CONFUSED. THE SHE TELLS ME ..."WE EMAILED YOU ABOUT 1.5 MTHS AGO.
WHAT? MY MOUTH FELL OPEN AND I ALMOST FELL APART RIGHT THEN AND THERE. MY KIDS WERE CRYING, MY HUSBAND WAS IN SHOCK. THEY OFFERED TO SEND US TO NYC ON A MIDNIGHT FLIGHT AND THEN ON OUR OWN EXPENSE, WE WOULD HAVE TO SLEEP SOMEWHERE AND TAKE A 6AM FLIGHT TO WASHINGTON I REFUSED TO DO THAT NOT KNOWING WERE WE WOULD STAY WITH 2 KIDS AND THEN BE UP ALL NIGHT LONG. WE COULDNT REALISTICALLY STAY UP ALL NIGHT AN D DAY JUST TO TOUR THE WHITE HOUSE. THATS CRAZY! AND NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE WOULD CALL A FUN VACATION.
JET BLUE AGENTS WERE VERY COLD. THEY SAID THEY DONT HAVE ANY POWER TO HELP US, THAT WE SHOULD CALL THE 800#. I ASKED HER WHAT THE NUMBER WAS AND SHE SARCASTICALLY TOLD ME 1800-JETBLUE AS IF I SHOULD KNOW THAT ALREADY. I ASKED THEM HOW I WOULD GET HOME TONIGHT AND SHE SAID. IM SORRY BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO CALL A CAB OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW. SO JETBLUE WONT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING US MISS MY FLIGHT, MY PREPAID NONREFUNDABLE HOTEL NIGHT, MY CAR RENTAL, AND THE TAXI RIDE? SO IM OUT ABOUT 500.00 OUT AND NOBODY CARES?
TOO BAD-SO SAD?
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT JETBLUE IS GOING TO DO TO RECTIFY THIS DISASTER BECAUSE THEY HAD ALL MY CONTACT NUMBERS: WORK, HOME AND CELL NUMBERS. AND NOONE EVER CALLED ME FOR SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING. IT'S NOT JUST AND FYI HOPE YOU GET OUR EMAIL THING! IT A LIFE SAVINGS AND A DISASTEROUS START TO WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A MEMORABLE TRIP AND WE WILL NEVER GET TO SEE THE WHITE HOUSE NOW WHICH WAS OUR MAIN PURPOSE FOR GOING THERE. IM NOT GOING TO TAKE A WHOLE OTHER TRIP TO GO TO THE SAME PLACE AGAIN TO SEE THE WHITE HOUSE. ON MY EXPENSE NEVERTHELESS.
I TRIED TO CALL THE CAR RENTAL COMPANY TO CHANGE THE PICK UP TIME TO THE NEXT DAY AND THEY NEARLY DOUBLED MY CAR RESERVATION PRICE.!!!!!! I CALLED THE HOTEL TO SEE IF I COULD CXL THE NIGHT AND CHECK IN THE NEXT DAY. THEY WOULDNT. I PAID 150.00 FOR A NIGHT THAT I DIDN’T USE. I LOST 1 WHOLE DAY OF MY TRIP BECAUSE I WONT GET THERE UNTIL ABOUT 3PM TOMORROW, SINCE ITS ABOUT 35 MINUTES AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT.
ALL THE TOURS THAT WE SET UP FOR TOMORROW ARE RUINED.
A MANAGER BY THE NAME OF LISA FROM SALT LAKE CITY OFFERED ME $59. ONE WAY FARES FOR EACH OF US TO RECREATE OUR TRIP. THAT IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH FOR THE DAMAGES YOU HAVE CAUSED MY FAMILY. IF I DO NOT GET FAIR COMPENSATION FOR THIS, I WILL BE SUING JETBLUE, POSTING ENORMOUS EMAILS ABOUT THIS DISASTER, MAKING A U-TUBE VIDEO FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW HOW YOU HAVE NO COMPASSION FOR OTHERS WITH THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE, ADVISING ALL OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO THEM DUE TO YOUR NEGLIGENCE ON ALERTING YOUR PASSENGERS OF CHANGES, AND HOW I WAS NOT COMPENSATED FOR THIS MESS. I WILL GET THE NEWS, I WILL POST ALL YOUR INFORMATION IN DETAIL ON MY OWN COMPANY WEBSITE, AND ANY OTHER FORMAT I CAN THINK OF. I WILL MAKE IT MY MISSION TO ENSURE YOU LOSE OUT LIKE MY FAMILY HAS LOST OUT.
I WILL WAIT 1 WEEK TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE AT 407-973-1325 (MY CELL) AND IF I DONT HEAR ANYTHING, I WILL START MAKING SOME ANTI-JETBLUE WEBPAGES AND I WILL PROCEED TO CLAIMS COURT FOR A REFUND OF ALL MY JETBLUE TICKETS AND COMPENSATION OF SOME SORT. I AM APPALLED THAT JETBLUE WOULD JUST SEND AN EMAIL AND "HOPE AND PRAY" THAT YOUR PASSENGERS GET IT. I DOUBT YOU EVEN PRAY. ANYONE WHO IS COMPUTER SAAVY KNOWS EMAIL IS NOT A DEPENDABLE SOURCE FOR SUCH AN IMPORTANT ALERT. SERVER GO DOWN OR EMAILS GO TO GHOST TOWN OR MAIL GETS RETURNED, THERE ARE MANY READONS WHY I MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED IT. I SHOULD HAVE HAD A CALL.
I JUST GOT HOME , I WS AT THE AIRPORT SINCE 725PM.... AND IT IS NOW 1212AM. I CANT SLEEP BECAUSE YOU HAVE CAUSED ME SO MUCH ANXIETY AND STRESS. MY KIDS CRIED THEMSELVES TO SLEEP. I WILL NOT LET THIS GO AS JUST A BAD LUCK THING. THIS WAS CAUSED BY YOUR WRECKLESS NEGLIGENCE AND UNCARING AGENTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE. SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE PICKED UP THE PHONE IN THE 2.5 MTHS TIME AND ADVISED ME OR LEFT ME A MESSAGE. SINCE I AM SELF EMPLOYED, I LIVE ON THE COMPUTER ALMOST 24/7 AND I KNOW I DID NOT RECIEVE EMAIL NOTIFICATION AND YOU ALSO HAD ALL MY CONTACT NUMBER. THERE IS SIMPLY NO EXCUSE.
IF THE LUGGAGE MAN WOULD HAVE SAID, YOUR PLANE IS LEAVING IN 8 MINUTES, WE MAY HAVE MADE IT. OUR LUGGAGE DID! ITS SITTING IN WASHINGTON DC’S BAGGAGE CLAIM RIGHT NOW. INSTEAD HE SAID HAVE A NICE TRIP. WHAT KIND OF TRAINING ARE YOU PROVIDING TO YOUR AGENTS? NO-ONE IS ON TRACK. ITS JUST AN AIRLINE FILLED WITH A WHOLE BUCH OF EMPTY BODIES…JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. I FEEL BADFOR THE PERSON THAT HAS TO READ THIS AND RESPOND BUT YOU ARE WORKING FOR A COMPANY THAT NEEDS TO RESPOND TO THE PAIN AND SUFFERING MY FAMILY HAS ENDURED TONIGHT.
THE CRAZYNESS ABOUT ALL THIS IS THAT ALL I EVER TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT FLYING IS…… HOW I LOVE JETBLUE. ON MY WAY TO THE AIRPORT, I WAS ACTUALLY TELLING MY FRIENDS HOW JET BLUE IS ROOMY AND HAS TVS AND HOW I LOVE TO FLY JETBLUE. AND SLAP.!!! JETBLUE SLAPPED ME AND MY FAMILY IN THE FACE HARD!
PLEASE HELP ME REGAIN CONFIDENCE IN YOUR AIRLINE AND RECREATE THE TRIP I LONGED FOR AND PLANNED FOR SO LONG WITH MY FAMILY.
We booked a non stop flight from West Palm Beach to Boston six months in advanced for a simple weekend get-away.
We got an email telling us that our non stop flight now has a stop in New York, and we have to change planes. You offered us alternative flights that may have been convenient for Jet Blue, but completely out of the question for us.
Fine
If you'd like to inconvenience people, then at least offer some sort of compensation. We all know a non stop flight costs more than one with a stop. A discount was refused, we asked for a simple upgrade in seating and even that could not be accommodated and really what does that cost YOU? I had already had reservations about using Jet Blue again because I once flew to Boston for a job interview...they lost my luggage, so I had to go out that night and scramble for a suit for the interview. They offered a $75 dollar voucher for my huge inconvenience. Can you imagine not only having a nerve wracking job interview at 9 am the next morning only to have to go shopping the night before. To add insult to injury the $75 voucher never materialized.
Thank you Jet Blue.
For teaching me what NOT to expect from a company that claims to care about the customer. I will never use your airline again.
PS. I'll make sure to tell everyone and anyone I know about my Jet Blue Horror Story.
Their response to passenger concerns is lukewarm at best. Blatant racism is on the rise on board jet blue flights