Stranded In Syracuse, Part II

It’s time to give American Airlines some love for doing what we preach to companies on this website – when you make a mistake, fix it and do your best to retain a customer.

American’s Customer Service department wrote me a nice letter apologizing for the inconvenience they caused when they dumped us in Syracuse. Even better, they reimbursed me for the costs my wife and I incurred when we had to rent a car and drive to New York City – about $186 if I recall correctly.  They also tactfully advised me that they have changed their policy so that they generally no longer reimburse passengers who are stranded due to inclement weather or other problems beyond their control.

So what did I do to motivate American to make this right?  I asked them to.  I told them over the phone and then I wrote them a letter detailing the problems they caused me and itemizing the costs I incurred. I also provided originals of the receipts. It probably helped that I am a frequent flyer with American Airlines and they may have been more motivated to make me happy than some passengers.  Then again, they might have done this for anyone who asked.

So if you are not happy with the service provided by a business, ask for a refund or some other action the company could take to make you happy.  Afterall, if you bought a product that was defective you would certainly return it.  Asking for a refund, or some other step you want the company to take to keep you coming back, is just as appropriate. Be articulate aboute what happened, its impact on you, and what you want the company to do for you.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

Now if American could just work on getting more flights to land on time…