28
2008
jetBlue Delivers a Systematic Customer Service Letdown
jetBlue airlines has experienced its fair share of ups and downs online. First, it had a fantastic blog, then failed to use it when a series of flight cancellations crippled the airline on Valentine’s Day, 2007. Instead the airline produced a late and often jeered at YouTube mia culpa from former CEO David Neeleman.
jetBlue’s latest foray into social media occurs on Twitter. Unfortunately, a series of events last week demonstrated that while responsive, jetBlue Twitterer Morgan Johnston cannot affect change for the airline.
Two posts on my personal blog — Boo! jetBlue and jetBlue Adds Insults to Injury — detailed a series of bad experiences that occurred last week on different flights. In short:
The complaints and discussion spilled out into Twitter, and soon included Morgan Johnston. To Morgan’s credit, he was very responsive and sympathetic, even DMing me several times. But when it came time to do something, he was powerless to help, instead referring me to a complaint form (note the bonus tweet for District of Corruption Co-Host Technosailor’s Aaron Brazell).
The formal jetBlue response came only a few hours later, but instead of taking actions to alleviate this disappointment an empty apology was issued without relief for the extra costs or time consumed. As a result, while feeling listened to, my experience was a systematic letdown. In turn, jetBlue will not likely receive business from me for a long time.
If companies want to engage in social media then they need to empower online representatives to act. Having a corporate Twitter representative is only an effective customer service tool when representatives can do more than empathize and promote discounts. One of Dell’s great social media strengths comes from empowering folks like Richard Binhammer to act on behalf of the company.
If Morgan Johnston had that power this situation may not have ever gotten to a second blog post, much less this third one on a much wider read blog. Instead, jetBlue receives another public black-eye, and its brand experience becomes tainted.
Dave Neeleman Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Did you have a confirmation number for your rebooking? Was your chargecard charged? Without that maybe I can walk up to the JetBlue counter and tell them that I too had a reservation. What were you wanting them to do? Please tell me that you’re not one of those that want a free ticket at EVERY transgression. I wish my bank,grocery store, post office, department store, cable company, restaurant and fitness club worked that way. I can understand that you want to be ‘made whole’ by JetBlue but it seems to me that the under current is you’re wanting more. How many free roundtrips would satisfy you for asking you for a tip?
Cam Beck Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Geoff - Great points. It’s called “customer service,” instead of “customer empathy” for a reason.
Geoff Livingston Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Dave:
I did have a confirmation number, thought not with me at the time. Unfortunately, my travel life is so rigorous that I often just show up these days. Most airlines are precision enough that this is not an issue. I travel every week for business and don’t excperience these kinds of problems.
Also, it’s offensive to see a former CEO of said airline come in here and infer that I did not have a confirmation, that I demand free trips all the time, and also defend this kind of shoddy service. As far as “free trip” I don’t need one. I just need to use a different airline.
Lewis Green Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Maybe we now know why Dave is a former CEO.
Cam Beck Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Last week, when I flew to Ad:Tech (Not on JetBlue) in San Francisco, I arrived about 40 minutes before takeoff. I used to be able to do this without a problem, but apparently that’s now forbidden in a post-9/11 world.
They put me on another flight and for a fee, and they could guarantee my seat.
I was a bit annoyed, but they didn’t do anything wrong. They told me to be there an hour early, but traffic was worse than I expected.
Tamar Weinberg Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Shucks, I guess I’m powerless to complain about my $900 last minute flight that I had to take on the 17th. :(
Valeria Maltoni Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 10:22 am
What a great opportunity missed! Seth said it best a couple of days ago, it starts with “yes” or “you’re right”. The details can be handled separately, what companies cannot recover from is a bad attitude http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/04/youre-right.html
Ontario Emperor Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 11:08 am
My takeaway from this whole episode is that you can’t take a defective customer service system, bolt some social media on it, and assume that things will now be wonderful because you’re trendy. Any customer service input, whether it be Twitter, CB radios, or postcards, needs to be incorporated into a comprehensive customer service system to be truly effective.
PR Connections » Listening is not enough Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 11:23 am
[...] Geoff Livingston’s post this morning about his experience with JetBlue provides a clear illustration to my theoretical point. Sphere: Related [...]
Toby Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Geoff - I sincerely hope the comment by “Dave Neeleman” was not the “Dave Neeleman” who was CEO of JetBlue. It’s not only a disgrace to JetBlue but to the entire airline industry to be represented so unprofessionally. I agree with Ontario Emperor, and as we’ve talked about many times, unless back-end business processes are in place taking part in the convo can do more harm then good. Sad to see a once innovative company making these types of customer service mistakes.
Geoff Livingston Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Toby: I couldn’t agree more. Let’s hope it’s a fake Dave.
On your comment and Ontario’s: I do think that Morgan assuaged some angst, it’s just, well not good enough. You know, it really sucked, and a lot of it had to do with attitude from the employees.
Xdm Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Last year I was bent over by United. They overbooked (by about 15%) a series of flights to Toronto. My ticket was worthless and I had to wait most of a Sunday, Mother’s Day, at IAD until they could get me and about 25 other people on the next four flights out. (Did I mention all those flights were full too? Did I mention I was pregnant?) I’m savvy enough to have gotten over to Customer Service and complain/cry up a storm for a reserved seat on ANY flight and a free voucher but here’s the kicker: as a government contractor the gov paid for the ticket in the first place so the free ticket was gov/company property. I turned it over to be used for another business trip that went just as poorly. Travel sucks these days. That’s pretty much all there is to it. I don’t expect it to change because we now have the power to complain more broadly.
links for 2008-04-29 « Public Relations Matters Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
[...] jetBlue Delivers a Systematic Customer Service Letdown » The Buzz Bin JetBlue uses Twitter .. . but still fails to satisfy this customer. So he blogs about it. (tags: twitter) [...]
Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire! » The Buzz Bin Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 6:35 am
[...] as the Buzz Bin discusses customer service let downs, Andy Sernovitz’s Damn I Wish I Thought of That reiterates the need for excellent customer [...]
John Whiteside Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 11:31 am
There are lots of types of stories circulating lately about a lot of different companies; while a company certainly gets a lot of points satisfying somebody with a well-read blog, the goal should be to use these media to identify operational problems and fix them so that they stop occurring for everybody. In the case of the rebooking issue, it sounds like you came across a systems problem that they now know about (& owe you $50 for). In the case of the tipping issue and the snarly rep. some cultural problems for which you were owed an apology and which need to be addressed. For the lost bag problem, it doesn’t sound like anything that isn’t absolutely unavoidable in air travel - some bags will get lost and need to be tracked down.
I’m just not sure this qualifies as “systemic” rather than one badly handled situation with the rebooking.
Ontario Emporer’s point is right on the mark: social media provide feedback, but really aren’t a replacement for good systems (for operations and customer support). I never fly jetBlue so I have no idea how their systems really compare to other airlines (it sounds like they’re mixed at best).
Accidentally on Purpose Blog » Links for 2008-04-30 Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
[...] JetBlue Delivers a Systematic Customer Service Letdown [...]
Member-to-Member: Organizational Identity in the Age of Social Media Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
RichardatDELL Says:
May 1st, 2008 at 12:20 am
Hi Geoff,
You are correct to state the importance for companies to be able to listen, respond and act. However, from a company perspective it is important to remember that not all actions just happen. Some take time, follow up and form filling.
Also, while I appreciate you calling me out, let me assure you I am not simply waving some magic wand alone. First and foremost, I am just one person and one member of a team of great people who all work together to listen, do what we believe is right for our customers, and striving to also build long term relationships with our customers.
Our many online conversations everyday involve lots of follow up with “offline” colleagues “back in the office.” And it is often their unsung expertise, knowledge and understanding that is crucial to moving the ball down the field so that we grow and improve as a company.
Geoff Livingston Says:
May 1st, 2008 at 1:01 am
Great insights, Rich. Thanks for coming by and expounding on those aspects of your program.
TheLetterTwo.com » Blog Archive » Customer care bullying no more Says:
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
[...] about a product, you can voice your opinion on a blog, as Geoff Livingston wrote about on his Buzz Bin Blog relating to his encounters with [...]
Is JetBlue using twitter to spy on its customers…or blow their minds? | Awake At The Wheel | Personal Growth | careers | entrepreneurship | health & happiness Says:
May 6th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Irene Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I too have a bitter taste in my mouth from Jet Blue. A brand new bag that was purchased for a trip on Jet Blue arrived at it’s destination damaged. Their response? A $50 discount on their next flight. Big deal. I woun’t fly on that airline again and will be sure to tell everyone I know. I have asked 5 times what agency I need to contact to file a complaint regarding my damaged bag. They still will not tell me. I have been told to file a homeowners claim, a claim against my credit card, etc. They won’t answer my question and keep telling me how sorry they are, etc. The people in baggage (JFK) are rude and obnoxious. Can anyone tell me how to file an official complaint regarding JetBlue. Is it the FAA?
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