What are the common elements in airline customer service horror stories?

I had a flight that got delayed for 5 hours due to 'technical issues'. We were stuck in the airport lounge with no proper communication from the airline. They didn't provide any food vouchers or update us regularly. When we finally boarded, the plane was dirty and the seats were uncomfortable. It was a nightmare.

Well, first of all, there's the inefficiency factor. Customers are made to jump through hoops to get a simple problem resolved. This can involve having to repeat the problem over and over to different people. Second, there's the blame - shifting. Instead of trying to solve the issue, the customer service tries to put the blame on the customer. And third, there's the lack of follow - up. Once the call is over, there's no further action or communication to ensure the problem has been truly fixed.

One of the most common elements is the failure to solve the problem. The customer approaches the customer service with an issue, but instead of getting it resolved, they are given the run - around. The staff may transfer them from one department to another without any real attempt to fix the issue. This makes the customer feel unvalued and frustrated. For example, I had an issue with my laptop and the customer service just kept passing me around between different technicians, and in the end, my problem was still not solved.

Once, I was on a flight and my luggage got lost. The airline staff at the destination airport were extremely helpful. They immediately started the search process, kept me updated every hour, and even provided me with a voucher for essential items. In the end, they found my luggage and delivered it to my hotel. It was a great display of their dedication to customer service.

A common one is that the customer service is unresponsive. People try to reach out about issues with their orders, like wrong sizes or damaged items, but they don't get any reply for days. It's really frustrating when you're waiting for a solution.

Long hold times are very common. Customers end up waiting for ages, which is a waste of their time. For example, I once waited two hours for a bank's customer service.

One common complaint is long wait times. Customers often have to wait for hours on hold just to talk to a representative. Another is unhelpful responses. Sometimes, the agents seem to not understand the problem fully and give generic solutions that don't work. Also, there are cases where Apple refuses to honor warranties without proper justification, leaving customers frustrated and having to pay for repairs that should be covered.

A common horror story is unresponsive customer service. Customers call with urgent questions about their policies, but they are put on hold for a long time or transferred multiple times without getting a proper answer.

Sure. There was a time when I missed my connecting flight because the first flight was late. The airline quickly rebooked me on the next available flight without any extra charge. They also gave me a lounge pass so I could wait comfortably. It was really nice of them.

Delays are very common. Airlines often overbook, and when that happens, passengers can be bumped off flights even if they had valid tickets. Another common element is bad behavior from other passengers, like being drunk or just plain rude.