Point Me to the Miles

Be Nice: Delta May Prevent the Rules From Over-Ruling Common Sense

A while back I wrote about Delta’s new TV ad, despite frequent criticism about their loyalty program.  I especially liked the tagline “Predict the unpredictable, anticipate the unexpected, and never let the rules overrule common sense,” because from my experience with them, they do a fantastic job of living up to this creed.  And the other day was no exception.

I had received a mileage award, but felt that Delta hadn’t really honored their side of the deal in exchange for my hard-earned SkyPesos, and what I was getting was screwed.

So I called about an award re-deposit as I felt like Delta was slightly to blame, and the Delta agent simply told me there may be a change fee, before putting me on hold for a minute or two.  She then came back and asked about my credit card.

Now, if push came to shove I would have paid the $150 (as a Gold Medallion–maybe next year I should go for Platinum) in order to get my miles back at a very favorable rate.  But I figured I would at least plead my case and ask for a fee waiver.  I summarized that I wasn’t getting what I thought I would be, and was turned over to a supervisor.  I explained to him my full situation, and despite stating Delta’s award redeposit policy and a little bit of its rationale (being able to sell those seats), he granted a one-time exception.

Why do I share this tale of near-missed ticket changes?  I think the thing that helped most was just being nice and polite.

I’m a firm believer in the old adage that “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.”  So I was very courteous and polite in explaining the situation and my side, despite the fact that I felt like Delta wasn’t living up to it’s side of the bargain.

I mean if you are a corporation or supervisor, who are you more likely to grant exceptions to:  Customers who are reasonable and polite, or someone who lambasts them with vile words and foul language?  I know some people that fall into the latter category, and it usually doesn’t work in their favor.  And so I think if I had tried a much “harder” approach and yelled and screamed, he wouldn’t have been all that motivated to help me out, let alone even desire to cut me a break or help me out.

So while it never hurts to ask, may you please do so ever politely-

http://fieldofburch.com/2012/03/07/a-tale-of-two-delta-videos/