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Complaint Repair in the
News
January
9, 2001
"There Are Ways for Travelers to Complain Effectively"
Knight Ridder/Tribune
Tom Parsons
The Dallas Morning News J
anuary 09, 2001
To view article: http://www.fodors.com/features/news/newsdisplay.cfm?news_id=205
Full Text of Article:
Have your recent travels
been full of hassles? There are ways to complain and sometimes come away
with remuneration. The trick is getting your voice heard.
A thoughtful letter is a good start. Relatively few consumers take time
to lodge a complaint and then follow it to the top. If you let lingering
anger get to you, you're already two steps behind. Release your steam
to the sympathetic ears of family or friends and then take action.
Approach the situation calmly and direct your frustration to the people
who can change things. Be firm and direct, but not insulting. A forcefully
stated expectation works fine. State your case reasonably to establish
that you have a reasonable complaint.
Submit your complaint in writing, either by e-mail or letter. E-mail is
fast and convenient, but letters can carry more impact. Stay focused on
one issue or one experience. You may have several complaints, but your
letter probably will be forwarded to the person in charge of a particular
area.
A frequent-flier complaint mixed with an anti-competitive pricing complaint
could reach only half of your required audience. Be clear and precise.
Use specific examples, and include photocopies of relevant documents.
When communicating with airlines, explain your importance to them. If
you are a gold-level frequent flier, include your number and mention your
status.
If you can add something positive, do so. In all correspondence, include
contact information, such as a daytime phone number and address. If you're
using the U.S. postal service, put your address on the letter, as well
as on the envelope. Don't give up easily.
Some organizations hope you will give up and go away. Persistence pays
off. In most cases, you will not see immediate response. Patience is necessary
through many levels of bureaucracy. If your matter is not settled, it
may not offer you much comfort, but at least you will have established
a precedent. In the future, it could be that much harder for a similar
instance to occur.
One person alone may not have the clout to affect changes but a collective
voice can produce one mighty roar. In addition to complaining to the consumer
affairs division of the appropriate airline, hotel, cruise or rental company
or government organization, you can also log it online.
For airline complaints, e-mail the U.S. Department of Transportation at
airconsumer(AT)ost.dot.gov, or telephone the FAA Consumer Hotline at 1-800-322-7873.
The Consumer Travel Rights Center (www.mytravelrights.com) features travel
news, documents pertaining to passenger rights and quick routes to help
you complain.
At www.passengerrights.com, guests can send complaints to a variety of
organizations.
You can also view and post complaints at www.Complaint Repair,
which features an area for travelers.
Tom Parsons is publisher of www.bestfares.com.
(c) 2001, The Dallas Morning News.
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