Lodging a customer service complaint — reader mistake story
Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Lana, who sent Delta feedback about an overnight delay on a recent trip to Hawaii:
Last October, my sister-in-law and I planned a trip from Indiana to Kauai. We booked Delta economy flights from Fort Wayne (FWA) to Lihue (LIH) with stops in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. This was her first trip to the Aloha State, but I fly the route about six times a year, and this particular trip was bad from start to finish!
Nothing was caused by bad weather or mechanical issues, but rather a collection of strange errors by Delta that fell like dominoes. An empty Delta plane blocked our gate in Minneapolis, and because of that lengthy delay, our pilot had to be switched out because he would have been out of hours by the time we reached LAX. We ended up delayed in Minneapolis for six hours, and were finally forced to spend the night in San Francisco, where we would catch a United flight to Lihue the next day. Our one week stay in Hawaii was cut short by an entire day.
I reached out to Delta via their online complaint form with a letter highlighting all of the failures (there were many others). I actually received a call from a Delta rep who apologized and assured me it would be "taken up the chain to her superiors." Wow! I felt confident we would be compensated. After a month of hearing nothing, I contacted Delta again and was told they would take the matter under review. However, nothing materialized from my original complaint; evidently, the call from Delta was just hollow customer service. I had one remaining trip to Hawaii in 2018, and because of that experience, I chose United.
Here's the mistake part: The other day, I ran across my original Delta complaint email and laughed out loud! There was a long list of errors, and I had mistakenly chosen to list them all. Retrospectively, I think I should have focused on the most critical errors (two or three at most). I also should have made contact immediately instead of waiting until I got home, and followed up promptly when I didn't get a favorable answer. Finally, I should have tried contacting the airline through social media — I'm older, so this is out of my comfort zone, but it's time I bite that bullet and get comfortable with it!
I empathize with Lana's impulse to be thorough, but sharing too many details in a customer service complaint can muddle your message and make getting help more difficult. No matter how frustrated or beleaguered you are by travel mishaps, when you contact customer service (whether face to face, by phone or online), keep in mind you're interacting with real people who have limited time and finite attention spans. Your communications should be clear, concise, specific and (perhaps most importantly) polite — your goal is to voice your concerns so they can be addressed; if you just need to vent, call a friend.
Feedback should include your name and contact information (with a frequent flyer number if you have one), flight number and travel date, and a brief summary of what went wrong (or right). You can mention multiple service issues if you think they're pertinent, but leave out the small stuff — when you're communicating dissatisfaction with a lengthy delay, for example, tossing in a complaint about slow Wi-Fi is just distracting. Omit other extraneous information, like that you were on your way to a wedding or that you had a splitting headache. Focus on what happened, and not how you felt about it.
Finally, offer a reasonable solution if you have one in mind, since letting the airline know how to help you makes doing so much easier. If you're not sure what to ask for, you can indicate the type of compensation you're after (like a refund, voucher or miles), without specifying an amount. Contacting customer service isn't an exact science and you won't always get the outcome you want, but this approach should help.
Related: What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
I appreciate this story, and I hope it can help other readers avoid making the same mistake. In appreciation for sharing this experience (and for allowing us to post it online), I'm sending Lana a gift card to enjoy on future travels, and I'd like to do the same for you. Please email your own travel mistake stories to info@thepointsguy.com, and put "Reader Mistake Story" in the subject line. Tell us how things went wrong, and (where applicable) how you made them right. Offer any wisdom you gained from the experience, and explain what the rest of us can do to avoid the same pitfalls.
Feel free to also submit your best travel success stories. If your story is published in either case, I'll send you a gift to jump-start your next adventure. Due to the volume of submissions, we can't respond to each story individually, but we'll be in touch if yours is selected. I look forward to hearing from you, and until then, I wish you a safe and mistake-free journey!
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.