Set expectations high, then exceed them; Or…

After a horrible 20 hour airport experience flying from Boston to
Charlotte in July, I received the email below from US Airways.  This
was one of many bad experiences I've had on US Airways over the years,
so I thought "Wow, their customer service dept actually did something
right!".

Well, I just got off the phone with US Airways to book a flight for my
brother and I using our free vouchers, and guess what?… the vouchers
saved us $27 per ticket!!!  Is it just me or does the email below do an
awesome job at setting their customers' expectations high (free ticket)
and then not meeting those expectations.  This is the opposite of what
a good customer support organization should do.  If they had not emailed me these
vouchers, they would have only let me down once, not twice.

US Airways: Please have the
leader of your customer support department call me so that I can him/her a good book to read.

—–Original Message—–
From: "Customer Relations" <customer.relations@usairways.com>
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 11:44am

Dear Mr. Boebel:

We
are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation of
flight 2127 from Boston to New York on July 27, 2008 and for the impact
this situation had on our valued customers. We recognize you expect
reliable, convenient service and realize we fell short of that standard
for your flight.

A thorough investigation of this incident
revealed that weather was the reason for the unexpected cancellation.
As the safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority, we
would not operate an aircraft that compromises this objective. Prior to
departure, every aircraft must undergo numerous system checks by both
certified mechanical and flight personnel before they are given
clearance to depart.

As a result of the inconvenience you
experienced, we have authorized one Electronic Air Check Plus (E-ACP)
Voucher per passenger. You may apply this voucher towards the purchase
of travel on US Airways. To take full advantage of this compensation,
please review the enclosed terms and conditions of use. When you are
ready to make your future travel arrangements, please call our
Reservations Department at 1-800-428-4322 and refer to your voucher
locator:
XXXXXX – BOEBEL/SCOTT
XXXXXX – BOEBEL/WILLIAM

We
are grateful for the opportunity to explain the circumstances
surrounding your travel with us and would like you to return to US
Airways for future travel. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
Lori Flores
Customer Relations
Corporate Office

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