Travel Mistakes That Guarantee the Worst Service Ever

It’s easy to get treated like a second-class citizen when you travel: Say the wrong thing.

That’s an undeniable fact that people are rediscovering during the busiest year in the history of modern travel.

Of course, businesses would deny it. Airlines, car rental companies, cruise lines, and hotel chains would claim that they have well-trained staff that always provide top-notch customer service.

But who are they kidding? Their well-trained employees are only human; when you disrespect them, they’ll find a way to get back at you. You’ll end up in a middle seat, in a Matchbox car, in a broom closet, or checking into a berth near the engine room.

Take that!

According to research by Christine Porath, a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina and co-author of “The Cost of Bad Behavior.”

“Incivility on the front lines of business is rising,” she noted.

How employees punish you with the worst treatment.

How does it happen? Well, I could cite one of the tens of thousands of cases I handle as a consumer advocate yearly. But I’m embarrassed to say it happened to me recently.

I was on assignment in Zürich, Switzerland, when I lost my credit card. My bank promised to send a new card to my address overnight but then sent it to the wrong address—my U.S. residence instead of my Swiss address.

Then things took a turn for the worse. My bank needed to text me to verify my identity, but the message never arrived. It then tried to enable tap-to-pay on my phone, but that didn’t work. Finally, I spoke with someone who sounded like he was in a call centre halfway around the world.

“You have to help me,” I told him.

“Let me transfer you to someone who can assist,” he promised.

Then he hung up.

I called back and waited in a long queue, and I was even more frustrated. Finally, I got through to someone in a call centre who promised to transfer me—another hangup.

I’m sure it was something I said. You never tell someone on the front lines how to do their job, even when you’re irritated — or maybe I should say, especially when you’re irritated. And by the way, I’m still waiting for my credit card as I write this, and maybe I deserve the wait.

But there are other things you can say that will also get you into trouble.

“Why can’t you just do your job?”

“That’s disrespectful and demoralizing,” says Mark Damsgaard, founder of Global Residence Index, a visa and migration agency. Instead, he recommends showing empathy and respect — and rephrasing the query to, “How can we fix this?”

“Do you know who I am?”

“That’s always a winner,” says Bob Bacheler, a frequent traveller and managing director of a medical transportation service. (He’s being sarcastic.) Travellers who have to tell you how important they are — whether they’re an elite-level frequent flier, an influencer or a thought leader — are just annoying. Employees will find a way to make their lives miserable.

“I’ll sue.”

This threat is usually accompanied by yelling and swearing. Barry Maher saw that happen on a recent flight to Chicago. A business class passenger loudly berated the ticket agent, saying everyone who worked there couldn’t “do any *!*% thing right.” “He had important business in Chicago and if he didn’t make it there on time he was going to sue the airline and everyone responsible, including the airline agent,” says Maher, a professional speaker. It did not make the agent move any faster, and the loudmouth was eventually rebooked on another flight — in economy class.

“It’s my anniversary.”

Loudly declaring that it’s your special day can have the opposite effect. This is a well-known trick to get special treatment, says Kate Lacroix, a hotel marketer. “You should assume everyone in the room is on a vacation because they are celebrating a special occasion.” I’ll never forget visiting Disney World with a childhood friend and his family. As they pulled up to the parking attendant, she asked if they could park closer to the front of the lot. “We have kids,” she said. The attendant could hardly contain his amusement. Everyone there had kids.

“I know the CEO.”

“It’s the wrong thing to say,” says Bill Luftig, an NFL stadium’s former customer relations director. “That will almost always guarantee a less-than-enthusiastic response to the problem.  Also, they want the name of your immediate boss so he can fire you. Again, not effective — and my boss would most likely back me up anyway.”  What’s the best way of getting what you want? Let the facts of your case speak for themselves.

“But I’m American”

Your nationality is no one’s business, but with anti-American sentiment running high in some parts of the world, volunteering that information may translate into lousy service. “Never flat-out say you are American,” advises Brandon Scivolette, a frequent international traveller who runs a moving company. “There’s nothing wrong with being an American, and most people accept us — but never say it as a qualifying statement.” Also, don’t assume everyone speaks English. Because they don’t.

Here’s how to get better service

You’re probably wondering what you should say to get better service. What can you do if you can’t curse, yell, threaten, or wave your platinum card around?

• Be calm. Emotion is the enemy whether something has gone wrong or you have a special request. A level-headed, rational approach is always more effective. Employees are trained to handle angry and hysterical customers: They call security.

• Be factual. Describe what you want without embellishing. Let the facts speak for themselves. Don’t tell the employee you’re essential or that you will sue if you don’t get your way. Every customer is vital, and when things go wrong, you always have the option of going to court — so both these things are already implied.

• Be friendly. Employees are people and are far more likely to go out of their way for you if you’re nice to them.

The unfortunate truth is that expectations are at a record high at a time of record travel. Getting preferential treatment is hard, but getting the worst treatment is as easy as saying careless words.

Written by: Christopher Elliott

BIO:

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at chris@elliott.org.