How to enable your website and particularly your Customer Service department to offend customers

On the 28th of September, I wrote to the Customer Service Dept of United Airlines as follows:

"Your form is designed in such a way that a customer cannot submit a message in relation to travel even the next day!!!

"Well, this message has to do with my flight tomorrow (September 29, 2013):

"After I have spent time going through the entire electronic check-in sequence, why does the eventual message there say "These travellers are not eligible for boarding passes at this time"?

"Does that mean there is something wrong with my flight reservation for tomorrow?? (I THEN PROVIDED THE DETAILS OF THE FLIGHT).

Here is the reply I received yesterday (18 days after my message was sent, and well after the whole journey to the US had been completed!):

"Dear Professor Guptara:

"Thank you for contacting United's Customer Care Department. I appreciate your patience and offer my apology for a delayed response to your message.

"Our Customer Care department is committed to providing excellent customer service and will make every effort to accommodate our customers when possible; however, I regret we are unable to assist with reservations requests. Our Reservation agents are most up-to-date on policies and procedures pertaining to future-date reservations, while my expertise is resolving after-travel issues and concerns.

For future reference, to receive first-rate online service please visit us online at united.com. Or to speak with one of our reservations professionals, please call: 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) from the U.S. and Canada, were agents are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Thank you for your past support of United and we look forward to serving you in the future.

Regards,

Tammi R. Foxx United Airlines Customer Care

JUST TO BE CLEAR: THE INITIAL MESSAGE ABOVE HAD IN FACT BEEN SUBMITTED ON UNITED.COM

I TAKE IT THAT UNITED DOES NOT ALLOW ITS CUSTOMER CARE DEPARTMENT TO FORWARD SUCH LETTERS TO THE RELEVANT DEPARTMENT... BUT RATHER FORCES THE POOR PERSON TO REPLY TO ME WITH AN INANE MESSAGE

OTHER INVESTIGATIONS REVEALED THAT THE REASON FOR MY BEING "INELIGIBLE" TO RECEIVE THE BOARDING PASS IS BECAUSE MY "PASSPORT NEEDED TO BE MANUALLY CHECKED"....

IN FACT, HOWEVER, ALL PASSPORTS ARE MANUALLY CHECKED...SEVERAL TIMES!!! ... SO DOES UNITED ISSUE NO BOARDING PASSES AT ALL, OR IS DENIAL OF A BOARDING PASS A RANDOM OCCURENCE IN ORDER TO IRRITATE A FEW CUSTOMERS? Sphere: Related Content

On the degeneration of language and the capacity for thought in England

The use of English in England has now degenerated to the point that University College London says, on its website: "A range of options in Comparative Literature and Film are available".

This is not a unique occurrence; it seems to be the usual way in which the language is used throughout its description of courses on offer to undergraduates.

The reason I was looking at the website is that someone I know had asked for advice regarding which courses to choose.

I was particularly appalled to see: "A range of options in Philosophy are available".

Philosophy, of all disciplines, depends on being able to use language precisely. Language depends on grammar. If even the teachers and organisers of such courses have poor grammar, what can we expect of graduates?

Is it any wonder that slipshod thinking now dominates a country once famed for the quality of its thought?

But I should not be surprised: this is not the only sort of degeneration that is to be expected once the worship of money becomes widespread in any culture.

Sphere: Related Content