Stop Outsourcing Customer Service Jobs, US Airways

I called to make a change to an exisiting paid reservation. Just
wanted to change the date on one leg of the flight. I could barely
understand the agent. After repeatedly saying "pardon me", he informed
me that there were plenty of seats available on the date I requested,
but it would cost me $150 plus fees. I had to hold for 20 minutes
while he searched for the fees. Finally, he came back on the line and
said "it will be $776 total, I can confirm that with you now and put
it on your credit card", he couldn't tell me what the fees were for!
I'm through with US Airways, my original round trip fare was $800,
which I'd already paid for! When you outsource and have inadequate
help, the customer gets inadequate service. Consumers beware of an
airline that not only outsources customer service, but charges for
water on flights.

Was it more of a problem that the web process didn't work, or that you
got an offshore support center? These aren't connected, unless they
are outsourcing the website as well (possibility).

If you are going to base your buying decisions in the future on who
doesn't outsource, lots of luck to you. It is the way every company
is going, so we better get used to it. Borders don't mean much
anymore, global economy and all, blah blah blah.

I have to speak to various health insurance companies on a daily basis
and I can tell you for a fact - thank God for the internet!

Its not that I am against anyone in a foreign country holding a job
that was outsourced...I mean its not them that personally moved the
company over there...I only ask that they speak a reasonable amount of
English and not use names like Brittany, Star, Donald and yes even
Oprah! Give them a rep number and let it go at that. I don;t need to
talk to celebrity wanna be's.

Also make sure you understand English as well as you are taught to use
it. My having to repeat 4 times the patients name and date of birth is
unreasonable and totally a waste of my time and yours because
eventually you tell me that you have no subscriber or dependent by
that name.

Outsourcing is here to stay...just give these people more training and
sessions in how to use the English language until they are capable of
doing so.

You'll be pleased to note that Northwest Airlines has its reservation
centres in the US (with the exception of their Singapore reservation
centre which is responsible for customers in Asia making Asia-only
bookings as Northwest Airlines has a strong presence in Asia). I
believe that their offices are in Minneapolis, Chisholm, Tampa,
Seattle, Sioux City, and Baltimore.

Might I also add that their flight information online is the best of
any US-based airline I have seen! It is always uptodate with real
reasons why the flight is delayed or cancelled. Plus it even has the
flight maps right there on the site for most of their flights.

The problem is that people are not hired because they pass muster with
Americans.

Perhaps the hiring process should require you to speak on the phone
with a variety of people, from varying parts of the country, with
varying accents.

Normally, I find these anti-outsourcing letters bad. But this makes a
fair point: if a customer has to call three times just to find someone
that they can understand, then is money really being saved?

This, folks, is why I prefer web and e-mail. While it can be slow and
frustrating (for other reasons), accents don't come into it.

Everyone is outsourcing these days, it is cheaper and most people are
not willing to pay the increase for the companies to keep call centers
over here.

I forgot to mention that this flight took place on 06/10/2008. Flight
2679 from Charlotte, NC to San Antonio, TX was to have departed at
6.11pm, actual depart was 7.10pm, arrived at 8.31. Per Customer
service rep at the SATX airport.