 Northwest airlines service is horrible
Just in case anyone is thinking of flying Northwest, don't. What
follows is a complaint I sent it after it took them 2.5 days to get me
from DC to Kentucky and back.
Dear Northwest Representative:
While in one of numerous delays this weekend, I had ample time to
peruse Northwest’s “Customer First Program's Customer
Guide” (Fourth edition, May 1, 2003). During the 2.5 days
Northwest took to fly my girlfriend and me from Washington, DC, to
Lexington, KY, (via Detroit, MI), you violated many of your Customer
Service Commitments and policies. In addition,
8/1/03. Flight 1143 BWI to DTW. Departs at 11:10 a.m.
Details: We drove 50 minutes to BWI, but were told the flight was
cancelled because of maintenance issues. We were given a taxi voucher
and driven to DCA (which is only 15 minutes from my condo). We are put
on NW231.
Customer Service Commitment(s)/policy broken: Northwest’s
inactions here violated your Flight Delays and Cancellations policy
(p. 9) (“If this occurs well in advance of departure,
we’ll contact you about other flight options”). As this
was one of the first flights of the morning, passengers should have
been notified at home – especially as your contingency flights
involved an airport that was closer to home for many of them. You had
all night to know that the plane was in disrepair.
8/1/03 Flight 3456 DTW to LEX. Departs at 3:06 p.m.
Details: We taxied out to the runway where, after waiting 45 minutes,
were told the plane had to go back to the gate because of a "paperwork
issue." It took about 20 minutes for said "paperwork issue" to be
resolved, but by that time there was bad weather somewhere (not at DTW
or LEX, however,), so we had to wait on the runway for another 30
minutes or so. Even though we were told it was ok to use the
restrooms, when my girlfriend got up to use it, she was admonished by
the flight attendant and sent back to her seat. Originally, we were
supposed to arrive at LEX at 2:40 p.m. We didn't get there until 6:15
p.m. Hence, it took eight hours to fly to Lexington (it would’ve
taken nine for us to drive and been a lot cheaper) and I was late for
a wedding rehearsal.
Customer Service Commitment(s) broken: This episode violated
commitment eight ("Meet your essential needs during long delays, and
will make every reasonable effort to provide for food, water, and
restroom facilities...for passengers aboard an aircraft that is on the
ground for an extended period of time"). We weren’t given any
food or water and the restroom was not available. In addition, not
being able to take off on time because of a “paperwork
issue” is inexcusable.
8/3/03 Flight 3459 LEX to DTW. Departs at 12:45 p.m.
Details: Congratulations! This flight got off without a hitch (other
than being 15 minutes late and smelling horribly - the flight
attendant had the audacity to blame area horse farms for the problem,
even though there was no stench noticeable until we boarded).
Customer Service Commitment(s)/policy broken: None (it was wise of you
not to include any mention of supplying a clean aircraft in your
commitments).
8/3/03 Flight 1140 DTW to BWI. Departs at 3:40 p.m.
Details: We taxied out to the runway on time. We sat there for a few
minutes when the captain came on the loudspeaker and told us there was
bad weather at BWI, it wasn't accepting any more planes into its
holding pattern, and we wouldn't hear back until 5 p.m. The captain
then turned off the engine and the heat in the cabin became
sweltering. At 5 p.m. he told us they hadn't gotten back to us. He
repeated that message several more times, until after 6 p.m. when he
told us the flight was cancelled and we would need to make new
reservations. In the terminal, we were directed to the wrong line.
During this time, I called your reservation office (800.225.2525) four
times. As I live near three major airports, I asked the
representatives to present me with options for each. What they said to
me differed from the information they gave a fellow passenger. About
five minutes into each call (not including the four minute wait), the
rep hung up. One even had the audacity to tell me to "Call back when
you know what flight you want" (having a complete list of all
Northwest flights is not listed in your “Customer Guide”
as something customers need). Finally the woman at the ticket window
was able to get us a reservation for the next day.
Customer Service Commitment(s)/policy broken: This last flight
violated commitment two ("Notify you in a timely manner...of known
delays, cancellations and diversions. And will offer you a clear and
concise statement of our policies for how we will accommodate you if
you are delayed"). Sitting on a plane for almost three hours is not
timely; being directed to the wrong line and calling customer service
representatives who hang up after five minutes isn't a clear and
concise statement of your policies.
Northwest also violated customer service commitment eight (again).
During the three-hour wait for a one-hour flight, we were offered one
plastic cup of water. No food was offered. The cabin was hot and
complaints about it weren't addressed.
After this 2.5-day trip (which would’ve taken only 18 hours to
drive), my first with Northwest, I am left with the impression of a
company that is incompetent, not committed to its customers, and
struggling to meet it’s own standards, which aren’t that
lofty in the first place. Three of our four flights did not take off
on time; none of them flights were satisfactory.
Your 12th commitment is to respond to my complaint within 60 days. I
look forward to reading your response by October 5, 2003.
cc: FAA
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