Friendly Skies

I had to make a delayed trip to St. Louis; the winter storm a fortnight ago really messed with my travel plans. On my departure date, though, I sat down at the gate and not 2 minutes later was I told that all United flights were shut down for the day. I kind of expected it, so it looks like I had to re-book my departure for a second time. Three days later, I got off the ground with no hassle.

Upon returning, I sent United Airlines an email saying something along the lines of "Hey, this winter storm really messed up my schedule, so I paid out the ass for parking. Would it be at all possible to get compensation on the garage fees? Also, fantastic job expediting everything with the polar vortex plowing through the eastern seaboard. I know it must have been difficult with all the travelers getting stranded and what not, every staff member of yours was awesomely accommodating."

Seriously, I didn't feel like I'd been wronged, and I tried to convey that in the email I sent to their customer service, even going so far as to compliment them on it.

Today’s mail came with a letter from United and a $50 gift card. The gift card is a welcome gesture, but the letter is stunningly ironic.

The customer care rep apologized profusely… for disappointing me and apparently giving me an unfavorable impression of United’s service. Maybe I didn’t convey my concerns effectively or something?

I can’t get a copy of the email I sent them, so I can’t go back and check, and it kind of bothers me that they felt the need to apologize for something that I didn’t really blame them for.

Has anyone else had an experience like that with customer service?