United passenger threatened with handcuffs to make room for higher-priority traveler

[halfback20]

Add the guy that got stung by a scorpion on a UA flight lst week to the mix. It's been a bad run for them.

 

Thank God for the 24 hour news cycle.... If they can get things right for a day or two people will be outraged by something else soon enough

[Science Friction]

I will be flying United. Seats will be very cheap since everyone is refusing to fly with them.

 

Good luck. Wear protective gear.

[halfback20]

Good luck. Wear protective gear.

Or just behave like an adult. That works as well.

[TAC]

all Airlines sucks

 

 

I fixed that for you!

[rockmom]

Right here, this is exactly the solution I have been talking about. And no amount of regulation will fix this:

 

“What United and all companies need to do is to train and empower workers to deal with specific issues as they arise,” she said. “Don’t just follow whatever is written in your policies.”

[Wireman]

Beat them all!!!

[halfback20]

Right here, this is exactly the solution I have been talking about. And no amount of regulation will fix this:

 

Then what are policies for? This is a good way to get fired too...

[LRCW]

Then what are policies for? This is a good way to get fired too...

 

Policies should be used as guidelines to follow, but everything shouldn't be black and white.

 

It's our hospital policy not to let homeless people just loiter in our ER lobby, but in the winter time when it's 10 degrees outside with a windchill of -15 degrees I'm not going to come in and kick out 2 or 3 homeless people that are seeking shelter when I come into work at 6 am. Sometimes you have to take use common sense and handle situations differently, not just go by what the policy says.

[halfback20]

Policies should be used as guidelines to follow, but everything shouldn't be black and white.

 

It's our hospital policy not to let homeless people just loiter in our ER lobby, but in the winter time when it's 10 degrees outside with a windchill of -15 degrees I'm not going to come in and kick out 2 or 3 homeless people that are seeking shelter when I come into work at 6 am. Sometimes you have to take use common sense and handle situations differently, not just go by what the policy says.

I understand that, but some people don't do well with common sense and are the reasons policies exist...

[woodsrider]

I understand that, but some people don't do well with common sense and are the reasons policies exist...

You have to have the right people in those key positions and make sure they are well trained.

[rockmom]

You have to have the right people in those key positions and make sure they are well trained.

 

And training doesn't stop. Every customer interaction is a learning opportunity.

[woodsrider]

And training doesn't stop. Every customer interaction is a learning opportunity.

Absolutely. You've pretty much nailed it on every post regarding this topic.

[gchs_uk9]

I understand that, but some people don't do well with common sense and are the reasons policies exist...

 

Policy enforcers don't always do well with common sense either.

[gchs_uk9]

And training doesn't stop. Every customer interaction is a learning opportunity.

 

As a school teacher, this is 100% correct. We have a set of rules/guidelines that we follow, but you can tell immediately after interacting with a student that some will handle communication/criticism/common sense issues much better than others. You then modify your dealings accordingly, while still striving to achieve the ultimate goal you began with.

[rockmom]

Absolutely. You've pretty much nailed it on every post regarding this topic.

 

As a school teacher, this is 100% correct. We have a set of rules/guidelines that we follow, but you can tell immediately after interacting with a student that some will handle communication/criticism/common sense issues much better than others. You then modify your dealings accordingly, while still striving to achieve the ultimate goal you began with.

 

I have been in customer service my entire career and it is hard. And it is a pet peeve of mine that people think it is a low-skill job. It requires the highest level of what we call soft skills to be successful. And not everyone can do it. But that doesn't mean that because someone made a mistake they aren't good at it. I hate sweeping generalizations and exaggeration. And I really hate when people think customer service is a black and white kind of choice. Every single customer is all on board with policies and procedures....Until their particular situation needs exception. Then said policies and procedures are unfair, etc. That does not excuse the treatment of Dr. Dao. But let's address the real issue here, not go crazy about policies that are enforced successfully 99.999% of the time.