Hate Being On Hold? Are They Trying To Get You To Hang Up?

One of life’s most frustrating and irritating experiences is being on hold. Let’s say you need to make a call to do something like a change a flight. Airlines never offer a live person when calling them. You get a recorded voice message telling you that the answers to all of your questions and concerns can be done online.

You know this but you decided to call anyway because not everything online is as easy as they make it sound. Let’s say you want to change a flight but don’t recall your flight number or the code they gave you when you purchased tickets. Good luck trying to change that online because there is a good chance you will cancel your flight and be without a ticket.

After hearing the opening message encouraging you to go online umpteen times, they will tell you what your approximate wait time is. Sometimes they will tell you what number you are in line for people waiting to speak to a human. After hearing the opening message of them, encouraging you to go online umpteen times.

The recorded message will tell you what your approximate wait time is and often they will tell you what number you are in line of people waiting to speak to a human.

This is where the challenge begins, if you decide you want to wait to speak to somebody, you know that it is going to be an irksome time. The horrible on hold music begins and you think to yourself, do they choose the worst music possible just to get me to hang up.

Not only is the chosen music that you hear on terrible, it seems as though it is perfectly chosen to irritate you enough to hang up. The sound quality is usually terrible, and again you start to question whether they want you to just hang up and go online and hope to resolve your issues.

Hewlett-Packard (or "HP") has just added a MINIMUM 15-minute wait time for EVERYONE dialing in to their call center.  It just started yesterday, although only in Europe for right now.

And they're admitting that the purpose is to ENCOURAGE people to use their online resources to solve their own problems.

They're targeting the people who are clogging their phone lines with issues that can be easily handled online, or by using virtual chatbots.  

We already know that these big companies outsource their customer service and on hold to foreign countries. How often do you finally get to speak with someone only to not be able to understand them due to a thick accent of some sort?

I have a choice is yours, either figure out how to solve your own problems online through their website or get comfortable, talking to chat, bots, of course someday AI will be taking over all customer service phone inquiries. May be they can find AI operators with spectacular voices or better selections of music while you wait. Good luck with that!

(The Register)

Don't Lose Your Luggage!

4 Ways To Keep Airlines From Losing Your Luggage, according to the New York Post.

Losing your luggage when you're jetting home for the holidays is like getting coal in your stocking – it's annoying and can turn the festive season into a stress-fueled saga. Picture this: you land at your destination, ready to embrace the warmth of family and the aroma of home-cooked meals, only to discover that your suitcase has embarked on its own adventure without you. It's a plot twist that even the Grinch wouldn't appreciate.

Let's start with the numbers because, let's face it, numbers make everything more tangible. According to the SITA Baggage IT Insights, mishandled baggage rates surged by 74.7% in 2022, reaching 7.6 bags per thousand passengers. That's a lot of lost luggage causing chaos during the most wonderful time of the year. And it's not just a minor inconvenience; it's a holiday headache that can take days to resolve.

Once your beloved bag goes MIA, the waiting game begins. On average, it takes about 2 to 3 days for airlines to reunite you with your belongings. That's 2 to 3 days of holiday cheer dwindling as you scramble to replace essentials like toothpaste, underwear, and, heaven forbid, that carefully wrapped gift for grandma.

Now, let's talk money.

The cost of lost luggage can hit your wallet harder than Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. Replacement clothes, toiletries, and the inevitable last-minute shopping spree all add up. On average, travelers spend around $185 to replace lost items, according to the SITA report. That's money that could have been better spent on festive decorations or that extra slice of pie.

Fortunately, airlines aren't grinches all year round.

Most have systems in place to track and return lost luggage, offering compensation for the inconvenience. They understand that holiday travel hiccups can turn even the merriest of passengers into Scrooges. So, next time you're airborne for the holidays, keep a close eye on your luggage, because nothing dampens the festive spirit like a missing suitcase on the naughty list.

Popping one in your bag has become a popular hack, but they're not exactly cheap. A four-pack costs around $100. But still, these things are genius and we should all be wearing them! No lost things or people ever!

I try to do this all the time. No one likes a layover. And it's SUPER easy to lose luggage when it's transferred. (Obviously.)

Everyone seems to choose the same, lame luggage. Black. Boring. So take a picture of yours. I actually suggest getting something crazy and bright because it stands out and you don't have anyone mistakenly take your bag.

Gotta admit. I never thought of this. If it ends up in the wrong city and the tag rips off, they'll open it up and look inside.  Having your flight info in there can help get your bag back to you as soon as possible. Decent hack.