Over the weekend I traveled up to Buffalo to watch my brother play ice hockey at the 2011 States Tournament with his team. I booked JetBlue for my travel, as I have had nothing but great experience with them in the past. However, I had the absolute WORST experience imaginable with two JetBlue employees while waiting for my returning flight. I have NEVER been spoken to in the manner in which these two employees spoke to not only me, but all of the passengers waiting for the flight at the gate. Due to the employees misjudgment, I even had to “sleep” in the airport, after finding out MYSELF via my cell phone at 1AM that our flight back to JFK was canceled (the two employees at the gate didn’t even know until I alerted everyone)
To make a long story short, I immediately called the 1-800-Jet-Blue number to express the appalling series of events which took place, and the demeaning and disrespectful way these two employees addressed us. I was told from the representative on the line that I would hear back within 24 hours of my complaint. I had a feeling this wouldn't happen (and I was correct...still haven't heard a word) so I took to Twitter for a more immediate response. Low and behold, I heard back from JetBlue via direct message within hours after I tweeted them, which said they were "sorry for my bad experience" and to fill out a Speak Up form. First off, my experience was beyond "bad," to the extent that an airport employee heard the two JetBlue gate staff members screaming from about 100 Feet away, and was equally appalled at what had occurred. Once I replied to JetBlue's DM on Twitter letting them know that my form was filled out, they asked for the confirmation number of the Speak Up form. Since the JetBlue representative filled it out for me via phone, she never game me a confirmation number. I instead gave them the confirmation number that my mom received when she filled out the Speak Up form herself. In the meantime, I am waiting to see how long it takes for them to actually "hear" me after I "Speak Up."
Relating this to PR, it's amazing and interesting to actually witness and experience the shift in how a consumer can connect or reach out to a company. If I had this horrific experience with these two disrespectful and demeaning JetBlue employees a couple years ago, I would have to keep calling the customer service line, and write a letter to send in. Now, I can tweet them minutes after the situation occurred and get a more immediate response, which will hopefully lead to direct actions. I am hoping JetBlue will reach out to me via email or phone to rectify the situation that transpired to ensure this doesn't happen to any other customer.
Employees are a direct representation of the brand, which can either make or break the company’s image in the eyes of the public. Does JetBlue have another Steve Slater on their hands? These two disgruntled employees could just fit the bill, and could lose their cool at the drop of a dime. I think JetBlue should take a closer look at the employees they hire to represent their brand. Stay tuned to see how long it takes for me to finally be "HEARD."
