Continental threats

Te Canaille wrote:

"mrtravel" wrote in message m...

Te Canaille wrote:


There was no heated exchange but the discussion took an ugly turn when the clerk threatened to charge me for the prior

flight

and the situation took on an adverserial feeling.
Fact is that I had been checking this duffle for about 6 years and during that time the size policy changed and it became
oversized. Continental continued to check this duffle through without saying a word to me about a new policy. I don't peruse the
airline policy and it is not posted.

Why do you think it is a new policy. I think it is the same policy that
someone decided to enforce.. Like speeding. Sometimes limits are more
strictly enforced than others.



I think it's a new policy because Continental told me it was.

Te

Are you suggesting that CO didn't have limits on baggage size before?
The current limit looks about the same as when I used to fly CO until
about 12 years ago.

"mrtravel" wrote in message ...
Te Canaille wrote:


I think it's a new policy because Continental told me it was.

Te

Are you suggesting that CO didn't have limits on baggage size before?
The current limit looks about the same as when I used to fly CO until
about 12 years ago.


No, I'm suggesting that when I called Continental's customer service number and told them this duffle had been accepted without
question for the last 6 years, the agent told me that this policy was only a year or so old. Maybe Continental's agent was not being
truthful or perhaps the standard had been changed. I think this irrevalent at any rate. Continental should raise policy questions
with customers in a consistent manner, not wait for years then put them in an awkward position in a strange city on a return flight.
Thanks for helping me keep this thread going. The more I can articulate Continental's bad behavior the better.

Te

"Ray Lozano" wrote in message om...
"Te Canaille" wrote in message news:ag%7b.48376$uh6.6133@lakeread05...

To all those attacking Te,

The flamers among you are simply vicious animals. Te's grievance is
valid. The airlines behave like unfriendly, unincentivized government
agencies, which they have largely become since Congress injected $15
billion into the industry after 9-11. I would not fly on an airline
run by the IRS, and the airlines today are doing a fair job of acting
like tax collectors.

If the airline industry operated competitively within a free market,
the weak operators would go out of business, overcapacity would be
eliminated, and the focus of the survivors would quickly shift to true
competition for customers. Instead, paying customers whose tax dollars
keep airline employees working are often harassed by hostile airline
representatives whose paychecks they subsidize.

There is an element among these newsgroups, including but not limited
to the flamers, who seem to worship the sovereignty of the airlines
and the infallibility of their policies. When a traveler has a
legitimate complaint about poor customer service, all too often their
grievance is met with brainless insults, as if the airlines are beyond
reproach and as if a traveler's troubles, as a consumer, are the
result of that person's stupidity.

I'm with Te. As a paying customer I expect to be treated with decency.
I certainly don't expect the red carpet to be rolled out for me if I'm
not paying for it, but if I am paying someone to provide me with a
product or service, I believe I deserve respect and assistance from
the company to whom I am giving my money.

For those of you who can think of nothing more than to abuse people on
these newsgroups with invective, you must live very sorry lives. To
those of you who respond thoughtfully, whether you agree or disagree,
you are appreciated.

Ray Lozano
http://www.usairways.tv


Thanks Ray. I just want a fair shake and not only didn't get that but was threatened in the bargain. Not what one might expect.

Te Canaille

"Te Canaille" wrote in
news:7Ak8b.51687$uh6.46002@lakeread05:



Thanks Ray. I just want a fair shake and not only didn't get that but
was threatened in the bargain. Not what one might expect.

Te Canaille




You're welcome.

--
Ray Lozano
http://www.usairways.tv

Mr Travel,

I have read several of your posts recently, and it sounds like you are a
travel professional or a very experienced traveler. The less-experienced
among us do not have the advantage of your experience. We will make more
travel mistakes than someone like you.

Then pay for them. Why should the airline pay for your admitted
ignorance?


I believe in the usefulness of business policies to regulate operations.
Order is far better than chaos in pursuit of profit. However, what I see
in Te's case is inconsistent application of the airline's policy, which
should not be confused with law. Policy decisions should be made with
regard to what is best for the customer to create goodwill. At least
that is what is required in a free market.

Goodwill for people like him would bankrupt an airline. It's totally
ridiculous. If a cop lets you off with a warning one time, it hardly
means that they have to the next time. In fact, maybe he remembers
you as an ungrateful serial offender for whom no favors should be
done.


As far as airline employees being attacked by irate passengers, it
doesn't surprise me and it is absolutely unacceptable. I have heard of
it but I have never witnessed it.

Traveling is stressful for many people, but good business practices by
the airlines could alleviate much of the strain. Nevertheless, some
customers will never behave according to the best thought-out policies.

Read doing what this guy wants.

On 11 Sep 2003 13:12:51 -0700, (Ray Lozano)
wrote:

Here is just another anti-airline ranter that ignores the fact that
this guy was in violation of the airline's rules, thinks he is
entitled to exception simply because he got them before and wants them
again--a thoroughly ridiculous position. As with the other guy, this
guy's definition of poor service is anything he doesn't like whether
warranted to not. You can be sure that both of them would delay your
checking in while they rant at the airline.

To all those attacking Te,

The flamers among you are simply vicious animals. Te's grievance is
valid. The airlines behave like unfriendly, unincentivized government
agencies, which they have largely become since Congress injected $15
billion into the industry after 9-11. I would not fly on an airline
run by the IRS, and the airlines today are doing a fair job of acting
like tax collectors.

If the airline industry operated competitively within a free market,
the weak operators would go out of business, overcapacity would be
eliminated, and the focus of the survivors would quickly shift to true
competition for customers. Instead, paying customers whose tax dollars
keep airline employees working are often harassed by hostile airline
representatives whose paychecks they subsidize.

There is an element among these newsgroups, including but not limited
to the flamers, who seem to worship the sovereignty of the airlines
and the infallibility of their policies. When a traveler has a
legitimate complaint about poor customer service, all too often their
grievance is met with brainless insults, as if the airlines are beyond
reproach and as if a traveler's troubles, as a consumer, are the
result of that person's stupidity.

I'm with Te. As a paying customer I expect to be treated with decency.
I certainly don't expect the red carpet to be rolled out for me if I'm
not paying for it, but if I am paying someone to provide me with a
product or service, I believe I deserve respect and assistance from
the company to whom I am giving my money.

For those of you who can think of nothing more than to abuse people on
these newsgroups with invective, you must live very sorry lives. To
those of you who respond thoughtfully, whether you agree or disagree,
you are appreciated.

Ray Lozano
http://www.usairways.tv

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 19:54:52 -0500, "Te Canaille"
wrote:


"mrtravel" wrote in message m...

You met an employee that for one reason or another you had a problem
with. We don't know what was said between the two of you, only that it
sounds very strange that an airline would threaten to charge your credit
card for a past event of being over the baggage limit. Maybe it was a
heated exchange, we don't know.... The problem seemed to have occurred
because you either didn't know or didn't desire to follow the baggage
rule. The bag was oversized. It was up to the airline if it wanted to
charge you or not.

There was no heated exchange but the discussion took an ugly turn when the clerk threatened to charge me for the prior flight
and the situation took on an adverserial feeling.

Probably because they were busy checking in customers and you were
taking up their time with your silly complaint.

Fact is that I had been checking this duffle for about 6 years and during that time the size policy changed and it became
oversized. Continental continued to check this duffle through without saying a word to me about a new policy. I don't peruse the
airline policy and it is not posted.

So what? Their policies are posted on their website and you could
ask. Fares have changed all over the place during the last 6 years as
well. Did you complain about the fact that you are now getting the
historical lowest or do you only bitch when something is not in your
favor?

If they had brought this to my attention at my home base I would have
had a choice to put it my
vehicle or make some other accomodation but they ckecked it through to Cleveland. On the return flight they asked if I had golf
clubs and I truthfully said no. At that point he said the cost would be $ 80 to check it. I was surprised and informed them that the
pad in the duffle was worth only $ 60 and I would not have elected to spend $ 160 to check it, but since I was in a strange city and
had no options then it should be checked through and I'd figure some other option in the future.

Sure you did, of course. It it were only worth $60 as you claim, you
could have thrown it away or thrown away the contents and kept the
bag. This just shows how you think.

He got another individual who I can
only assume was a supervisor. She said that if I continued on this track she'd retroactively charge for the first flight. It was a
clear threat and attempted intimidation. At that point I took the pad out of the duffle left it on the floor and took the duffle
outside to the sky cap and checked it through.

So you are completely dishonest and admit it. After clearing now
knowing what the airline's rules were you had no hesitation to find
someway to break them after being informed of them. And then you rant
about them. Try looking in the mirror about you own thievery.

I was the only person at the desk at that time so no one was
inconvenienced. I
expected them to recognize that they had gotten me into a situation and would get me home but "don't bring this duffle next trip".
That way I would have gotten happily home, learned of the new policy, and they would have gained a great deal of good will.

They hardly need the goodwill of a thief.


Instead
they and I were both unhappy with the result. Looking a some of the golf bags they checked through without charge, my 1/2 inch thick
4 pound foam pad really wouldn't have been a problem.

Can't tell the difference between sporting equipment and your stuff
can you?

BTW, there is no written policy on golf bags but they are not charged.
There's a great deal of inconsistency by Continental and this clerk was just acting arbitrarily. I heard from folks in other
newsgroups who say the same. Most of the time they'll check an oversize through without charge.

Of course they do. There's a lot of irrational airline haters just
like you who have no idea what they are talking about ranting just
like you. Whereas great minds often agree, it is equally true that
fools rarely differ. Guess which category you fit into?

Company policy is not public law. A private company policy can only be compiled with by the public if the public is informed and
it is incumbent on the company to take steps to do so.


This just again shows your monumental ignorance among other things.
Your ticket is a contract between you and the airline and it is very
much governed by law. And as they often say, ignorance of the law is
no excuse. It's your problem.

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 21:13:59 -0500, "Te Canaille"
wrote:


"mrtravel" wrote in message m...
Te Canaille wrote:


There was no heated exchange but the discussion took an ugly turn when the clerk threatened to charge me for the prior
flight
and the situation took on an adverserial feeling.
Fact is that I had been checking this duffle for about 6 years and during that time the size policy changed and it became
oversized. Continental continued to check this duffle through without saying a word to me about a new policy. I don't peruse the
airline policy and it is not posted.

Why do you think it is a new policy. I think it is the same policy that
someone decided to enforce.. Like speeding. Sometimes limits are more
strictly enforced than others.


I think it's a new policy because Continental told me it was.

Te



There's nothing new about it, of course. They have had the same
limits for years and it's up to them to enforce them as they see fit.
As simple as that.

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 04:28:15 GMT, mrtravel
wrote:

Te Canaille wrote:

"mrtravel" wrote in message m...

Te Canaille wrote:


There was no heated exchange but the discussion took an ugly turn when the clerk threatened to charge me for the prior

flight

and the situation took on an adverserial feeling.
Fact is that I had been checking this duffle for about 6 years and during that time the size policy changed and it became
oversized. Continental continued to check this duffle through without saying a word to me about a new policy. I don't peruse the
airline policy and it is not posted.

Why do you think it is a new policy. I think it is the same policy that
someone decided to enforce.. Like speeding. Sometimes limits are more
strictly enforced than others.



I think it's a new policy because Continental told me it was.

Te

Are you suggesting that CO didn't have limits on baggage size before?
The current limit looks about the same as when I used to fly CO until
about 12 years ago.


Is is, of course. Just more evidence that this guy has no clue what
he is talking about. He just wants to smear an airline for his own
ignorance and irresponsibility, just like someone here a while back
ranted on about CO not helping her to what she thought was her
entitlement with a weather delay for which they have no responsibility
whatsoever. She ranted on just like this guy, because she thought she
should be reimbursed for acts of God. Just as stupid as this and if
people wonder why airlines react this way now when they have a severe
business environment after seeing how the ones they have done favors
for act like this and turn into outright thieves is it any wonder that
they have had enough?

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 03:27:26 -0500, "Te Canaille"
wrote:

"mrtravel" wrote in message ...
Te Canaille wrote:


I think it's a new policy because Continental told me it was.

Te

Are you suggesting that CO didn't have limits on baggage size before?
The current limit looks about the same as when I used to fly CO until
about 12 years ago.


No, I'm suggesting that when I called Continental's customer service number and told them this duffle had been accepted without
question for the last 6 years, the agent told me that this policy was only a year or so old. Maybe Continental's agent was not being
truthful or perhaps the standard had been changed. I think this irrevalent at any rate. Continental should raise policy questions
with customers in a consistent manner, not wait for years then put them in an awkward position in a strange city on a return flight.
Thanks for helping me keep this thread going. The more I can articulate Continental's bad behavior the better.


Your finally right on something. It is irrelevant. It's you
responsibility to know what your responsibilities are in a contractual
relationship which this one is. And when your reaction to this
awkward situation is to steal from them after being informed of it
tells all anyone needs to know about you. And they hardly will miss
you. They are predicted to be the only major carrier to make a profit
in the third quarter so they now a lot more about how to run an
airline properly than you do. Mostly by ignoring cretins like you.