David J. Danto
Business travel
thoughts in my own, personal opinion
eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on all 
“Shouting Fire” – October 2023
Can you shout “fire” in a crowded movie theater? Many of us living in western democracies enjoy one
form or another of Freedom Of Speech. But is there a limit on what we can say if it
does damage? The classic example above
of shouting fire in a crowded movie theater is the extreme case of when we are
not free to say anything anywhere. But
what about when it comes to customer service?
Are we free to share lousy experiences or do we need to be careful about
the backlash?
I’m reflecting on this because of a note I received
from a friend and colleague last week. Someone
I know had posted on social media that they had a bad experience with a travel
company. (Seriously, it wasn’t even my
post.) I added in the comments that that
firm has always disappointed me as well.
My colleague suggested I remove the comment as another part of our firm
was pitching business to them. It’d be a
stretch for this firm to associate me with the proposed business, but it could
happen, so I removed the comment. (I
told my colleague that if telling the truth about bad services experiences was not
good, that ship had sailed for me decades ago.)
I am personally grounded from a set of morals and
standards that dictate knowledge of a problem is ownership. If, in my professional life, I hear of an
unsatisfied client (whether or not it is my area of responsibility) I want to
hear the details and see what I can do to address the issue and transform the
complainer into a fan for life. I just
can’t empathize with organizations that wouldn’t want to hear all of the problems
and be given an opportunity to address them.
I think that the travel and hospitality industry was
like that for a long time. I remember
the names of key individuals at travel and hospitality firms that one could always
write to to resolve issues. One wouldn’t / shouldn’t pen a letter for
something trivial, but when the situation was truly FUBAR,
these people would step in to ‘make it right.’ But sometime after the Y2K turn of the
century, everything seemed to change.
Hotels, airlines, and all the other travel support firms now seem to want
their marketing to simply shout louder than any complaints, ignoring them along
the way. In fact, there
are now even cases of people being sued by businesses that don’t like the
honest negative reviews customers may have posted.
It seems to come down to the reality that the only
power consumers have is to vote with their wallet. Did your airline decimate their frequent
flyer program? (Of-course they did, they all did as there is no longer really
any route competition or respect for loyalty.)
Then just stop signing up for their program, stop buying miles, stop
using their credit cards – and fly only when it is the only option. Did your hotel cut services during the
pandemic and not restore them? Well then call them before making a reservation
and confirm you will get full services like daily room cleaning and
breakfast. If they are not providing
what you need, don’t stay there.
If you have anything negative to share about your
experiences, be careful where and how you share them. You wouldn’t want any backlash, and backlash
seems to be the rule of the day. And, as
for me, perhaps I’ll post a little less about how my airline sucks, as
honestly, they all suck.
Also, p
I’m in another gap in my business travel. My next trip is mid-November. When I’m home I miss being on the road as often
as I used to, but when I do get on the road I remember
why I don’t miss it. It isn’t how I
remember it from 30 years ago. It’s
mostly just a pain in the rear.
This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal
opinions.
All image and links provided above as reference under
prevailing fair use statutes.
Copyright 2023 David Danto
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As always, feel free to write and comment, question or
disagree. Hearing from the traveling
community is always a highlight for me.
Thanks!