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Air Canada review: rude customer service 12

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2:49 am EDT
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First off I would like to suggest that Air Canada hire more people to answer the phone lines as the wait times are seriously ridiculous. I waited literally an hour on the phone to speak to someone about passport information matching ticket (something you need to get accurate obviously or they hassle you when you arrive to obtain your boarding ticket. Meaning the questions I was asking were logical questions and needed to be asked. Finally someone picked up and I was spoken to as though I was a total idiot. I dont care how many times you get asked the same thing, that is your job. I have worked in customer service for many years. I hated it, I got out.. and I was never rude regardless. If you cant answer simple questions with professionalism get another job. Honestly, for a ticket costing almost 1400 dollars, this company needs to step up its professionalism. Its pretty abhorrent.

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M. Mac D
,
Sep 28, 2006 12:00 am EDT

I have a credit for a flight from July 21, 2005 when I had to cancel a return only flight from Halifax to Victoria because of car trouble on a cross country trip and could not meet the time to fly home to BC.
I had cancellation Insurance at the time and did think to call them to report this. So I had only one year to use the credit or lose it. As it happens . I have not been unable to rebook due to family problems and request an extension of the time. I would love to take a trip in the next few months .

When my agent from Uniglobe tried to get information on this, she was met with rudeness. Is Air Canada concerned with good public relations?
I look forward to a response.

Thank you,
M. Mac D

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Fistfulofdollars
New York, US
Jul 12, 2011 11:40 am EDT

LOL Bob, when you get invited to accept your Nobel prize for English, please remember to thank Ellen for being the inspiration to you. That's the least you can do for this half-witted High Priestess of Stupidity and her cast of crackpots.

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Fistfulofdollars
New York, US
Jul 11, 2011 8:13 am EDT

You're so right Bob. These trailer trash like Arserot have no interest in furthering consumer rights. What they are doing here, one wonders. They get their jollies from coming here and telling posters don't post problems here. If they don't want to read consumers' problems, what are they coming here for? Jeez! But I like how you single-handedly deal with them. I'm sure each one of them now feels like ### and wish they didn't have to deal with you. Keep up the good work, Bob.

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JKDE
, US
Jul 11, 2011 3:08 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Air Canada would be able to answer the phone lines with less wait times if they didn't have to waste so much time answering seriously ridiculous questions.

It's a no-brainer, passport information must match ticket if you want to fly on any airline.

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Session1986
, IE
Apr 24, 2011 5:30 am EDT

I had a terrible experience what makes me laugh is they got best airline in north america 2010! We missed our flight due to immigration holding us up basically because we weren't American citizens, the charged us 150 dollars to change the flight then lost our baggage and 2 employees in the arriving airport told us they shouldn't have charged us, when I asked to complain they gave me an email address I emailed them looking for compensation for ruining 1 of our 2 day trip they told me I needed receipts for toiletries and underwear to get money back when I emailed back why would I keep these receipts and that this is dirty tactics in modern business they stopped replying to me! I have since sent 4 emails without reply! The single worst airlines I have ever flown with clearly do not care about pr or customers I will and my family will never fly with this joke of an airline again.

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Air Canada = Bad Customer Service
, FK
Jun 29, 2010 6:13 pm EDT

I was on a flight, the drink attendant spilt a pot of hot coffee all over me, my seat, and my hand bag. After I checked for minor burns I barley got a sorry. That was it! Sat in a wet seat in wet clothes for 4 hours. When I got off the plane no one wanted to hear about my feedback.

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Gleyse de Franca
Vancouver, CA
Oct 30, 2009 3:52 pm EDT

Yes I hear you all. My experience happened back in 2007. Booked my flight to Brazil from Vancouver, they cancelled the connection flight from Calgary to NY and sent me to Toronto instead. I wasn't very concern then, but my flight from Toronto to Sao Paulo was delayed 10 hours and I lost my other connection flight from Sao Paulo to Natal. After wait on a standby in Toronto for 8 hours, I went to ask for a voucher because I was waiting 8 hours in Toronto's airport and a hotel voucher, because I had lost my connection flight from Sao Paulo to Natal. They said that I wouldn't give me anything, that I had to wait in Sao Paulo airport for 12 hours until my next flight. So as I got into the flight from Toronto to Sao Paulo, the 'best' was yet to come, I've complained about this to the flight attendant (since their customer service was rude and didn’t want to give me a voucher), and the customer service agent came to the plane saw me complaining to the flight attendant treated to call the police and take me way of the plane. I was humiliated, and very embarrassed. Finally after arrived in Sao Paulo went to the Air Canada booth there, beg for a hotel and food voucher and they finally gave to me. Funny that I had to leave Canada to get some customer service at Air Canada in Sao Paulo. Air Canada, never more!

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frustrated_by_AirCanada
Chicago, US
Sep 08, 2009 12:56 pm EDT

Air Canada must have the single worst customer service I've ever experienced.

I called to make a round-trip reservation from Chicago to Halifax. The (very unfriendly) man on the other line tells me about a few different options. I pick one; he books it and prepares to hangup (without taking my email address). I ask him to please read me the final flight details. He does, and I then discover that both flights have stopovers (and in different cities). He had said nothing earlier.

I explain that I preferred a non-stop flight, and ask if any of the other options were non-stop. At this point, he YELLS at me, apparently because I was inconveniencing him by requesting the correction. Huh? First, doesn't he think that whether a flight is non-stop is information a passenger would want to know? Second, since when do CSR's just yell at the people when they feel like it? I never raise my voice at people, nor do I treat people rudely, even when they've made an error. Anyway, rather than fix the problem, he *keeps yelling*, explaining why it was strange of me to request a non-stop ticket. I ask for a supervisor, and he becomes even more incensed. It all deteriorates from there, with him yelling, and me asking him to please stop yelling and transfer me to the supervisor.

Weeks later, I call again. The first guy never sent me the receipt or confirmation information (he'd never taken my email, and apparently they don't send receipts by regular mail). I need one for tax purposes. I get another rude (male) CSR who takes my email address, but hangs up before reading it back to me to make sure he heard me properly. That receipt never arrives.

I call back, and get a female CSR, who does her job and sends the receipt. The receipt arrives, with an error. I am now dreading having to deal with these folks again.

I call, and politely explain the error (the amount on the receipt differs from the amount charged to my credit card). Before I can finish, she rudely interrupts me, explaining that all of the information "has to be in there somewhere." After minutes of very calmly trying to explain the situation to this increasingly agitated person, she realizes that she is wrong. Then I begin to explain what I think is happening, and she rudely interrupts me again, this time YELLING. (Is yelling a Canadian practice?) I say, "please let me finish, and please don't raise your voice, " and she realizes what she is doing and calms down. Success, I think---but then she continues to interrupt me. "I don't want to have to be on the phone for 10 minutes with you, " she says, "so, just call this number on accounting, because we can't do anything here." (Trust me, lady, I don't want to be on the phone with you, either. I just want a receipt.)

I call accounting. Voice mail run around. I finally get one person (female), who politely (I'm shocked!) sends me to another phone number... where I am met by an answering machine promising they will call me back if I leave my information. I'm still waiting.

Never again.

If you can, fly Southwest.

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Annoyed_Cx
Richmond Hill, CA
Jul 13, 2009 1:41 am EDT

Haha
Sorry, i can't help but laugh.
I recently received poor service from Air Canada staff while checking in. I wrote a complaint letter.

I was told that "...it is sometimes difficult to be courteous and polite to people who request exceptions to the rules."

The exemption I was requesting was that Air Canada not charge us an additional $250 because we had come to check in 59 minutes ahead of our flight instead of 60 full minutes.

Air Canada is by far, one of the worst airlines! They are right up there with American Airlines.
They are a poor representation of Canada too. I wish they weren't called Air Canada. Imagine tourists who are visiting Canada get this kinda service from a national airline. They would have the WORST image of Canadians!

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chirine
montreal, CA
Jul 09, 2009 7:00 pm EDT

never fly with air canada again...I fly at least twice a year with many other company, never had a problem. I've took air canada twice till now and both times i had to spend 24 hrs at the aeroport due to problem with the engine.
First time I was flying from montreal to beirut via london, and after 3 hrs of flying, they had to return back to toronto (not even montreal) due to a problem with engine. I lost my connection flight in london and it took them the whole night to give us a small idea about what will happen to fly again. of ocurse my bags arrived 4 days after me!
the other time was from montreal to sao paulo via toronto, and also this time, we flew for an hour and had to go back to toronto and spent the night over there. I had another ticket from sao paulo to rio, and I lost the flight. one of air canada agent told me that i took the chance to book sperate ticket so it is my problem!
so seriously, 2 out of 2 time problem with air canada, I dont think it is bad luck

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Maureen Kwok
,
May 24, 2008 5:12 am EDT

I find the flight attendants are inconsiderate. After a long day's work, I fell asleep right after boarding on the plane. The flight attendant just literally dumped the ear piece on my chest thus awakening me up with a fright and without any apologies. She could have put it in the seat pocket. My whole journey was thus spoilt by this unkindly act.

Another unfriendly incidence happend on May 15 in Toronto international airport. It was around 7:30am. I was to board AC 15 to Hong Kong taking the 9:40 am flight. There was a long line in the economy class counter with at least 30 people lining whereas the executive/first class counter was empty. The line for passeangers with preprinted boarding pass was also long. I hold a 'prestige' card although I was travelling economy class. I asked the ground attendant who was minding the economy class line wheter I could use the executive/first class counter as I have already printed a boarding pass before hand. The attendant said yes but when I went up to the executive/first class counter showing him with my 'prestige' card, the staff started to scold me and accused me for 'cutting' the line eventhough there was no one behind me during that moment. I told him I have permission using that counter but he kept on saying I should not be using his service. He was free at that moment . Where is the team spirit? I didn't ask for his name but I am sure Air Canada can find him out. He was sitting at the second counter serving the first/executive class at that time. I wish Air Canada can retrain their staff on team work as well as the importance of politeness. They are paid to provide the 'best' service and we are customers, not beggars.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Feb 07, 2007 4:38 am EST

We, as a family, recently had the unfortunate experience of flying from Calgary to Toronto for my father's funeral. On the return flight 145 back to Calgary Sunday Feb 3, 2007, I made a commitment to 'never fly with Air Canada again.'

I was helping my sister find some pain medication in her carry on as she is very ill and barely was able to get on the plane.

In the moment of helping her, I hadn't realized my purse had slipped out into the aisle. One of your male attendants was walking by and viciously kicked my purse while he raised his voice 'Ma'am , watch your purse! ' I certainly recognize the danger imposed by someone's hand bag being in the aisle; however would not good customer service have been to stoop and pick it up with a gentle reminder to keep all carry on luggage stowed under the seat?

I feel that way he acted was cold and unfeeling and a form of customer abuse.

There were 6 of us family members that traveled with Air Canada and generally we feel the staff did not display friendliness or care and appeared to be unhappy with their jobs.

I have flown with West Jet numerous times and feel Air Canada could take a few lessons from West Jet for their friendly and caring customer service.