As a frequent reader of BoingBoing I was sold on their glowing recommendation of Virgin America. I later discovered business relations existed, but it did sound pretty cool. So based on said recommendation I purchased tickets to fly to Seattle in May. Virgin’s website recommended that you buy as soon as possible, as they offer all the cheapest fares first. In fact, the exact quote is:
To cash in on the savings, we encourage you to book as soon as possible so you can get the lowest rate.
So I did. And then the fares promptly went down. And then down some more. The tickets now cost $50 less than when I bought them. I had a similar frustration a few months ago with JetBlue. JetBlue then promptly credited me the difference.
VirginAmerica? Not such good customer service. I’ve so far received three template emails, all telling me I have to pay $40 to get a price difference – and one real one. After the third template email I wrote back to let them know of the JetBlue policy as I had seen it, but asked for a $10 credit based on their policy. The reply I got was:
Please call our Reservations line and they will be able to assist you from there.
I just wanted to give you an update. I just called JetBlue and the $40.00 change fee was implemented a month ago. …Just so you know if you choose to fly them again!
Wow, great way to build customer relations Virgin America! A supremely unhelpful email, and I did like the way you rubbed my nose in it. Kudos.