‘Dear Mr. Human’: United Airlines Suffers Another Embarrassing Customer Service Blunder
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The customer service department at United Airlines certainly has a way with words.
For the second time, the Chicago-headquartered company has sent out an to one of its disgruntled passengers without even bothering to fill in specifying fields.
In response to a complaint filed by travel reporter Chris Chmura, who after it departed 20 minutes ahead of schedule, the airline issued an apology not to Chmura but in a letter that was addressed “Dear Mr. Human.”
The icy reference is repeated throughout — as in, “Mr. Human, your email clearly expresses your disappointment…” and, “Mr. Human, you have made a significant contribution to our airline.”
Related: Are You Really Listening to Your Customers?
This isn’t the airline’s first gaffe of the sort. In July, Reddit user lyndy shared a photo of another peculiar correspondence from United, the body of which contained several fields that had been left untouched, including “(SPECIFIC EVENT)”, “(SPECIFIC ITEM)” and “(CUSTOMER NAME).” Check it out .
The oversight feels particularly offensive given that, in recent years, social media has turned into a roaring forum for customer complaints — as well as a strategic platform, when harnessed appropriately, upon which businesses can respond.
And just ask Coca-Cola about how much consumers appreciate seeing their own names in print. The company’s “Share a Coke’ campaign — in which Coke bottle labels were personalized with 250 popular names — reversed a negative sales trend that had plagued the company for over a decade.
While United has yet to respond to an onslaught of ridicule, American Airlines took the opportunity to take a slight jab at its competitor. “We assure you there has been no #robot takeover here!” American . “We’re human and here to help 24/7.”
Related: Spare Me Your Platitudes. Customers Are Tired of Insincere Support.
The customer service department at United Airlines certainly has a way with words.
For the second time, the Chicago-headquartered company has sent out an to one of its disgruntled passengers without even bothering to fill in specifying fields.
In response to a complaint filed by travel reporter Chris Chmura, who after it departed 20 minutes ahead of schedule, the airline issued an apology not to Chmura but in a letter that was addressed “Dear Mr. Human.”
