US Airways: Last Choice in the US!

You had to be there to believe it.  On second thought, better to have missed the experience!

Imagine this:  you arrive at the airport with time to spare for an 8pm flight on US Airways.  You are informed that the aircraft is there, but they don't have a flight attendant.  So the flight is delayed 20 minutes.  Then the delay stretches to an hour, then 2 hours, then 3 hours and you are wondering where this flight attendant is coming from.  Maybe she is traveling on US Airways.

You now have been at the airport 3-1/2 hours and can't wait any longer with the bad headache you have and it is also very late.  At the Special Services desk, you change your flight to an US Airways flight leaving the following afternoon.  You go home and try to sleep.  (In the end, you find out that they cancelled that 8pm flight.)

By this time you have taken a taxi to and from the airport, in traffic and you have not gone anywhere.

The next morning you get into another taxi and arrive at the airport to check in to your 12:05 US Airways flight, only to be informed that you do not have a seat on the flight.  All you are told is that it is "overbooked" and the agent suggests you go to the gate and ask anyone if they are willing to give up their seat.  It is Friday and everyone on that particular flight is off for vacation.  No one is giving up their seat.

It takes 5 phone calls to find out what happened to the seat you had the night before.  Apparently the agent who changed the flight to the next day neglected to cancel the original flight, so it cancelled out the new reservation.  Was it their first day on the job?  Don't they know that you can't have 2 reservations in the same name going to the same place without it causing a problem?

Apparently not.

Now you are on an even later flight and you hope that it leaves and doesn't get cancelled like the one the night before.

Here is the part which would make you feel you reached the end of your rope:  After asking the reservations supervisor for the Corporate Office's phone number, he stressed the fact that they will just route your call back to reservations no matter what.  You give it a try.  You tell the operator not to transfer the call back to reservations so she asked why you are calling.  After you give her a short synopsis of the issue, she tells you to hold and next thing you know, you are speaking with, you guessed it, reservations.

All you are left with, as frustrated as you are, is the option to send an email to Customer Relations.  The auto reply you receive back says that you will get a response  in 4-6 business days.  That is what Customer Service has been reduced to.  No person to actually call anymore.  You could email, write a letter or fax, but never get someone on the phone while you need to deal with a situation.  And try tweeting...you are always directed to email Customer Relations.

Would you fly this airline?

I guess the lesson to be learned is to check everything an agent does to make sure your ticket actually gets you on the flight.  If you are now doing an agent's job, at least get a discounted fare.
 

There Is A Major Disconnect When You Request A "Seasonal Disconnect" For Your TV/Internet Service

Have you ever gone on vacation or had to be away from home and thought that you may want to suspend your TV/Internet service?


Anything is possible, but for a price.


Let's take three major companies: www.directv.com, www.timewarnercable.com and www.verizon.com.  I have been a customer of all three. (Choice of programming is not the issue here as that is a more individual decision.)


Directv is the best company when it comes to putting your account "on vacation."  Directv allows you to suspend services for no less than a minimum of 30 days and up to a maximum of 6 months within one calendar year.  You don't have to do it consecutively either.  There are no charges associated with doing this.  Your account has to be up to date in payments and for the months it is suspended, you will see a "$0" balance.


Time Warner Cable permits a "seasonal disconnect" for no less than a minimum of 30 days and also for no longer than 6 months in a calendar year.  They do charge you $10 for the modem and $10 per cable box each month of the "seasonal disconnect," even if you are not there to use it.  Your account must be paid in full before asking for a "seasonal disconnect."


This leaves Verizon as the last and the least cooperative. I was informed that if I temporarily suspend the account I would lose whatever promotion I was locked into and would have to take whatever the price is once I reinstate my account. Granted, there may be a better deal later on, but the fact is that you feel as if they are punishing you for putting your account on suspension. And who is to say that they would actually offer you a better deal when you call to reinstate your account?


We never know what may take us away from home, but considering how much it costs us each month for our TV and Internet, it would be nice to deal with a company who worked with you in those circumstances.

Less Mail, Less Credit Card Offers

How many pieces of mail do you receive that you rip up immediately?


I know that I have more than enough credit cards and do not need any more.  And if I wanted one, it would be of my choosing because I wanted it.


Recently I received a pre-approved credit card offer.  I didn't want it.  At the bottom of the letter is a phone number to call so that you can stop receiving "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance offers from the company sending you the offer along with other companies.


This "opt-out" is good for 5 years.


Call:  1-888-567-8688.


I did it once for my husband and then they ask if you want to do it for a spouse or family member, so I went through it again for myself.


Call:  1-888-567-8688.


If you are wondering if this is legitimate, I called my bank and asked them to verify the number and they did.


Maybe we can all save some paper too.

All-Clad Stainless at Bargain Prices

If you have any desire to own All-Clad basic stainless steel pans, look for the ones on sale if there are any left.


I noticed that many sites and stores were having sales on the stainless collection.  I thought that they were discontinuing the line and wanted to know why.  I had a decent amount of these pans and was wondering if they had improved on what I always thought was a great pan.


I got on the phone with All-Clad and was so glad I had called. The only change they are making is in the handle. They are using the same type of handle as is on the "d-5 line" which looks a bit sleeker, but other than that, it all works the same.  The new line of the stainless was coming out in June so they wanted to get all the product with the "old" handles off the shelves.


So I started shopping and bought myself a few pieces at unbelievable prices.  I love the All-Clad stainless and use the pieces all the time.  They clean up so easily.


It may be too late to find any of the remaining pieces, but if you do, grab them!

A Lot of Wine Offered at Lot 18

It seems that the more interesting sites I learn about, the more money I spend.  Of course that is the goal of these sites - to be good enough to encourage you to shop. And I do shop, although I don't spend indiscriminately and those who know me, know this to be true.


My new discovery is www.lot18.com.  What you get are unusual and interesting wines offered almost daily at prices that can't be beat.  You may also get free shipping by purchasing a minimum amount of a particular wine, which at the moment is 4 bottles.  It's  easy enough to do because the offerings are so good.


This is not to say that you will never find this wine elsewhere. I usually do a search for a wine which www.lot18.com is selling and I may find it, but at a higher price point.  Add to that the possibility of free shipping, and you have yourself one good deal.  (Remember, wine cannot be shipped to every state, so check the list on the wine offering page.)


Each wine offering comes with a detailed description of the wine and some reviews are posted.  You may also read the winemaker's notes and information about the winery.


To get more information about this site and learn how they do what they do, please go to this link:


http://blog.lot18.com/post/5544328710/sourcing-the-best-wines-on-earth

Where to shop:  www.lot18.com




Cheers to all wine drinkers everywhere!

Reviews of Current Cell Phones and Hints of the Future

The time has come to "upgrade" my cell phone.  Trouble is, with the choices available right now, not one is exactly what I want.


How much more time can I spend in the Verizon store?  I visit once every few weeks hoping to find out some secretive information.  Finally I am told that they really don't know exactly what is coming out or when.


The manager of one of the Verizon stores gave me two sites to go to for reviews of the current phones and to see what they have to say about future releases. Granted, nothing is written in stone, but it is interesting to research.  I have been on many other review sites, but I had never heard of these two before.


If you have not been on the sites, I recommend taking a look. And if what they say is correct, I may have a new phone in the next month!


Where to research:  www.phonescoop.com and www.phonearena.com.

The Same Designer Bag, 2 Different Prices, and EBAGS to the Rescue!

As you know by now, I price shop once I know what I want. Almost two weeks ago I saw a great bag online at Bloomingdales.com and then continued to look for it elsewhere out there on the WWW.


I found it for less at www.ebags.com and shipping was free as it would have been for Bloomingdales.com


The bag arrived in only a few days and I love it!  Shortly afterwards,  Bloomingdales had another sale and this time the bag cost less than I had bought it for on www.ebags.com.


I went online to www.ebags.com and did a "Live Chat" with a representative.  I was told to fill out the "Price Match" form from their site and they will get back to me.


A few hours later I received an email from them asking for more information.  I sent it to them the next morning and then called to make sure they received my email.  The sale at Bloomingdales was going to end on Sunday and today was Friday so time was of the essence.


It wasn't until after I was speaking to the representative from www.ebags.com, that I realized  I had not furnished them with the very specific link to the exact page showing the sale price. 


So while on the phone, I got to the page and the bag was gone, sold out I guess.  Now the proof was gone!


The representative was great.  He said that because I had started the Price Match while the bag was up on the site, he would honor it.  He also knew that I had gone to the trouble of doing a "live chat," sending emails etc. and he appreciated the work I had done on my part.


Am I a big fan of www.ebags.com?  You bet!     


A price match is easier than having to return something and then having to purchase it somewhere else.  One important part of their Price Match program is that you have to request the Price Match within 14 days of your purchase.


Where to shop:  www.ebags.com