There’s a letter making the rounds that Delta customer care allegedly sent to a frequent flyer. And the way it’s written is kind of surprising.
Delta’s Letter To A Frequent Flyer
Here’s the letter, in its entirety:
This letter is being issued to express our concerns regarding your ticketing practices in the past months. Your actions have been brought to my attention and I have been asked to contact you on behalf of Delta Air Lines.
Our reports indicate that most recently you were trying to use the San Francisco construction waiver to change the length of your itinerary at no charge. Quite honestly, your SkyMiles account is heavily documented with the many exceptions to our policies that you ask for and fare rules that you try to get around. You repeatedly call our Reservations and High Value Customer desk to get what you want and if you don’t you hang up and repeatedly call until you get what you want.
Your manipulative practices are unacceptable and we are sending you this warning letter to caution you that we will not allow this to continue. If you persist in engaging in this type of business practice, we will be forced to review your current Medallion benefits as well as your current status.
Going forward, we strongly encourage you to conduct yourself in an honest and respectful manner and treat Delta with the respect that we give you.
Regards,
Customer Care
Delta Air Lines
[email protected]
Ummm… wow!
Is This Letter Even Real?
Rene’s Points says he reached out to Delta regarding this, and was told the following:
“Delta does not comment on any aspect of a communication specifically addressed to an individual.”
I also wondered at first if this letter was even real. I would have assumed that if it were fake, Delta would have commented on that. Even when a company has a policy of not discussing certain things, they’d almost certainly want to clarify when something isn’t real.
I’m still skeptical about this, but to me this suggests that the letter is more likely than not real.
Why This Letter From Delta Is So Surprising
In my opinion, there are a few things that make this letter surprising:
- Usually a letter worded this strongly would have someone’s name on it; the letter says “I have been asked to contact you,” but also just generally is signed as “Customer Care”
- Ordinarily a letter like this would come from a department other than customer care
- This is really, really strongly worded letter, and not in a lawyer-y way, but in an almost sassy/shaming way, which you don’t necessarily expect from Delta
- They make a lot of different points here, talking about him taking advantage of waiver, mentioning how he hangs up and calls again, and noting that his account is heavily documented
I guess this guy should be grateful that at least they’re just giving him a warning here. But my gosh, that’s quite a letter…
Bottom Line
This has to be one of the most strongly worded letters I’ve seen from an airline, especially when you consider that this isn’t even from the legal or corporate security department, but rather from customer care.
I’m still skeptical as to whether or not this is real. If it is, then wow. If it isn’t, then you’d think Delta would have shot it down…
What do you make of this alleged letter from Delta? Do you think it’s real?
I think this letter is real. Other letters sent by Delta have been formatted in a very similar way. Here are two examples.
https://www.coreysdigs.com/law-order/exclusive-delta-airlines-and-tsa-target-intimidate-a-passenger-without-cause/
https://twitter.com/KaponoCorp/status/1508920116699754500
Did Dan Rather write that letter?
Who would believe that this letter came from Delta? Nobody can be THAT naive. It may be time for people with no common sense to hire a "keeper" to help them through life.
Fake, Delta does not have a phone number on the letterhead and it will always be signed by a representative.
Not exactly on this topic, but I listed my drink coupons on eBay for 5$ each (I never fly on domestic DL flights, I am based in Europe, and mostly fly AF/KL/AZ, its just much much easier to gain status on DL. I am diamond, while in Flying Blue i wouldn't even be gold). So after I listed them on eBay, a guy bought them.
Then I saw that the buyer's address was in Atlanta.
Not exactly on this topic, but I listed my drink coupons on eBay for 5$ each (I never fly on domestic DL flights, I am based in Europe, and mostly fly AF/KL/AZ, its just much much easier to gain status on DL. I am diamond, while in Flying Blue i wouldn't even be gold). So after I listed them on eBay, a guy bought them.
Then I saw that the buyer's address was in Atlanta.
So I looked after him (I received his actual name and address from eBay), and according to his linkedin profile, he was a DL corporate lawyer.
Needless to say, I contacted him immediately that the listing was an error, I don't have the coupons anymore, I refunded his payment immediately, and I changed my SkyMiles account's username and e-mail address to a completely different one, which would not be associated with my eBay username and e-mail address.
I never heard from him since then, but I wouldn't be surprised if my SkyMiles account had a flag on it.
To David C : This was on their letterhead, and on other sites the name of customer is not blocked out.
It is possible to receive a letter from Delta and not have it come from the legal department.
Airlines hold travelers to an increasingly nonsensical set of rules that many times their own agents don't understand. I am sure almost everybody here has had to end a phone call with an agent and...
To David C : This was on their letterhead, and on other sites the name of customer is not blocked out.
It is possible to receive a letter from Delta and not have it come from the legal department.
Airlines hold travelers to an increasingly nonsensical set of rules that many times their own agents don't understand. I am sure almost everybody here has had to end a phone call with an agent and call back in hopes of getting a more enlightened, courteous, or knowledgeable agent.
(That is one thing the subject of the letter is accused of.)
Another despicable act was that he tried to extend an itinerary, using a program announced by Delta. For Shame. In other words he was playing by the rules. Off with his head!
"Your manipulative practices are unacceptable." Nowhere do they say he is not playing by the rules. Sometimes airlines just don't like it when people find ways to use the rules in their favor rather than in the favor of the airline. What is a manipulative practice? Delta doesn't give you anything it doesn't want to give you.
I don't know about you, but I have never had a Delta employee let me "get around" any rule. Sometimes they had to be educated on what the rule was and what it meant and who it applied to, and that can be a long process, but "get around a rule" is not in their DNA.
I once had them say that the class of (overseas) ticket I was buying did not come with two checked bags, and everything I could find says it did. I argued the point and finally told them remove the charge for the extra bag, I would make do with one. When I checked in, they put both my and my spouse's bag on the same claim check, and I said isn't there a charge for that, and she says "No, your ticket comes with 2 checked bags per person."
So let's not condemn the customer without knowing the situation.
Correction to my reply above. The fare from Las Vegas to Omaha with a plane change in MSP was less than the fare from LAS to MSP. This is why Delta thought my friend’s medical emergency in MSP was an attempt to exploit a hidden cities trick
This is a fake. Any official correspondence would be on Delta’s corporate letterhead. The person would have been addressed along with their sky miles number and would have come from their legal department.
I think it is real and I think this guy is one of those that tries to pull every trick and lie he can to get what he wants from Delta. Why do the Airlines have to be so polite to some guy who calls dozens of times with made up stories? This is what makes it hard for the rest of us to get an exception or adjustment made in a real emergency. People...
I think it is real and I think this guy is one of those that tries to pull every trick and lie he can to get what he wants from Delta. Why do the Airlines have to be so polite to some guy who calls dozens of times with made up stories? This is what makes it hard for the rest of us to get an exception or adjustment made in a real emergency. People like him seem to think, "If I can get away with it, why not?" "If one agent says no, just keep calling until I can scam one of them." I am sure Delta has a log of all his calls and he stands out as a big time scammer and lair. I wish they would release his history "heavily documented with many exceptions" with them and I bet you would see quite a story. Even Airlines get sick of scammers and this letter sounds like they are sick of this guy. Quit messing it up for the rest of us!
I believe it to be true. They crank out these nameless letters all the time. Let me tell you about a friend going from LAS to Omaha with a plane change in MSP. As it happens the fare to MSP was way less than the fare to Omaha. He got sick on the plane and in Minneapolis had to be rushed to the hospital for an appendectomy. He got a nasty letter from Delta and...
I believe it to be true. They crank out these nameless letters all the time. Let me tell you about a friend going from LAS to Omaha with a plane change in MSP. As it happens the fare to MSP was way less than the fare to Omaha. He got sick on the plane and in Minneapolis had to be rushed to the hospital for an appendectomy. He got a nasty letter from Delta and they repriced the flight and threatened his medallion status. He called and the agent said “ I see you have a history with us” and refused to discuss the situation. He sent a letter to the executive offices and got a curt reply that this had been already dealt with. He is currently in the dispute process with his credit card co. They are so convinced he is trying to pull a hidden cities trick that they won’t look any farther.
You don’t know if it’s true, but you print it.
That’s not journalism, it’s gossip.
It’s fake, Delta customer service reps always sign letters are with three initials “DJT” Donald J Trump.
There is no way they would send a letter like this without someone signing it.
Thirty two years with Delta and I’ve never seen a letterhead like this. All Delta letterheads have the Department name as part of the letterhead. All letterheads also have the 800 toll free number along with the local number with an extension for that department. All correspondence to Delta frequent flier members always include their FF number and include the date the correspondence was written.
Bottom line, did not originate at Delta headquarters.
You never provide the key information . . . Is this person actually the kind of ***hole described in the letter? Is it accurate in describing his/her unreasonable behavior? If it is spot-on, it is likely real. If the various offenses are largely fabricated, then it's a fake.
Might be fake but I tend to agree with comments from Dave and Nicholas, and wouldn't be surprised to find out it's real.
On a different note - I can't believe everyone assumes it's a guy??
Just another gamer trying to push and benefit to the extent possible, and DL will respond setting clearer limits ultimately harming us "others".
I absolutely believe it because I got a different but similar letter from Delta about 17 years ago telling me my top-tier status would be lost if I wasn't "nicer" to Delta staff. I was so embarrassed at first that I didn't want to tell anyone, but then I realized I'm never not nice, so I called Delta to find out what they meant. Delta told me that I had been rude to a Delta...
I absolutely believe it because I got a different but similar letter from Delta about 17 years ago telling me my top-tier status would be lost if I wasn't "nicer" to Delta staff. I was so embarrassed at first that I didn't want to tell anyone, but then I realized I'm never not nice, so I called Delta to find out what they meant. Delta told me that I had been rude to a Delta Club person in West Palm Beach, but in that case it was the Delta person who had been rude to me --- and the local Red Coat knew about the whole thing, so I had a witness.
When I explained that on the phone, Delta said it wasn't the only instance. I had been rude to a gate agent at JFK, too. I hadn't been rude to the agent, I called security on her because she was so abusive to the elderly, foreign parents of a Delta employee, and security over-rode the gate agent, and helped the parents onto the plane.
But that wasn't all Delta said on the phone. I had hung up on an agent on the phone. And I didn't do that either. I had been disconnected.
Delta and I agreed to just see how things went going forward. What I later learned is that Delta employees who thought a passenger might complain about them were pro-actively complaining about the passenger first to protect themselves.
When I switched to Delta from then Eastern Airlilnes many years ago, Delta used that in a marketing interview. I was a high profile Delta flier. But the letter led to to switch to US Airways, and then I went with them to American Airlines. I've had NONE of the personnel issues that frequently came up with Delta, so I've stayed with American.
At first I thought it was fake.
"Quite honestly?" I mean, honesty is not exactly a hallmark of the industry.
Beyond that, I find it highly inappropriate that the letter went out unsigned. The tone is also way off notwithstanding the alleged misdeeds of the Medallion member.
Normally in corporate settings, letters like this would go through numerous reviews. Whether that happened and this letter still went out as written, or Delta...
At first I thought it was fake.
"Quite honestly?" I mean, honesty is not exactly a hallmark of the industry.
Beyond that, I find it highly inappropriate that the letter went out unsigned. The tone is also way off notwithstanding the alleged misdeeds of the Medallion member.
Normally in corporate settings, letters like this would go through numerous reviews. Whether that happened and this letter still went out as written, or Delta empowers certain employees to get their snark on, it's the wrong way to go.
It could have been worded more warmly but in a tone that was no less firm. However, in doing so, it would not have engendered this post. And what fun would that be?
Kudos to Delta is this is real!
The customer is NOT always right and individuals like this with a sense of entitlement deserve to be called out.
I only wish Delta would have canceled his medallion status.
GREAT WORK Delta (if this is true) - i salute you for standing up to a fraudster, manipulative, rude, individual.
I absolutely believe this is true!
Corporations keep a list of customers and rate them. They are consistently spying and recording everything and assigning a score to us. Ever since the CEO of SouthWest (the friendliest of them all) banned a customer for too many written complaints and stated "we know we can never make you happy" and "customers come and go but our employees are for life" we crossed the rubicon.
It's...
I absolutely believe this is true!
Corporations keep a list of customers and rate them. They are consistently spying and recording everything and assigning a score to us. Ever since the CEO of SouthWest (the friendliest of them all) banned a customer for too many written complaints and stated "we know we can never make you happy" and "customers come and go but our employees are for life" we crossed the rubicon.
It's not only RideShare that is rating us, they are just the only one's sharing the rating. The question is, why do we put up with it? The argument is we can vote with our pocketbook but that is easier said than done when gives loyalty to a company with an expectation of return. How does one make up for forty years of loyalty -gone in an instant?
First, I don't think they would single one person out, unless as mentioned before, it was a single disgruntled employee acting out. As an auditor, I would assume if they were really interested in people trying to use "manipulative practices", they would run some data analytics and find several people with similar behaviors and several letters would be issued.... and those letters would be much more professional and you'd hear more claims about it. I...
First, I don't think they would single one person out, unless as mentioned before, it was a single disgruntled employee acting out. As an auditor, I would assume if they were really interested in people trying to use "manipulative practices", they would run some data analytics and find several people with similar behaviors and several letters would be issued.... and those letters would be much more professional and you'd hear more claims about it. I vote the letter is fake.
As for who would write such a letter - likely a Diamond Medallion member that thinks he/she is entitled to way more than they are, got told no and is now throwing a temper tantrum.
This letter is not beyond the realm of possibility. An airline may take action but very rarely, if not ever, will they reduce their frustrations to a letter. They will just act. I had United Airlines do something to me and I know that the agent put something in my file concerning a dispute we had. This was my first and only dispute with an agent and they harassed me during both legs of my...
This letter is not beyond the realm of possibility. An airline may take action but very rarely, if not ever, will they reduce their frustrations to a letter. They will just act. I had United Airlines do something to me and I know that the agent put something in my file concerning a dispute we had. This was my first and only dispute with an agent and they harassed me during both legs of my travel. The gate agent refused to give me my boarding pass to return home and I had to call management and the Police to finally get it. United offered me flight certificates and I only accepted them if they were transferable and I gave them to another person for free and I have never set foot on another United flight in over 20 years. This type of conduct can be committed by an airline but usually they do not reduce it to letter form.
If it’s real it sure is unprofessional sounding, like someone with a 9th grade education wrote it ( if that).
But the fact that Delta wouldn’t comment on it suggests to me it’s real, and because of that I’m embarrassed for Delta. You’d expect something more professionally written, not to mention a little less cowardly than not leaving a name.
The overwhelming proof that it isn't real is that there is no name, title, or signature attached to it.
Is it true? Especially the SF construction comment? If it were fake how would they know all this, unless some rogue employee is having some fun.
If it is a fake what’s the point? There are a lot of red flags but it isn’t a money shake down. This is weird on many levels. Hopefully you can follow up on it.
There are signs all over this letter making it obvious it’s fake!
The possessive/ownership changes throughout the letter.
Line 1: OUR concerns (meaning the letter would be from delta customer care collectively)
Line 2: MY attention (meaning the letter is coming from a specific one person at Delta) - but nobody at delta is stated on the letter!
Fake News. SAD.
I believe the individual did receive a letter from Delta, just not this letter. Based on their own admission in the Facebook group that he regularly asks for exceptions to policy multiple times a week it likely told him that they have noticed this. Or, he complained about a flight and didn't get the response he wanted and wanted revenge. Regardless, he did get a letter and had the envelope. Feeling entitled, not getting what...
I believe the individual did receive a letter from Delta, just not this letter. Based on their own admission in the Facebook group that he regularly asks for exceptions to policy multiple times a week it likely told him that they have noticed this. Or, he complained about a flight and didn't get the response he wanted and wanted revenge. Regardless, he did get a letter and had the envelope. Feeling entitled, not getting what he wanted, etc, this flyer took the letter, deleted the original professional content, and substituted this inflammatory language. They then posted it and the original envelope in the DM Facebook group knowing it would create a stir among real high value customers who might take it out on Delta. There is no fold in the letter and there are too many other indicators that it didn't come from Delta as written.
To all that are saying that it is fake, get over yourselves, many people don't realize how rude and asshole like they behave until they get called in it. Sounds like this individual in question should take a lesson from this letter and stop acting like they are entitled to whatever they want. Contrary to the popular saying, the customer is not always right and if you abuse the company and it policies and practices...
To all that are saying that it is fake, get over yourselves, many people don't realize how rude and asshole like they behave until they get called in it. Sounds like this individual in question should take a lesson from this letter and stop acting like they are entitled to whatever they want. Contrary to the popular saying, the customer is not always right and if you abuse the company and it policies and practices enough you just might get bitch slapped for your rudeness. This world needs more companies to stand up for themselves and stop bending over their own rules just to keep one customer. Rude people like this usually don't stop at mistreating the company and will continue onto treating employees face to face rudely and that can offend other customers who have the decency to treat people like they want to be treated to not use a company that won't stand up to assholes like this that abuse the system. Treat people the way that you want to be treated, it makes everyone around you take notice even if they don't acknowledge it.
@Ray, I can 'sing' for Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles and Miles
I hope this letter is real. And I don't care who wrote it, rouge employee, customer care, or an executive.. It's something that sounds like needed to be said. He's the type of person that makes it hard for other people to get some perks and discounts. Delta needs to put more people in check and stop people from trying to get over.
As a customer care consultant at a similar corporation I can tell you that it is much easier and more effective to flag an account with a tag that says "Customer regularly attempts to abuse privilege and policy. Hold him to the letter of all standard policies and charges." Everyone will follow these instructions because we all know how annoying customers like this are, and he would never get any satisfaction out of calling and asking for special treatment again.
It sounds very much like the SOaB deserved the letter. I am not surprised. Regardless, is it so wrong for a company to take note of an abusive customer and call them out on it? Sounds as though the customer was getting away with far too much for way too long and wasting employees time. Thereby costing the company cash.
Delta said nothing wrong.
I think it's real. I think he probably got a cs rep angry and they reviewed the recording and have reached a point where enough is enough so they wrote that letter to him.
If you can and abuse CS reps over and over again I don't think it's surprising that the company will likely just drop you as a customer. Many businesses do this but usually without giving a warning.
He is a Delta PR flunky who did his job by getting all of us to read the letter. it is high travel season. customer service desks are bombarded. the fewer the a*holes the happier the service reps. Mission accomplished
There is a gal in Minnesota that writes these letters. If I dug through my emails I could probably find her name. I received one myself! Signed anonymously as well and I managed to get a hold of someone at Delta to track it down and sort through the perceived problem. This happened last year. I have a screen shot of the email I sent to the Delta employee that I was able to get...
There is a gal in Minnesota that writes these letters. If I dug through my emails I could probably find her name. I received one myself! Signed anonymously as well and I managed to get a hold of someone at Delta to track it down and sort through the perceived problem. This happened last year. I have a screen shot of the email I sent to the Delta employee that I was able to get a hold of that confirmed where the letter came from and what the "complaint was" and I even referenced in my email how the letter arrives with zero contact information or name...so you can't even try to clear your name or whatever if you happen to get a agent on a power trip or having a bad day. Luckily for Delta the other airlines are even more miserable so I have stuck by them but the letter they sent me brought me to tears and was very upsetting and scared me especially because I couldn't respond with proof that the agent that "reported" me literally lied or was so wrong she probably owed me a apology for triggering such a letter.
No fold marks on the letter. What did they send it in, a giant envelope? Seems unlikely.
Terrible grammar and punctuation too!
"I've been asked to contact you on behalf of Delta" seems an odd way to phrase a letter that supposedly has originated from within Delta.
All so very true! It's about time all the DYKWIA of the World are called out! Kudos to you, Delta!!!
If you think this a "strongly worded letter", you've obviously never seen a customer letter from Herb Kelleher.
Why are you highlighting something that you don't know is real?
I think he sounds kind of like a jerk and should maybe conduct himself in a more respectful manner. And the letter sounds quite fake lol...
I am astounded at how much discussion this has generated. I am surprised at the number of writers who appear to be on the airline side - dissing the frequent flyer for possibly 'gaming' the system.
In real life there are times when it takes an incredible number of HUCA' s to solve an issue.
Example 1:. When Marriott ate Starwood I used up my * points to book the wonderful flight + 1 week...
I am astounded at how much discussion this has generated. I am surprised at the number of writers who appear to be on the airline side - dissing the frequent flyer for possibly 'gaming' the system.
In real life there are times when it takes an incredible number of HUCA' s to solve an issue.
Example 1:. When Marriott ate Starwood I used up my * points to book the wonderful flight + 1 week hotel voucher at the second highest level. It must have taken 50 calls to finally get the redemption at the Bali Ritz. I was almost in tears by the end and even as we arrived was still convinced they would not honor the stay. The problem was that not one rep from Marriott had a clue about the award and kept making stupid changes to the booking. Total chaos until I found an ex Starwood who knew the award and had enough Wasta to fix it.
Example 2: Current award on QR using AA miles - no baggage allowance on file. I have been HUCA'ing this one for two weeks and get totally different response every time.
So amazing people on this site might believe this 'letter' could ever be warranted. If anything it's another Case of bad customer service representatives who either are incompetent or vengeful or probably both.
I find nothing wrong with this letter.. as someone who has worked in the customer service industry for over 10 years for them to send something like this has probably taken a lot. He is most likely someone that contacts them regularly and is abusive on the phones and everyone "knows his name" . I find it refreshing that someone in the company is standing up for their employees and plumb sick of his ridiculous behavior. I hope it is real i give delta a HIGH FIVE!
Oh well if Delta Points is on the case we'll have the real answer soon /sarcasm
He sounds like a douchebag and I'd hate to have to sit next to him on a plane for more than 15 minutes.
It's a known fact that:
"Some people in the World are more important than others!
You will know it once they tell You"
~S ROE
Often times Their perception of reality doesn't jibe with Your facts on the matter!
Real
I'd like to think it's fake, but if so, Delta is stupid for not calling it out as fake. By saying: “Delta does not comment on any aspect of a communication specifically addressed to an individual.”
They are suggesting they sent the letter to an individual!
If anything, they should say "Delta does not comment on hoaxes, rumors, or speculation".
Unless of course, they wrote it ...
I’m sorry the Delta doesn’t treat people like this is amusing.
As someone who's worked in a call center and had to send these letters I understand it.
The rep who sends the letter does so by means of " fill in the blank" and multiple choice selections. That explains the places where continuity is absent, phrases repeat and the voice seems to change.
Also when in a call center, reps often recieve no time between incoming calls, so the entirety of this letter...
As someone who's worked in a call center and had to send these letters I understand it.
The rep who sends the letter does so by means of " fill in the blank" and multiple choice selections. That explains the places where continuity is absent, phrases repeat and the voice seems to change.
Also when in a call center, reps often recieve no time between incoming calls, so the entirety of this letter was likely drafted during the call with this customer. Time being of the essence, the rep needed to complete the call, the letter and also document the account before the customer hangs up ( as hes known to do).
The customer management system will address and date the letter, sign it generically, and send it to the master queue to be printed and mailed.
No rogue or fedup employee just typing, printing and walking to a mail drop just to ruin his day, undocumented.
There is internal tracking as to who ordered the letter, even though signature is absent. The call was also likely recorded ondemand by the rep, in the event it was not previously been selected for monitoring or recording. And when calls are monitored/recorded not only is there audio, but the screen of the representative is also captured for duration of the call, including a window of 30 secs before and after it ( including your time on hold, up until YOU end the call. Reps are not permitted to terminate calls) that recording includes the drafting of the letter.
Its darn near 2020, the age of getting away with being a donkey on the phone is over.
I don't know why it's so shocking when a company kicks a customer out of their store.
Trust me it's legit. All major airlines have a similar policy. I saw a GS melt down on the flt crew on a transcon flt because wifi was intermittent. He was met by a HIGH VALUE EMPLOYEE who dressed him down. Seemed like routine for this brainless economy minus aholehole! (silvery hawaiian fish) Heard later from crew that this was his last straw.....buh bye!
After 20+ years in corporate travel, fake or not, the entitled and whiny behavior of this traveler is so typical of frequent fliers who have status.
Good for Delta. Like any business, abuse should NOT be tolerated. We, America, have been far to tolerant of peoples actions to protect their feelings.
Everyone at Delta always treats me well. I am guessing it is a prank.
Sometimes it makes sense to fire a customer. Years ago we had a very large customer whose contact person treated our staff very poorly. The point person thought it was appropriate to yelling at our employees, make rude comments and hang up after her tirade. After we invited this customer to find another carrier we received an apology from the CEO with pormises that this behavior would stop and the relationship was salvaged. It meant...
Sometimes it makes sense to fire a customer. Years ago we had a very large customer whose contact person treated our staff very poorly. The point person thought it was appropriate to yelling at our employees, make rude comments and hang up after her tirade. After we invited this customer to find another carrier we received an apology from the CEO with pormises that this behavior would stop and the relationship was salvaged. It meant a great deal to our employees that we valued. It did the trick and that person acted professionally when dealing with our people from then on.
If it is real, maybe the way Delta should address it is by having actual rules that apply equally to everyone, or at least everyone of a certain status/medallion level. So many times I call the diamond desk about moving a flight, and they hit me with the change fee. Then sometimes the person says, "as a one time courtesy" that they'll waive it. It makes you feel like a sucker every time you pay...
If it is real, maybe the way Delta should address it is by having actual rules that apply equally to everyone, or at least everyone of a certain status/medallion level. So many times I call the diamond desk about moving a flight, and they hit me with the change fee. Then sometimes the person says, "as a one time courtesy" that they'll waive it. It makes you feel like a sucker every time you pay the fee. Another possible solution on Delta's part would be to not charge me $200 bucks to change my flight. It costs them a customer service reps time, usually about 3 minutes. How does that equate to $200? You're just ripping us off.
If you doubt the authenticity of the letter, why make an article about it?
Lame.
Real or not, abusers are why good amenities get taken away or heavily restricted. The guy doesn’t dispute the letter’s assumptions. He deserved the letter
I’m at a complete loss for why People are defending delta and/or think the letter is fake- I’ve been treated worse by their employees along with every other airlines ’. As someone who worked in customer service I get that customers are often rude and verbally abused, that’s not OK but I also know some agents are much better than others ! As for customers working the system a little bit... I’m not shedding any...
I’m at a complete loss for why People are defending delta and/or think the letter is fake- I’ve been treated worse by their employees along with every other airlines ’. As someone who worked in customer service I get that customers are often rude and verbally abused, that’s not OK but I also know some agents are much better than others ! As for customers working the system a little bit... I’m not shedding any tears for delta , Per their website ; Adjusted pre-tax income for the December quarter 2018 was $1.2 billion driven by over $700 million of revenue growth, allowing the company to fully recapture the $508 million increase in adjusted fuel expense and produce an 11 percent adjusted pre-tax margin. Adjusted earnings per share increased by 42 percent year over year to $1.30.
It is real because that is the way that they do their letters and I got one from them (for different reasons). And I understand where they come from because as a customer service agent it is annoying for a customer to constantly harass you for something and then hang up and call again. At that point it doesn’t become a little problem then it is harassment to the customer service agents. If you disagree that is fine but I am just stating what I think.
Many here are questioning Delta's appreciation for their business but when an airline starts making several exceptions for you, I believe they start to lose profitability. Loyalty to an airline should be treated like a relationship. If I take you out to eat but ask to split the bill in half despite you only getting a salad or appetizer, how would you feel?
Since when does a company get to demand to be treated with respect? I hope this is real, and that if results in major blowback on Delta.
Deltas response suggests it is real. They would have otherwise said is was a fake.
I don't think this is real... It's poorly written, possibly by a non-native English speaker, whereas any company would have a letter like this run through a legal department. The language isn't even professional, it sounds more like an angry tweet than a letter from a company.
Also Delta would include more than just his name... They would include his full name, skymiles number, medallion status, and probably more details from his recent flight(s) in question.
I actually don’t buy that this is fake. I recently was told something similar on the phone by multiple agents that “normally they’d make an exception, but my account already has many exceptions documented”. Perhaps the letter is a formalization of what was shared on the phone, which while somewhat fair is not a good way to keep loyalty going. Better off finding an airline who still wants to help no matter how many times they already have.
the letter is a fake, just like you,
have to construct controversity
to stay relevant?, or just another
junior wannabe?
@ Tim
Yes, agree: almost certainly a communist behind this....
Who cares? Most of the crap in the "news" is irrelevant to our individual lives.
Oh my, such a strongly-worded letter! Ooh yes, I do believe I am having a case of the vapors!
I believe Delta should stand up for themselves, fake or real letter. You have individuals that try to go around the system and get everything free not only from Delta but just in life. I commend Delta for standing up for what is correct and right
Fake or not, that’s not the point.
We all know people like this guy and I think that Delta has every right to send a letter like this: all of us honest travelers are suffering because of jerks like this.
Delta SHOULD send out letters like this!
Too many people push the envelope when traveling, feeling entitled to do whatever they desire. Whether it is true or fake it makes the point that data is utilized to correct conditions that are unacceptable. So go by the rule and stay within the quide lines.
Reading this article made me realize there may be more over-entitled high-mile customers than I thought. Must be annoying to have to deal with those people... Although I guess that this behavior, in all its extremity, might be argued as a fair response as customers to the abuse these companies occasionally (some would say, not infrequently) inflict on us.
Agree with the other comments, I think it's fake.
There's no person's name although the "I" is used in the letter.
Also, I don't think the airline would send such a letter - many people call and contact the airline to complain until they get what they want.
Furthermore, there's no "high value desk" there are special options for Sky Priority (e.g. gold and platinum) members when they call, usually.
We...
Agree with the other comments, I think it's fake.
There's no person's name although the "I" is used in the letter.
Also, I don't think the airline would send such a letter - many people call and contact the airline to complain until they get what they want.
Furthermore, there's no "high value desk" there are special options for Sky Priority (e.g. gold and platinum) members when they call, usually.
We have to look and notice the other mistakes in the letter that make it look not legitimate.
I absolutely love the fact that more airlines are taking up for their employees. Worked in hospitality , hotel and airline industry as well as management. One thing I knew as a manager was #1 the employees should come first as they keep the company in business. Especially our frontline employees. We live in a time now, where individuals some not all have a I'm right your wrong attitude and the customer is always right....
I absolutely love the fact that more airlines are taking up for their employees. Worked in hospitality , hotel and airline industry as well as management. One thing I knew as a manager was #1 the employees should come first as they keep the company in business. Especially our frontline employees. We live in a time now, where individuals some not all have a I'm right your wrong attitude and the customer is always right. As a manager I always knew no ...the customer is not always right...but should be equally respected. We also live in a world now where many individuals want something for nothing. This is a perfect case. If this is how he treats customer care, one could only imagine how he treats the flight attendants on board. I think it is wonderful and very refreshing to see large corporations taking up for their hard working employees and putting a stop to the abusive behavior of certain clients who possess a repetitious history of abusive behavior. Of course any company would value high profile clients who choose to do business with them. However it is also some of them that unfortunately cost the company financially through deceitful practices such as this. The reality today is atleast with flying, whether you choose to fly them or not, it wont make a difference as flying today has become a necessity not luxury.. Ensuring that the company will still make a profit out of sheer necessity. There is very little competition in the US for airlines. And most airlines aside from Delta and southwest, especially regionals and domestic carriers do not pay their employees a livable wage let alone enough to put up with antics such as this. My hat goes off to you Delta. Thank you for not only valuing your customers but your employees as well. You'll always have my business and heart. " Keep climbing"
I think this stupidity of this is going over everyone’s heads. If it is fake, this article shouldn’t have been written. If it is real, proof that it is real should be provided in the article before providing analysis.
I learned in my mid 20's how to not only how to benefit from frequent flyer programs but to fly around the globe for free in business class, using certain promotions offered by the carriers. Soon I turned this hobby into a full time job and for almost a decade went from one carrier to the other racking up hundreds of thousand miles a year and learned a few things the hard way. 1. Every...
I learned in my mid 20's how to not only how to benefit from frequent flyer programs but to fly around the globe for free in business class, using certain promotions offered by the carriers. Soon I turned this hobby into a full time job and for almost a decade went from one carrier to the other racking up hundreds of thousand miles a year and learned a few things the hard way. 1. Every airline has a security department that overseas their frequent flyer program and looks for, well, what they call fraudulent activity/abuse of their mileage programs. 2. The first way to get to the top of their list is to fly all of the time and reach the top level of status. 3 . Without notice they'll decide you are a liability and not only are all of your special treatment and free tickets shut off ,but worthless. 4. These people are nearly impossible to ever get a hold of and VERY angry when and if you do get in touch with them. 5. They hide behind lawyers and it all boils down to their own interpretation of abuse which is in the fine print of every program . 6. They'll even go as far to strand you in Rio, where they've been waiting at the ticket counter for you to check in for your return flight. 7. I never got a warning letter! 8. I had the time of my life and learned so much about the world and think travel should be required.
I find a lot of comments challenging the passenger seem very strange. I'd say most of the frequent travelers travel enough to meet Diamond status are business travelers and their job/company is paying for the airfare. Most companies would pay for change fees and such, and I really can't think of any solid reason why someone would resort to manipulating Delta to save money when it probably doesn't benefit that person. To the contrary, your...
I find a lot of comments challenging the passenger seem very strange. I'd say most of the frequent travelers travel enough to meet Diamond status are business travelers and their job/company is paying for the airfare. Most companies would pay for change fees and such, and I really can't think of any solid reason why someone would resort to manipulating Delta to save money when it probably doesn't benefit that person. To the contrary, your spending is what goes towards your status...It seems illogical that someone would go through this much trouble to save money to the detriment of the likelihood of re-earning status. Most frequent travelers I know have very demanding work life and schedule commitment... If SFO's construction issue causes delays and result in some impact to one's business commitments, it seem only natural he/she would ask the airline to make the adjustments. I really don't understand what the issue is. Without this person providing his version of the event, it's really hard to determine if someone abused Delta or Delta just failed to provide the level of customer service that one should expect with the level loyalty needed to earn Diamond status.
I hope it's real and all the skymiles will be revoked from this person
I don't see anything wrong with this letter at all. Anyone who has spent a little bit of quality time in customer service knows full well that the "recipient" of the letter is a royal A-hole. At least Delta was courteous enough to send a warning letter. Any other major US carrier would have just taken it all away in the dark of night. I hope this person's next flight is full of "surprises". You deserve it. A-hole.
It's not fake. It's obviously written by a rouge employee who had just about enough of this a-hole passenger. But I would love to hear how Roseanna Roseannadana would reply!
.. it has amateur written between the lines
Who are all you commenters that feel sorry for the airlines? "Your manipulative practices are unacceptable and we are sending you this warning letter to caution you that we will not allow this to continue" could be said about virtually every airline policy and devaluation. Lifetime club memberships anyone? If I were the recipient of this letter, I'd send Delta's board my flight history and a copy of my new airline frequent flyer card and...
Who are all you commenters that feel sorry for the airlines? "Your manipulative practices are unacceptable and we are sending you this warning letter to caution you that we will not allow this to continue" could be said about virtually every airline policy and devaluation. Lifetime club memberships anyone? If I were the recipient of this letter, I'd send Delta's board my flight history and a copy of my new airline frequent flyer card and congratulate them on their taking a stance against profitable customers.
As some one who worked in customer affairs for one of the world’s largest airlines, i’m going with real. However, it also appears to have been edited by the recipient which appears to be in alignment with the manipulative tactics that the letter accuses the person of. Looks like Delta got fed up with the BS, and in retaliation the customer tried to make DL look bad by putting the edited letter out in the...
As some one who worked in customer affairs for one of the world’s largest airlines, i’m going with real. However, it also appears to have been edited by the recipient which appears to be in alignment with the manipulative tactics that the letter accuses the person of. Looks like Delta got fed up with the BS, and in retaliation the customer tried to make DL look bad by putting the edited letter out in the open.
Believe me, we have had to send letters similar to this and even ban passengers. It does happen.
Calling BS. There is no reference number. All major enterprises track customer communications with some identifying information on messages and letters. Probably an acquaintance or relative who heard the flyer's scam and wanted to teach them a lesson. Or a Delta insider taking it upon themselves to teach the flyer a lesson... Pretty funny but it's missing some critical elements you expect to see in "official" comms.
“Ray says:
November 18, 2019 at 12:20 pm
The solution is obvious. He must now LIP SYNC FOR HIS LIFE (well, miles). What would the song be?“
OMG! I laughed sooo hard when I read this comment!!!
I have been a very pleased Delta Skymiles customer for a very long time and have to conclude that this in no way reflects Delta's excellent customer service.
Any business like an airline should be able to choose their customers, it is not a public service business, it is for profit.
@Buddy Indeed there are. This is where we congregate.
No issues whatsoever with "hang up, call again"; but do so with discretion. Different agents have different levels of experience and a complicated itinerary requires an agent with experience with complicated itineraries. Requesting a supervisor ends the process prematurely as the average agent will not defer from the decision of a supervisor (but will defer from the decision of an agent).
It sound's like a very close person who lives with the customer and wants to either play a game or hate him (could be his wife) and wants to get back at him.
It sounded to me some middleastren person who wrote this. It's the same language but was translated.
In my past, there is something known as a warning shot on the 80/20. This could be a warning shot to this specific person, or to the entire delta 360 and medallions membership.
the rule is simple: 80% of the problems come from 20% of the people. Those 20% within the delta 360 and medallions membership can be pruned back a bit and that will reduce worker stress levels.
Now this could be an...
In my past, there is something known as a warning shot on the 80/20. This could be a warning shot to this specific person, or to the entire delta 360 and medallions membership.
the rule is simple: 80% of the problems come from 20% of the people. Those 20% within the delta 360 and medallions membership can be pruned back a bit and that will reduce worker stress levels.
Now this could be an attempt by delta to make the 20% aware of their bad behavior via some viral campaign. I expect the next few weeks of the air travel to be super nice and cozy. nothing is faster than good old succlebutt.
what's the odd's someone get's kicked off the 360 or diamond ?
I think Ben (Lucky) needs to spend time practicing proof-reading - I spotted no fewer than a dozen mistakes in the article - shameful! - Come on Ben, you can do better.
As per the letter; it appears to have been written by someone who answers phones at Delta, rather than from someone in the corporate body. The wording is low-level, there's mixed cases, it's simply all-around amateurish and lacking any refinement typical of the...
I think Ben (Lucky) needs to spend time practicing proof-reading - I spotted no fewer than a dozen mistakes in the article - shameful! - Come on Ben, you can do better.
As per the letter; it appears to have been written by someone who answers phones at Delta, rather than from someone in the corporate body. The wording is low-level, there's mixed cases, it's simply all-around amateurish and lacking any refinement typical of the corporate world. It may be from Delta, but I strongly doubt it was sent with the blessing and knowledge of the corporation - I assume it was a disgruntled phone representative who was miffed after an annoying call from the customer and decided to attempt to pretend to be more important than (s)he is.
Years ago I worked for - a major - and we had a FF that ( pre 9\11 ) would book his family’s tickets using initials and Jr.s and such, all on his own FF number. I know for a fact, by accident, he was discovered flying to SFO and LGW at the same time. One flight was delayed, and because of the non-exact name match the gate agent used the FF number to refer...
Years ago I worked for - a major - and we had a FF that ( pre 9\11 ) would book his family’s tickets using initials and Jr.s and such, all on his own FF number. I know for a fact, by accident, he was discovered flying to SFO and LGW at the same time. One flight was delayed, and because of the non-exact name match the gate agent used the FF number to refer to, and rebook. At that time it was discovered. I also know the airline took his miles, and restricted his access to the ff program. They also mentioned fraud charges may be pending if he chose to take it further. Airlines have good lawyers.
UAL wrote this letter. It's a fake.
UAL trying to take Delta down a notch.
Probably Louis from Suits
As another already commented hooray for Delta if they wrote it. I think it's legit! There are always people out there who have learned that the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets oiled! Customers who relentlessly complain get what they want generally always. Airlines can't afford to piss off customers so usually end up giving in! There are some pretty smart customers out there who will do whatever it takes to deceive.
I have...
As another already commented hooray for Delta if they wrote it. I think it's legit! There are always people out there who have learned that the wheel that squeaks the loudest gets oiled! Customers who relentlessly complain get what they want generally always. Airlines can't afford to piss off customers so usually end up giving in! There are some pretty smart customers out there who will do whatever it takes to deceive.
I have heard of customers using dishonest practices to prank the system.
The guy thst got the letter posted it to the diamond medallion Facebook group. Apparently he calls and complains and wants rules bent for him an average of twice a week - and that’s according to him, so very Probably more. The group there was also divided about whether it was an authorized threat from delta as an organization, but knowledgeable people did state that the airline will terminate the medallion status and benefits of...
The guy thst got the letter posted it to the diamond medallion Facebook group. Apparently he calls and complains and wants rules bent for him an average of twice a week - and that’s according to him, so very Probably more. The group there was also divided about whether it was an authorized threat from delta as an organization, but knowledgeable people did state that the airline will terminate the medallion status and benefits of people who are too much of a pain in the ass for them. He certainly fits the bill for that. And no one individual signing it might just mean that they’re not interested in discussing it, or anything, with him anymore.
If it's fake oh well. If it's not and he did all of these things then good for Delta. Customers nowadays think they suppose to get everything they want. the whole customer is king has become a lie. Businesses need to protect themselves from customers like those in the letter.
I know several people that would buy things just so they can return it and never had the intention of keeping it, just for a...
If it's fake oh well. If it's not and he did all of these things then good for Delta. Customers nowadays think they suppose to get everything they want. the whole customer is king has become a lie. Businesses need to protect themselves from customers like those in the letter.
I know several people that would buy things just so they can return it and never had the intention of keeping it, just for a project or so at the company's dime.
Amazon has been known to ban people from purchasing, the bigger a company gets to more they can do because quite frankly, if Delta pisses one customer off, won't make a difference. In our society, people will be "mad" but at the end of the day will still fly Delta if the flights are needed.
I'm sure that it's real. Whatever scum wrote this letter was too ashamed to write their name or even use their initials. Maybe he would be wrong to HUACA if the agents actually knew how to do their jobs. Delta doesn't truly value the customers anymore, just the dollars. This is obvious.
Bullying an airline because your company pays a lot is not cool, bro.
How many fair Diamond medallions are out there? Who follow the rules and expect others to do the same?
I can see it being real, they would deny it if it wasn't.
I think it’s fake just because of how poorly written it is.
I absolutely believe it is real, I have one just like it from Delta. Mine was in regards to a complaint about a rude and unhelpful employee. The letter takes the same approach, here's everything you did wrong and here's everything we did right. Why even go there? What are the odds that that is going to resolve the matter or make me feel better about it? There was no need at all to say...
I absolutely believe it is real, I have one just like it from Delta. Mine was in regards to a complaint about a rude and unhelpful employee. The letter takes the same approach, here's everything you did wrong and here's everything we did right. Why even go there? What are the odds that that is going to resolve the matter or make me feel better about it? There was no need at all to say any of that, all they had to say we something to the effect of "We apologize, we will address the matter with the employee."
Since they took the route of telling me why it was ok for their employee to be an ass, what I really learned is don't bother complaining to Delta, all they'll do is find a way to defend their employee.
Fake. ".... I have been asked to contact you on behalf of Delta Air Lines.". "on behalf of " is usually a third party. If it was a Delta employee, I would not expect to see that phrase.
Curious if the person still has the envelope that was used to mailed it. Was the postage stamped, metered, or on a pre-printed Delta Air Lines envelope? For a large company such as Delta, I would...
Fake. ".... I have been asked to contact you on behalf of Delta Air Lines.". "on behalf of " is usually a third party. If it was a Delta employee, I would not expect to see that phrase.
Curious if the person still has the envelope that was used to mailed it. Was the postage stamped, metered, or on a pre-printed Delta Air Lines envelope? For a large company such as Delta, I would not expect a stamp, metered is possible for a division (are the postal meters identified by a number?), a pre-printed envelope seems to be most likely.
The number on the letterhead is for their post travel complaints line so that also seems odd that it would come from them.
Well like a lot of comments in a lot of forums seems like there are a ton of airline professionals out here. Frequent flyers ,million mile flyers etc. I myself am a major airline 33 year veteran and I hope the letter is true and honest. The industry is full of manipulating cheats and I for one am glad that if what Delta states is true that they are addressing it .This is a warning...
Well like a lot of comments in a lot of forums seems like there are a ton of airline professionals out here. Frequent flyers ,million mile flyers etc. I myself am a major airline 33 year veteran and I hope the letter is true and honest. The industry is full of manipulating cheats and I for one am glad that if what Delta states is true that they are addressing it .This is a warning to others. This system has been manipulated for too long. I say way to go Delta. This is what is great about America. If the man who published this letter doesn't like the point system or the frequent flyer program, he is free to go to another one.
"You repeatedly call our Reservations and High Value Customer desk to get what you want and if you don’t you hang up and repeatedly call until you get what you want."
This sounds fake. If this guy is calling back until he gets what he wants, then he's legitimately asking for something he deserves, since in the end, he's getting it. No amount of phone calls will get you something you're legitimately not entitled to....
"You repeatedly call our Reservations and High Value Customer desk to get what you want and if you don’t you hang up and repeatedly call until you get what you want."
This sounds fake. If this guy is calling back until he gets what he wants, then he's legitimately asking for something he deserves, since in the end, he's getting it. No amount of phone calls will get you something you're legitimately not entitled to. This letter makes it sound like airline perks are a thirty year old begging for sex. Just keep begging and it'll happen.
If this letter is real, it is a testament to the institutionalized stupidity airlines have embraced. "...treat Delta with the respect that we give you."? HA! You write the rules, we pay for the product you defined, now YOU live up to your end of the contract. Respect has nothing to do with it.
Pretty sure it's real. For Delta to warn this customer, he must have stood out with his "special requests".
It reads like a fake, but by who and why? I wouldn't put much stock in Delta refusing to comment. If they would deny it this time, then next time a failure to deny would be taken as "confirm."
I fly sometimes 3 times a month and Delta and American is what i use. The last month i had to fly 5 times and Delta was for 3 of them. It was such a disappointment for them. They messed up my gate and flying from Atl u dnt have time to (find) where u need to go. Everyone that day was cussing them out. So when i fly in Dec im going to stick to American cause now they rate the same to me!
I used to be a Delta Reservations agent, and although I wouldn't normally expect Delta to take this stance, if the customer is being dishonest, manipulative or rude, he deserves a warning. The language although stern, sounds quite appropriate to me if this customer is being abusive to either employees or the program. Every time he calls back and wastes an agent's time, he is detracting from other Medallion members' experiences, all because he is...
I used to be a Delta Reservations agent, and although I wouldn't normally expect Delta to take this stance, if the customer is being dishonest, manipulative or rude, he deserves a warning. The language although stern, sounds quite appropriate to me if this customer is being abusive to either employees or the program. Every time he calls back and wastes an agent's time, he is detracting from other Medallion members' experiences, all because he is selfish and immature. I hope that Delta actually did send this letter!
Good if this real. Hope more airlines do this.
Everybody who keeps posting that it is fake needs to read all the posts from people saying that they've received similar messages from Delta and to ask themselves -- who would go to the trouble of faking such a letter? A rogue Delta agent? Seems hardly willing to risk your job for something like this -- but more importantly, since others have received the same letters, I think it is pretty clear that this is...
Everybody who keeps posting that it is fake needs to read all the posts from people saying that they've received similar messages from Delta and to ask themselves -- who would go to the trouble of faking such a letter? A rogue Delta agent? Seems hardly willing to risk your job for something like this -- but more importantly, since others have received the same letters, I think it is pretty clear that this is a real letter albeit poorly worded, very informal and questionable tone.
In the image there's no obvious fold lines that would normally be on a letter such as this... unless they sent it in something like a FedEx mailer or hand delivered it which seems unlikely.
We can speculate forever. If it is true he should be grateful for just a warning instead of having his Medallion status revoked.
I don't fly Delta often but was very impressed with their customer service when I did fly them last year to Australia.
I believe their customer service is one of the best for a US Airline.
Where is the envelope?
Why is this even a story? The sad state of reporting now a days...
Hope it’s real and not fake. Tired of those abusers. They should ban those flyers.
This is fake. Certainly written by someone who is unfamiliar with policy. There is no specific reference to policy that was violated. No signature. No Delta loyalty number. No specific contact provided. Lots of components missing. Looks like it was printed fresh off someone's home printer without fold lines.
This could be real. I had a very unprofessional treatment by a Delta CSR who refused to honor what the flight attendants had told me when flying first class. Both the flight attendants and another CSR wanted to treat me one way, which was blocked by a CSR at the exit gate that seemed to be on a power trip. Subsequently, I'll only fly Delta if I have no other choice. Delta's CSR has felt...
This could be real. I had a very unprofessional treatment by a Delta CSR who refused to honor what the flight attendants had told me when flying first class. Both the flight attendants and another CSR wanted to treat me one way, which was blocked by a CSR at the exit gate that seemed to be on a power trip. Subsequently, I'll only fly Delta if I have no other choice. Delta's CSR has felt random, lazy, untrained, and arbitrary in my few dealings with them, and I have not received what was promised.
The language here seems situation appropriate, if everything in the letter is factual. There is little need for drama surrounding it.
it looks like a practical joke from a few friends more then it looks like a letter from a professional customer care department.
I hope it's real. Medallions are doing this ALL the time trying to get around costs.
Actually, I think this looks quite real, lingo and subtle signs all indicate this did come from Delta, maybe not sanctioned but definitely looks real. Delta customer service is not what it used to be. "High Value" customer service lines, aka PM/DM lines, are not what it used to be. Some senior agents candidly admit there are a lot of new agents that are not well trained, nor in tune with the needs of frequent...
Actually, I think this looks quite real, lingo and subtle signs all indicate this did come from Delta, maybe not sanctioned but definitely looks real. Delta customer service is not what it used to be. "High Value" customer service lines, aka PM/DM lines, are not what it used to be. Some senior agents candidly admit there are a lot of new agents that are not well trained, nor in tune with the needs of frequent business travelers. I had a DM agent answered the line and does not know what GUC is, after some pointless chatter, I hung up and called back. I am not going to waste my time on agents clearly do not know what they are doing. I have had several IROPS where I called in and gotten very very unhelpful agents. I had a patch of travel that had nothing but problems (none of my fault - literally all are Delta issues) and I did have to call several times back to back. I, too, had someone told me I seem to suddenly call a lot. I said to the agent that as a multi-year DM and for the business I given to Delta, why is it surprising I made calls to DM line, after all, the lines are there to help customers. In addition, I asked her to look at the notes for its content and see that all the calls originated from Delta's IROPS or mistakes or issues. Who in the right mind would have the time to repeatedly call Delta unless they are dealing with real issues. On the other hand, Delta habitually tell frequent flyer to write in complaints to customer care, "because they value DM/PM feedback" more than employees'. They use this is as a cop out to provide proper and timely assistance. I prefer a quick and reasonable effort to solve the problem on the spot, instead of let the issue persist and than complain later/after the trip.
That said, Delta has a lot of good agents but lately things aren't as efficient as before. It's not all that surprising to see this type of letter. At least for the person indicated in the letter of having a lot of activities in SFO, he definitely has a way out. United, Alaska or Southwest are all very well entrenched in SFO.
As someone who has worked in Customer Service for 20+ years, my brain has written this letter a thousand times. Someday, I may just burn out on someone's arrogance and entitlement and send something like it. Honestly, I believe this could be a legitimate letter written and mailed by the customer service rep who was pushed over the edge. The reason Delta would be playing the "we don't talk about it" game is because they...
As someone who has worked in Customer Service for 20+ years, my brain has written this letter a thousand times. Someday, I may just burn out on someone's arrogance and entitlement and send something like it. Honestly, I believe this could be a legitimate letter written and mailed by the customer service rep who was pushed over the edge. The reason Delta would be playing the "we don't talk about it" game is because they are running an internal investigation and have nothing to give yet. Personally, I applaud the person who sent it for having bigger balls than I do.
Someone from Delta probably wrote and sent the letter. It references the "High Value Customer Desk" which is not parlance used outside of Delta very much. Whether the letter was authorized by Delta's senior customer service executives is a different question; it doesn't' mean the letter is fake, but it might explain why Delta doesn't particularly want to talk about it. Or not. Either way, the letter appears to have come from someone at Delta.
I hope this is real, it is pretty clear that the majority of people responding "shaken" by this email have never worked in service. I for one hope that delta did write this letter. The behavior that is being cultivated within Hospitality and Air travel is deplorable and if the industry can pit a foot down after bad behavior. More power to them!
1) Who is this guy? Does he even exist?
2) If it is assumed to be fake, why is the assumption it came from a rogue DL employee? Anyone could have created the letter, even someone who does not work for DL
My opinion is that he is just as fake as the letter. That it is a hoax perpetrated by a non employee in an attempt to manipulate and stir up internet chatter.
(Oh no, I have fallen into the trap too!)
Assuming it is real for a minute...
Delta is basically confirming their agents are completely inept. If HUCA did not work, people would not do it. But it does work on all airlines. Do really, shouldn't Delta focus on training agents to follow the book.
Why is it a manipulation to call and change a flight for a longer layover when Delta allows it?
Probably a fake, but if not, shame on Delta.
I say its legit.
How would someone know the excuse he uses to avoid fees?
Also how would they know he has done it repeatedly?
He sounds like a creep either way.
Wouldn't surprise me if this was a real letter. Delta is a crappy airline full of flight delays and cancellations.
Funnily enough, I had a really bizarrely worded email from Delta Customer Care during my attempt to do a Medallion Status Match Challenge a couple of months ago. It was rude, blunt, and almost sassy. I will have to dig it out, but it was worded such that I decided I wouldn't bother pursuing it - everyone has their individual story, but it mirrored the sassy and inflexible service I received on the ground from Delta in my last few flights.
I have exchanged many communications with Delta over many years and those have generated a written response, whether electronic or postal, are ALWAYS signed by a person (representing a Delta department), always, always.
In addition, Delta personnel are literate, and this communication is not. It's grammar school English, if that.
FAKE.
There is nothing unprofessional about it. You Americans are out of control and need to be told.
2020 vision is coming, so everything changes anyway :-)
If anyone doubts that people will try to burn a candle at both ends, around the middle and from the inside endlessly to get a dollar off of something, they haven't read a hot deals forum.
And if a business makes exceptions or overrides, expect to give them all of the time.
And if they get those all of the time, they either need to close the loophole or give it out without whining.
This...
If anyone doubts that people will try to burn a candle at both ends, around the middle and from the inside endlessly to get a dollar off of something, they haven't read a hot deals forum.
And if a business makes exceptions or overrides, expect to give them all of the time.
And if they get those all of the time, they either need to close the loophole or give it out without whining.
This is a letter from a whiny customer service person who got overridden by someone else. And its dumb. If the customer is profitable, at best you're going to see them redouble their efforts or at worst, take their frequent flying elsewhere.
I hope it's real, and that it gets his attention. Customers who abuse a company's policies ultimately harm honest customers.
I had a Delta rep scold me once over the phone and some of the wording was *very* similar to this one (calling back to get what I want). When I asked to speak to her supervisor, she out me on hold with no intent of forwarding me and after 30 minutes of waiting, got back on the line and said as much. When I called back in an hour later and got another rep,...
I had a Delta rep scold me once over the phone and some of the wording was *very* similar to this one (calling back to get what I want). When I asked to speak to her supervisor, she out me on hold with no intent of forwarding me and after 30 minutes of waiting, got back on the line and said as much. When I called back in an hour later and got another rep, I requested that the call be reviewed, he did, and said that I always have the right to call back if I think I'm getting bad information or the rep isn't providing good service. I always call in whenever there is an issue when I travel (sadly, my experience with Delta is 50/50) so I'm probably gonna get one of these soon if it's real. That said, when I have great service, I also call in to let them know.
If it is real, then this is perhaps a best case scenario.
After all, airlines and credit card companies are willing to quickly pull your points and status without warning if they detect that you are abusing the system too much. At least this gives the person the chance to stop what they are doing before losing any perks (of course, assuming that it is real).
I did not fly DL for 10 years but when I did the info they would provide over the phone was always inconsistent. Once I had to cancel a non-refundable transatlantic ticket. A few month later I called DL to use the remaining credit. The first agent said there is no way to use the credit for the new ticket and I had to purchase an entirely new ticket. I have called again and was...
I did not fly DL for 10 years but when I did the info they would provide over the phone was always inconsistent. Once I had to cancel a non-refundable transatlantic ticket. A few month later I called DL to use the remaining credit. The first agent said there is no way to use the credit for the new ticket and I had to purchase an entirely new ticket. I have called again and was told that I had to pay $300 for the new ticket. I have decided to try the third time: the ticket was re-issued without any additional fees.
I agree with @JRMW. This is most likely an unauthorized letter by someone in CS who got pissed and decided to act on his or her own (or in concert with others).
1) I am a lawyer and have written cease and desist letters for a major corporation. This is not an officially worded letter. If it was, it would have been reviewed and approved by a lawyer or senior paralegal or security professional...
I agree with @JRMW. This is most likely an unauthorized letter by someone in CS who got pissed and decided to act on his or her own (or in concert with others).
1) I am a lawyer and have written cease and desist letters for a major corporation. This is not an officially worded letter. If it was, it would have been reviewed and approved by a lawyer or senior paralegal or security professional working off an approved form. This letter was written by an amateur.
2) When a corporate threatens a customer, it usually comes from legal or corporate security, not CS. That sends the wrong message: "Stop being a jerk or I will hurt you. Signed: A Friend"
3) Whoever wrote this letter has specific and general facts about his travel behaviors. That could include CS, but it could also include his close friends and co-workers who decided to prank him.
4) Delta is going to pissed and will take significant efforts to hunt down whoever did this. If this came to me, I would instruct PR to say only that it is being investigated. I would then start a full investigation. A company cannot have its letterhead used like this without responding vigorously.
If this is real, then the guy is a total ass. If it is fake, the guy is a total ass. He should try United if he wants better service, and good luck/riddance.
As a 25+ year Sr. Manager in Consumer Care at 2 large Fortune 50 companies...I can only say...it can't possibly be real. While we do often have to have "delicate" conversations with our customers...it wouldn't be written in that tone or fashion...and most likely we would attempt to handle that "live".
I'm pretty much a Delta-before-anyone-else kinda guy and I've always had good experiences with their Customer Service. It will be interesting if we get more info.
IMO real, from some mid-level flunky that thought they'd do this person a FAVOR and give them a "word to the wise".
If this triggers further inquiry, now the flunky will be in trouble, plus I'd expect termination of benefits. Huge mistake IMO for them to post it publicly, they should have taken the hint.
I am a travel agent and spend a lot of time communicating with airlines and that letter is 100% fake. I have filed complaints as well as given positive feedback and the response will ALWAYS have the airline employee's name in the signature. You will never get a response from Delta or from a department.
Without a signature from a person in a management position, in SOME department, I find it highly unlikely that a threatening letter like this would be authorized.
My guess is that agent "A" figured out that the customer called back after not getting the answer he wanted until he found agent "B" who gave him what he wanted, possibly after after dealing with him several times herself. Agent "A" wrote the unsanctioned nasty gram because she was ticked.
Was this sent to Louis from Suits?
The issue is with the agents and Not the customer. If agents are approving his requests for exemptions they need to be trained not to approve after a certain number of exceptions. The customer just needs to be told no exceptions or one per year or something.
Your headline is misleading - you make it sound like DL did send this letter and leave the 'allegedly ' to the next sentence so more than a little click baity.
I think the letter is fake. Anyone can mock up the letter head using cut and paste and the most basic of word processing packages. The language used does not reflect that normally used in dealing with an issue such as this
Would DL...
Your headline is misleading - you make it sound like DL did send this letter and leave the 'allegedly ' to the next sentence so more than a little click baity.
I think the letter is fake. Anyone can mock up the letter head using cut and paste and the most basic of word processing packages. The language used does not reflect that normally used in dealing with an issue such as this
Would DL use language such as "our reports indicate ..." they'd say something like "our systems indicate" or "our records indicate..."
This may be going around the internet but I can't see it on the DL board on flyer talk yet where I would expect a very long thread on this sort of thing to pull the whole issue forensically
So you are the idiots tying up the phone lines with your silly requests. You don't deserve to get on any plane if you think this is "rude," much less whine about not getting on an oversold flight that you don't have a ticket for, no matter how many miles you grinded through your credit cards.
This has to be fake. First, if a business let's you do something, then they can't get mad about it. If the business doesn't have consistent rules, then why wouldn't a customer keep calling until they get what they want. I'm not providing charity to Delta, and I'll absolutely try every option to get what I want. Delta should quickly come out against this letter whether fake or not.
The letter is seemingly taken from a closed Facebook Group of Delta Diamond Medallion Fliers and has been discussed there quite a bit.
This post and the comment thread lacks context about what allegedly happened and most comments jump to conclusions too fast.
While it is entirely possible that the individual here was in the wrong, the information that I can see is that his request was within allowable parameters and it was probably...
The letter is seemingly taken from a closed Facebook Group of Delta Diamond Medallion Fliers and has been discussed there quite a bit.
This post and the comment thread lacks context about what allegedly happened and most comments jump to conclusions too fast.
While it is entirely possible that the individual here was in the wrong, the information that I can see is that his request was within allowable parameters and it was probably a training issue on Delta's side that made him "Hang up and call again".
Heavy frequent fliers run into unusual situations quite often including situations where the customer service desk will refuse things that they - by airline policies are supposed to grant.
Often simply they don't know. Seemingly Delta got rid of their dedicated "Diamond desk" leading to difficult situations more often landing at the desk of agents with less experience.
Some customers give in then when being told "no" even if they were in the right - and stay quiet, some write angry comments later on, some call again.
This individual called again.
The Facebook group has a picture of what is alleged the envelope of the letter which indicates being sent from a Delta location.
I doubt that it is an attempt to smear Delta. It is possible that it was a "rogue" customer service representative who did not follow procedure.
@Infrequent Flyer The SkyMiles program is completely discretionary and people won't stop flying Delta in masses because of one guy. The letter was indeed poorly written but at least he was warned.
@rich Why would it be a fake? What's the purpose? Either way he loses. Additionally, Renee's Points confirmed that Delta sent the letter. Airlines should definitely hold people accountable.
Lacking....
Some people really work hard to push systems to an absolute limit. What we lack is that piece. If the customer has been really pushing the system, I find the letter to be fine...admittedly not written the best. But personally I think there at times the first warning NEEDS to be harsh. In this situation I believe there likely is more that the customer has done than referenced ....and if correct the letter may...
Lacking....
Some people really work hard to push systems to an absolute limit. What we lack is that piece. If the customer has been really pushing the system, I find the letter to be fine...admittedly not written the best. But personally I think there at times the first warning NEEDS to be harsh. In this situation I believe there likely is more that the customer has done than referenced ....and if correct the letter may in fact be better than the alternative of what could amount to a full belittling attack for Delta to have realized this problem customer later than they should have.
It’s a fake. It states “brought to my attention” and yet is unsigned
“ quite honestly “ is also not something they would write
A genuine letter would have a signature , even if it’s a pseudonym as airline employees do this over the phone / written communications due to threats via social media as in the current will.i.am case where he named a Qantas employee
It could have easily been signed John smith as the customer would not know
Kind of funny how everyone is an expert on whether it is real or fake.
The only thing I would say is that a lot of people abuse things and ask for things they are not entitled to, and if people want to hold airlines accountable for incorrect behavior then these abusers should also be penalized.
The airline has no right to complain. If they don't like customers taking advantage of their loopholes, then they shouldn't have them! As for him hang up and then getting what he wants, again, Delta has no one to blame but themselves, just don't give him what he wants, don't complain to him in a letter about your own decision. Very rude, ungrateful and unprofessional letter in my opinion. I think delta owes this guy...
The airline has no right to complain. If they don't like customers taking advantage of their loopholes, then they shouldn't have them! As for him hang up and then getting what he wants, again, Delta has no one to blame but themselves, just don't give him what he wants, don't complain to him in a letter about your own decision. Very rude, ungrateful and unprofessional letter in my opinion. I think delta owes this guy an apology and should discipline whoever wrote this (and apparently didn't have the guts to identify him or herself!).
@ JRMW - I have to agree. My guess is rogue employee.
"treat Delta with the respect that we give you" sounds like a CSR that is frustrated beyond reason.
Any letter written that is that terse should have a name attached to it, not just "Customer Care". I think it's fake.
It takes a lot to get a Delta customer experience specialist to leave a permanent remark in a SkyMiles account. We can make exceptions and waive fees all day long with just remarks in the PNRs. It’s the abusive/ridiculous/nearly unbelievable requests and demands that warrant the SkyMiles remarks.
If this is real, it means he was told no by Reservations and contacted Customer Care to push harder. I can’t overstate how hard he would...
It takes a lot to get a Delta customer experience specialist to leave a permanent remark in a SkyMiles account. We can make exceptions and waive fees all day long with just remarks in the PNRs. It’s the abusive/ridiculous/nearly unbelievable requests and demands that warrant the SkyMiles remarks.
If this is real, it means he was told no by Reservations and contacted Customer Care to push harder. I can’t overstate how hard he would have had to have pushed his luck to receive a letter like this, if it is real.
The letter is almost certainly fake and written by a rogue employee. DL will never admit to that because doing so would essentially be like saying, "We have no control over the security of our own communications." So, they will try to dig up the rogue and that person will almost certainly be fired if discovered. But, to cover their own asses, they'll never say anything about it to the public. They're essentially in damage...
The letter is almost certainly fake and written by a rogue employee. DL will never admit to that because doing so would essentially be like saying, "We have no control over the security of our own communications." So, they will try to dig up the rogue and that person will almost certainly be fired if discovered. But, to cover their own asses, they'll never say anything about it to the public. They're essentially in damage control mode - I would do the same thing if I were them.
Is the skymiles number present anywhere in the letter? If it was and matches the persons sky miles number, I would beleive just a bit more that it's real
Would like to see the mailing envelope, return address and postmark etc.
@Frank - I was one of those idiots once as a junior law firm associate redacting documents to submit in response to a government audit ("no one told me" turned out to be a very feeble defense in the supervising partner's estimation). I kept my job, but suffice to say, it is a mistake I never made again.
More generally, this whole communication reeks of amateur hour, but as others have pointed out, that doesn't...
@Frank - I was one of those idiots once as a junior law firm associate redacting documents to submit in response to a government audit ("no one told me" turned out to be a very feeble defense in the supervising partner's estimation). I kept my job, but suffice to say, it is a mistake I never made again.
More generally, this whole communication reeks of amateur hour, but as others have pointed out, that doesn't mean it wasn't sent by a rogue disgruntled Delta employee, or that it doesn't ultimately serve Delta's purposes with regard to this customer and his ilk more generally. Hence their unwillingness to comment isn't that surprising.
I think it’s real. I once got a equally rude letter in the mail being accused of paying out a pee pad in a club for the service animal. In actually I had put out a small dog bed that I use to signal to my dog that it’s okay to sit that area (on the floor) instead of the club agent coming to talk to me she apparently escalated to someone who wrote me...
I think it’s real. I once got a equally rude letter in the mail being accused of paying out a pee pad in a club for the service animal. In actually I had put out a small dog bed that I use to signal to my dog that it’s okay to sit that area (on the floor) instead of the club agent coming to talk to me she apparently escalated to someone who wrote me a equally abrasive letter and signed it “customer care” so I had no way to respond to it. Which by the way I had a photo my sister in law took of me and the dog at the club that trip as she was traveling with me that day and she had never seen my service dog in action at the airport. I thought it was incredible that they would send such a offensive one sided letter. I was so upset I threw it out but wish I had saved it. Glad to know I’m not the only one that received such a abrasive rude letter!!
“Quite honestly...” Nigerian Scam flagged!
That’s “...calling all lit up...” towards the end of the 2nd paragraph in my above comment!
@Adamw You are absolutely correct. I'll admit that I took advantage of United because I had a lot of free time back then but I was still cheating them. @Lucky you've been through this and I think that you can admit it's very humbling to be banned from a major carrier that you can't even consider for travel. I'll probably never know what Polaris is like and honestly it hurts. My love for aviation started...
@Adamw You are absolutely correct. I'll admit that I took advantage of United because I had a lot of free time back then but I was still cheating them. @Lucky you've been through this and I think that you can admit it's very humbling to be banned from a major carrier that you can't even consider for travel. I'll probably never know what Polaris is like and honestly it hurts. My love for aviation started with Continental and seeing that golden globe tail without being able to board it now is painful. That's why I truly cherish my American Gold status despite my third Spicy Spinach and Ricotta pasta this month.
Definitely can't be real. If it is, a rogue agent. This is a very unprofessional communication that nobody would actually mail to a customer.
Can I just comment on the poor photoshop skills of the person who tried to cover up the personal information on the letter (presumably the pax). It reminds me of the idiots who file documents using the .pdf blackout tool who don't realize that if you just black the text out, the text is still there and can still be viewed by anyone who selects the blacked out area.
My guess:
it's an unauthorized letter sent out by a Delta Employee
less likely: a fake.
He likely insulted a Delta Employee, probably multiple times (accidentally or otherwise). The employee took matters into his/her own hands.
Doesn't look like anything a compliance or enforcement department would write.
I could barely get through it
It's written very poorly using fairly remedial English, primarily using a passive voice (I've never seen so many passive...
My guess:
it's an unauthorized letter sent out by a Delta Employee
less likely: a fake.
He likely insulted a Delta Employee, probably multiple times (accidentally or otherwise). The employee took matters into his/her own hands.
Doesn't look like anything a compliance or enforcement department would write.
I could barely get through it
It's written very poorly using fairly remedial English, primarily using a passive voice (I've never seen so many passive phrases in one short letter. Yikes)
There are no unique identifiers (FF#, Case ID, etc)
It's very emotional
Doesn't specify which policies or terms/conditions were broken
Doesn't give a formal action plan or remediation plan
It's unsigned without appropriate contact information ("Delta Feedback" generic email doesn't suffice)
This also explains why Delta refuses to comment.
-they can't deny it's from them if it's an unauthorized letter from their employee
-they've likely begun an internal investigation on this (and thus can't comment)
Is it just me that thinks its not that bad a letter?
I mean I would rather get that letter rather than the next one that says 'You have broken the rules of our flyer program - goodbye'
Maybe it's just me being too analytical, but.... Why are there no folds in the paper? And notice it says www.delta.COM? Also the way the telephone number is written doesn't seem right... T, +1 800... Doesn't seem right
@Bill American, Alaska, Jetblue and United have engaged in this behavior before. United tried collecting back $3000 in bump vouchers they had given me. They took me to court and the judge laughed and dismissed it in my favor. In the end, I got banned from MileagePlus and possibly United ( I haven't tried flying them since, nor want to). The sad reality is that we will continue to fly despite incidents like this because...
@Bill American, Alaska, Jetblue and United have engaged in this behavior before. United tried collecting back $3000 in bump vouchers they had given me. They took me to court and the judge laughed and dismissed it in my favor. In the end, I got banned from MileagePlus and possibly United ( I haven't tried flying them since, nor want to). The sad reality is that we will continue to fly despite incidents like this because what other choice do we have? Allegiant? Spirit? Frontier? No thanks
I don’t know if it is real or not, but there is likely much more to the story. My guess is that the accuracy was likely calling frequently and being abusive and manipulative during those calls. Many people think that it is their right to be abusive to businesses and their customer service representatives; however, this is simply not the case. This letter is likely the first step in severing that relationship.
@Alex J Right! I see no benefit in making this up or it being a fake. Clearly it's a warning and it should be heeded.
Totally fake. Lacks professionalism, uses poor grammar and a contraction (so definitely not a lawyer).
As stated, probably a disgruntled customer service rep.
As far as, Delta's no comment policy, this would hold true until they figured out whether or not it does involve a real person. They cannot apply their own policy willy nilly.
How/why would someone get the information necessary to create a fake email? There are clauses in the terms and conditions of reward programs that state abusing/manipulating the program could lead to revocation of membership and/or status. It's pretty easy for an agent or supervisor in an office/call center to put a letterhead sheet into a printer and print out a letter. Having worked in call centers since 1999, I'm pretty sure it was sent by...
How/why would someone get the information necessary to create a fake email? There are clauses in the terms and conditions of reward programs that state abusing/manipulating the program could lead to revocation of membership and/or status. It's pretty easy for an agent or supervisor in an office/call center to put a letterhead sheet into a printer and print out a letter. Having worked in call centers since 1999, I'm pretty sure it was sent by an agent or supervisor without advanced written communications training (such as British Council). Companies also have departments that review suspect behavior on accounts and address the customer behavior.
This just seems to me like an entitled customer trying to call someone under the carpet for protecting their company from a problem customer.
Um, why is everyone calling this fake? It isn't even that interesting. We all know people like this exist, and it seems like a fair response from Delta. It isn't like they have a corporate template for writing this letter sitting around. Sounds like something a human wrote that was alerted to this customer's poor behavior and was debating closing the ff account.
@Mike Totally agree, I work in one and we have call records going back years. This is mainly to target fraudsters which are a huge problem in the airline industry believe it or not. @Drew makes a great point in regards to the wording but I wouldn't risk it. Clearly the letterhead has Delta's contact information and whoever sent it can probably do some damage.
In a former life I worked in customer service. This does not seem like a typical letter a company would send although I suppose anyone with access to letterhead could type up and send this missive. There was one example in my customer service experience where someone would call on a daily basis for things that could not be provided no matter how much the company might want to give just to make him go...
In a former life I worked in customer service. This does not seem like a typical letter a company would send although I suppose anyone with access to letterhead could type up and send this missive. There was one example in my customer service experience where someone would call on a daily basis for things that could not be provided no matter how much the company might want to give just to make him go away. At some point a Vice President in the company left a note in the customer’s file instructing call takers to refer the caller to our main competitor.
Would be surprised if it is real (then again it really seems like Delta should state this is a fake if that is the case because it is harming their reputation), but if it is indeed real then the person at Delta who wrote the letter should be immediately terminated.
As a Global Services customer on United I can get three different answers on three separate calls on the same topic! Mind you GS customers have a separate number/desk all to themselves for CS help over the phone. I don’t think some of the agents are trained all that well to respond to issues and some are just super smart and can solve things in a matter of minutes. I’ve been told I couldn’t do...
As a Global Services customer on United I can get three different answers on three separate calls on the same topic! Mind you GS customers have a separate number/desk all to themselves for CS help over the phone. I don’t think some of the agents are trained all that well to respond to issues and some are just super smart and can solve things in a matter of minutes. I’ve been told I couldn’t do something then turn around call back and get “no problem” I can help you with that... it’s done!
Another aspect of this that strikes me as fake is that the airlines reserve themselves broad latitude to rescind miles/accounts for abusive behavior (see: overweight cat), and if DL was threatening to do that here, I would expect to see some reference to SkyMiles T&Cs - warnings about fraudulent activity, audit, violations, etc. are very prominent with a simple Google search of "Skymiles terms and conditions". Instead we have statements like "your manipulative practices are...
Another aspect of this that strikes me as fake is that the airlines reserve themselves broad latitude to rescind miles/accounts for abusive behavior (see: overweight cat), and if DL was threatening to do that here, I would expect to see some reference to SkyMiles T&Cs - warnings about fraudulent activity, audit, violations, etc. are very prominent with a simple Google search of "Skymiles terms and conditions". Instead we have statements like "your manipulative practices are unacceptable" and "conduct yourself in an honest and respectful manner". Even a basic statement such as "as you know, Delta in its sole discretion may deactivate your account if you do x, y, z..." would sound a bit more credible.
Personally I think it’s real. And if it is then kudos to Delta. Granted it’s poorly written, but the message could not be more crystal clear. Delta like most carriers monitor the calls coming into the call centers. They know who you are and why you’re calling. And they know when you hang up and call back to try to get a different answer.
This guy should consider himself duly warned.
@Archer I don't think it's a fake. It looks more like a letter from a CSR or someone in Corporate Security. The sad reality is that Delta's corporate security is very elusive.
@ric v "he deserves the warning to cease and *decease*"
Best. Typo. Ever.
Shame on whomever forged this letter to make Delta look bad. It wouldn't surprise me if it came from someone at United or American.
I'm fairly certain this is fake. You have already identified some of red flags - generally, if a company is threatening action against a high-value customer, the correspondence would be signed by an actual individual with a real title (i.e. "John Doe, Senior Director of Customer Relations.") both to carry weight and to allow the recipient to follow up. This is way too vague for something so pointed.
As someone who works in media...
I'm fairly certain this is fake. You have already identified some of red flags - generally, if a company is threatening action against a high-value customer, the correspondence would be signed by an actual individual with a real title (i.e. "John Doe, Senior Director of Customer Relations.") both to carry weight and to allow the recipient to follow up. This is way too vague for something so pointed.
As someone who works in media relations for a company with a similar policy of not commenting on communication with an individual, I disagree that Delta would comment even if it is fake. By issuing a statement confirming that this letter is fake, Delta would inadvertently be confirming that other examples shared publicly are real anytime they release the "Delta does not comment on communications with individuals..." statement. Though I am surprised they didn't provide more background on their general policies regarding such issues. They could easily have said "Delta doesn't comment... However, our policies for communicating with account holders about perceived abuse of ticketing exemptions and practices designed to assist customers are, X, Y, and Z." Whether the letter is real or fake, that extra background is helpful for public understanding. And if it's fake, the extra background can help the media/public read between the lines.
Finally, this letter clearly hasn't been reviewed by multiple sets of eyes. There's no way a letter threatening action against someone's account would not be reviewed by the legal and policy departments as well as senior PR and communications staff. And there's no way those departments would have let this go out as-is. Again, they'd ensure the language was less "sassy," and they'd never allow it to be written in the first person like that unless an actual individual was signing it, not an entire team. They'd want to ensure someone specific was responsible/accountable for the sharpness of the words in that letter. There's a chance a frustrated CSR went rogue and wrote it and sent it out on their own (and I'd imagine Delta would deal with it internally and the customer would likely be getting some nice perks as compensation), but this almost certainly does not represent the language the airline would use in dealing with such an issue and is likely fake.
@TravelManager I received a letter just like that for engaging in similar behavior back in 2018. They demoted my status from Diamond to Silver despite me stopping the activity. No case number, no callback representative. After many emails, I was told that Delta reserved the right to make any adjustments to anyone's status for any reason.
@Michael Then why would he post it facing termination from Delta. If it's fake, Delta can terminate his...
@TravelManager I received a letter just like that for engaging in similar behavior back in 2018. They demoted my status from Diamond to Silver despite me stopping the activity. No case number, no callback representative. After many emails, I was told that Delta reserved the right to make any adjustments to anyone's status for any reason.
@Michael Then why would he post it facing termination from Delta. If it's fake, Delta can terminate his account for slander, if real the can terminate just because they feel like it. What is the travel community going to do? Boycott Delta? More like protest it online for a week and then back to flying Delta.
Fake news OMAAT
The letter is real. I can say that firsthand. I was a Diamond Medallion and received a warning letter from Corporate Security with no name, same font, same letterhead. I took precautions after receiving but my status was demoted to Silver without warning. I tried Elliott and others but reached no solution. It may not be official but if you get a letter from Delta, whoever is sending it has the power to mess with your Skymiles account.
Maybe it is fake but DL is keeping mum on the matter because it likes the underlying message (politeness aside) that is being sent around the blogosphere.
I would not be surprised at all if this was real. Although DL has the best customer service of the big 3, I have had some very startling interactions with their CSRs over the phone. One even told me once (after I politely suggested that a weather waiver should be imminent for a major storm approaching the south), "why don't you let us make those decisions since that's our job and not yours."
No use to comment as we don't know if this is a real letter or a fake.
Could be a PR thing from Delta to discourage passengers to behave like this one but no way to know if that is the case since Delta does not take responsability for it .
Fake. I don't believe any professional letter would start a sentence with "Quite honestly..."
In this kind of situation, the lack of any kind of reference # or case ID etc seems rather odd. That combined with the lack of any specific examples, the way it is worded, and the generic signature just don't add up. Seems fake.
Smells very fake.
I definitely don't expect this kind of response from Delta but as a call-center employee, hanging up and calling again is not a great idea. It raises red flags left and right. If you're not satisfied with the result, ask for a supervisor. In many cases, if the representative you're speaking to can't help, it's because someone higher up needs to approve it. We as the points community also need to realize that rewards programs...
I definitely don't expect this kind of response from Delta but as a call-center employee, hanging up and calling again is not a great idea. It raises red flags left and right. If you're not satisfied with the result, ask for a supervisor. In many cases, if the representative you're speaking to can't help, it's because someone higher up needs to approve it. We as the points community also need to realize that rewards programs are completely run at the discretion of the airlines and can be terminated for any reason. They set the rules and courts don't view points as currency but rather an incentive. Having United Platinum at 18 in 2015 was great without having millionaire parents but it also got me banned from MileagePlus for "actively seeking oversold flights". Some carriers will straight up ban you from flying with them, and people, there aren't as many choices as there once were.
Fake! Sounds like it was written from Nigeria!
There have been a couple of reports on FlyerTalk of people HUCAing Delta for various reasons and having an agent tell them "I see that you've called about this before", so it does seem that Delta is tracking such behavior. But agree the letter is odd, though I'm really not sure what incentive someone would have to fake such a letter. I'm also not sure what to make of the reference to a "high value...
There have been a couple of reports on FlyerTalk of people HUCAing Delta for various reasons and having an agent tell them "I see that you've called about this before", so it does seem that Delta is tracking such behavior. But agree the letter is odd, though I'm really not sure what incentive someone would have to fake such a letter. I'm also not sure what to make of the reference to a "high value customer desk" -- I've never seen that language used by Delta and you would think they'd refer to it as the "Diamond Medallion desk" or similar. (If the recipient is a Delta 360 member, you'd think they'd potentially cut him more slack on this stuff.)
(Annoyingly the reports I've seen have been about agents not knowing how to do things correctly, like applying global upgrades to partner airline flights, so it's extremely annoying that a customer might be getting "red flags" due to Delta's own incompetence.)
complete fake.
It sounds like a fake letter to me. The language is too casual for typical business communication. It definitely does not have the polish you'd expect from a major airline.
The letter is fake. Delta Airlines does have the option of stating "no". Endless customers hang up and call again without issue. Cannot imagine a customer with status working day and night to "get what you want". Time is money and calling over and over is very time consuming. Not an extraordinary number of options beyond changing flights and changing seats worth a call regardless.
No way this is real. Delta doesn't treat people like this.
I'm a loyal Delta flyer & I don't fly often but when I do I make every effort to use Delta. After reading this letter I was shaken by the lack of politeness. I would be very surprised if this letter is "real" and it's going to be all over the internet now
I'm not sure in whose interest it would be to write or publish a fake letter like this. It's not from a scamster, because the letter doesn't ask for any personal information that can be exploited. Not sure why the original source / recipient of the letter would forge it. Seems like a genuine letter from a Delta employee, but likely sent in a non-standardized way
Probably fake...But if it's true and said customer has been doing what the letter claims, then he deserves the warning to cease and decease.
It's either not real, or it's an individual employee who maybe he was rude to on the telephone and they wrote it without any authorisation. The wording is vague, unprofessional and full of opinion rather than any specific policy breaches.
If it is real then which ever department and individual wrote it needs some training.
I wonder if a Medallion line call person got hot under the collar after seeing his/her decision trumped by another agent and found a way to send the letter? It doesn't seem likely they'd have the ability to send a letter to a customer like that, but I wonder if someone found a way to do it and sent it as a bit of retaliation for something that irked them.
Play the field; expect to get caught.
Reminds me of the CX Hanoi error fare traveller who was appalled that CX has the temerity to reprice the itinerary for a Re-route.
Too many treat FFPs as having rules to get around or manipulate.
The bull was bound to bite back eventually.
Has to be a prank/fake
The solution is obvious. He must now LIP SYNC FOR HIS LIFE (well, miles). What would the song be?
I think it’s fake.