Read your terms and conditions

There are two reasons I shouldn't be posting today - one being that I didn't actually work (joy!), and the other being that I am so sick I can barely focus on anything. I've walked around like a zombie most of the day, which has been interesting given that I didn't have a car while it was getting serviced...and it was pissing down with rain. But I digress.

The reason I write today is because my beloved employers are in the news, as they are almost every week, which I guess is to be expected when you pretty much hold a monopoly in a developed country. I want to make a record of this so I remember. Basically a flight from CHC to WLG was oversold and people got bumped to later flights. Unfortunately this isn't all that uncommon. In fact it's company policy, and a very common practice adopted by most certified airlines around the world.

As you can imagine, this is massive fun for those of us behind the counters (I don't know if I can convey sarcasm on this thing but I'm dripping with it right now). Most flights are authorised to be oversold. A typical flight using a Boeing 737 - in our case most travelling between CHC, WLG and AKL - has only 136 seats available but we can sell up to 140 or in some cases 144. I've seen flights from AKL to LAX or LHR oversold by 12!

Today it was reported that some poor soul in Christchurch was two hours late to his grandmother's funeral in Wellington because of the overselling policy, despite having paid $344 for his ticket. Said customer has now taken his gripe to the media and complained that the airport staff were totally unsympathetic and told him it was his problem.

I find this really, really hard to believe. We hate it when flights get oversold. We dread it. If those of us on the frontline could change the policy we bloody would; if there's 136 seats on a plane, don't sell more than 136 seats! Make ours and the passengers' lives easier. But the reason this exists is because on any given day, dozens of passengers miss their flights, therefore freeing up lots of seats on busy routes. In theory this should work out well...but in my encounters with it, and today's example, it obviously backfires very badly.

I am not in any way demeaning this particular customer's distress, especially during such an awful time for him, but I'm not sure why he had to highlight his so-called treatment at the airport. If I told a customer that overselling was his problem and he took it up with a supervisor or the media, I would be in line for firing or at the very least a very severe disciplinary action (e.g. I could lose my staff travel benefits). I find it far more believable that he was told that this practice is company policy, it's stated in the terms and conditions of the ticket and that it is beyond our control. After hearing this, and in the state he was most likely in, I can imagine he has taken it the wrong way and is now crying foul to all who will listen.

This is one of the things that really gets me about customer service. It's not our fault we have to follow the rules but quite frankly I don't want to lose my job or be reprimanded for excusing one and ignoring all others. When I explain that there's nothing I can do about it, I always add that I would change it if I could but by then it's too late. Most customers have it set in their mind that I'm an unhelpful bitch who doesn't care about their predicament.

Sigh. If you only knew some of the nights I've spent wondering if you got to your destination okay...

I have a feeling part of this story has been blown out of proportion because in my experience with overselling, we always ask the reason for travel. If it was something as important as a funeral, I strongly believe everything would be done in our power to get that person where they need to be on time, including asking for volunteers to take a later flight instead. We've done this before, it's worked, I just can't understand why this one case has gone so wrong in so many ways.

Oh wait, I should know, I'm a media student. Let's take a story about an evil company and blow it up to front page stuff. Again, not demeaning this awful situation, but this has been going on for years without so much as a squeak of a complaint. Why now?

I would go on but my eyes/chest/throat/head are so sore I physically can't. I would change the terms and conditions, but because I can't I strongly suggest you actually read them before you click that little "submit" button on your e-ticket purchase. The words reserved, OK and confirmed do not necessarily guarantee you a seat.