How would you have handled this?

[DanCa]

Hey everyone I have a question for you all about something that happened to me Wed. night.
I had to take a return trip home on United Airlines and my hands were shaking terribly.
Anyhow I asked the stewadress for some help with the seat belt. She said "what is the matter is your waist to big?" I said, "No I have parkinson's and my hands aren't working right now and I need help fastening the seat belt." Any she lets out along exhale and says okay I'll help you, but you really should have family on board with you." Basicaly I bite my lip, rolled my eyes and said thank you.

Finally it comes to the part of the flight when you have drink service and she says "You shouldn't have anything because you might spill it on yourself or on your neighbor." The seat next to me was empty fyi.

So anyway I didn't say nothing to her until we landed at O'hare. And than when I was leaving the plane she goes becareful so you don't trip now. I was wondering if she was being rude snotty or am I being overly sensitve. I didn't say nothing at the time because I didn't want to cause anyone trouble so I tried keeping it too myself but I just can't let it go. Please let me know your thoughts and thanks. Hopefully I can forget about it. Thank you for you input everyone.

[LynzM]

1. It sounds to me like...

She was being condescending and snotty. I get similar kinds of things when people find out I'm diabetic - telling me what I can/can't eat, making sure I get a diet soda, etc. But your case sounds like she was just being a snot. I might have spoken to someone in customer service about it, were I you. :hug:

[Thtwudbeme]

2. I would contact the airline with a formal complaint

Maybe she was absent the day there was a lecture about people with special needs.

Either that, or she is an immature, rude little snot, and that needs to be dealt with if that is the case.

I am so sorry this happened to you.

Stephanie

[auntAgonist]

28. absolutely agree!

I would expect better behaviour from trained professionals. I'm sure the airline would want to know and at the very least, send you a letter of apology.

aA.
aka kesha

[HEyHEY]

3. You cannot let that go

That is the most inexcusable treatment. Write a letter, keep on it.

[Evergreen Emerald]

4. That is unexceptable.

You do not deserve to be treated that way. Make a formal complaint. She should not be serving the public.

[SeattleGirl]

5. I think she was out of line with her behavior.

First, her sigh at helping you with your seatbelt, and then telling you you should travel with family or friends. I know you have difficulty with doing some things, Dan, but you are hardly incapacitated. Oh, and her crack about "is your waist too big" was really out of line.

Then telling you you shouldn't have drink service because you might spill it was another way in which she was out of line. That sounds very condescending to me, and would have raised my hackles. (Too bad you didn't think to answer her: "Yeah, well, I left my baby bottle at home." That might have shut her right up!)

And on your departure, telling you to be careful. Sheesh. She seems like one of those people who a) have little or no tolerance for people with physical problems, and 2) thinks she's "helping" you by treating you like a child.

I do think you need to let it go, for the sake of your own self, and maybe one way to do that would be to write a letter to the airline, give them your flight number, plus day and time you flew, what seat you were in, etc., so maybe they could pinpoint who this woman is. I know that won't change the past, but again, it might help you to let it go. I don't hesitate to tell people when I think they are doing a good job, but at the same time, I don't hesitate to lodge a complaint, either directly to the person, or to a superior, when they aren't doing a good job, or are treating me in a disrespectful manner, which I think this woman was.

That's my two cents on it. :hi:

[DanCa]

19. Thank you SG

I just couldn't tell if I was over reacting or if she was being rude to me. I promise I'll register a complaint with United Thanks I feel lots better.

[SeattleGirl]

29. You absolutely were not over-reacting.

I'm glad you are going to file a complaint, DanCa.

[Richard Steele]

6. Formal Complaint time, IMHO!

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. I think she was thinking "United fucked us over with a pay cut,

loss of pension, and a bunch of other bullshit while our CEO walked away with tens of millions in bonuses, so fuck it, I don't care any more, fuck the customers, let's drive the company into bankruptcy again by treating the customers like shit until there's no one left who wants to fly this amazing shithole of an airline."

Even so, her comments are inexcusable, and I would be upset with such condescending attitude from a stewardess, especially about a handicap.

[mac56]

8. Absolutely inexcusable.

It's definitely formal complaint time.

[fight4my3sons]

9. I think a formal complaint is in order.

Hugs to you. :hug: You did not deserve to be treated this way. I'm so sorry.

[mdmc]

10. i second that emotion

:kick:

[ghostsofgiants]

11. Wow, that seems like some definite rudeness to me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Contact the airline.

Customer relations phone and e-mail here: http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,51005,00.html?navSource=ContactUnited&linkTitle=Customer+relations

I'd suggest contacting them ASAP, for several reasons: First, and maybe most importantly, you'll feel better. The flight attendant's behavior was inappropriate and upsetting, and you need to feel you can do something about it.

Second, the airline will want to know if it has an employee who does not deal well with passengers. All the airlines have been getting criticized lately on customer service issues, and they are all trying to improve that situation. This FA clearly needs some remedial training, and the airline should be given the opportunity to retrain and/or discipline her so she doesn't keep behaving like that.

Customer service businesses (airlines, restaurants, hotels, stores, etc.) are in some respects at the mercy of their employees. One bad experience with a flight attendant, waiter, etc. can often cause the loss of a customer, even a long-time one, and the businesses know this. Years ago I was at a restaurant with a couple of friends, and the waitress was extremely rude. It was a restaurant we used to go to all the time, and the service and the food had always been good. But after that experience we never went back. In retrospect I've concluded it was silly to stop going there because of the bad behavior of that one waitress; what we should have done was talk to the manager and explain what happened. No doubt they would have made it right for us in order to keep us as customers. But they never knew about the problem because we didn't tell them.

So tell the airline what happened; let them try to keep your business and improve the behavior of their employees. Everybody wins, maybe even that ignorant FA.

[Minnesota Libra]

13. She was definitely being condescending and snotty........

....and in my opinion YOU were much too nice to her. BUT nice you were and, therefore, you are the bigger and better person for it. :hug:

[purr]

14. Oh DanCa report her...

please do it. That was rude and disrespectful. Karma one day will bite her big time - to be that ignorant. Please do report her and let me know what they say to you. I hope she gets wrote up and disciplined for acting in that way.

:shakes head: I cant believe some people.

[AlCzervik]

15. i would have handled it badly, she needs to be reported right away

how does she treat the elderly or people in wheelchairs? She sounds incredibly rude and i can't imagine United would want her representing them.

[In_The_Wind]

16. You should report her.

She really shouldn't be working in a position of helping people on the airline since she doesn't care for her job.








I'm glad you're back home safely.

[DanCa]

17. Thanks everyone. I am going to call O'hare tommarrow and leave a complaint

I know I was a little so I didn't know if it was just my being down that day or if she had a problem with me. She wasn't young either around thirty. I don't know if United will do anything but at least I know know i wasn't imaging things. Thanks everyone DU is the best :hug:

[Wetzelbill]

18. oh yeah you definitely have to report that

no doubt about it. She can explain herself to her superiors then.

[ThomCat]

20. Flight attendants often treat people with disabilities

as if we are deliberately trying to make their lives difficult. I'm sure they sit around bitching about "those people" who make them do an extra 10 seconds of work.

[LeftyMom]

21. They do that to travelers with kids too

I think it really is about the extra 10 seconds of work they'd rather avoid, but it's just remarkably unprofessional, isn't it?

Flying is no fun anyhow- they don't need to make it worse.

[DanCa]

22. I am old hat. I remember a thing called service and work ethic.

No wonder why United is in such trouble. I am also writting a letter to pan and asking them not to do buisness with the airline again.

[graywarrior]

23. She needs sensitivity training and an attitude adjustment.

My agency supports all disabilities and I see that attitude all the time. My favorite is when they talk loud to someone with MS or MD. I had lunch with an amputee the other day and the waitress kept trying to ask me what he wanted. He lost both arms, not his mind.

[Sacajawea]

24. DanCa....You are 100% right....She was 1000% wrong.

There is NO excuse in the world to treat a person the way she treated you.

No. F***ing. Excuse.

[rockymountaindem]

25. I've never been in a position like that, but

I think I can safely say she was being rude at the very least. I'd contact the airline and make a complaint.

[electron_blue]

26. It sounds like she had a real bad attitude. I've had similar experiences

traveling with a small child. What happened to service?

[nuxvomica]

27. Report her for the sake of others who'll have to deal with her

If not for yourself. Somehow I suspect yours won't be the only complaint, anyway, but just in case it is... :thumbsup:

[ET Awful]

30. She was definitely out of line. I would make a complaint.

Did you get her name?

[DanCa]

31. I got her name and the flight info written down.

Thanks everyone for having my back. You guys are aces. :thumbsup:

[LibDemAlways]

32. Send a letter directly to the office of the CEO.

Bypass customer service, and go to the top. Explain exactly what happened and how you felt about it. It's bad enough that before we get on a plane these days we have to be treated like shit by the TSA. Unfortunately, friendly, attentive service in flight is all too rare as well.

The attitude you encountered was completely uncalled for, and she should be called on it.

[bertha katzenengel]

33. That flight attendant needs some serious humanity and reality lessons.

What an asshole. I am SO sorry that she was so insensitive, Dan, let alone so ignorant.

I think she was out of line. Perhaps you could write a letter to the airline. Even if you don't remember her name, they could narrow down who it was by your flight no. and the date. Then maybe they could get her an education.

:hug:

[nytemare]

34. I am pissed that you were treated in that manner.

Seems like she just went out of her way to be a jerk. You know, I hate when people are just trying to do their job and get yelled at by unhappy customers who seem to want to one-up employees. It seems that in your situation, the tables were turned. She wanted to make herself feel better by her acerbic comments to you. You didn't ask to be put in the situation you were in.

I think it is just awful how people treat other human beings these days. About a week ago, there was a guy walking out of the Cracker Barrel with a cane, he was having a hard time. Two people walked in front of him, cutting off his way, and let the door close before he walked through. I held the door open for the poor guy. It would have taken 5 seconds out of those people's day to either let the guy walk in front of them, or to just in front and even hold the door open for him. That was just too much to ask those assholes.

Anyway, my heart goes out to you. You are well within your rights to complain. If drink service is part of the flight, then you deserve a damned drink. That is your right. If you spill it, oh well. She had no right to try to demean you like that.

:hug:

[aQuArius]

35. I work for American Airlines....

and I also think you should write a formal complaint letter. The flight attendant should not have treated you so bad. I fly all the time, and I have NEVER seen one our flight attendants treat someone so bad. Sure, she may be disgruntled about working for a bankrupt company but she still has a customer oriented job to do! Flight attendants don't really have to treat fellow employees very well, but I just keep my mouth shut so I don't ask very much. However, I fully believe that our revenue customers deserve our complete attention and respect. In fact, just today I was flying and many of the customers on-board were making "tight connections" at DFW airport. Even though I was not on the clock I was able to help many of them figure out the fastest way to get to their connecting flights as fast as possible. I work at DFW, and I am comfortable with how to get around the big airport. Why shouldn't I help out a fellow human when in need? Its all about the golden rule, right???? I hope you have a better flight experience next time! :)

[DanCa]

37. Thank you.

I am also writting to our organization and requesting that they use a different airline. I feel much better now knowing it wasn't my fault and I was being overly sensitive.

[cally]

36. I'm appalled she acted that way to you

I think you should report her to management. I just flew home on Thursday night and the woman next to me couldn't open her drink or snacks. She asked for help and I helped. I then quietly offered help a few times when I saw her struggling but in no way did I make a big deal of this. Thats what the steward should have done. Just nonchalantly helped you with your seatbelt and then offered you a beverage. Maybe she could have offered to open the drink if it looks like it would be difficult for you. What she did is reprehensible and insensitive. Sometimes I just feel despair at how intolerable some folks are. Many times in life most folks have some disabilities. I know yours are much more severe but this steward will one day break an arm, or pull a tendon and ask for help. I hope others refuse to help and treat her as badly as she treated you.

I'm pissed for you.

[NMMNG]

38. File a complaint

She needs to be called to task for her unprofessional behavior.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

39. Definitely file a complaint.

She was WAY out of line.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. Call and complain

That is horrible.