02-16-2010
11:14 AM
I am in the process today of writing SWA a properly polite and informative letter explaining why this smaller-than-average frequent flyer will not be using them in the future, but will address one or two main points here. As a business, you have a responsibility to treat your customers with the same dignity and respect you expect from them. Look, nobody is comfortable on an airplane. My pointy elbows are more of a danger to other passengers than somebody else's flab. The rich, thin lady a row ahead who took a bath in perfume that morning is a worse offender yet. But that's not the point--treat people with dignity and honesty and respect, for God's sake, and imagine how you would feel if in their same position. This is not rocket science, just customer service and a reasonable application of the Golden Rule.
And as people supposedly trained in corporate PR, you all fail utterly. Covering up mistakes, double-speak, and depending on society's willingness to blame the victims (especially if those victims are overweight) is not the way to do it, and just trying to shut Smith up is a poor substitute for actually listening to him, apologizing, empathizing, and taking responsibility for your actions. My PR professor in college used to tell us that the top 5 rules of public relations are: "Do good, do good, do good, do good. THEN let other people see that you are doing good." Southwest Air, you get a failing grade.
... View more
