When Twitter first came out, I didn’t really get it. You get 140 characters to compose a Tweet and then what??? Over time I became a believer and big fan.
By picking the right people and companies to follow (in subjects that interest you), Twitter could be a valuable tool. These days, it might just be the app on my phone that I check the most.
Through Twitter I’ve followed many news stories, found interesting article, made various connections and most importantly, used it for customer service related issues.
When it comes to travel and Twitter, I find some companies get it right. American Airlines, Delta and Club Carlson have been quick to respond and help resolve issues which otherwise may have taken much longer to resolve.
Here are a few examples:
- @DeltaAssist got me booked on an amazing airfare when it seemed like all was lost.
- @AmericanAir helped me upgrade to first class for 7,500 miles
- @ClubCarlson gave me 10,000 points as an apology for not getting a welcome gift during one of our stays.
When it comes to customer service, I feel United is lacking. When I’ve reached out to them through Twitter, it never seemed to go anywhere.
Last summer I wondered- Is United Improving Its Social Media Presence?
I’m not so sure that much has changed, especially after reaching out to them back in January when I received a generic response offering no help or information.
I received an e-mail from United the other day about Twitter. They are looking for people to follow them.
According to the e-mail you can stay up to date with the latest news when you follow them.
United says they will keep you covered on things like:
- Breaking news
- Product announcements
- Exclusive offers
- Company events
- Friendly support during your travel
I was a bit surprised by the last bullet point. Has United changed its tune? Do they really offer friendly support during travel through Twitter? If any of you have noticed a more active and friendly @United on Twitter I’d love to hear about it.
Check out United’s Twitter page and follow them if you aren’t already doing so. I do.
Oh I almost forgot- Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter: @MichaelWTravels
I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with them . . . most notably providing no response to repeated tweets asking for assistance over the course of 3 days. Their ineptitude with and lack of understanding of twitter is almost comical, e.g. a pax tweets “@United help, our plane is on fire” and UA response “@pax we’re sorry you feel this way. Please share your feedback at bit.ly/U46edh”. Delta and AA are much better at both being personable and taking care of problems.
Just like Jeremy, I have had wonderful service from the twitter team, dating back nearly two years. They’ve helped with bookings, upgrades, SDC requests, and other general reservation assistance, just generally awesome.
I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with the United twitter team. They reply promptly and have helped me faster than the call center could.
Good to know! Maybe they are improving. When I’ve reached out to them in the past it was no help at all.