Delta to Most Freq Flyers, "would you pay more to speak to an American

[Florida_Geek]

Only in * Corp. World would a company even think of asking the people that use their product the most, if they would pay EXTRA to order from an American.....

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/31/Business/Pay_extra_to_talk_to_.shtml


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Pay extra to talk to an American? Delta says forget it
By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer
Published July 31, 2004

Delta Air Lines won't charge customers to speak with a reservation agent in America after all.

The nation's No. 3 airline acknowledged this week that it asked frequent fliers in an e-mail survey whether they'd be willing to pay a small fee to be connected to a U.S.-based center instead of one operated by a Delta contractor in India.

On Friday, Delta declared the idea officially dead. "The question never should have been asked on a survey," said spokeswoman Meaghan Glynn. "That's not what we're about, and we're not going to do that."

The airline is reviewing how the question ended up in one of its routine customer surveys, she said. Some Delta travelers have complained that contract agents in India lack the training, language skills or knowledge of U.S. geography to handle certain transactions.

Delta began directing a small percentage of reservations calls last year to outsourced centers in India with about 1,000 workers. The move saves Delta about $25-million a year, the company says.

...more at SP Times....

[formernaderite]

1. Is this really a bad idea?

I think it might wake Americans up to the fact we need to support made in America clothing, products etc. Yes, there is a cost. I buy American Union made products whenever there is a choice. I used to rail against other so-called progressives when they'd drive to Green party or progressive meetings in foreign cars. We're talking jobs..peoples livlihoods here. Yes, if I had to fly and was given the choice...I'd pay to support an American job.

[HarveyBriggs]

2. It sounds like intent gone awry, formernaderite

My goodness, a moderate like myself agreeing with somebody as far left as a former Naderite. Perhaps the spirit of working together that was driven home during the Democratic convention is working?

To your point, outsourcing has provided a hedge against inflation but it has come at a very heavy cost in terms of domestic jobs and the stability of this country's large but shrinking middle class.

I do think there should be an uplifting of wages worldwide, and that all people in the world should enjoy many of the advantages of the economic comforts we enjoy in this nation.

That transition does not have to be as harsh as George W. Bush would have it. Tax incentives for companies that choose to keep jobs here is one step. Some form of an international workers bill of rights could be another. International pollution and environmental pacts also level the playing field. As the world economy becomes more and more global, we need to work hard, and work together, to stop the worldwide exploitation of poverty; doing otherwise flies in the face of the key principle upon which our nation was founded, "That all men (all people!) are created equal, and are endowed with certain unalienable rights."

I think somebody at American Airlines bungled in making some points all of us need to be aware of when we vote with our pocketbooks.

Harvey Briggs

[Florida_Geek]

3. Say What

These flyers that were asked were the Medalion level flyers that have a "private" number already. IMHO it is crazy first to off source jobs to a line that is used by your High Paying Business flyers........ But then to ask them if they would pay more......

[sandnsea]

4. Why aren't ticket prices falling?

That's what I want to know. If wages=higher prices, then reduced wages should equal lower prices. But it never, never works out that way. Our wages keep going down and prices keep going up. Where's the savings going? To stockholders. That's the faulty premise of the entire Republican Party economic policy. They keep the focus on the worker at every turn and never, ever mention all those stockholders who make more, more, more.