The Delta saga continues

On July 1st I posted  an open letter to Delta on my blog, detailing my flight experience on June 12th.  A member of the Delta Assist Twitter team contacted me that night and asked for my flight my fight info and claim number.  After I provided the information the Delta Assist Twitterling asked for a contact email, and told me that a file would be created.  A file was going to be created?  A file was created on the day of the flight when I talked to my first customer service representative and then again on the 21st when a letter was sent to corporate customer care.  Ten days after the letter was received by corporate and eighteen days after the flight I had heard nothing from Delta,  not even a “We are looking into this” or  a “Go to hell, this isn't worth our time.”  So I took action by posting my letter.

I didn't expect anything to happen over the holiday weekend so I went on with my weekend, including attempting to practice in my Delta-modified fencing chair. On Sunday I was enjoying the Braves game when I saw a Delta commercial where they claim to have the customer's back; they are not just building a bigger airline but a better one.  My experience indicated that was not true, so I re-posted my letter on Twitter.  Another Delta Assist agent contacted me and asked for my flight information and claim number.  This time when I provided the information I informed the agent that they had already received this information on the 12th of June, 21st of June, the 1st of July and now the 3rd of July. It was at this point that I discovered yet another customer service failure.

When I discovered the damage to fencing wheelchair I reported the damage to the first line customer service representatives at the airport. I was told that I would be contacted the next day by a Delta representative to discuss what they could do to assist in the repair and/or replacement of my mobility device. When I told the Delta Assist agent this they informed me that average turnaround time for a response is thirty days. When one person tells me one thing and another tells me something else, the frustration level understandably rises exponentially. I was promised that my case would be escalated yesterday. I won't hold my breath on this one.

I do have to thank the Delta Assist individual that I communicated with on Sunday; they were the first person to apologize and offer to take action on my case.

I'm starting to wonder if Delta sees its disabled customers as secondary citizens whose safety is not as valuable as those people who have a Delta Sky Miles credit card, whose right to mobility can be compromised for the convenience of gate agents, and who can be given false promises to shut them up.

I wish to thank my friends on Twitter and Facebook who have shared my experience with their friends and family. I will keep you updated on how things progress.

An open letter to delta

Dear Delta Airlines

I'd like to commend you on the professionalism and care of your gate
agents, baggage handlers, and your customer service staff; I'd like to

compliment your staff on how they handled a problem with expediency

and fairness; I'd like to tell you how equitable and reasonable your

fees are. I'd like to compliment you on all of this; but given my

experience on 12 June 2011 and the days following, I cannot.

On 12 June 2011, I was returning to Atlanta Georgia from Oklahoma City
Oklahoma following a wheelchair fencing tournament. I checked my
fencing equipment bag, my secondary wheelchair and my carry on.  I was
traveling alone and would not be able to manage my bag and maneuver my
chair during my scheduled connection. I understand getting charged for
two bags, but individuals who require the use of mobility aids should

be able to check one bag for no charge.  After all, your Delta Air Miles
members get one free bag just for signing up.  I would think as a responsible

corporate citizen you would want to be seen as someone who is
concerned about the needs of your disabled passengers, as well as
those who use your credit card, or has profit overtaken your common
sense?

I have flown extensively in my life and am familiar with airline

policies regarding disabled passengers, specifically those that deal

with the gate checking of mobility devices and those regarding

boarding of those individuals.  Apparently those policies have changed
in the last few months since I last traveled with  Delta, as when I

approached the gate agent in Oklahoma an hour before boarding of my
flight to secure a gate check for my chair and to make the boarding
process easier for the gate agent, an attempt was made to have me
transfer into a seat in the waiting area and have me wait there until

the flight was boarded.  My chair would be placed aside, along with my

mobility until the flight.  Is it now the policy of Delta to limit the
mobility of disabled individuals within its waiting areas?  

 Surely you are not intending to deny a person freedom of movement within a
public area for the convince of your staff?  I did not give up my
chair, as I am sure you would not give up your legs.
I know that statement sounds ludicrous, but my wheelchair is my legs
and to be asked to give up my mobility shows that your staff are not sufficiently

trained and have total a disregard for individuals with disabilities.
Another disturbing policy change that I noticed on my 12 June 2011

flight was in the order of boarding.  It has been my experience that I

am first on the plane and last off, giving me sufficient time to

negotiate the jetway and get to and from my seat, providing a

measure of safety for myself and my fellow passengers. 
 I am fortunate that I can walk the short distance from the cabin door to my seat at
the bulkhead or a just behind it with the aid of the seat-backs and

arm rests  as balance points.  This eliminates the need for an aisle
chair and makes the gate crew’s job a bit easier.

 On this flight I was boarded with general boarding.  I was followed down the jet way by the
rest of the passengers and preceded on my way to my seat by the
passengers ahead of me.  The seat-backs and armrests that I needed as

my handholds were eliminated because the first class passengers had
already been seated. This policy must have been changed to accommodate
the tight scheduling now required in the world of air travel, because
I am sure you would never put scheduling ahead of the safety of any of
your passengers.

After my flight landed, the luggage I had paid $185 for was not to be

found.  This happens; it’s an annoyance of travel and I have had this

happen before so I waited for the flight that my luggage had taken.
When it had arrived I found my secondary wheelchair had been bent

beyond repair, and its wheels had been warped beyond true. 
 Following procedure, I filed a damage claim and was told that I would be

contacted by a Delta representative who would assist in the repair or
replacement of the wheelchair. I waited until 16 June to hear anything
from your customer service department and when I heard nothing, a
registered letter was sent to your corporate office, which I was told
initially did not physically exist, detailing what has been detailed
in this open letter, again I heard nothing, no explanation as to how
you intend to replace the wheelchair that cannot be mended. No
explanation as to why the individuals who sign up for your credit card
get one free bag on Delta flights when a person using a mobility
device cannot have one bag. Nothing regarding the treatment I received
at the hands of your gate agent, and what you as responsible corporate
citizens plan to do to prevent something like this from happening to
disabled individuals in the future. No response was received to the
registered letter so I have now been forced use this forum.  I hope
that we can finally come together and reach a solution to the issues
mentioned above.
Respectfully

Richard F Zengler

My lessons in micro-business marketing in the social media world

According to my twitter profile I've been tweeting since July 9^th 2009, I started the account in 2009 when I first decided to start the business that would eventually become wheeling chef. I started my cookie business in a small Michigan town with very few outlets and thought twitter, along with a website would be a great way to get the word out about my cookies. I created wheelingchef.com and started my @wheelingchef account. Things should have started rolling right? Yeah no. I made a few good showings at some local craft shows and handed out countless cards, still no business. Some things occurred in my personal life and in October I found myself starting over in Atlanta. I still had my shortbread idea and during the holiday season I tried to drum up some business on my personal facebook page and website, but the only sales I made were to friends and family, so the idea got put on hold to maybe come back to someday. In July 2010 I decided the time had come to resurrect my cookie idea, the question was how would I get the word out that I existed, and not break the bank doing so, then I remembered that I had started a twitter account the year before My first tweet was that I had decided to try a local Irish Pub for lunch, that started a twitter-sation between myself and the social media guy for the pub, the next thing I know I was picking up followers in the Atlanta area, then came the moment when I realized I needed to start tweeting more, but the question was; what do I tweet about? I'm a micro-business whose business was started as a way to supplement my income so I could be able to participate in wheelchair fencing.

I found success at craft fairs by engaging my customers talking with them, telling them my story by just being myself, so I figured I'd try the same strategy on twitter, and it worked sales started picking up and I started making enough money to start paying for registration fees, food for the trips to tournaments and more importantly, new gear. My swords and cookies story was picked up by the friend of a friend who is a very talented writer, she decided to blog about me. Something she said started me thinking that I should tell my story and share it with my tweeps and on my wheelingchef facebook page. Others picked up on my story and I was interviewed by a local radio personality and then by a local ezine. Things were going great for wheelingchef I was even asked what I was doing to get all the attention the simple answer was nothing, I just did what came naturally I was myself.

Things were going well but for some reason I decided that I needed to change what I was doing and switched from talking about my daily training runs, my fencing adventures and misadventures and the occasional sales pitch and went straight with the “hey buy my stuff” line. I forgot that people want to know who they are buying from, not just what they are buying, in short I started to disengage with people and not engage them. Using that technique I lost followers, and sales bottomed out. Now that I've re-centered and remembered that the key to success in the world of social media for a micro-business, is to engage people, its really no different then selling my product at craft fairs the venue is just bigger!

Random thoughts

Its been a week since I was told that I would receive a call from the airline who  tried to take my wheelchair away from me an hour before the flight took off, loaded me, with general boarding, and bent my fencing chair to a level that the whole thing needs replaced. I mailed off a  certified letter to the corporate headquarters asking for at the very least an explanation for the reason I was loaded with the rest of the passengers, and for some compensation for the replacement of my fencing chair, No contact yet, and I have yet to mention the airline in question in these posts, but my patience is   starting to run a bit thin.

In other news I had a great practice on Saturday and feel that things are really starting to click, my flexibility, strength and endurance are starting to develop, its taken a lot of work to get this far and there is much more to do but I'm proud of how far I've come so. I've got this Saturday off so I'm trying to figure out just what kind of trouble I can get myself into. I'm thinking i'll take in a ball game, although the best chance for that is Thursday, minor league games are cheaper and I grew watching AAA games, and I find those games more fun.
The saleathon for my new mask is going ok, still 30 dozen away from my new mask but every order gets me that much closer to my goal. I appreciate the business and the support all of you have given me.

The waiting game.

The flight from hell was Sunday night and i was supposed to receive a call from the airlines customer service department on Monday, its now Thursday, and still no call. A letter stating my disappointment in the pathetic customer service I received was authored last night and sent to the corporate office. We shall see how that is received, but I honestly don't expect to receive much more then a canned response. The most disturbing part of my flight experience was not the damage my fencing chair received although that's going to be a pricey fix and will most likely result in having to purchase a new chair, but rather the lack of respect I received from the gate agent. Perhaps the gate agent should have his shoes tied together and then be asked to navigate the jet way and the aisle of a aircraft, then have his keys arrive an hour later. Better yet I offer my services as a mystery flier to the airlines and evaluate how the gate agents at various airports deal with individuals with disabilities. Continuing to wait, but getting more and more frustrated by the moment!

The flight from hell

The endeavor games were a great experience for me, I learned a lot and made some new friends, the event was fun, the flight home was another story. I flew home on Sunday, I checked my fencing bag, my fencing chair and a small suitcase. This came to a grand total of $185.00. I understand paying for my fencing stuff, however the small suitcase makes no sense, I'm not being lazy I'm traveling on my own and don’t want to heft a suitcase thru the airport. With the money that the airlines make on baggage fees I think they can make an exception for a person with a disability, hell the state of California doesn’t charge people with handicapped placards parking fee's, all I'm asking is one bag, I don’t think that is asking too much.

After checking my bags I made my way thru TSA, the officers were pleasant enough, what cracked me up were the able bodies individuals who were complaining about the pat-down search, folks, even before the new procedures were enacted I have always been subject to pat-downs by airport security, its all part of flying. So I make it thru security and find my gate, the plane is delayed ,so I settle down with an e-book and wait. A friendly gate agent called me to the desk and asked if i'd like to switch to a flight that got me into Atlanta earlier, I jumped at the offer and asked the gate agent if my bags would be transferred to the new flight, I was told the would so I took the new flight. I made my way over to my new gate and as is my normal procedure I took advantage of a low in the traffic and asked the gate agent to go ahead and place a gate claim tag on my chair. I have flown quite a bit in my life and placing a gate check usually means a day glow pink tag gets placed on my chair, I roll down the jet way to the aircraft where a ramp worker takes charge of my chair and safely tucks it in the belly of the plane where it rests comfortably until we are reunited at my destination. Apparently a gate check to this particular gate agent meant that I was supposed to give up my chair and sit on a seat in the waiting area for over an hour. My wheelchair is like my legs, actually it is my legs, yeah I don’t give up my “legs” for any period of time I keep my butt in my chair until it's time to get on the plane. I don’t know how many of you have flown, but when you hear the announcement that states “ airline X would like to offer pre-boarding services for those individuals needing a little extra time, or those traveling with small children” I qualify as one of those individuals who needs a little extra time down the jet way. That has been policy for as long as I can remember and has been the way every airline has boarded me in the 80 plus flights that I have taken, apparently that policy changed on Sunday, because when it came time to get on the this flight it was decided that I could board the plane with the herd of other travelers, now I am all for equal treatment but there are times when safety take precedence over equality. I managed to get to my seat after waiting for the travelers ahead of me to wrestle with a stroller and a few bags and getting jostled all the way to my seat.

The flight to Atlanta was uneventful I enjoyed a few more chapters of my e-book watched the sunset from window seat and reflected on the things I learned at the tournament. I made my way from the gate to baggage claim and waited for my bags to appear on the carousel, and waited and waited. After 30 mins had passed and no bags had appeared, I rolled over to the baggage services department and asked the obvious question, “where is my stuff?” The baggage services personnel located my bags and informed me that they were still on my original flight! They offered to deliver my bags to me Monday morning but at the time that flight was only an hour out so I figured i'd stick around and wait. So after enjoying an airport hamburger, fries and a coke I made my way to the baggage carousel where my bags were expected to arrive. I received my first bag without incident, then it was off to the oversized baggage claim area to pick up my fencing chair and my gear! My fencing chair arrives on the conveyor belt fliped over upside down, and damaged, the gear was ok thank god, but it was time to head back to baggage service and report damage to the fencing chair. I have been waiting for a claims specialist to contact me since Monday, still no word. I'll keep you all updated on how things turn out, until then I'll trade you cookies for funds for a new fencing chair!

An inspiration? Me?

After I posted my last blog entry, a good friend said

“You never cease to amaze me! You are a brilliant, admirable and inspirational leader on all levels. You are truly one amazing person and I am proud to call you my friend.”

Ive never seen myself as amazing, or inspirational i'm just a guy who is doing what he can to make his way in this world, and finding a way to support his passion and his dream Just a modern day pirate who plays with swords and decided to play by his own rules charting his own course, granted selling cookies isn't anything very dashing, but it works and as my friends will attest I’m not one to do anything that is conventional. Maybe its my unconventionality that makes people think I’m inspirational, I don’t know, but I am honored to be seen the way my friends see me.

On Thursday I head out to Edmund Oklahoma, for a tournament, I have to admit that despite the fact that I’ve been to a few, i'm a bit nervous, I keep wondering if i've done enough training since the last time I took to the strip, and if my mental prep is enough, but more so I'm nervous about letting my friends and followers down. I see my customers and friends as my sponsors and partners in this adventure and I want to make sure that they see a return on the money the invested. Yes each and every one of you is in my corner when I am on the strip. Ok so maybe I'm less of a pirate and more of a Privateer! As always thanks for reading and wish me luck in Oklahoma!