Faith4Business

The following is a true story... I couldn't make make this up if I tried.

Checkout the previous post from this morning "Customer Service" where I posted a picture of a t-shirt that said, "Let me stop everything and solve your problem." My post referred to the fact that while this t-shirt was meant in jest that good customer service is exactly that. Little did I know that had someone at Delta Airlines not taken the time to help me today I would not be typing this on my ipad this evening. This afternoon I flew from Panama City Beach, Florida to Charlotte, NC. During my flight I had my ipad out reading "Enchantment." About half way during the flight I struck up a pleasant conversation with the passenger next to me. During this conversation I put my ipad in the pouch in front of my seat. We talked until the flight arrived at the terminal then I packed up and hurried off to catch a cab. I was eager to get to my hotel to get a workout in and meet my boss to watch a few of the Basketball games this evening. While in the cab I reached to check my calendar on my ipad to see what I had going on this weekend. Yep, you got it my ipad was no where to be found. I checked my backpack twice while all the time knowing I had last seen it when I put it in the pouch in front of my seat during the flight. The worst part of this story is I lost a Kindle 2 years ago in the same manor. My heart sank and I immediately thought of how I was never going to see it again, just like the Kindle. In pure desperation I called the Delta customer service line. I didn't think there was much that could be done because once someone found it they were likely to "wipe" it and have it on ebay within a day or just keep it. Having been through this process before with the lost Kindle I knew that every airport has a Lost and Found. And, I also knew that if it was found by the cleaning crew and turned in that Lost and Found would be the place to check. When I reached the service representative at Delta she gave me the standard scripted response including about checking with Lost and Found. I explained to her that several years ago I had a similar situation and I never received the Kindle. I was begging her to do something to help me find it. She paused for a moment, I could virtually hear her conversation in her head saying, "I don't have time to stop everything and solve your problem." But thankfully that is not what she said. Instead she responded by saying "I don't want to get your hopes up but I will call the baggage department and see if they can send some to see if they can find it." By now it was over a 45 minutes or so since I had landed and I was half way to the hotel. The service rep put me on hold and after 10 minutes she returned and said that they had found it!!!!! She gave me the name of the person to ask for at baggage claim and told me that she would have it there for me. Unreal! I really thought it was gone. So I had the cab turn around and I went back to the airport to retrieve my ipad. I know that the customer service line at Delta gets thousands of calls daily where representatives are asked to do things that are not standard operating procedure. I know what this person did today was well beyond what she is expected or even trained to do by Delta. I know that she probably did not have time to mess with my problem today. But her kindness and generosity with her time to go the extra mile will not soon be forgotten. I am truly grateful and I let her know it.

As if this was not enough as I finally arrived at my hotel the cab meter was over $130.00. As outrageous as this sounds I was prepared to pay it. But as I got out my wallet to settle up with the driver he says, "This is too much I cannot charge you that much." I thanked him and reassured him I was willing to pay whatever he thought was fair. He reduced the bill by about half and I paid him with a tip. As I got to my room I had pretty much forgotten about my post this morning and then the irony of the day hit me and I had to share it. Like I said, I can't make this stuff up....

Sent from my iPad