I was refused a glass of sparkling water in J!

[ferntree]

Yes, really! Flight VA702 today, BNE to HBA

No time pressure, indeed we were still waiting for straggling pax to appear.

Cabin manager came round with tray of drinks.

"Would you like a glass of water or orange juice?"
"Do you have any sparkling water please'?
"I do, but you can only have either a still water or orange juice?"

Having been firmly put in my place I meekly accepted a still water.

Look, I don't want to play the role of Mr Entitled here, but really .... in terms of customer service, I've never had this fairly innocuous request denied before: indeed, more often than not there's sparkling water already on the tray.

My point is really to question what standard of service is it that makes such a reasonable for a platinum flyer to be so abruptly denied a reasonable request. I mean, it's not as if I was asking for a vodka martini shaken not stirred or something.

I'm certainly not outraged or anything like that, but I do feel that her behaviour was belittling and disappointing, not what I'd expect from Virgin.

 

[Quickstatus]

PDB (pre departure beverage) is basically that - a complimentary offering under limited time constraints. Sure, they can get something else but that would take a bit more time and personally, I think I would want to start the passenger - cabin crew relationship off on a good footing
I understand that there may not have been time constraint s on your flight, but I see PDB as a simple gesture, and getting something else requires opening the drinks trolley and glass trolley which the cabin crew are required to stow away. If I want sparkling I would have asked, “could I have a sparkling later when you have a bit of time”.

 

[Ade]

Yes, really! Flight VA702 today, BNE to HBA

No time pressure, indeed we were still waiting for straggling pax to appear.

Cabin manager came round with tray of drinks.

"Would you like a glass of water or orange juice?"
"Do you have any sparkling water please'?
"I do, but you can only have either a still water or orange juice?"

Having been firmly put in my place I meekly accepted a still water.

Look, I don't want to play the role of Mr Entitled here, but really .... in terms of customer service, I've never had this fairly innocuous request denied before: indeed, more often than not there's sparkling water already on the tray.

My point is really to question what standard of service is it that makes such a reasonable for a platinum flyer to be so abruptly denied a reasonable request. I mean, it's not as if I was asking for a vodka martini shaken not stirred or something.

I'm certainly not outraged or anything like that, but I do feel that her behaviour was belittling and disappointing, not what I'd expect from Virgin.

A few AFF'ers have reported the same. @twinaisle had posted information re this. Let me see if I can find this

Edit: Sparkling water is not part of PDB. Information here

 

[ferntree]

Thanks for the comments folks. I was completely unaware of that!

 

[ChrisMars]

Did you get sparkling water later after the take off?

 

[UP4014]

Crew could of easily told you they will get one for you after take off or I'm sure grabbed one. I like to put the sparkling in my OJ!

 

[ferntree]

Crew could of easily told you they will get one for you after take off or I'm sure grabbed one. I like to put the sparkling in my OJ!

Yes, I guess what narked me wasn't so much the refusal but her tone and attitude.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

"I do, but you can only have either a still water or orange juice?"

Funny not at you, but thinking, why, as what is the reason for her denying you the water.
I do like sparkling water, even if it has no taste, as it gives me gas, which I use to burp, thus getting rid of air pressure on take off and landing.

 

[Digicola]

PDB (pre departure beverage) is basically that - a complimentary offering under limited time constraints. Sure, they can get something else but that would take a bit more time and personally, I think I would want to start the passenger - cabin crew relationship off on a good footing
I understand that there may not have been time constraint s on your flight, but I see PDB as a simple gesture, and getting something else requires opening the drinks trolley and glass trolley which the cabin crew are required to stow away. If I want sparkling I would have asked, “could I have a sparkling later when you have a bit of time”.

Sure but then the Cabin Manager could have just as easily said « Let me get that for you later » or something. It definitely gives off a bad image to refuse something outright like you’re a child being punished.

 

[RooFlyer]

@ferntree , @twinaisle posted about this ( IIRC) in another thread today. Can't find it now but perhaps can re/post

Edit: ah, I see Ade is already all over it

 

[Quickstatus]

could have just as easily said

I'm going to advocate for the cabin crew here if I may. But will speak generally

Sure, they could.

A lot of customer complaints are about the tone of the exchange, no one listening to me, rude staff etc. But the customer is not always right. Whose responsibility is it to ensure the customer is satisfied?. I would suggest both.

To me a lot of this is boils down to customer expectations. A customer who rationalises /believes that its a simple request - what's the big deal, I'm not asking for much (insert your customer request here), is missing the point. It's not even about whether the server can satisfy the request. It's about the customer expecting that the server can easily change the offering. An assumption that may or may not be correct. And here is the point - the customer thinks they are right. Should the customer be always right?

Then the server/provider's reply can be interpreted a number of ways. What may be interpreted as a fair /reasonable retort can be interpreted as rude by another. What about the tone of the customer's request?. Communication is two way. There is no win for the server. These days it does not take a lot to offend.

3 Assumptions here:
It's just (insert your "reasonable request"). I am an important customer so that makes my request reasonable.
The server had time - they were not doing anything.
The server was belittling

Any of these can be right or wrong

Being at the coalface of customer service industry, I've seen both sides.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

As mentioned by others, she could have said, I would be right back with it.
Maybe the tray was too small to carry 8 drinks, seeing that VA its only 8 in J, where as with QF, its a whopping 12.
OffT, maybe its a power trip, just like when the dom sec screening man/woman finds a certain smallish aerosol can, that is spray on plaster, that I totally forgot I had, and yep, gone in 15 secs, at the least he explained why he had to confesticate it.
The said canister, passed ADL dom sec, SYD int sec, AKL dep int sec, and only got pinged at T1 in MEL on my most recent trip back from NZ.
Was only few g, elastoplas brand, maybe it was lapse that it didn't get seen at 3 sec screening points.OnT.

 

[ferntree]

What about the tone of the customer's request?.

I can assure you that my request was very soft spoken, polite and respectful. There was by no stretch of the imagination any hint of aggresion or entitlement or belittlement in the way I spoke. There never is.

If you'd care to check my original post you'll see it's fairly good humoured, nothing like "how dare she!"

 

[twinaisle]

As mentioned by others, she could have said, I would be right back with it.
Maybe the tray was too small to carry 8 drinks, seeing that VA its only 8 in J, where as with QF, its a whopping 12.
OffT, maybe its a power trip, just like when the dom sec screening man/woman finds a certain smallish aerosol can, that is spray on plaster, that I totally forgot I had, and yep, gone in 15 secs, at the least he explained why he had to confesticate it.
The said canister, passed ADL dom sec, SYD int sec, AKL dep int sec, and only got pinged at T1 in MEL on my most recent trip back from NZ.
Was only few g, elastoplas brand, maybe it was lapse that it didn't get seen at 3 sec screening points.OnT.

She could have said I'll be right back with it but she didn't which is correct as it's not part of our offering.

Tone probably could of been better or I know I say "I can get you one once we're in the air" here's A and B right now

It could have also been one of those days where it's not your day and you don't really care about anything and are just there to get the job done (it happens but shouldn't happen)

 

[ferntree]

It could have also been one of those days where it's not your day and you don't really care about anything and are just there to get the job done (it happens but shouldn't happen)

Nobody can be 100% on the mark all the time, but worth bearing in mind that any employee of any company who interfaces with customers is to that customer the face of the company.

If an employee is rude to a customer, likely the customer's emotional response will be that Company X doesn't respect its customers.

Not fair maybe, but often the reality.

 

[Sprucegoose]

She could have said I'll be right back with it but she didn't which is correct as it's not part of our offering.

Tone probably could of been better or I know I say "I can get you one once we're in the air" here's A and B right now

I agree. It's usually the tone and delivery of the message that is important. As you suggested, it is easily blunted with more thoughtful (indirect) communications.

We all have off days.

It does underscore the importance of service training and the commitment of the company to minimise these situations, especially with significantly more inexperienced staff joining the industry.

 

[sqrt()]

The world is coming to an end.

 

[Quickstatus]

Well, if the world is coming to an end , I'd rather have sparkling water rather than plain vanilla water

 

[Ade]

Well, if the world is coming to an end , I'd rather have sparkling water rather than plain vanilla water

I'd ask for slice of lemon or lime or frozen berries in it ... Whether I get it or not is a different thing... all they can say is No!

 

[RooFlyer]

Well, if the world is coming to an end , I'd rather have sparkling water rather than plain vanilla water

For the end of the world, I'd replace that sparkling water with tonic water and add a generous ... very generous ... slug of gin. I may even have a second ...