Be safe and happy! I am not a complainer, not at all. My glass is always at least half-full. I enjoy turning disadvantages into advantages and turning advantages into benefits for my loved ones or for my clients.
My last experience with Delta challenged this attitude. As my Facebook friends know, I was taking a long trip to Ukraine and Russia. That was an amazing journey! I took part in Yalta International Real Estate Conference, I also taught classes on building Real Estate business as a system in three cities: Yalta, Ukraine; Tyumen, Russia; Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Meeting and speaking with hundreds of Real Estate professionals from Ukraine and Russia made my life brighter. Young, well educated, eager to learn and develop their business, our Ukrainian and Russian colleagues are on the edge of technology and definitely make the future of Real Estate.
I will probably write much more posts about people in Russian and Ukrainian Real Estate, about their ideas, challenges, problems and solutions.
Only thinking about all wonderful people whom I met, helped me survive the last part of my trip, which is usually the easiest one - Delta connection flight from JFK in New York to Cleveland OH.
I'm a Delta's frequent flyer, loyal and old time customer. I was never charmed by Delta's customer services but their precise timing and reasonable pricing was the reason why I kept my loyalty to this company. This time I realized that I would rather get a better customer services.
The long story short, JFK is under a big reconstruction now (hot news, huh!). Flights' delays and cancellations are part of everyday operation. Like Delta practitioners don't know about this! No information, no attempt to find a better solution for their passengers.
After almost nine hours flight from Moscow to JFK, I was waiting for my last connection to Cleveland. Everything looked fine. Information board said that everything's ok, flight would be timely, just relax and wait. That was exactly what I was doing.
Information about one hour delay appeared few minutes prior to scheduled boarding time. That was fine. Understandable.
At the new scheduled time we were boarded, baggage and hand bags arranged, nothing seemed wrong. It took two hours to realize that we were not going anywhere! First, it was runway, which was closed, then it was storm coming from the West, next it was Delta's regulation to taxi back to the gate the plane with the passengers insight, in two hours afer boarding, in order to avoid government fines.
In three hours of taxiing back and forth, our plane was unboarded at the gate. No information. No offer to arrange something, no excuses, no apologies. Flight attendant was doing her best to keep everyone calm and as happy as possible but she was the one who delivered all this contradictory information, so she got her portion of people's frustration.
Then the worst part started. No information game continued. I decided to take care of myself without relying on Delta. So, I claimed my baggage. After another three hours of waiting it became clear that my baggage was lost. I need to thank Delta for safe delivering it to my house in Moreland Hills less than two days later.
I was thinking, what should we do real bad in Real estate to make our customers so unhappy and to challenge our customers' loyalty as Delta did? I tried to use my imagination but did not manage to invent anything close to arresting your customers inside the plane with no information, no hope, no attitude to deliver result, which we, the Delta's customers paid for.
Using to have my glass at least half full, I am grateful for this experience as it showed how loving and caring my husband is - he drove to New York to pick me up from there and to bring me back to Cleveland -almost 20 hours round trip! I am grateful to my friends in New York who picked me up from the airport and brought me to their apartment. I am grateful to all my on-line friends who sent me messages of support and cheer.
I will do my best to never let my clients down. I don't want to challenge anyone's loyalty and human decency. My job is to help you solve your problems. That's what I know how to do. That's what I'm devoted to.
Isn't it better just do it?