Rantings

Good/Bad Customer service and it's effect

Scenario 1 : I am waiting in line to check in my baggage for an international United airlines flight. A couple in front of me is trying to check-in their baggage. There is some conversation going on between the agent and the couple regd the weight of their baggage. While the conversation is going on, the agent decides to check in the couple baggage and puts it on the conveyor belt..And here is what happens next

Agent : Ma’am, one of your baggage weighed 69.5 lbs and the other 70 lbs, the extra charge is $150. We charge $50 for baggage exceeding 50lbs and up to 70 lbs, and $100 for baggage exceeding 70 lbs and up to 100lbs.

Couple : !!!%^%&&^.. Ma’am, the second baggage is only 70 lbs, why are you chraging $100.

Agent (in a nasal tone) : Ma’am, the rule says 70 lbs and above.

Couple (intimidated) : Yeah, but is it only 0.5 lbs more than the first one and up to 70 lbs is only $50 right?

Agent (in I make the rules tone) : Ma’am, I am not going to argue over this.. It  is $100 for 70 lbs and more.. period.

Couple (nearly in tears) : OK, can we at least take out the 0.5 lbs of weight form the baggage so that we don’t have to pay $100 for it?

Agent (in you dare to speak back to me tone) : Ma’am.. the baggage is already checked in, you cannot take the weight out, you have to pay $100
…
…
..
Couple end up paying $100 because one of their bags was 0.5 lbs extra!!!

Does anyone find this sad? I understand the need to put limits and charge for excess baggage. But shouldn’t the agent have used common sense and made the call not to charge the couple $100 for 0.5 lbs!!! This is a good case of where employee stick to rules and are not given the freedom to make meaningful judgments.. Read Joel Spolsky‘s article about his recent experience at Starbucks and his reaction to understand what I mean :). No wonder United is in a death spiral!! 🙂

Scenario 2 : My second leg of the international trip was on a Lufthansa flight. There was a strike by the ground crew in Frankfurt and Lufthansa couldn’t get the required food into the flight. And here is how the crew handled the issue

  1. Made multiple announcements prior to the boarding that only 1 meal would be served in the journey and that special meal requests cannot be fulfilled.
  2. Provided vouchers to customer to get food from the airport vendors if required.
  3. Make multiple announcements in the flight (pilot, head air hostess and individual air hostesses) and apologized for the inconvenience.
  4. Apologize while serving the first meal and again when we were getting off the flight..

I don’t remember a single passenger complaining about the lack of the “second” meal. And I will fly Lufthansa again, despite this issue. the lesson here is not to apologize multiple times, but how all the crew in the flight (ground crew, flying staff, serving staff) were informed of the issue and ensured that they provided the customers with an alternative and followed up on the issue..

Disclaimer : The united agent, might be an exception or might have been having a bad day..but somehow I sense the issue is bigger than that :)..

August 19, 2008 by Rantings Travel Uncategorized 4

$1550 more to go!!

I raised $250 out of the $1800 I pledged for Asha, without sending a single e-mail or making a single phone call!! By just adding a signature in my e-mail with the link to my 2008 marathon training.

Thx Sis, Hafsa and Sudheer anna.. Thx for supporting the cause of educating poor kids guys.

July 24, 2008 by Family Fun Rantings Uncategorized 0

George Carlin : Philosopher, Comedian and a Genius

George Carlin, probably one of the most intelligent comedians around, passed away on Sunday due to a heart attack. If you don’t know who he is, check out his page on WikiPedia and his website.

In addition to being a great comedian, George had a “thing” for languages.. Here is a snippet from his website

Some favorite oxymorons:

  • assistant supervisor
  • new tradition
  • original copy
  • plastic glass
  • uninvited guest

Some favorite redundancies:

  • added bonus
  • total abstinance
  • young children
  • exactly right
  • subject matter
  • revert back
  • true fact
  • honest truth
  • sum total
  • join together
  • ferryboat
  • free gift
  • general public
  • bare naked
  • unique individual
  • new initiative
  • end result

RIP George..You will be missed.

June 25, 2008 by Fun Rantings Uncategorized 0

Literacy in India : Some stats

The official meaning of a literate person per UNESCO is

A literate person is one who can with understanding both read and write a short simple statement relevant to his everyday life.

Such a simple sentence, but think what it means to be an illiterate person and how much impact an illiterate person has on the progress (or lack of progress) of a country and the world in general.

Here are some stats about the literacy rates in India

  • Only 61.3% percent of the adult population are literate. That means more than 296 million people!!! are illiterate. For comparison, China has a literacy rate of 90.9%.
  • India is the 12th largest economy in the world and growing at a blistering pace of 9% a year (for the last few years). Imagine what would have happened if there were more literate people in the country?
  • The largest number of illiterates in the world are in India

As you know, I am running this years Chicago Marathon with a mission. I am raising money for the Asha Foundation, a non-profit helping to educate the underprivileged in India. Please take a moment to donate some money to the cause by clicking on the button below.




June 15, 2008 by Rantings Uncategorized 0

My first rugby game..

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure to watch my first rugby game. I always thought that rugby was a rough game, but after watching it in person, I realized that there is more to it then brute strength. There is a lot of team work and coordination involved. And you do need to be TOUGH to be able to play rugby :). Click here for some pictures from the game.

Rocking in Rugby

May 6, 2008 by Rantings Sports Uncategorized 0

Google : Earth Day

Screenshot of the Google homepage showing solidarity with the Earth Hour effort. To quote from the Earth Hour website

“On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year. ”

This year, a lot more people signed up and it was a global event.  The stats are yet to be calculated, but I am proud that Chicago played a big part in this :). I did my part by turning down the heat :).

April 4, 2008 by Rantings Uncategorized 1

The Few..The Smart.. The Kudithipudi's

Alright.. I blatantly stole that tag line from the US Marine Corps. But for the folks that know me, you know that I am extremely proud of my family name, even though it is so difficult to spell :). Here is a scan of an article from the 26th Feb edition of the “Border Mail“, a Australian local news paper. It is an article about some local high school kids that got a scholarship for their college education based on their overall merit. And right in the middle of them is my niece, Kavya. Congrats kiddo..

Kavya Kudithipudi

March 9, 2008 by Family Fun Rantings Uncategorized 0

Restrooms and subliminal messaging..

On my recent trip to India, I had a layover at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam. We had a long layover and while we were whiling away the hours, my friend Hareesh asked me, if I noticed anything about the restrooms in the airport. I told him that I thought they were unusually neat for a public restroom. He went on to explain that this “neatness” was the result of a fake “fly” in the Urinals.

Here’s a long shot and a close up of the fly.

Apparently, the Airport administration got a lot of complaints in late 90s about the state of the restrooms and did a study on how to improve the cleanliness. And lo and behold, they came up with this idea of a “fake” fly. Apparently, when people see (on purpose or subliminally)  the fly, they try to “clean” it up :).. I think the real reason is a that men just need a target to piss on :). So there are less spills and the restrooms end up being cleaner.

I noticed the same thing at the MindTree offices in Bangalore. But here the message was a bit more direct and blunt :). But it got the job done. The restrooms in that office were also spotless.

On a larger scale, subliminal messaging can be used to bring around huge changes. There is a whole wing of the US military (and am sure in  governments around the world) dedicated to Psychological Operations. Check out the WikiPedia link for some interesting projects this unit worked on.

March 8, 2008 by Fun Rantings Travel Uncategorized 0

Excerpt from Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice

As I was browsing the channels during some late night TV, I ended up watching the end of BBC’s Pride and Prejudice production. I believe this is one of the best productions of Pride and Prejudice. Here is a literal copy and paste from one of the last scenes in the book. Lizzy is asking her father’s blessing for her wedding with Darcy.

Her father was walking about the room, looking grave and
anxious.  "Lizzy," said he, "what are you doing?  Are you out
of your senses, to be accepting this man?  Have not you always
hated him?"

How earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions had
been more reasonable, her expressions more moderate!  It would
have spared her from explanations and professions which it was
exceedingly awkward to give; but they were now necessary, and
she assured him, with some confusion, of her attachment to
Mr. Darcy.

"Or, in other words, you are determined to have him.  He is
rich, to be sure, and you may have more fine clothes and fine
carriages than Jane.  But will they make you happy?"

"Have you any other objection," said Elizabeth, "than your
belief of my indifference?"

"None at all.  We all know him to be a proud, unpleasant sort
of man; but this would be nothing if you really liked him."

"I do, I do like him," she replied, with tears in her eyes,
"I love him.  Indeed he has no improper pride.  He is perfectly
amiable.  You do not know what he really is; then pray do not
pain me by speaking of him in such terms."

"Lizzy," said her father, "I have given him my consent.
He is the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never dare
refuse anything, which he condescended to ask.  I now give it
to _you_, if you are resolved on having him.  But let me advise
you to think better of it.  I know your disposition, Lizzy.
I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless
you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him
as a superior.  Your lively talents would place you in the
greatest danger in an unequal marriage.  You could scarcely
escape discredit and misery.  My child, let me not have the
grief of seeing _you_ unable to respect your partner in life.
You know not what you are about."

Elizabeth, still more affected, was earnest and solemn in her
reply; and at length, by repeated assurances that Mr. Darcy was
really the object of her choice, by explaining the gradual
change which her estimation of him had undergone, relating her
absolute certainty that his affection was not the work of a
day, but had stood the test of many months' suspense, and
enumerating with energy all his good qualities, she did conquer
her father's incredulity, and reconcile him to the match.

"Well, my dear," said he, when she ceased speaking, "I have no
more to say.  If this be the case, he deserves you.  I could
not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."
February 26, 2008 by Fun Rantings Uncategorized 0