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Those are my hopes for the Founder of Virgin Atlantic after jet sitting, not setting. I just went to London this week where I spoke to a large crowd in the heart of the UK on internet marketing.

Luggage was lost in NY after a red eye late departure out

Those are my hopes for the Founder of Virgin Atlantic after jet sitting, not setting. I just went to London this week where I spoke to a large crowd in the heart of the UK on internet marketing.

Luggage was lost in NY after a red eye late departure out of SFO due to storms back east. I could find not a soul that worked for Virgin when I landed in NY because Richard feels in only his largest of airports and I guess Newark isn’t one of them, that all customer service representatives need to go home once the jets have left for the day or after that window of departures anytime of day. There not like Delta, where you can find a representative even if you’re in Fresno.

I landed at 9:15 after traveling all night from San Francisco…so where is everyone? Finally a security guy said you can try bangin on the Presidents Virgin Red Carpet Room Club door. I did and the general manager had me on a plane to London 24 hours later out of JFK airport without my luggage as it had been lost. All night in the airport sleeping and then off to London..OH WAIT …we sat on the runway for 2 hours. Didn’t matter to me, I was on a plane and ready to help the Brits realize they too can make some serious dough online, if they can get out of their own way. Was that what I was doing on my trip?

Just like in your business where many marketers get slowed down and defeated…I made myself choose to believe that if I complained, I’d only get more. Where’s the opportunity? This is the only way to live life!

I go an entire week in London without luggage and it arrives at my hotel the day I leave.

Richard offered me $50.00 for clothes while I waited for luggage. No comment there..no complaining…and yes, this is how I do not complain in my business now. If you bitch… the sweetest part of life you will miss.

Every time I turned my attitude into “Where’s the opportunity to get focused on what’s important?.. I’d run into great people who made my trip so rich! They could sense I was living on purpose and only cared about them and actively listened to each word coming out of their mouth. Are you doing this for your customers? listening and watching how they respond to what’s in your heart and on your mind?

So I spend 2 days getting to London with Virgin, buy clothes for the trip which Richard may help me cover, we’ll see. So far this is what I got from him when I wanted to be heard as his online customer.

———–START OF HIS AUTOMATED EMAIL—————————-Thank you for writing to us.If your comments are about a flight you’ve taken, one of our customerrelations people will be in touch in the next 21 days.We’ll forward any other comments/suggestions on to the relevant people.Please don’t reply to this email. If you need more information, ourWebsite tells you everything you need to know about the customerrelationsand baggage claims service. The address ishttp://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/customerrelations/indx.jsp.Kind regardsCustomer RelationsVirgin Atlantic

————————————–END OF RICHARD’S AUTOMATED EMAIL.—-

Ok …that feels great. 21 days to get back to me and please don’t respond to this email.

Wow..Can you feel the love? No phone number, just sit your buns in that seat young man and we’ll let you know when we care to call and see how you’re doing.

You got to give him some credit. He is telling us here that his will not over promise and that he’ll get back to me within a week, not two and maybe even close to three.

The “Short of it”? Get real and know your weaknesses. If you can’t follow up with clients you disappoint within 24 hours… then automate your complaint email as he did with a realistic time you can reach them. At least he’ll have my praises for showing up early when Virgin responds to my email. If he shows up in time, he’s not a flake, as he just might under promise and over deliver, we’ll see. That is my point here; always look for the opportunity in the crisis of your internet marketing breakdowns. Trust it.

When I write to Richard on paper as I feel he owes me some love…I will share… don’t remove the human element from the most important piece of airline travel, and that’s the human touch when your customers need you the most. His customer support on the phone told me there were no flights for 3 days..maybe that’s when I should have gone home instead of hunting for anyone at Newark with a Virgin badge to get me to London. Can you imagine not finding anyone in an airport that large? I was in the Virgin Twilight Zone.

For you? Always look for the opportunity in the crisis of your internet marketing breakdowns. Trust it.

And for Richard Branson….your airline is the best on the market in terms of presentation in the air and yes, it is stellar. On the ground, it blows.

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