Wow, that is so typical ... I had a bad customer service experience with Continental just recently that I could "vent" about. I had to take two planes to get to Miami. I drove to the city for the first flight, but it was cancelled. Spent the night sleeping in my VAN! because there were no hotels available because of some other shin dig in town, to catch the next flight in the morning. Got to Newark and the flight was delayed and delayed and delayed. Finally, we take off, I'm going to be late for my meetings but I've called ahead and made arrangements. Half way there the pilot comes on and says there is a problem with a fuel pump and we have to go back. Land in Newark again and the passengers are told to go to the desk at the gate for direction. But the staff at the gate has no clue what's going on, so they send all the passengers, on foot, to the other side of the airport to a customer service desk. These people also have no clue and send us back to the gate. We did that three or four times. Finally at customer service, everyone waiting in line, people getting antsy, and the staff starts getting rude. I witnessed them yelling and verbally abusing several passengers! Everyone is told nothing they can do, next flights are full, can't help you. When I get my turn I explain that is not good enough, I'm not from the US, I am in a strange town and need to get to Miami. Best offer is to go stand by the next day. Can I have help with accomodations? No. Meal? No. Phone to make arrangments? No. Get me on with another airline? No. Nothing is available anywhere. But a bunch of passengers went on their own to other airlines and got flights. I actually went to a different customer service desk of Continental and got put on stand by for a flight later that night! There was waaaaayyy more rigamoral, but the end of it was I got on a flight that night and got to Miami about 30 hours late. My luggage was another day or two.
When I called Continental when I got home, I got very similar response to the previous post. The best I got was an e-voucher for $125, about 1/6th the cost of the flight. Any appeals for customer service were met with apathy.
Ahhhhh, that feels better ... lol ... I guess when you are guaranteed x number of customers per day, what do you care if a few hundred get a little mad? There will always be more to take their place.