Opinions on article example

[flybye023]

I was reading an article that was talking about taking personal responsibility and used the following story as an example:

(I'm guessing this took place in the '60s or '70s)

The writer's mother was taking a plane trip for the first time and going to Chicago. She was really anxious and nervous about finding her way to the right gate. She read some of the signs and started in the right direction but started doubting herself and asked four different airport employees at four different points along the way where the gate for Chicago was. All four tell her the gate is <there>.

She gets on the plane and it starts taxiing, then the pilot makes some statement along the lines of good luck on our trip to San Francisco. Frantic, she flags down a flight attendant and explains she's on the wrong plane. They turn the plane around and drop her off back at the terminal.

She's highly embarrassed at this point and comes across another employee, explains what happened, and asks how four different employees could have pointed her in the wrong direction. His replies: "Ma'am, sometimes you need to take responsibility for yourself."

On the one hand, I can kind of see what the author is trying to say, but on the other, it does seem like really poor customer service because the lady was trying. I feel the story is a poor example. Your thoughts?

[Mytical]

At the best of times, in the best circumstances..airports can be big confusing places. Let alone if it is your first time. Since it was her first time, I can not see anything the woman did wrong. She asked people (some don't), followed directions (this is even rarer), and had no reason to doubt the people who guided her. The ticket taker should also have noticed that the ticket was for the wrong flight.

Now if she had just blundered about, pushing past the ticket taker, etc..then I would say it was all on her. However, in this case, IF the recounting is accurate ..then the employees were sadly in the wrong.

[flybye023]

See, that's kind of what I was thinking. The author was trying to make a point that if her mother had followed her own instincts and used the signs and such that she probably wouldn't have gotten lost. It was only when she depended on others that she got off track. Probably so, but that doesn't excuse the employees either, IMO. It would have been different if she was just asking random travelers in the airport but she wasn't. She was asking people who should have known and whose job it was to help.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

See, I thought the last employee could have handled that better. That person was sucky. She was honestly trying, and it could be that she had a whine in her voice. That wasn't a good article for personal responsibility at all. I second the "She was asking people who should have known and whose job it was to help." and wish to add, they know wtf is up. Srsly. I'd be asking the employees where a gate was too!

[ParkingWitch]

I have a bit of a different take on this one. Technically I'm an airport employee, I work in the parking lot and have nothing to do with anything dealing with airlines. So I have to ask which airport employees was she asking? Janitors, gift shop, random airline, or the correct airline for that specific flight?

[Mytical]

I can totally understand where you are coming from Parking Witch. One would hope, however, that if the employees were not sure..they would say as much..and try to help the person find the person who might know. Even if that means flagging down a security person (who has a radio normally) who can call around to find out.

[Imogene]

Four different employees all point her to the same gate?

I think I'm gonna lay the blame with their management, then. No way should four different people all corroborate the wrong answer entirely.

[Geek King]

Four different employees all point her to the same gate?

I think I'm gonna lay the blame with their management, then. No way should four different people all corroborate the wrong answer entirely.

Actually, if the airport was like the ones I've been in, there are 3-5 gates together at the end of a terminal. The employees could have all pointed in the right direction, and the mother still picked the wrong gate.


Frankly, though, the storey has too many holes for me to take it at face value without some backup facts. I'm going to guess the storey was more likely made up by the author to fit his point.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, I would have to say if the lady was afraid of making and error, and checked and double checked with people who presumably were there to help, she DID take responsibility.

I'm a grown ass woman and I have a hard time reading things like tickets. I often make mistakes such as transposing numbers, failing to see numbers, going left when I should be going right, etc. I second guess myself a lot because I know this about myself. So I'm going to ask someone who would know better than I will.

I did it just this weekend going to Disney on Ice with the kid and her cousins. I asked three different ushers where to go. One when I first got inside the door to point me in the right direction, one to tell me which door to the arena to use, and one to tell me which section of seats to head for once inside the arena. I have to or I will end up God knows where.

Granted, I knew they were ushers and there to help me, so I'm assuming the lady in the story asked the proper people.