El Al: We May Have Broken Your Stroller…But United Breaks Guitars!

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After speaking to the El Al Matmid executive that created the recent Matmid devaluation for more than 90 minutes, there’s not much that will surprise me about El Al.

But I had to chuckle when a DansDeals forum member sent me this email from El Al denying him compensation for his stroller 😀

“As for your assertion that United or any other airline would have handled your claim differently, I invite you to check out the viral video, “United Breaks Guitars”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

(Click to enlarge image. Last names have been removed for privacy)

elal1

 

In case you’re not familiar with the reference…

So El Al admits they don’t provide much customer service, but hey, at least we’re not United!.
Reminds me of the hastily made Cleveland tourism video, at least we’re not Detroit!

Leave a Reply

58 Comments On "El Al: We May Have Broken Your Stroller…But United Breaks Guitars!"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

Moshe

After this video went viral United offered him whatever he wanted to take it down, lol

moshe

Just got a new $350 stroller seat from ELAL seems I’m lucky.

ralf

thats great

Think real

I would tell him the same if he mentioned to them about United.

ari

Lolololol thanks Dan I am laughting so hard at my desk!

Ari

It’s clear they’re not an American company. Otherwise, they would’ve realized the potential damage this could cause by stooping that low and just taken the temporary loss for reimbursement.

Netlevy

There is not worst customer service than El AL!
The on-board service is a disaster!

spirit is evil

I want to make a “Spirit breaks your legs” video. On the heels of that I will do a “Spirit breaks the bank” video because although you think you are saving a buck they charge for a carry on, seat selection and even to get a stupid drink. They will probably soon charge to use the bathroom. And they wont even hand out peanuts.

Harry

United broke my stroller and they told me to jump in a lake

Chaim
Me

Elal has the worst customer service I’ve ever seen I don’t understand why people would fly with them they were so nasty.
Turkish air has much better customer service than them.

Ememjay

How about Delta, they made me check my carryon, didn’t let me take stuff out and then lost my bag. It had all my jewellery and they kept saying file a claim. I did that and they gave me 3% of the value.

wow

The reply from ElAl is bazaar. It’s a “Were not bad they are worse” response without understanding that “United Breaks Guitars” is used as THE model for how and why bad customer service hurts companies.

The rep was ASKING FOR THE CUSTOMER TO MAKE A NEGATIVE PR SONG JUST LIKE THEY DID, without realizing how ridiculous his assertion is.

I have no doubt that if you sent this letter (or link to this story) to Dave Carrol (United breaks guitars composer and now customer service trainer) that he would use it, hey maybe he’d even make a song about ElAl!

Matovu

Hopefully their reading this

Mark

Maybe just key the airplane next time???

ikey

@spirit is evil: Not sure what Spirit has to do with Israel. While on the subject, I’ve flown many short trips with Spirit that require little or no baggage and saved a ton of money (even after paying a big $3 for a Coke). Of course free mileage tickets are the best but they aren’t always available.

RebYid

Your crusade (and I use that term pointedly) against El Al goes way beyond ordinary criticism of a company. If you weren’t Jewish, it would be quite right to suspect you of bias or even anti-you-know-what.

Dan

@Reb Yid:
Right, because I don’t “crusade” against any other airlines.

Oh wait. I do.

http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/40226
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/40214
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/65718
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/35911
https://twitter.com/DansDeals/status/396180927878922240

I can’t help it if they both happen to give this much material to write about.

Dan

And I’ve done the same to Delta Skypesos and Spirit for that matter…

Mike

@Dan, thank you, I needed that. Atrocious Israeli customer service is ubiquitous. Hmmm, that sounds like a song too. Sometimes, I wonder too why I work on having a bazillion milepoints just so I can spend them on these airlines. I will say this, having a good credit card with Chase has proved invaluable in dealing with the gonivim.

H herman

While I am in no way defending the customer service of any airline, when It comes to strollers, they are providing a service, taking an item that is not wrapped or packaged and they are not charging extra for it either. Anything could get damaged like that in a 10 hour flight in cargo . If any airline would be forced to pay for damages, they would either start charging to take them on board or would only take them if the were securely wrapped or packed in a box. Since nobody wants that to happen, we will have to take out chances when handing over our strollers when we board a plane

yy

@Ememjay: Why did Delta make you check your carry on? Couldn’t have been overweight — they have no weight limits.

Corporate Response Parody

Speaking about united. Here is a cute parody someone created as a response to the famous guitar video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhuI3NxwI8c

Isaac

“We are not an airline we are Israel”
I don’t think they could have possibly said it better.

Anonymous

Isaac:

What are you saying? If that is El Al’s slogan, then is your point that Israel is the type of place that breaks your stuff more than anywhere else? I do not know what countries you have visited but what you seem to be saying is totally inaccurate. Or do you just hate the Jewish people?

You remind me of some of ppl on the forums that make such comments or do the +100..thing where it hardly makes any sense.

Mike

Dan, you ever thought about adding a”like” button to individual comments?

Anonymous

The humorous point of the post is not that they refused to pay. It’s that they referenced the United video.

Ida

@emkay: Calm down! He didn’t mean to offend Israel he just wanted to bring out that there’s no such thing as customer service in Israel. Chill!

Gramma man

It’s a bit embarrassing when a lot of the different comments posted from many different people have atrocious spelling.
Not cool at all.
Hookedonphonics.com

Dan's the Man

Don’t Chase cards cover lost/damaged bagage. Wouldn’t this apply to strollers as well? Does anyone know?

Just saying

Very funny.

reminds me of country Yossi.

Ess

FYI – United (may have been Continental at the time) broke my stroller wheel and didn’t pay, but my credit cards travel insurance did. Also got misinformation from the jetway staff and the baggage claim staff. United sent me a $100 credit for that misinformation.

spellcheck

Gramma Man:

Spelling is just fine. Does it really make a difference?
Its silly comments by bored people.
Everything will be all right.

mile

@spellcheck. You need a grammar check: the word “its” should be spelled “it’s” with an apostrophe. And yes, spelling does matter. That’s why they teach it in school.

moshe

@emkay:

If I may explain him, he is referring to Israeli culture, yes CS in Isreal is bad it’s just the way thay do biz

Shlepper

Israeli customer service? mazeh?

Marc

Do you think it’s just a coincidence that there is no Hebrew word for customer service?

Me

So whose making an El Al sing?

Norm

The passenger specifically cited United, saying they would behave differently.
The El Al person responded to that specific reference to United.
Why is that so hard to understand ?@Anonymous:

Tyrone Willingham

@Reb Yid:

Are you Al Sharpton’s lesser known brother?

Karczag

@Marc: yes there is, שירות לקוחות “sheirut lakokhot.” Tho it really means either (1) obnoxious disregard, or (2) something nonexistent, like a Unicorn.

Moshe

Shavua Tov everyone, this is the El Al rep who wrote that letter.
Believe me, bashing the competition is not Standard Operating Practice. I just couldn’t ignore the irony in the fact that this passenger was trying to change my mind about denying his claim davka because United (of all airlines!) would have paid. Take it tongue in cheek the way it was intended 🙂
And for your information, El Al actually has one of the most generous baggage claims compensation policies around.

Red

😆

Dave Weintraub

I remember flying El Al in the late 90s: Connection through Montreal: When we took off, there was ONE working lavatory in the non-first-class section. That was the last time I flew El Al.
I should have learned earlier: In late August ’73, Air France cancelled a flight out of Lod due to equipment problems. El Al took-on their passengers, and bumped over 100 of us flying student fares: Most of us spent nearly three days in the airport departure lounge area, before they found alternate routes for us.

Baruch

Anyone else notice: “We will look board to welcoming you on board”? Moshe, I think you need a proofreader.

on the ball

why don’t you suggest to el al that you would compose “el al breaks strollers “video.

chaim

Similer to country yossi’s yerushalaim song.

Yona

I recently flew air Canada and they broke the frame to my uppababy stroller which is not a cheap stroller. Once I noticed the damage (at the airport) I immediately went to costumer service (in the airport) to file a complaint and the stroller was booked for repair. the repair replaced the frame with a brand new frame. They said it is too difficult to repair so they ordered a replacement instead. What a pleasure to deal with.

Moshe

@Baruch, you’re hired! 🙂

rena

Sure They pay file a claim and wait for the check Never arrived

aron

the last timei flew elal i was yelled at…thier human touch is only towards arabs,,,, for that, i only fly united now
w/o a guitar

perri

anyone but elal!

Hate United

I had a similar story with united. I had a lost of about $300. i issued a few claims online i called them a few times.

The response from them was a letter in a hand delivered FedEx envelope that i should ‘cease and desist this immediately’. if not United will refuse to transport me on future flight.

JoeCha

@Hate United:

Seriously? Can we see a copy of that letter?

bukin86

Ive been pleased with Delta direct even for a little bit more money for a while now!! #jewfail

hate united

@JoeCha how can i put it?

Mike

Take them to small claims court, it works like a charm.

123

what is a small claims court? i had 5k worth of jewelry stolen by elal

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