Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

attempted sabotage 2 #operationCOCKrecovery by @AmericanAir @tmz @foxnews @CNN #fb

As if having a penile fracture wasn’t enough damage to the ego American Airlines decided to take it a step further.

Upon flying Internationally on a $2,000 ticket to attend an Internet Marketing seminar that was vital to the success of my company, it was explained to the booking agent that I would be in a wheelchair and needed handicap assistance getting to and from the gates for my connecting flights.
Boarding my original flight with Malaysian Airlines, I was asked to collect my baggage in China before rechecking my luggage to my final destination of Orlando Florida (some 20+ hours worth of flight time, without the layovers factored into the equation.
Stepping off the plane in China, I instantly regretted my decision to fly with American Air.

Unable to wheel myself in the chair across the airport, I was reliant on assistance to get me to my destination. The staff member who picked me up was a Chinese male in his early 20’s. Unable to communicate in English, and with limited Chinese in my vocabulary, essentially he pushed my chair in silence.

It was obvious to see he was upset about something prior to my arrival, as he constantly bumped into other flight passengers, walls, luggage, and just about any other obstacle that was in the way of my wheelchair like he was driving a bulldozer. Imagine the shock my poor penis was going through during each one of these catheter shaking earthquakes!

arriving at the American Airlines check in counter, I was told that my bag was 2kg over weight. Those of you who know me, realize my passport has more stamps than a world express pass, so I’m familiar with weight allowances.

I explained to the clerk that I was only 5lbs over weight, and due to the length of the flight was traveling in flip flops, and due to the injury did not have undershorts on because of the bandages required to keep the surgically repaired injury clean.

Explaining I ‘‘Could” take out a pair of shoes, and I ‘‘Could’’ put on a pair of shorts to make the allowance, I asked her to show a little compassion, as the reality of the situation was that I was allowed 2 checked bags both of 50lbs allowance, however I only packed one in an attempt to make traveling with a wheelchair possible.

following the interaction my clerk understanding the situation agreed, only to have a neighboring checkin counter’s employee shout at her in Chinese (I assume she told her not to make the allowance). Following the interaction with her coworker the girl then told me the baggage would cost me an additional 60$ to check if I did not wish to remove my articles.

Unwilling to pay an additional 60$, I told the women I would put on shoes and grab a jacket from the case, to which she pushed my bag off the weighin scale and set it on the floor, ignoring me from that process forward. Still in my wheelchair and unable to lift carry/move any heavy object that require me to bend at the waist, I asked her to at least assist me in removing the over-weight luggage.

Upon this simple request for help opening, closing, and removing articles from the case, I was greeted with a very rude response by the women, essentially telling me she was too busy checking in other clients to help me with the baggage.

Now…Those of you that know me…LOL..I’m sure you already know how I handled the situation. I immediately shouted back at the clerk. “Some of us have real life issues, not just some shitty job that we hate coming to each morning, and we vent our frustrations on the people responsible for supplying our paychecks”—BOOM…bomb had been dropped.

The neighboring clerk who originally changed the mind of my first check in employee about allowing the small weight allowance violation, then decided it was her turn to fire back a comment by saying “Sir it is not our responsibility that you read your flight agreements and stick to the weight allowance”—-More explosions continue which literally leads to a guy in a wheelchair shouting at a checkin clerk as she yells derogatory remarks in Chinese in front of about 40-50 paying customers attempting to check in. (Great show of customer support American Airlines, wonder how many of those people noticed?!)

Eventually a women I would assume was the manager for the American Airlines Shanghai airport came over and removed the problem causing clerk from the situation. The managers name was ‘‘Barbie Wu’’–which obviously serves as her ‘‘American name” for servicing foreign clients. Barbie allows my bag to get checked into the flight, even though it is a few pounds overweight, however intentionally ignores my requests for employee information such as Name/ID # which would allow me the ability to report the incident to American Airlines in “America”.

Following the check in of my luggage I was now handled by a new wheelchair assistant who without a doubt, 100% decided he was going to show the “american’’ how to act while in ‘‘China’’. He proceeded to continue colliding my wheelchair into any obstruction he could, to the point that I was urinating blood for the next two days upon my arrival

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At no fault to American Airlines, I then had another incident going through security, as the Chinese TSA attempted to remove my surgical 1/2’’ scissors from my medical bag, stating it could be used as a weapon on a flight. (LIl’ do these guys know…I do what the Samurai does…only I do it with my barehands) anyways…off topic.

Eventually (After being forced to show pictures from my iphone of my injured ‘‘penile fracture’’) the security officials agree to give the sanitized medical scissors to the flight attendances, and when it becomes time for me to change my bandages during the 13 hour flight, I can ask the attendant for the scissors, returning them after the necessary bandage changes have been made allowing me to prevent infection to the family jewels.

Satisfied with the compromise, I then proceeded to the gate where the American Airlines employee pushing my wheelchair continued to maliciously and intentionally collide the chair into any obstacle he could tangibly hit, even after my repeated please to STOP! which were usually followed by his best impersonation of Jackie Chan in Rushhour, laughing and continuing the voyage.

Pushing me past the gate, the associate literally positioned me ‘’in the corner’’ Similar to how a parent would discipline a child for misbehaving, and left while I was suppose to ‘‘look at the wall’’ for 90 minutes during my layover.
dealing with the difficulties of my carryon luggage and the wheelchair, I eventually made it to a restaurant with internet access, where I began tweeting directly with American Airlines about my complaints.

Back and Forth the tweets go, giving me the reasonable expectation that their customer service will reach an amicable solution to the mishandlings of my wheelchair assistance.
Some time passes, and it is now time for my flight to board, so I return to the ‘‘Corner’’ where the associate left me, and waited for his assistance to board the plane.

Proceeding to the gate, to my disappointment, ‘‘Brabie Wu” is now the person responsible for taking my boarding pass and allowing me to board the plane.

I ask her if she has my medical scissors, to which she INSTANTLY replies “Board the plane, you are not allowed scissors on a flight”—to which I explain, they are medical scissors, not the same type of scissors used by the flight attendants to open random boxes and bags, and that CHINESE security has already given me clearance to possess the scissors, they just requested that a member from AMERICAN AIRLINES collects the scissors from security and personally gives them to the staff on the flight for use during my travels.

Barbie Wu, then continues to belittle me in her native language (they say 90% of all communication is non verbal) Barbie’s solution to my scissors problem was ‘‘Ask the staff on the flight”–to which I refused to board the plane until I knew that I would have access to a pair of sterile scissors during the 13 hour flight from Shanghai to Chicago.

With more rude and negative remarks she then tells me that ‘‘Sir, I can’t assist you, you are stopping the entire plane from boarding”–which was literally said in front of the entire plane!!!!

So now its my fault that your staff is refusing to collect a pair of sterile medical scissors less than an 1’’ in size that are going to be used to change gauze during a 13 hour flight, in an effort to keep the recently operated penis clean is my fault!?…and now that you’ve said it infront of the entire flight…I get to deal with all of their upset remarks as to why the plane is ‘‘Behind Schedule’’

After much hesitation, Barbie Wu finally decides it’s less hassle than having a defiant MagicalRay Elbe shouting at her front desk and refusing to board the plane than it is worth, and eventually sends staff to collect the scissors, who was able to do so without incident.

Fast forward…I have now arrived in Orlando Florida some 25+ hours after my trip originally started I am now dealing with the difficulties of talking to an associate on the American side of customer service about the incident that occurred in China with AMERICAN AIRLINES employees.

Originally my correspondence with Customer Service began via twitter, which lead to email, and eventually many requests for a phone conversation.

Eventually I’m able to talk to customer service rep Janna Pendley over the phone. (Forget the fact that it is during the EXACT TIME as this marketing seminar that was so important to me it lead me to fly all the way around the world in a wheelchair with a penile fracture)

The customer service rep then asks me what my issue with their ‘‘Handicap assistance” program was. I explained the lack of service at the check in counter in China, I explain the difficulties I incurred trying to collect my medical scissors (which Malaysia had no issue with)–I also relay the embarrassment and emotional experience I encountered at the point of boarding with Barbie Wu’s public ‘‘excuse’’ as to me being the reason for the flight to be delayed, and then I finally explain to her that since my arrival in Orlando I have noticed a considerable about of blood in my urine.

The Customer services recommended ‘‘fix’’ to the problem. 100$ VOUCHER which can be used for another flight on AMERICAN AIRLINES.

Really?! You really think 100$ is worth two days worth of pissing blood and all the other headaches I encountered in exchange for my 2,000$ flight? She then explains to me that my 2,000$ flight was for transportation, which they effectively did handle and that any request for a refund really wasn’t warranted as the actual service of transporting me (while admittedly rough) was essentially completed in exchange for the funds.

I then told her, that 100$ was not acceptable as I literally have to change my return flight from the final destination of Manila, to Kuala Lumpur (incurring a new cost) so that I could see my surgeon and make sure that my injury did not incur any additional setbacks due to the rough handling.

I explained the pain and suffering, plus public humiliation displayed by her staff was valued at more than 100$ for a VOUCHER (meaning I now have to fly with your terrible customer service again in order to make good on the voucher). The customer rep then asked me what it was that I was looking for in regards to ‘‘Compensation”—(Like I’m trying to make money off this experience!?)

Essentially I told her a couple of options were more realistic of a solution for me.

Option 1.
As my return flights are booked through United, offer me a refund for the flight from Shanghai to Chicago where the incident occurred. (truth be told, I thought this was fair as I still flew from Chicago to Orlando on American Airlines without incident)—her rebuttal to this was that I had already paid for services rendered.

Option 2.
I said since “services” were already rendered, providing me with an upgrade on my return flight to asia (in 5 days) and possibly routing my ticket directly to Kuala Lumpur so I don’t have to incur the new costs of a flight from Manila to KL would be suffice.–her rebuttal was that my return flights to Asia were booked through United Airlines and that it is their policy not to provide upgrades from coach to business.

Her solution. a 200$ voucher, good for another flight on AMERICA AIRLINES, as services were already rendered and it is their policy not to ‘‘payout’’ (did I ever ask for money in my options!?) for emotional distress. She also said that the costs of me to travel to Manila to Kuala Lumpur would have to be covered by me, however I could eventually submit a medical claim with their medical department and see what results from the incident.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Mark my words…I will NEVER fly on American Airlines again, even if it is the only flight available to my destination.

If I went to a restaurant and my food was cold, my drinks late, the waiter bad mouthed me at the table, and I got sick from the food that I ate….do you think I’d be leaving the restaurant if the manager offered me a coupon for 10% of my bill good for the next time I wanted to return to their place to eat!? NO! Well, in my eyes this is the same scenario.

As the old saying goes, if you do something good to 1 person, they tell 1 person, if you do something bad, you tell 7 people. I am sharing my story on my blog in an effort to get it out to the 45,000 Twitter followers and additional 20,0000 facebook followers I have, not to mention the readers of my blog.

I hope that anyone who follows me posts a ‘‘like’’ leaves a ‘‘comment’’ or ‘‘reposts’’ my story in an effort to let as many people as possible know why American Airlines was recently voted the #1 worst airline in regards to customer service.

Anyone who has a podcast, a newspaper, a television show, a magazine who would be interested in interviewing me about the penile fracture, specifically to my experience with American Airlines, I encourage you to contact me at Magicalray@aol.com as it is my goal to let as many people know the truthful experience I had with American Airlines, and their lack of accommodation of customer service.

Nothing malicious in my intentions, as I am not attempting to ‘‘take you to court” and win millions of dollars—>truth be told, I explained to the lady I was trying to keep this complaint ‘’in house’’ as it did me no good to waste advertisement (even if negative) on my blog and other social networking capabilities for AA.

My new motives are to inform consumers before they make their purchase of what type of service they can expect by spending their hard earned dollars with American Airlines, and what they consider reasonable customer service!