Be Nicer to the FAA Call Center People!

[teamcoltra]

I called up the FAA to check on my plane's registration's status... the lady was super helpful and found my records and told me it was still another week or two out before they could process it. I explained that a friend of mine already had their paperwork done so I wanted to make sure that mine was done properly. She went through and looked up his registration and explained the difference, and was explaining that normally she wouldn't do this but normally pilots are so short with them that it was nice... she then pulled up my paperwork to make sure it was going to go through properly and said there was an error and helped me with solutions to fix it so I didn't have to wait another month or two.

The lesson here is that a little kindness goes a long way. The FAA surely does a lot of dumb things, and there are people on the ground that are dicks, but putting on a smile and staying calm will help turn a bad situation into a good one.

 

[dell30rb]

She went through and looked up his registration and explained the difference, and was explaining that normally she wouldn't do this but normally pilots are so short with them that it was nice...

Ok. I'll do my job and help you out. But I just want you to know that I don't have to do my job. I'm only doing it because you are such a nice young man. And everyone else is so rude to me.

 

[chartbundle]

Same thing happens with ATC. If you're nice, and understandable and work with them you can often get all sorts of things. If you're not then all you're likely to get is 'Unable'.

 

[frfly172]

When did rudeness become the norm? Very seldom do I have problems with ATC .thanks works most of the time,also good day. Never shoot the messenger .

 

[MAKG1]

Ok. I'll do my job and help you out. But I just want you to know that I don't have to do my job. I'm only doing it because you are such a nice young man. And everyone else is so rude to me.

Their job does NOT include extra checks on your data to save time. This was above and beyond.

Same deal with ATC. Inside Class B, their job is to keep you away from IFR traffic. That can be accomplished with a "remain clear."

 

[brcase]

I work in a customer service capacity for my day job.

If you are rude and demanding you will probably get exactly what you are asking for and nothing more as long as you entitled to it.

If you are pleasant and willing to help me do my job I will be able to help you better, and be a lot more likely to go beyond the minimums you are entitled to.

I notice rude negative people seem to think everyone is out to cheat them, I think they create this atmosphere around them by being rude and demanding.

Brian

 

[dell30rb]

Their job does NOT include extra checks on your data to save time. This was above and beyond.

Same deal with ATC.

Never heard ATC complain about pilots being rude. Or say "I normally don't do this, but just for you"



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[Minshall]

I've had very few interactions with the FAA - but they've all been positive. With my most recent interaction, I was really sweating bullets (lost airworthiness certificate). Tome was great, and had the issue resolved with minimal fuss (much less effort than I'd expected).

Rudeness is often repaid in kind, whether on salary or not.
Kindness normally is too.

 

[silver-eagle]

Nate said it best (in another thread). Karma has a way of remembering things. Kindness begets more kindness. Rudeness begets more rudeness. All you need to do is treat people properly. They are just doing their job the best they can with the tools they have. I've worked the other side of the counter for a while. Everyone should be made to do their time.

 

[Ted]

Never heard ATC complain about pilots being rude. Or say "I normally don't do this, but just for you"



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Because ATC is being recorded, and most pilots are polite. If you've ever heard a real loser on the air, though, it's quite obvious that ATC gets annoyed with them.

Being polite goes a long way in any job, that includes mine. Being rude or demanding to me is a great way to move your top priority to my bottom priority.

 

[wsuffa]

Why would anyone be rude to someone that has the capacity to help you out? Sales folks know that you ALWAYS treat the executive's assistant nicely 'cause they can help you out. Why any different with customer service folks?

A friend of mine was traveling commercially a few years ago and there was some kind of flight disruption. He went to the counter to try and get a different routing & was in line behind a guy who played the "don't you know who I am" card & acted obnoxiously to the agent. The obnoxious guy was sent away with nada but a reservation for the next morning. My friend went up, very politely, used "please" and "thank you" and she said "wait a sec" and gave him a seat on another flight that was almost ready to leave. He thanked her, and told her that he wasn't expecting anything before the next day based on what happened to the guy ahead of him. She said "oh, he was demanding and you were very polite so I'm happy to help you out".