I love stories about naysayers being wrong, and I just experienced one first hand.
I needed to extend a holiday trip for my family of four using frequent flyer miles. It being the holidays, there’s limited availability and airlines are less flexible. The date change was going to cost me an additional 100,0000 miles (on top of the 100,000 I already applied) and $150 – per ticket!
I politely expressed my shock to the customer service representative and asked how to at least get the $600 fee waved. His response was respectful but emphatic.
“I’m sorry. That’s not possible. You’re traveling during the holidays and this is a tight policy. You can try asking a supervisor, but they’re not going to wave the fee.”
His certainty and tone conveyed an attitude we’ve all seen too many times. It was that of a non-believer, of a doubter, of one of those countless people who think nothing is possible and feel it’s their duty to let you know.
Unless they are themselves the decision-makers, no one else is an authority on what is possible, and on what others will say. They have an opinion, which may even be informed, but it’s not a certainty. Too often we listen to their predictions and stop trying.
You can guess how my story ends. The airline supervisor I spoke to not only waved the $600, he even reduced the additional mileage fee from 100,000 miles to 52,000. He gave me more than I asked for, building strong goodwill and increased loyalty.
There will always be people who say “nay.” When they do, say “bye.”
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