Discrimination??

I know there have been a few topics in the past about people feeling discriminated against for being an American.  I just wanted to share an experience from today that ticked me off...not sure if this is discrimination to some point or if I'm just being overly-sensitive because I'm ticked off (either way I'll feel better after ranting about it a bit anyway).

I got caught up in the whole 'volcano travel disaster' and I wasn't able to take my luggage from the airport...it had to be sent to me.  The courier company picked up all 4 of my suitcases from the airport on Friday...I received 2 of them on Saturday.  Long (and complicated) story short, they have the other 2 bags and there was oringinally a problem with the billing aspect of the delivery report, which has since been corrected by the airline.  I spoke with a supervisor last night and I was told that everything was good and I would have my bags this morning.  Which of course I did not.  So I call the courier at 9am and I'm told that the bags are still there and she can't send the bags out until she gets permission from her supervisor (even though I spoke to one last night!) and her supervisor is in a meeting.  I continue to call back all day (I called about 6 different times from 10am until 4:30pm)...he is still in a meeting and she doesn't know when he will be out and has no way to ask him about the bags.  So I'm starting to get upset about this...I've been waiting 2 weeks to get my bags as it is, the airline pays for next day delivery and they have had my bags for 6 days...this isn't fair to anyone involved.

So my British hubby calls them and magically, she can go talk to someone (even though she told him that her supervisor was still in a meeting) and get everything approved and my bags will be here tomorrow morning (or so they say...we'll have to wait and see on that). 

Amazing...

Same kind of thing happens all the time here in the sates with my wife.  She will call somewhere here and no one can help, I call 5 minutes later and voila here it is.
One of my Friends down in Florida had her car flooded out by a flood, she called the garage to get it repaired and they quoted her $700, I couldn't believe it so I called the next day and it was only $125 in the end.
Cheeky and not nice, but I don't know about discrimination.

I was thinking it probably had more to do with being a woman not a man.  Good be totally wrong though.

I was thinking it probably had more to do with being a woman not a man.  Good be totally wrong though.

I don't think you are wrong.  I was also thinking that if there's discrimination here it's more based on gender than nationality.

So my British hubby calls them and magically, she can go talk to someone

We have the pratice in our house that says: "in a situation like this, if dealing with the UK, my UK spouse makes the call. If dealing with the US, I make the call."

You're not alone. After a while, it becomes normal operating procedure.

I don't think you are wrong.  I was also thinking that if there's discrimination here it's more based on gender than nationality.

That would be my experience as well.  My husband and I are both american, and he gets results while I get *accidentally* disconnected, given the runaround and generally feel useless.  It's really annoying.

Of course it could just be bad luck, but it seems to be a fairly common experience.

Originally I thought it could be the man/woman thing but considering that it was specifically relevant to travel, I was more inclined to lean towards the fact that she was more helpful to a local than a foreigner (she was most likely under the impression that I was just travelling to the UK as a visitor).  I've never had these issues with other companies I've had to contact in the UK (AOL, BT, RBS, etc.)...which could be purely coincidental.

I was thinking it probably had more to do with being a woman not a man.

That was what I was thinking too.

When I have a problem I need to speak to someone over the phone with for resolution, I keep calling until I get a man. 

American woman representative:  No, I'm sorry, we can't do that.

American man representative:  I'll see what I can do.  *pause*  That won't be a problem.

Ironically, I had a similar situation with the US Embassy once.  They hung up on me a few times and they weren't giving me a straight answer.  I was ready to go scream like a crazy woman outside their building, but my British dh called them and the question was answered, everything sorted in a matter of minutes.  Could not freaking believe it.   

Yeah, I find I get better service from men while my BF gets better service from women.  I don't understand it, but such is life.

Also, since you kept calling, she could have been deliberately unhelpful just to spite you.  Not out of the realm of possibility, since some people are jerks like that.

On another note, I hate the automated things where you have to speak a number or whatever. I always have to have DH do it because it doesn't understand my accent. Annoying!

On another note, I hate the automated things where you have to speak a number or whatever. I always have to have DH do it because it doesn't understand my accent. Annoying!

This.

We also have Dragion Naturally Speaking, a voice recognition software that doesn't understand me (we bought it for me), but it lurves Mr MLG. He finds it amusing hearing me curse trying to use the thing and see what gobbledygook comes up. 

On another note, I hate the automated things where you have to speak a number or whatever. I always have to have DH do it because it doesn't understand my accent. Annoying!

I could never get those to work in the US either! 

Machine:  "Did you say 'pay bill'?"
Me:  "FFS, No I didn't say 'pay bill'...I said 'speak to a representative'!  How can you be that wrong?!?!?!  They sound nothing alike, they don't have the same number of syllables, nothing..."
Machine:  "I'm sorry.  I didn't understand you.  Did you say 'hear amount due'?"

I had one horrible experience with my cable company where they had a robot diagnosing the problem I was having with my connection.  From that point on, whenever I was confronted with one of those menus, I'd just mash the '0' button repeatedly until I got a human.   

I don't think you are wrong.  I was also thinking that if there's discrimination here it's more based on gender than nationality.

Yep, that would be my experience.