HOWTO: Upgrade to First Class
Lifehacker offers up some tips on social engineering (the "cool" and "conscious" way to say manipulating) tactics to employ if you would like to get your airplane seat bumped up to first class. Note too, the comments. Some prefer the snug feeling of a warm blanket of honesty than the plushness of a wide leather site in the front berth.
The tips and tricks may shock you, but maybe not as much as the people who apparently would feel bad about lying to a giant corporation.
Read more at Lifehacker.
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Comments:
Nitpick: If you were electrocuted by the cable, you'd be dead, and therefore, not calling Time Warner.
If you were electrocuted by the cable, you'd be dead, and therefore, not calling Time Warner.
Ah, but then your loved ones could call TW and get free cable!
Yes, but by lying to get into first class, you will at least be sitting with all of the bigwig lying corporate bastards, so you won't stand out.
I was once on a crowded flight where they didn't have enough room for the carry-on baggage. The stewardess told me she was going to take my bag and strap it into a seat in first class. No amount of talking nice, pointing out the logic, etc., could convince her to move ME to first class and strap my carry-on into my coach seat. Uh-uh. Was not going to happen. So I flew coach and my bag flew first class. It told me the caviar was mah-velous.
So, are we back to the Amy's Ice Cream-Threadless-RyanAir publishing?
Those are not tips and tricks, they are blatant lies, I don't see how it makes us better comsumers or makes companies better, it just makes them worse because they get more weary and sick of manipulative customers.
Based on the comments and advice given by lifehacker posters, I find the manipulation and god-complex of the airline counterjockeys to be sick. Perhaps if upgrades couldn't be given away based on the wim of an airline employee or a customer's story, there wouldn't be internet posts and "strategies" to get them.
I tried it on my honeymoon. Unfortunately, we got the old, haggard, bitter gate agent. The cute young married gate agent lit up when she heard honeymoon, but she wasn't helping us.
If you're going to pull a scam, at least target the scam to the person that you're talking to.
"The tips and tricks may shock you, but maybe not as much as the people who apparently would feel bad about lying to a giant corporation."
Right. Because we all know lying is cool if you lie to a giant corporation.
Of course, how should we define "giant corporation"?
From my non-corporation owning point of view, most corporations are pretty "giant." Let's take Threadless for example.
So all you Consumerist fans out there, make sure to give Threadless a buzz after making a purchase, lie about your order, tell them you have a blog "visited by 10,000-15,000 people per day." Then maybe they'll kow-tow to your every demand!
Call any corporation. Call Time Warner. Tell them you were electrocuted by the cable. Maybe they'll give you a couple months of free cable service.
Call Walmart. Tell them an employee molested your child! Get some coupons! Awesome.
Consumerist: Where Lying Is A-OK ... as long as it's to a giant corporation.