Megabus and the Worst Customer Service Experience of My Life
Yesterday as I was getting ready to leave New York and return home to Baltimore, I checked my email to find a disturbing email from Megabus. It simply said,
“Dear Megabus customer,
Please be advised that the trip listed below has been canceled due to winter weather. We apologize for any inconvenience and would like to emphasize that this decision was made with concern to the safety of our passengers and operators. Please contact 1-877-GO2-MEGA to change your reservation or receive a refund.”
Obviously, canceling my bus was a huge inconvenience to me. I immediately called the number, hoping they might be able to help me find an alternative means of getting home. But instead of getting a customer service rep on the phone, Megabus had a generic voicemail message stating that due to the inclement weather they could not answer any phone calls.
After my initial outrage, this struck me as the absolute worst possible way to handle this situation. Yes, you are going to get lots of angry phone calls from stranded travelers, but you owe it to them to at least answer the phone and attempt to help them find another way home. And what about the travelers who didn’t check their emails before arriving. Did they show up only to find no bus and an empty office?
I have taken Megabus no less than a dozen times in the past six months. I have also recommended them to anyone who mentions that they are going to New York for the weekend. I have been the type of customer that every company wants. Now, with what has been the worst customer service experience of my life, I can no longer recommend Megabus or even talk about them without recounting what happened yesterday.
To get home, I had to spend $110 for an Amtrak train ticket, get a ride from the train station back to White Marsh to get my car, then drive home from there. Needless to say, it was not a pleasant experience.
As of 9:00 am Monday morning, Megabus is still not answering any phone calls. This whole experience shows the company’s utter disregard for their customers. Megabus, your customers deserve more than this, especially because they are counting on you to help them get home. It remains to be seen how Megabus will handle this once they begin talking to customers. But from the experience I have had thus far, I’m not confident that they will handle it well.