2005-05-05 � Sooner - 1 *** The Man - Nil

(via email)

From: [Sooner McSoonersonville]
Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 4:59 PM
To: helpdesk
Subject: Feedback/Comments

Name: [Sooner McSoonersonville]
Email: [email protected]
ISP: My School
Connection Type: T3

I have had a great deal of difficulty with your site. I have spent the better part of a half hour wrestling with it and it still won't accept
my reservation.

I have gotten all the way to the part where I GIVE YOU MY MONEY four
times only to be told I've "expired" and made to start over from the
top, that there's a problem and you're "sorry" again forcing me to start
from scratch, or, that an external server from an airline or something
has forced you to make me start over.

Your prices totally rule, but your interface blows. Please task a
techie or two to the part where I give you my money AND THEN YOU TAKE MY
MONEY, or your bankruptcy won't permit you to offer me amazing prices
anymore and I'm all about the amazing student prices.

Regards,
[Sooner McSoonersonville]

~~~~~~

(via email)

Dear [Sooner],

Yesterday evening, between 4-5PM EST we were experiencing the heaviest
traffic our site has ever seen. We apologize, but the site does not
normally function as you described. If you attempt to search for fares
now you should not experience the same difficulties.

Regards,

J** F****
StudentUniverse
www.studentuniverse.com

~~~~~~

(via email)

Dear The Man,

Yes, as you promised I have had an easier time using your website today, however I note that the prices of the least expensive flights have GONE UP $50. This is totally frowny face.

I know you are The Man and are trying to keep me down; I appeal to you anyway. Is there anything that can be done about this intollerable situation?

I have been trying to book a flight from EWR to TUL, Round trip on June 3 - Jun 11. Yesterday when I was totally trying to give you my money and even made a phone call to your customer service rep (who also told me to wait and try again) the price was $250.48 before taxes and fees. Today it is $300.80 before taxes and fees.

I do not care about flight times in either direction and I am flexible by a couple of days in either direction for both departure and return.

Can you 1) restore the price as it was yesterday when I had my cc number typed into your dumb website 4 times but was not permitted to book a reservation or 2) help me find a current quote that is the same as yesterday on alternate dates and times that I can buy now? I have tried to make subtle changes, but they have not resulted in the lower fare. If you can help me locate that fare again I will galdy accept it.

I believe I have done every thing right here and I would hate to have to get all lawyer and quote the Uniform Commercial Code regarding offer and acceptance when forming a contract for the sale of goods or services to you. I tried to use the website and failed, I tried to call in my cc number and was told to wait and everything would be fine. I made every attempt to accept your offer yesterday and would like to see you honor that offer or help me find a reasonable substitution.

I remain hopeful that you will come through for me despite being The Man.

Sincerely,
[Sooner McSoonersonville], J.D.
Assc. Professor/Instructor
Rutgers School of Law-Newark

~~~~~~

(via email)

Dear Brian,

Before we can proceed, we need to verify your status as a teaching faculty member at Rutgers University. The airlines are extremely strict about their eligibility requirements. According to university records, you are listed as a Reference Librarian. If you are not teaching class either part or full time then you are not eligible to purchase discounted airfares through StudentUniverse. If the information they have on file is not current, please fax or email copies of your proof of teaching faculty status, which includes TWO forms from the following:

  1. Faculty ID Card from your school
  2. Current Class Roster (Spring 2005)
  3. Letter from Your School�s HR Department Verifying Employment as a Teacher

Regards,
J** F****
Aka: The Man
StudentUniverse
www.studentuniverse.com

~~~~~~

(via email)

Dear The Man,

At Rutgers librarians are considered part of the teaching faculty. My official title is "Associate Professor (Instructor)," librarians are on a tenure track and, though I am not currently teaching a course, librarians are called upon to teach a number of courses on an as needed basis. This is in addition to the many guest lectures and workshops (some for course credit, some not) we hold for students and faculty throughout the year. Plus we totally have to shoehorn being librarians in there somewhere too. If you provide me with a fax number I will gladly contact the HR department of my school and have them fax you the documentation necessary to prove this claim.

My colleagues bristle at the implication that they are lesser faculty, so I promise not to share your email with them. As you can see, this demonstrates that I am totally reasonable.

That being said, I am also currently enrolled in a graduate program as a student. I'm a candidate for a Masters in Library and Information Science in May of 2007. This is a three year, part-time program through the Rutgers School of Communication and Information Science on the New Brunswick Campus. In a couple of weeks I will have completed twelve credits. Is there documentation I can send you verifying my student status that would make both of our lives easier and perhaps permit me to verify my eligibility without having to split hairs regarding my teaching status or entangling myself in the Rutgers bureaucracy? You would not believe the number of lines one must stand in to get a letter out of a given office around here.

Or, being The Man, you might.

Perhaps I could send you my ID and an unofficial transcript?

I am still hopeful that you can come through for me. Like maybe in your heart you aren't The Man, but you just have to be The Man on the outside because you work hard for the money. Which comes from The Man who is the true Man i.e. The Man of both of us.

Sincerely,
[Sooner McSoonersonville]
Current Lowly Grad Student,
Member American Bar Association (on account of totally having a law degree),
Power Librarian
Rutgers School of Law-Newark

~~~~~~

(via email)

Dear Mr. [McSoonersonville],

The eligibility requirements are imposed by the airlines themselves and are extremely strict. StudentUniverse would allow all university staff if we were allowed. Since there are still a few airlines that don�t extend the same courtesies to faculty as they do students, we�ve gone ahead and altered your account. Please email us your date of birth so we can add it to the profile.

We understand how busy things must be for you, and that our site has been less than agreeable, so as an act of contrition we will be honoring the original base fare on another contract, and taking the $50.00 loss.

We are currently holding an American Airlines reservation from Newark, NJ to Tulsa, OK, June 3rd to June 11th. The grand total will be $288.60. There weren�t a whole lot of options for times, basically just early morning on either end. If you�re interested, there are other options out of LaGuardia.

We will hold this reservation for you until 8pm EST on Monday, May 9th, 2005. An email should be arriving soon containing the full itinerary and fare rules. (Please note: The email will list the actual price of the ticket which is $338.60. Disregard with amount.) If you wish to purchase this itinerary, please call us at 1-800-272-9676. We are open Mon-Fri, 9am-9pm EST, and Sat-Sun, 11am-6pm.

Best regards,
J** F****
StudentUniverse
www.studentuniverse.com

~~~~~~

(via United States Postal Service)

May 5, 2005

Student Universe
Attn: Boss of J** F****
100 Talcott Avenue East
Watertown, MA 02472

Dear Boss of J** F****:

I am writing to you to let you know that J** F**** totally rules in all ways throughout the known universe in perpetuity. I recently experienced some difficulty buying a ticket on your site, http://www.studentuniverse.com, and Mr. F**** addressed my problem quickly and professionally, resolving the situation in a way that has made me a customer for life, or for at least as long as The Man deems me eligible to be one of your customers.

At first I believed Mr. F**** himself to be The Man, but after some brisk back and forth it soon became apparent that Mr. F****, in fact, is not The Man at least in his heart. As you know, sometimes The Man can suck you into his world of lies and deceit and treachery in an effort to keep you down. Mr. F**** is a champion for all the little people against The Man, and that is undeniable. I would go so far as to say that perhaps Mr. F**** is the arch nemesis of The Man, but I am not in a position to verify that; it is mere speculation.

I have enclosed a hard copy of our correspondence for your review. I believe you will agree that this correspondence supports my claim that Mr. F**** totally rules.

It is my hope that this letter results in more than a mere pat on the back for Mr. F****. Rather I would like to see this letter result in some kind of financial remuneration, a bonus or a raise or the like. He is an absolute asset to your organization and you should certainly compensate him based on his value.

Very Truly Yours,
[Sooner T. McSoonersonville]
[STM:stm]
encl

Posted at 9:34 a.m.

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