I miss Benjamin Franklin...

... and Benjamin Franklin, and Benjamin Franklin... and Thomas Jefferson too...

Because I like to rant about bad customer service, let me tell you about my day trying to book a flight with Delta.

I dropped Titus off with Deborah and took Leeann to a travel agency then for a little shopping for a Back to School Breakfast at church on Sunday. The stop at the travel agency didn't last long because they told me they would charge me $50 per ticket to book our flights for us.

I'm tech savvy, so I decided I'd go home and do it myself. I did have questions though (which is why I went to the agency in the first place), so I had to call Delta SkyMiles to get my questions answered before I could accurately proceed with booking the tickets. Well, for 3 hours straight they were having 'technical difficulties and couldn't seem to connect me to a representative.

Fine, I'll see how far I can make it on-line on my own then. I proceed to find the flight I want for me and my brother Jason, but I couldn't figure out how to use my sky miles to purchase my ticket. After a repeat run-around with a lady I could hardly understand in one department we finally tracked down the proper account number and I was able to change the pin via the web without hassle, which was something I appreciated greatly after my last run-in regarding this.

I still couldn't get ahold of anyone to answer my questions though so I got on-line to 'chat' with a representative. The first one sent me on a wild goose chase. The second one couldn't figure out how to answer my question, and the third one lost connectivity on me so our case closed. My blood pressure rose.

I was finally able to get through to someone on the phone (that I could barely understand) only to hear them tell me that I didn't have enough sky miles to get to Missouri and back. Even though it says I can get tickets from 25,000-90,000, it was only showing me tickets worth 50,000 miles. I asked if I could trade them in for part of the ticket price. No such luck!

So all this time I've been assuming that I can fly to Missouri for my brothers wedding by cashing in my air miles. I've told Greg I would be there (my brother Jason and I are the only family members able to make it that I'm aware of), and now I'm staring face-to-face with the reality that I can't go. I felt so bad because I really want to be there for the wedding and I've already said I would go. Furthermore, I was booking both mine and Jason's tickets and I wasn't sure he'd go if I didn't go (the tickets were already creeping up in price beyond what he'd planned to pay) which means none of Greg's family would be at his wedding.

So I did what any sane, rational woman would do when bawling her eyes out and frustrated to no end. I called Rob. I sobbed about how stupid I felt for thinking I could get there for free, and that I had enough miles. I cried that I felt terrible for making a promise I wasn't going to be able to keep. I said I was mad at myself for waiting to book the tickets because they were $70 cheaper just a few weeks ago. After I calmed down enough to have a rational conversation he encouraged me to buy the ticket anyway. He said it was important that I be there. "Where's the money going to come from?" I sobbed. My wonderful husband assured me that we'd figure something out and told me to book the tickets.

Shortly after I hung up the phone Leeann came downstairs crying. She sat next to me in the rocking chair with tears streaming down her face and said, "Mommy, I heard you saying that you were stupid and that made me sad and made me want to cry!" Isn't she so sweet and sympathetic? I love my little girl!

So, four hours, lots of tears and several hundred dollars later I have my ticket to Missouri! It's the same days Rob has school so I still need child care for 3 full days (and nights)... but after booking the tickets that ought to be easy right?