Blue Eyed Blog
Posts tagged LGBT
Dear Orbitz
May 26th
Update: So I asked Orbitz to remove my account. Delete it. You know, take my data off of their systems and make my account go away. You can see the original request below. You can also see their rather idiotic reply.
So I asked again after writing this blog entry below. This time they “forwarded my request to a supervisor”
Subject Cancel Account! Discussion Thread Response Via Email (E-mail Customer Service) 05/28/2011 11:13 PM Dear Orbitz Customer, Thank you for contacting Orbitz.
I understand you wish to delete your Orbitz account.
I have forwarded your issue to a supervisor. They will review and respond as soon as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience while this matter is examined. When we do learn of a problem, Orbitz takes immediate action to prevent any future disappointing experiences for our customers.
Sincerely,
Cara Simpson
Orbitz Email Service TeamWhen you Orbitz, you know!
Oh, and don’t think for a minute that “her” name is “Cara Simpson.” Orbitz email customer service is in New Delhi, India.
Anyway, I waited to hear from the “Supervisor” about this. Guess what? Right. Still unwilling to actually remove me from their systems.
Response Via Email (Athena) 05/29/2011 02:41 PM Dear Orbitz Customer, Good day.
Hope this email finds you well.
Thank you for your detailed follow up e-mail. We regret your continued disappointment.
It is my understanding that you wish to delete your account with Orbitz.
Deleting the account regrettably that may not be possible but what we did was that we locked the account.When we lock/close the account rest assured that there’s no further access of information.
Thank You.
Sincerely,
Athena
Again, don’t believe that “her” name is “Athena.” Customer service supervisors are in the Philipines though, not India.
So the best these people can do is ‘lock’ my account so that I can’t access it? Um, that’s just failure on all levels.
Orbits, you folks really need to figure this out. It is certainly possible to remove someone from your system. Just because your outsourced, $1/day “customer service” people can’t figure it out doesn’t mean it can’t be done. And not giving me an easy, straightforward way to delete MYSELF is double-fail. What am I, your hostage? Once I’ve signed up with Orbitz I can never change my mind a leave Orbitz? You really think your service is that good that I can never live without you?
Get it right folks. Fix this.
I’m a big supporter of the Courage Campaign. Actually, I’m a big opponent of bigotry and racism and discrimination in all forms. I say it all the time. I mean it.
I supported the Stop Beck campaign for a long time by writing emails, sending tweets, etc. to companies that advertised on Beck’s freakshows. It worked. So many advertisers dropped him that even the Rage and Bigotry Circus Faux Newz had to finally give it up and cancel his rubber-room hour.
When The Drop Fox campaign started up, I of course thought it was a great thing. I detest encountering Faux Newz on televisions in public places — especially places where one is a captive audience like Doctor’s waiting rooms, etc. I always ask them to change the channel or turn it off, and consider not using Fox as their background noise permanently. It is making people stupid.
But I digress.
The Drop Fox campaign is doing great work. Fighting an uphill battle to get the truth out about what Faux Newz really is: Right Wing Propaganda and Lies. Oh, and Xenophobia and bigotry. Lots of that too. So they asked Orbitz to stop advertising on Faux. Orbitz had always been a “supporter” of LGBT community, and marketed directly to them and quite frankly made a pile of money off of them. So it seemed (and still seems) reasonable to ask them to actually support the LGBT community and not support a network that promotes intolerance and bigotry. You’d think.
But not only has Orbitz refused to stop supporting Faux, but they have doubled-down on the stupid by issuing the following statement:
And then just yesterday, Hoyt issued an response letter saying “Our tone … is the result of dealing with the tired tactics of these shady so-called non-profit fringe groups like the one that attacked Orbitz.” Wow. Shady, fringe groups? Really?
Wow. Shady fringe groups. Interesting way to play this, Orbitz, but ok. Have it your way.
I’ve said I have a zero tolerance policy for racism and discrimination and bigotry. I’ve said it a lot. I mean it. No, really. I MEAN IT.
So off I go to Orbitz to delete my account. I told you I mean it. But I can’t seem to find any way to delete my account. Huh. Weird. There must be a way. I just can’t find it. So I fill out a customer contact form and inform them of what I want, and why.
Straight up and to the point. I want my account cancelled and all my data removed from their systems. I should have that right, right? Apparently wrong.
Dear Orbitz Customer,
Thank you for contacting Orbitz.
I understand you wish to delete your Orbitz account.
In Orbitz we do not have an option to delete an account once it is created. However, you can remove any card information or billing information from the account.
To delete the credit card information from your billing profile, please follow these steps:
1. Go to ‘My Account’ http://www.orbitz.com/App/ViewMyStuff.
2. Click on the link ‘Billing Information’.
3. Click on the link ‘Delete.’
4. Click on ‘Save’ which is at the bottom of the page.
To edit your billing profile, please follow these steps:
1. Go to ‘My Account’ http://www.orbitz.com/App/ViewMyStuff.
2. Click on the link ‘Billing Information’
3. Click on the link ‘Edit this billing profile.’
4. Make the necessary changes and click on ‘Save’ which is at the bottom of the page.
However, you may also get your Orbitz account locked by calling Orbitz Customer Service at (888) 656-4546 from the US and 001-312-416-0018 from outside the US. Our Customer Service Agents will be able to assist you more efficiently on the phone.
Sincerely,
Sophia Robertson Orbitz Email Service Team
Really?? So once you create an account at Orbitz, you’re theirs for life. No way to get removed. No way to have your data removed. The best you can do is to remove the credit card you have on file with them. (Guess what? The card they have on file was already cancelled.)
Sorry, but this is unacceptable. Maybe it calls for some new legislation, but as a customer, I should be able to have my information deleted from their systems upon my request.
This isn’t over. Not by a long shot. I have every intention of getting my information deleted from Orbitz’s system. I most certainly won’t be using Orbitz any longer. They have shown me that they do not wish to listen to their customers so I don’t plan to hand them any more of my money.
Related articles
- Not Cool, Orbitz! (perezhilton.com)
- Orbitz Snubs Media Matters’ ‘Drop Fox’ Campaign: ‘We Aren’t Going To Engage In That Fight’ (mediaite.com)
- Tell Orbitz It’s Time To Drop Fox (ynative77.wordpress.com)
- GLAAD: ‘LBGT groups urge Orbitz to pull ads from Fox News over anti-gay rhetoric’ (miamiherald.typepad.com)
- Media Matters Targets FOX Over Anti-Gay Content By Going After Their Advertising Income (lezgetreal.com)
Well Done (again) Texas
Mar 3rd
Once again, well done Texas! Hats off to you for finding new and innovative ways to discriminate, marginalize and generally act like cretins. And in the School system no less!
Really, we expect nothing less from you at this point, so thanks for meeting expectations.
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Dear David, When Nikki Peet recently asked for a safe space for students to meet and discuss issues like anti-gay bullying at Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, she expected the support of her school district. But instead, Dr. Julia Carbajal — Flour Bluff’s Superintendent – decided to cancel all extra-curricular clubs in order to prevent Nikki’s “Gay Straight Alliance” (GSA) student group from forming. It’s her way of getting around the federal “Equal Access Act” law mandating simliar access on school grounds to student groups, regardless of their politics or philosophy. We know what happens when schools fail to address the bullying of LGBT kids: depression, isolation, and suicide. So we need to help. Nine out of ten LGBT students experience harassment in school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. At least two-thirds feel unsafe in the classroom. LGBT teens can be up to four times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. In just a few days, nearly 4,000 Change.org members have signed the petition supporting Nikki, sharing the story on Facebook and forwarding emails like this to their friends. This Friday, Nikki and members of the Corpus Christi community are organizing a major demonstration outside Flour Bluff High School. At the protest, Nikki and her supporters will be delivering petition signatures to Flour Bluff administrators, sending a strong message that it’s time to provide a safe, caring and effective learning environment for all students — including LGBT youth. The superintendent’s outrageous actions have garnered attention throughout the U.S. Students, parents, and school officials everywhere are watching to see what happens — and the outcome in Corpus Christi will have reverberations across the country. Sign our petition today, so Nikki can deliver the signatures of as many people as possible this Friday in Texas: Thanks for taking action, - Eden and the Change.org team
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NC Assault on LGBT
Feb 28th
Some days I’m just embarrassed to admit I live in North Carolina. Really. Like today, when I discovered that some North Carolina State Senator (Jim Forrester) introduced an ignorance amendment to the State Constitution. They call it a “Defense of Marriage” ammendment, but I have still yet to hear any rational argument by ANYONE that gives any way in which “gay marriage” (another term I hate) harms marriage.
How come I just knew they guy would look like that? A “good ol’ boy.” Probably calls himself a “good christian” too. Because Jesus was all about denying people their rights and hating poor people and all that.
He also has sponsored a raft of other ignorant, discriminatory bills like one requiring Welfare recipients to undergo drug-testing before they can get benefits (because in his world, I guess, all those “welfare queens” are just dope heads looking for a free ride), to introduce a “Choose Life” license plate (I guess I’ll have to request a “Choose Death” plate to even it all out), to “restore partisan judicial elections” because what we really need in this state is partisan judges, and a law to allow the use of deadly defensive force because what we also really need is more people shooting each other.
You can read the full text of the proposed amendment here (PDF) if you don’t believe me, but here it is:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2011
S 1 SENATE BILL 106 Short Title: Defense of Marriage.
(Public)
Sponsors: Senators Forrester, Tillman, Soucek; Apodaca, Blake, Brock, Brown, Daniel, Davis, East, Goolsby, Gunn, Harrington, Hise, Hunt, Jackson, Meredith, Newton, Pate, Preston, Rouzer, Rucho, and Tucker. Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate. February 23, 2011
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO PROVIDE MARRIAGE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN IS THE ONLY DOMESTIC LEGAL UNION THAT SHALL BE VALID OR RECOGNIZED IN THIS STATE. The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: SECTION 1. Article 14 of the North Carolina Constitution is amended by adding the following new section: “Sec. 6. Marriage. Marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.” SECTION 2. The amendment set out in Section 1 of this act shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the State at the statewide general election on November 6, 2012, which election shall be conducted under the laws then governing elections in the State. Ballots, voting systems, or both may be used in accordance with Chapter 163 of the General Statutes. The question to be used in the voting systems and ballots shall be: “[ ] FOR [ ] AGAINST Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.” SECTION 3. If a majority of votes cast on the question are in favor of the amendment set out in Section 1 of this act, the State Board of Elections shall certify the amendment to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State shall enroll the amendment so certified among the permanent records of that office. SECTION 4. The amendment set out in Section 1 of this act becomes effective January 1, 2013. SECTION 5. This act is effective when it becomes law.
Some 23 other homophobes have since signed on to this effort to deny rights to citizens.
I encourage all of you to write or call ((919) 715-3050) State Senator IgnorBigot and let him know that denying people rights is not what America is about. It’s not what we do here. In fact it is the opposite of what we do. But then again, the Republican Party seems to have become permanent residents of Opposite Land lately.
