If you're working in a role which requires you to address customers or deal with their complaints, we're sure you'll be able to sympathise with these AirAsia staff.

In a report by Malay Mail, staff from the airline company revealed how they not only had to deal with thousands and thousands of complaints but personal attacks and even death threats from angry customers in the last few months.



At the height of the pandemic, the customer happiness team had to attend to an average of 150,000 enquiries a day!

Usually the number of inquiries was closer to 120 to 150 cases a day.

Complaints aplenty

Because borders were closed due to COVID-19, most of the complaints were related to refunds and cancellations.

Many also took to AirAsia's social media channels to address their problems.

“When the MCO kicked in, things took a negative turn and the sentiments online started to become personal," said one team member Ili Bazilah.

Ili said that things also started becoming more intense after the MCO was announced as the team were told to work from home.

“I was alone with a heavy workload, and all the negative comments came flooding in at once,” she said in the report.

What's more worrying is that other than dealing with customers during working hours, some of them started harassing her on her private social media pages too.

This, along with personal issues lead Ili to go into severe depression.

Death threats

Meanwhile, AirAsia's head of operations for the customer happiness department Dalina Daut said that negative comments and even death threats surfaced when she shared about work on her private social media page.

“When I put up a Facebook post about AirAsia’s credit account, I was proud of it because part of it was my brainchild but an acquaintance commented on the post and told me that my family and I can go die," she said in the report.

Dalina said that she eventually found out that the woman was not happy about a service provided by the airline and just took it out on her.



It was quite an experience for the whole customer service team.

We really hope that things are slightly better for them now.

As for you complainers, yes, it's frustrating but always remember that there is a human being with feelings at the receiving end of your nasty comments.

Think hard before you say something.

It's honestly a difficult time for everyone right now.