If you did fly at least once or twice since 9/11, you would know better. The ticket agent is not responsible for your naivet when it comes to airport reality.

Having shown up only forty-five minutes before your flight, you are very lucky you made in through check-in and security before take off. That is not the fault or responsibility of the ticket agent. Can you imagine what the chaos would look like if everyone who showed up less that two hours before his/her flight was given "special treatment" to make sure they got to the plane on time? NO ONE would show up on time and everyone would expect to be coddled through the process.

As for the upsell to economy plus, did you explain to the ticket agent that you do not possess the ability most adults have to say 'no' to something they do not want or cannot afford? You certainly are making it seem that way by the way you are acting in your letter. The agent's job is to sell you things. She did just that. Unless she was refusing to allow you on the plane unless you upgraded, you were free to refuse to buy whatever she offered to you.

If your surfboard was damaged somehow while in the control of United, you should have made a claim at LAX when you claimed it after the return flight. If you failed to do that - or had some clause pointed out to you in the agreement you probably signed that relieved United of liability - then you are in for a very difficult time proving United is at fault for whatever damage you now are claiming.

Use this as a learning experience and stop blaming others for what you should have done but failed to do.