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 Why Isn't United Airlines Helping Me?
Posted Wed November 19, 2008 12:00 pm, by Rosemary B. written to United Airlines
Write a Letter to this Company | Rate this Company
Flyers of the American skys BEWARE. United Airlines is wholly unconcerned with making you happy. I have spent this entire year bouncing all over the country and have not had a single problem. My luggage took the same routes that I took, and arrived with me at the final destination with no issues. As I stated, NO PROBLEMS at all.
Until my grandfather died two days before I was supposed to fly from Atlanta to Hawaii. Then, I began to reap the whirlwind. Included below is a copy of an email I sent to Chief of Customer Relations. I am angry and very disappointed in the lack of assistance I have (not) received from this company.
Dear Ms.
My name is Rosemary and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. I have spent most of this year traveling from Hawaii to DC to Chicago to NYC. In short, I fly alot. I spend alot on tickets. On or around July 2nd, 2008, I made a reservation with United Airlines to fly to Hawaii on September 18th, 2008 to see my fiance who is stationed there. Sadly, on September 16th my grandfather died. The next few days were a blur and instead of flying to Hawaii for a relaxing vacation I had to drive to Charleston to bury one of the best men I have ever known. Obviously, the last thing I was thinking about was my ticket. By the time I had time to actually take care of it, on September 18th, customer service had closed for the day. As I have never had problems with United, I was confident they would would assist me in this issue.
Oh was I wrong. I spent the better part of my afternoon being bounced from one representative to the next with no resolution in sight. All I asked was that the funds I used to pay for my ticket would be held in an account waiting for a time I would be able to complete my vacation. I was told by several different agents that I would be allowed to do this but I would be charged a $150 penalty for changing my ticket. I was given the same cookie cutter response, "Ma'am, we are certainly sorry to hear of your loss but you will have to pay the fee." That was unacceptable. I wasn't caught in traffic and missed my flight: my grandfather DIED. Finally, in frustration, I asked to speak to a supervisor. He finally told me that I would not be charged the fee and to call them the next time I needed to fly.
When I recently called to use my ticket I was told AGAIN there would be a $150 charge and round and round we went. I again spoke to a supervisor who told me to fax in a copy of the obituary, my ticket number, email, phone number and the reason for the refund (as if the obituary wasn't enough). So I did. Twice. With no resolution. They said they did not receive the fax, either time, and that I would in no uncertain terms get my money back, and that I would pay the $150 fee.
Today, when I called, I became angry. They said they did not receive the fax, either time, and that I would in no uncertain terms get my money back, and that I would pay the $150 fee. I am tired of playing games at this point. I don't want to do it anymore. I don't even want a ticket held for me. I want the money put back on my credit card. United Airlines did nothing to earn my loyalty and did even less to maintain my business. I understand that having just emerged from bankruptcy, the company is keeping the dimes close to the pocket, but you are losing my frequent flyer business. As I mentioned earlier, I fly. Alot. And so do the other corporate workers in my family.
I am willing to fax you a copy of the obituary stating when my grandfather died. My name is mentioned in the obit. I am emailing you as a last resort before I escalate the issue. I am also posting this letter on planetfeedback.com so that other consumers are able to see the treatment I have received at the hands of United "customer service" employees. My hope is that you will have one of your employees refund the funds to my credit card, so I might post a postive resolution on planetfeedback.com. Thank you, in advance, for your time, patience and assistance.
Refund my money. I attempted to maintain a working relationship with you (and by the way, isn't that YOUR job?) but it hasn't panned out for either of us. I want to break this relationship off before it gets worse. Thank you.
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by PepperElf Posted Sat November 22, 2008 @ 12:16 AM
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i'm asking because usually you can get reduced fare tickets for such a
case, and .... i don't think it's hard to change the return dates, but
i could be wrong.
good luck though
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by Zan Posted Thu November 20, 2008 @ 1:01 PM
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I'm very sorry for your loss, and understand how frustrating it is to
have to go through this on top of it. One thing I'm wondering is why
United didn't receive your fax when you sent it in twice? Can you
verify the number and get the name of a specific person to whom you
should address it? Because it sounds like as long as they get the
requested information, you'll get your $150 refund. And I don't think
United is out of line requesting it - unfortunately, some people will
lie about ANYTHING to get a deal.
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by MA Cunningham Posted Thu November 20, 2008 @ 12:37 PM
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that it was United's job to MAKE you happy.
And while I have the deepest sympathies for you and your family over
the loss of your grandfather, I don't really see how that is an
acceptable reason to change the ticket without any charge. Where does
it end? What is a good enough
You should be thankful it wasn't a non-refundable ticket. You would
be out the money and not able to change the ticket at all.
While it is sad and unfortunate that you lost your grandfather, the
fact that you didn't prioritize this trip you had planned in advance
is not United's problem to resolve for you - at least not without an
additional charge being involved.
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Later!
by Sweet Tiger Fri November 21, 2008 @ 9:08 AM
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by calm Posted Thu November 20, 2008 @ 9:11 AM
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I, too, am very sorry about your grandfather, but airlines aren't in
the business of deciding which of the various things that can disrupt
travel are worth waiving fees and which aren't.
They sell tickets for various prices, and some of the prices will get
you the right to make changes, some will get you the right to make
changes with a hefty fee, and some will not get you the right to make
changes at all. What determines what rights you have if something
disrupts your travel plans is what kind of ticket you have, not what
it is that is causing the disruption.
I absolutely support your right to stop giving your business to
United, and I absolutely think you are right to tell them why so that
they can make informed decisions about whether to change their
policies -- but I doubt that you would be getting what you want from
some other airline either. I hope that if, as you scrutinize other
airlines' policies to see which ones you like, you find one that would
have treated you the way you wish United were treating you, you will
let us know. I'm sure there are a lot of PFB readers who would like
that information.
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by PurPink Posted Thu November 20, 2008 @ 7:47 AM
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If you paid for your ticket by credit card, most of them offer travel
insurance as part of the credit card for no additional fee. Did you
look into that?
Like the previous poster, I am sorry for your loss, but the $150
change fee with the ticket credit is the industry standard.
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Not anywhere Southwest flies they can't.
I am not flying them anywhere Southwest flies, EVER, EVER AGAIN.
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