When you say they didn't ticket it "for whatever reason", what was the reason? You forgetting to ticket it? Or them having taken payment, but not ticketed it because of an error?
How can I "forget" to ticket it? I booked it, then received the standard "We are processing your reservation and will send you an e-ticket confirmation once this has been completed...." message. I would think that it's then up to UA to swiftly ticket the award or contact me ASAP if there is something amiss. When they finally did contact me, all they asked was if I indeed wanted to go through with purchasing the award (and the additional miles required) and asked for my credit card details and UA PIN. I had already put in my credit card details when I booked the award with no hint of trouble, so I'm still a bit baffled why they needed to call me.