ThatAdamGuy

So, I'm a dodobrain. A $450 "Take Flight" certificate I have that was issued by USAirways expired on Dec 1 of this year, and I'd forgotten all about it until a few days ago .

• I wrote AA on Twitter, but they said reissuing that cert was "not within their powers" and directed me to write Customer Relations.
• I then wrote that group via an online form, and heard back two days later: essentially, "Sorry, charlie, da rules were clear. Tough break.*"

They're at least technically right. The expiration date is clearly printed on the cert and that date is in the past.

So to you I ask: Any hope for a successful appeal or is this just a painful lesson for me? I mean, heck, I was hoping they'd at least offer to reissue the cert in exchange for a fee, or even offer me a set of Pity Miles(tm), especially given that I have Platinum status with 'em.

Thoughts? And, er, please be kind. I'm already smarting and how how un-smart I was not to add the expiration to my calendar . I'm normally better at keeping track of stuff like this.

*P.S. Here's their full response to me in email:

brewdog11

Since the certificate bit the dust on 12/1, it's unlikely that AA will do anything to bring it back to life. AA was just released from a financial obligation to you and will not endeavor to renew it. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Parker does a shot for every high-value voucher that goes unused and expires.

You'll consistently to be told to pound sand if you choose to contact customer relations again or write to persons higher up on the chain. So it goes.

Hopefully you'll come into another voucher soon.

Centurion

Since many merchants only expect over 20% of gift certificate value not to be redeemed even though most gift certificates do not expire I bet the "take flight" certificate have a much higher factor. I have thrown out many companion and club pass certificates that I have missed by days.

nrr

There is an "underground" for seemingly worthless items, one example: CZARIST RUSSIAN BONDS see http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/19/wo...r-s-bonds.html paid off (at a reduced rate) over 50 years later.
Maybe some travel agency, who also blundered, and let certificates expire, can get AA to accept those certs (at a reduced rate), might "buy" expired certs.
In any event, could OP take a tax deduction for an expired cert.?

ibrandsguest

In case it helps you feel better, a few years ago I lost $1200 due to a cancelled ticket not being used within a year of cancellation (or issuance- whatever it was, I didn't use it and lost it).

lobo411

"Technically right" is way too mild of a term for this case. "Technically right" means there's a legitimate difference of opinion regarding the interpretation of terms--ie, does a cert expire at 11:59 PM 12/1 Pacific time or Central time?

In your case, the cert is almost a month expired, so there's no technicality involved. They're totally right.

Often1

As others note, these things are issued and carried on the books based on the accounting assumption that only a small % are actually used. Particularly so because I doubt that the IT infrastructure exists to extend anything US-related anymore even if you found an agent willing to do it.

You can bet another $450, that there's a note under the cert and your AA # that you've already asked. Not worth the cost of an email on an unlimited data plan.

ThatAdamGuy

I appreciate all the thoughtful responses!
Interesting to know about the 'underground' market. Hmm!
And also reassuring, somehow, that others have messed up even worse than I did here (thanks NYCommuter ).

What still bums me out is (at risk of sounding a bit too entitled) that my status w/ AA is meaningless. Or that they, frankly, lack a sense of 'going above and beyond'. Let me give some examples of companies that get it:

• When my mom was (genuinely) sick, Southwest Airlines graciously extended her expiring credit without a fuss.
• When I forgot I had an expiring $100 voucher with a local Mens Wearhouse, they agreed to extend it by 3 months at no charge.
• When I found a big price difference between what I paid for an item 3 weeks ago vs. what I saw it for that day, Amazon kindly offered to credit my account for the difference in full.

But, other than Southwest, airlines seem to have a "no exceptions" policy, goodwill be damned. For example, I was working with teammates in Beijing and had made many one week SFO-PEK trips in the past with United. One time, I messed up due to getting confused by their date picker and booked a trip for 5 weeks instead of 1. Two days after booking, I called to ask for a courtesy change (and it was months in advance of the flight); they said, nope, $250 change fee.

---

Increasingly, I think if I could fly Southwest (or Amazon Air) for all my travels, I'd do that. Goodwill should be two-sided. If I recounted the vast number of times planes got me to my destination late, temporarily lost my luggage, etc... you'd think they'd be a bit more humble and forgiving, right?

Gah. Okay, thanks for letting me rant there. I feel a bit better now.

(and yes, this is a bit pathetic, given that I'm a very experienced traveler; I know better than to let certs expire, and I darn well know that most airlines are sticklers for the rules. Just had an irrational hope... )

dickinson

It's always nice to have the rules broken for your benefit. But to rant when it doesn't happen is a little DYKWIA.

DenverBrian

Too late.

And, given that this appears to be a sometimes thing with you, please take this small nugget of advice: Whenever you get a valuable cert (say, over $100), make a note of the expiration date and put it in your Outlook or e-mail calendar as a tickler about a month before it expires. (I guarantee you the issuing authority won't remind you.)

ThatAdamGuy

dickinson, I see where you're coming from, though I normally assumed that was reserved for "I am Kanye!" vs. "I am a Platinum member." But, fair enough .

DenverBrian, I get the ribbing ;-). And yet, joking aside, I'm more bummed about the airlines' lack of thoughtfulness in a grander, less selfish sense. $450 ain't gonna break me. But I imagine the no-exceptions policies of airlines quite frequently cause significant financial/emotional pain to others who may have made an innocent mistake (accidentally plugged in a date wrong and didn't doublecheck, booked award tickets for the family but then have to pay $800 in "redeposit fees" if they can't go, etc.) You could argue -- in many cases, justifiably -- hey, it's hard for airlines to make judgment calls! And people should take more personal responsibility.

And yet... as with the positive examples I mentioned initially... MANY other companies seem to manage just fine. And while people can and typically do take personal responsibility (I use Asana for task management / date tracking), everyone makes mistakes sometimes. And it's the kind, thoughtful companies that actually do make exceptions and provide great customer service, IMHO.

Costco: lost your receipt? A month past warranty? No worries!
LL Bean: ordered the wrong jacket size and even wore it skiing? No prob, we'll take it back and refund you in full.

See why I'm disappointed? It's not just about the $450. It's about the feeling for me personally and for folks at large... the 'gotchas' with the airlines can just wear you down and make you sad :\.

DenverBrian

Both are companies that have a culture and history of exceptional customer focus.

Airlines (with the possible exception of Southwest, and even they have eroded over the years) have never really seen themselves as service companies; they've seen themselves as transportation companies.

I, too, wish I could find an airline that treated me the way Costco, LL Bean, Amazon, Nordstrom and Monsoon (my local fave Indian restaurant) treat me.

I also wish I were taller. @:-)

ibrandsguest

ThatAdamGuy, (1) there are zillions of retailers and even Amazon has only a very small market share (of total retail sales), while there are just a handful of airlines, giving the airlines a lot more power over consumers than retailers have, and (2) any in-person transaction (such as at a store) is likely to result in a better outcome compared to a phone or email contact (such as with an airline), since the human interaction is much more personal.

Dave Noble

This is one comment I do agree with

Why is it the airline's responsibilty if it gives you a voucher and you do not use it

The US is already more generous in vouchers than many other countries. Book a non-refundable ticket in most countries and if you cannot travel, well tough, you are out the cost of the ticket

Many shops have a no returns policy other than where the legal obligations apply

TravelerMSY

Welcome to the age of "no waivers, no favors." If it's any consolation, I've gotta the same No! from AA as an EXP as I have with Gold or no status.