American Express Membership Rewards - Delta refuses to honor the terms of the Platinum Delta Skymiles companion certificate

Just got off the phone with the a supervisor at delta's promotions desk and they refused to honor the terms of the 2002 campaign citing new T fares as ineligible even though the certificate and all of amex materials say only L and U fares are ineligible. They pointed me to the terms and conditions stating "Delta reserves the right to revise the terms and conditions at any time without notice"
Basically they are saying we will not honor the certificate as it was promoted and published by Amex. Their new rules also include in paragraph 13. an exclusion of T fares even though it is not printed on the distributed certificates.

My experience has been even worse. They have also refused to honor K fares if they are lower than L and U fares.

If you are considering paying the $135.00 fee every year to get this certificate you need to know that over the years they have taken away international flights restricted its use to high fares and now are simply and refusing to honor its terms because they don't want to.

To confirm this call thier promotions desk at 1-800-325-1447 and ask them the fare basis codes eligible for offer code G*nt403 and compare it to the information on AMEX web site http://home3.americanexpress.com/cards/delta/benefits/cb_descriptions.asp?card=47

If you willing to invest a little more time, I'd suggest going to the next level, with both Delta and AMEX. BTW, if you a good customer of these companies (fly/speand a lot), make it known. Neither company really wants to upset its best customers.

AMEX Corp HQ in the US can be reached at 800-297-6197. They are avail M-F, btn 9AM - 5PM Eastern time.

Delta Corp HQ 800-901-9069

Document your position before you call. Be polite, calm and professional when speaking with these folks. Yelling or swearing does no good.

I can't promise anything, but you don't have much to lose.

------------------
Michael Steinberg
Editor
BizTrip
http://www.biztrip.com

But to be fair to DL - a 'T' fare is even more discounted than a 'L' or 'U' fare. I could see you having something to stand on if DL had added an additional discount fare above 'L' and 'U' fares.

Of course in a world of lawyers where only a jot and tittle are used as validators (never the most obvious intent), you may unfortunately win on this. Ahh, another sad day in the world of ethical discernment http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif

GMF

Get over it.

The "T" fare wasn't around when the certificate was printed, so of course they don't reference it on the printed piece of paper. It's a new fare that's even cheaper than L&U fares, previously Delta's lowest fares.

Basically, Delta said, "This certificate doesn't work with fares that are 70%-80% off Y-fare", where that was the best deal at the time. Now, there's a new fare that's 90% off and you're complaining that the certificate isn't valid on those fares!

They totally have the moral high ground on this one. And, they're clearly able to do what they did legally.

And, I've love to see some examples of K fares that are lower than Q and T.

Jeez, you're ridiculous!

[This message has been edited by fenstere (edited 09-09-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fenstere:
Get over it.

The "T" fare wasn't around when the certificate was printed, so of course they don't reference it on the printed piece of paper. It's a new fare that's even cheaper than L&U fares, previously Delta's lowest fares.

Basically, Delta said, "This certificate doesn't work with fares that are 70%-80% off Y-fare", where that was the best deal at the time. Now, there's a new fare that's 90% off and you're complaining that the certificate isn't valid on those fares!

They totally have the moral high ground on this one. And, they're clearly able to do what they did legally.

And, I've love to see some examples of K fares that are lower than Q and T.

Jeez, you're ridiculous!

[This message has been edited by fenstere (edited 09-09-2002).]</font>

I think YOU should "get over it."

I for one am tired of the airlines changing the rules anytime they desire. God forbid we want to change the return on our non-ref ticket. We all know what kind of add collect we are going to be subject to. I guess the airlines are exempt from following their own rules. It must be something in the Airline Deregulation Act.

To stay that DL is on the moral high ground is hilarious. Where do you come up with that one? When did the airlines ever have a moral high ground? Give us one example.

Delta shouldn't have created a -T- fare if it undercut their L & U fare. They should honor the certificate...PERIOD.

They can't have everything. Did you know that the airlines usually "revenue share" in the annual fees and finance charges that are collected on their branded credit cards? I would venture to guess that DL most likely received at least 60% percent of the annual fee.

Where do you come off telling someone they are ridiculous when they are RIGHT?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fenstere:
Get over it.

The "T" fare wasn't around when the certificate was printed, so of course they don't reference it on the printed piece of paper. It's a new fare that's even cheaper than L&U fares, previously Delta's lowest fares.

Basically, Delta said, "This certificate doesn't work with fares that are 70%-80% off Y-fare", where that was the best deal at the time. Now, there's a new fare that's 90% off and you're complaining that the certificate isn't valid on those fares!

They totally have the moral high ground on this one. And, they're clearly able to do what they did legally.

And, I've love to see some examples of K fares that are lower than Q and T.

Jeez, you're ridiculous!

[This message has been edited by fenstere (edited 09-09-2002).]</font>

You are wrong on every point.

Read this link from the AMEX web site today. It conflicts with what you say. They are still pushing the no minimum fare and only L & U today as a sales point for a reason to pay $135 for the card today.

http://home3.americanexpress.com/cards/delta/benefits/cb_descriptions.asp?card=47


states:

Free Companion Ticket When You Renew
Each year, when you renew your Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, you'll receive a certificate for a free domestic companion ticket on Delta, so you can take a friend along when you travel within the contiguous states on Delta, Delta Connection(R) carriers, Delta Express and Delta Shuttle. There is no minimum fare requirement for the purchased ticket, and the certificate is transferable, allowing you to share the benefit with someone else (provided the ticket and fees related to the certificate are paid for with your Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card).#

Certificate terms and conditions may vary in each year of Cardmembership. Excludes L and U class fares. Blackout dates and other restrictions apply. For details, refer to actual certificate when it arrives 6-8 weeks after the annual renewal fee is billed. For more information, call Delta at 1-800-221-1212 and refer to offer code G*NT403.


An example of a low K fare available today is $128 EWR-LIT L & U are over $300.00

Your personal attack is out of line.

Additionally you don't know when my certificate was printed because it was after T fares were in existance an they are still printing these certificates today and not honoring them.

The point of my post was if you are considering paying $135.00 they are not honoring the sales pitch on their web site today and in their mailings, and applicants should be aware of this.



[This message has been edited by russellt (edited 09-25-2002).]