Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Grrr! Partner Desk Experience?

I just got off the phone with the partner desk, are they always this difficult to deal with?

Right off the bat the reservation agent was terribly rude, when I asked what the policy was re: changing an award ticket in the circumstance of a bereavement situation. (I had already checked and the alternate date was available for saver awards still.) The res agent said it depended on the circumstances... okay... under the circumstances of a death in the family.... well that depends on the circumstances... Okay, can you TELL me what the policy is when travel dates need to be changed in order to make a funeral? Oy!

Finally, after putting me on hold (for quite a long time) she comes back to tell me that since it is with a partner airline we have to pay the partner's fee. Okay... then after I inquired if the partner airline had a bereavement policy I found out that it was not the partner's fee, rather it was Alaska's fee after all and no, Alaska does not waive their fees for changes to award travel under any circumstances. Bull! I know darn good and well they can (and do) waive the fee. Grrrr!

What a crappy way to deal with a family that is trying to get home early for a funeral.

Alison

Try calling again and maybe you'll get a more sympathetic agent.

Thanks sltlyamusd, I will do that.

On a side note, the main desk was incredibly helpful dealing with the other family member's tickets. They dealt with a companion ticket through to ORD and a separate ticket on AA for the leg to PHL. The only hold up now are the award tickets. I figured those would be the easy ones to change!

I was griping I think more out of shock. Every other time I've dealt with AS in relation to bereavement situations they've always gone above and beyond, like the main desk tonight.

Thanks!
Alison

Um, okay. I bought my brother and a friend saver tickets from Chicago one year. Two days after they got here, the firend got a call that his father had a heart attack while driving and died. I called AS and they said since there was no saver seats left on the next flight I'd have to buy a full Peak award...another 40,000 miles!! Or, I could wait till the next saver seat was available. I did explain the situation and they just said sorry they couldn't do anything. No, it didn't matter either that i've been Gold for 5 years or so.

I didn't want to tell the poor guy that I couldn't waste miles when he just wanted to get home to his mom (he was like 20 yrs old). So, luckily I called American Airlines. I have like 100k miles or so there just in case. I was able to get him a ticket for like 15 or 20k miles and it left in less than 2 hours as opposed to AS's day later. They were really nice too. They asked me if I wanted them to call me back on a cell phone so we could drive to the airport and they did!

So, good luck Alison. I think it all depends on who you can talk to. Also, try not to act like they have to make concessions or they owe you. Not that you would, maybe I would. :D

Try calling again and maybe you'll get a more sympathetic agent.

That is one of the best things I have learned in the 3 to 4 years I have been reading this forum.... that when you get a CSR that is not accommodating or the answers don't quite seem right....ALWAYS hang up and call back... if after several attempts you start getting the same response then you know it is probabaly accurate.

I am a firm believer of hanging up and trying again. There is one specific agent that I often hang up on as soon as I hear his voice...

lala

So... the gripe of it is, they put a note on your reservation. Which I suspected as much prior to calling back today so I didn't make the call myself. Lalala has the right idea, recognise the CSR before giving them your flight information so the next CSR isn't tainted by any notes they might find.

When calling today, after initially being told there would be all of the regular change fees, he asked to speak to the supervisor and explained again the circumstances. The supervisor offered to charge only one change fee and did mention to the caller that he was informed the night before of the change fees. (Ha! I knew they kept notes.) He explained a friend had called and was trying firgure things out for him as he wasn't very good at "this kind of stuff." After the supervisor checked the other two (non award) tickets' changes, she waived both award ticket change fees entirely.

End result; through the partner desk, two award tickets changed, no fees. Through the main desk, one ticket changed with an adjusted increase in fare no change fee, companion ticket (for 5 y.o. son) changed with no fee, companion's separate regular ticket for the ORD-PHL leg on AA changed with no fee. Required bereavement documentation must be presented (no problem) or the change fees & last minute fare rate will be applied.

Stef315, you were absolutely right. I called and just straight forward (but VERY politely) requested the change and requested the fee be waived considering the circumstances. I am a straight forward kind of person. I KNOW they can change the ticket without charging the fee, I KNOW the fee is at their discretion. I expected to call and politely explain the circumstance and not be required to dance the dance. Ha!

Fortunately Mr. Alison is a schmoozer extrordinaire, a "golly gee" soft talker type, that dances that dance very well. (He did get me to marry him, after all!!! :p )

Thanks everyone for hearing me out!

Alison
Chugiak, AK