I decided to not complain right off but instead I decided to play "dumb" and took the position that it must be a glitch and told them without the Hold feature I was unable to book my trip, use a paper voucher and use TBM.
I asked them to explain, how to complete this purchase without a Hold feature
I look forward to their reply.
Of course, the next email will be a major complaint about the increased difficulties and barriers to ticketing United flights. (no more refares, etc)
Tiring out those Copy-and-Paste fingers in the ICC - a devious strategy!
But, you report that the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx let you down, which resulted in your disappointment with our service. Your comments are important to us xxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Seriously, I think we'll send an e-mail or two ourselves over this one.
Yes (well, for years now). The 24 hour cancel only applies, though, to US (maybe Canada, too; I don't know off hand) points of purchase.
I'd like to see the business rationale for this - there must be one but I haven't yet thought of it, unless multitudes of customers are whimsically booking-and-holding and tying up tix that could otherwise be sold.
Along with living more than two hours from SEA, we've regularly used Book-and-Hold while traveling abroad. We use it also when booking for family members, i.e. we book what we think they want, then confirm the details with them before finalizing. This provides more business for UA. Does UA want more business, he asked rhetorically?
Even if we manage to cancel the purchase within the 24 hours (being in another time zone doesn't make that calculation any easier), having to check the credit card statement to see if and when the charge has been canceled (think missing mileage credit and mileage posting in general) is certainly a retrograde step for us.
Not takeover by CO but maybe necessary for code shares with CO. Whatever the rationale I do think it has something to do with the "partnership" with CO.
Not takeover by CO but maybe necessary for code shares with CO. Whatever the rationale I do think it has something to do with the "partnership" with CO.
Mrs. Fredd has now e-mailed 1K Voice. In closing, she asked politely as a loyal customer how this will benefit UA.
I'd like to see the business rationale for this - there must be one but I haven't yet thought of it, unless multitudes of customers are whimsically booking-and-holding and tying up tix that could otherwise be sold.
For United, eliminating book-and-hold
Gets rid of phantom duplicate bookings, allowing them to know more precisely what their load factor is on a given plane at a given time. This will be especially effective when they need it most- at times of fare sales, when many customers book-and-hold "I wish" itins.
Reflects their inability to fix things on UA.com. You could get rid of many of the book-and-hold issues if you allowed people to have only one itin held that way, and you could even limit the feature to elites. Of course, elites are probably most-guilty of abusing the feature in the past, or at least FT elites anyway. Since they can't structure UA.com to do things the way it should, they eliminate the problem by eliminating the feature.
Gets rid of phantom duplicate bookings, allowing them to know more precisely what their load factor is on a given plane at a given time. This will be especially effective when they need it most- at times of fare sales, when many customers book-and-hold "I wish" itins.
Reflects their inability to fix things on UA.com. You could get rid of many of the book-and-hold issues if you allowed people to have only one itin held that way, and you could even limit the feature to elites. Of course, elites are probably most-guilty of abusing the feature in the past, or at least FT elites anyway. Since they can't structure UA.com to do things the way it should, they eliminate the problem by eliminating the feature.
You may be right. Still, I remember the "old days" when we used to sit on the telephone on hold for a long time waiting to talk to an airline rep, and then go through a list of possible flights with the rep, and then call another airline and go through the same thing. I can see increased telephone contact tying up employee time as at least one possible unintended consequence of this change, along with "phantom" credit card sales and cancellations.
Maybe a lot of FTers play "Fantasy Bookings" as a break from posting but we've used it in a way that I think is cost-effective both for UA and us.
Location: MDW/ORD and the late lamented Meigs Field...
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United PR if you are reading this thread, count this as one more customer VERY disappointed with the new "no holds" rule. My main objection is related to increasing the hoops that have to be jumped through to ticket with vouchers, and the lost of access to web-only fares when using vouchers. Also, we often use vouchers for "discretionary" travel -- I'm not going to trek one hour (or more) to ORD, and one hour back, to use a voucher, when I may learn that the fare I saw last night for a trip-on-a-whim to a relative, or a NY show, or whatever, is no longer available, or was web-only!! Those trips may simply not get made, or go to known cheaper airlines.
This move ONLY would have made sense if UA had moved to a system that permits online application of vouchers at the same time -- which UA did not! Being able to call web support to get an "exception" is not reasonable.
We use it also when booking for family members, i.e. we book what we think they want, then confirm the details with them before finalizing. This provides more business for UA. Does UA want more business, he asked rhetorically?
Even if we manage to cancel the purchase within the 24 hours (being in another time zone doesn't make that calculation any easier), having to check the credit card statement to see if and when the charge has been canceled (think missing mileage credit and mileage posting in general) is certainly a retrograde step for us.
This is exactly how I feel. As a student who lives in a different city than my parents. I use the hold feature on almost every itinerary I make so I can send it to them to make sure it is convenient for them or that it matches up with their schedule if we are meeting up. This new policy just creates more aggravation for me as I try to book on UA.
A shortsighted decision in my mind by United, especially if a customer is already on United.com to book, they are obviously showing some desire to fly UA, they should make the process as EASY as possible.
Sent an email to 1kvoice@ as well as tweeting to @UnitedAirlines about my "travel credit from an unsed ticket." Also sending a tweet to @AAirwaves about how great their "on hold" feature is and how proud I am that they have that feature, while others (including UA) do not.
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA 1K MM, Hilton Diamond, Costco General Member
Posts: 19,333
Quote:
Originally Posted by jumpingenes
This is a huge devaluation in United's usefulness to me. I have to book most of my business trips through a travel agent and I prefer to create an itinerary online, put it on hold and then call the TA who can pull the PNR and have it ticketed. I usually don't really care all that much about the minutiae of what goes on at ual.com to write and complain but this is really ticking me off.
I used to do that although not so much anymore. But lots still do I am sure.
This is just a silly decision from my perspective. I did use it all of the time for other reasons, like booking tickets and then confirming with others that the times worked and so forth.
This is just another reason not to fly UA in my opinion. And I have like 9 SWUs
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"And the only sound that's left after the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row"
Programs: UA1K, AA EXPLAT, Hyatt DIAM., HH DIAM., SPG PLT
Posts: 1,019
I am quite disappointed with this change as well. I travel with others on a frequent basis and putting the flights on hold using different PNRs was important since the payment always came from different places. Holding reservations also allowed me to confirm flight times when visiting friends/family.
There is a very simple solution....book your flights on AA. AA and UAL share most of their routes and AA still allows the 24 hour hold. In fact if you haven't made up your mind within the 24 hour window, you can call and AA will almost always extend the hold for another 24 hours.
I left UAL about 2 years ago because they made it apparent that I and most of their customers aren't important to them. We are just a pain. AA on the other hand seems to realize that the customers are the sole reason for them being in business. AA isn't perfect but for my money they are much better and more appreciative than UAL.
Walk with your wallets and perhaps UAL will some day get the message.
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Posts: 2,718
Another voice from the 'THIS SUCKS' camp. C'mon United...Really?!?!?!?!!?!
I may have one of the last remaining 'on hold' reservations in the UA system. I put a reservation on hold yesterday, as I'm going out to the airport this afternoon to have it ticketed with some vouchers. It's so convenient to put my itinerary together (in this case, a complicated one to maximize EQMs), put it on hold and run out to the airport to have it ticketed. Easy easy!
Although the refare vouchers are going by the wayside, I always have a handful of unused tix, CS vouchers, etc. that need to be TBM or ticketed in person.
WHY? Seriously WHY?
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UNITED ~ Undo this new upgrade policy!
but we've used it in a way that I think is cost-effective both for UA and us.
