Ticket purchase confirmed, United now refuses to issue ticket
About one week ago, I purchased two separate round-trip flights. One of them is wholly UA operated, and the other one has two 500 mile Lufthansa codeshare segments. All flight numbers are UA.
I booked the second one first and applied a courtesy travel certificate ($350) since the T&C to the certificate say "Certain codeshare flights may be valid for redemption." The fact that the online booking system accepted the certificate I assumed was good enough. When I go to Manage Reservations, however, it says "Thank you for choosing United Airlines. Your purchase is confirmed. You will be promptly notified once the internal processing of your reservation has been finalized so that you can request additional receipts, export to Microsoft Outlook, refund or change your flight, view/change seats, check-in, or email or print your itinerary."
I finally called today and they told me they will not issue me the ticket because the certificate usage is invalid, and that I will have to pay the non-certificate price. I spoke to a supervisor who told me there is no way they will issue me the ticket at the price I agreed to pay, i.e., with the certificate.
More infuriatingly, if United had simply rejected that booking to begin with, I would've used the certificate for the other completely UA-operated itinerary. But because that is ticketed, the supervisor also refused to apply the cert to that reservation, even though I made the bookings within an hour of each other.
I'm pretty sure this violates DOT 399.89 because my "purchase is confirmed." However, this fell on deaf ears when I told the supervisor.
I could complain to the DOT, but the fact is I still need this ticket (and no, I can't refund the other one then apply the cert). Is my best course of action here to just suck it up, pay the full fare, and then write a nasty letter to UA and/or a complaint to DOT?
Not sure how the Dot will look at this, UA isnt saying the fare went up, its only saying the cert cant be applied since it doesnt meet the T&Cs. Ive been there myself and till a tkt is issued (with a 016 base) there is a res but there isnt any tkt.I believe the Dot was talking about Tkts that were already issued rather then a confirmed res. (much like using a coupon when reserving a car which isnt considered AOK untl its turned in at the counter and till then you have a res and total rate with the coupon being deducted but use of taht coupon can be denied once at teh counter if ist rendered against the T&Cs of the coupon)
Dont know why you didnt apply the cert to the all UA trip, Im assuming both you were paying for, especially where you knew that Not all codeshares maybe applicable
Unfortunately it seems now that all you can do is purchase what you need and apply the cert to another future tkt.If its gonna expire soon could be you can ask that you get another few months to use it under the circumstances
I agree with you that it's a grey area because the fare/taxes did not go up; however, the price certainly has increased from the amount that I agreed to pay and they agreed to receive. It's like an airline agreeing to take a 50% off coupon, and then never completing the sale - a bait and switch.
It does sound like I'll have to suck it up though since these decisions are being made by computers. Should I bother trying to seek compensation from UA or just complain directly to the DOT?
1. The operative word here is OP's use of the word "assumed." He should have checked because apparently the particuar cert. can't be used on non-UA.
2. Sec. 399.89 won't help because it relates to post purchase price increases. Here, the price has not changed. OP simply attempted a payment method which, when audited, apparently turned up the fact that he had used an ineligible payment method. A DOT complaint will yield nothing.
3. Although OP certainly didn't attempt anything wrong here, so the comparison isn't intented to attack his integrity, this is no different than using a CC found later found to have been fraudulently used, a check with NSF or anything like that.
4. OP's best bet is to take another very calm whirl at getting the cert applied to the UA itinerary and a refund of that amount to his CC. Forget the LH itinerary, it simply won't work. Admit the error in not checking and ask.
1. The operative word here is OP's use of the word "assumed." He should have checked because apparently the particuar cert. can't be used on non-UA.
Of course we may disagree, but I believe the assumption was reasonable and it also wasn't disallowed under the T&C either.
The T&C say that certain code shares are allowed. The fact that they accepted the certificate at the point of sale implies that such a code share segment was allowed as per the T&C.
Of course we may disagree, but I believe the assumption was reasonable and it also wasn't disallowed under the T&C either.
The T&C say that certain code shares are allowed. The fact that they accepted the certificate at the point of sale implies that such a code share segment was allowed as per the T&C.
Nice try ! Unfortunately, all that gets you is the duty to determine whether your particular cert is useable. OP can try that on DOT, but it won't work and there's no way UA will admit to DOT that it should have done something differently and establish a precedent.
This thing clearly got picked up in a post-booking audit, so it's not like a change fee which a CSR can waive by hitting a few keys.
Of course we may disagree, but I believe the assumption was reasonable and it also wasn't disallowed under the T&C either.
The T&C say that certain code shares are allowed. The fact that they accepted the certificate at the point of sale implies that such a code share segment was allowed as per the T&C.
I see it as accepted PENDING the check to make sure its being used within the T&Cs of the cert. Again was a tkt ever issued? If yes you may have a case if No then I just dont see the DOT getting involved as no tkt was ever issued.
From what you have posted I gathered you Never had a tkt actually issued.
If by mistake UA took 1 of my RPUs when it should have taken a GPU which I had none of, I would understand that they remove my Upgrade since in the end the item being used didnt fulfill the T&Cs of that Instrument
But I can be wrong and could be having a tkt issued isnt important but imo its what the basis of DOT doing something about is based on, no tkt = no action by DOT.
Book a refundable ticket for more then the value of the cert on all UA metal, then call and change the ticket to what you want.
Not going to work because such 016 courtesy cert DEDUCTS the value from your ticket, so the refund value would be exactly what you actually pay out of pocket sans the value of the cert. When the ticket gets rebook, I imagine the value is not the full value but the value minus the courtesy cert.
OP should never assume but check if that particular code-share can be paid with the courtesy cert.
Not going to work because such 016 courtesy cert DEDUCTS the value from your ticket, so the refund value would be exactly what you actually pay out of pocket sans the value of the cert. When the ticket gets rebook, I imagine the value is not the full value but the value minus the courtesy cert.
OP should never assume but check if that particular code-share can be paid with the courtesy cert.
+1 - OP's original actions and the suggestion of the refundable ticket stem from the same issue. There's only so much which can be printed on a document other than enough to direct you to the source of information. Here, either read the entire t&c of the cert. or call UA. You don't have to accept UA's oral statements as final, but at least you can get a picture of what's possible.
Here, if OP has other travel during the cert's valid time period, it can simply be used on one of those tickets and OP will see the same value. Otherwise, the "ask" to UA might be to extend or reissue the cert. Given that OP describes it as a courtesy rather than some for of required refund, it's a tougher ask. But, asks, when made nicely, sometimes work.
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While this is yet again CO's computer system being lame, we all know about CO's system issues, so may I ask why you waited a week on an unticketed reservation?
If I don't get a ticket within an hour of puchase, I'm on the phone with them. If I don't have time to call after I plan to buy a ticket, then I simply don't have time to buy a UA ticket at that time, so I don't -- I either buy it later, or I buy from another carrier.
If I call on an an unticketed reservation, and they tell me to wait, I tell them it's 2012, so either ticket it before I get off the phone or cancel it altogether. It works well, they usually can pull it off after receiving an ultimatum.
I'm not blaming you, I'm just saying that if you're on FT, you know how messed up CO's computers are, and there are ways to mitigate this sort of thing.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by unavaca
99.62% sure that the OP is going to lose this battle. Certs aren't valid on non-UA/UX metal. This isn't anything new, either in PMUA or current UA
YMMV - if sold as a UA codeshare with a UA flight number, I've had plenty of success using an e-cert or travel certificate for those flights. Just flew a YUL-LGA segment yesterday operated by Air Canada that I paid for with a PMUA VDB voucher - was ticketed without issue at the Penn Station ticket office.
YMMV - if sold as a UA codeshare with a UA flight number, I've had plenty of success using an e-cert or travel certificate for those flights. Just flew a YUL-LGA segment yesterday operated by Air Canada that I paid for with a PMUA VDB voucher - was ticketed without issue at the Penn Station ticket office.
Even thought you got it, you shouldn't have, especially on the PMUA VDB vouchers. PMUA VDB vouchers explicitly say UA and UX metal only.
