beware the hyphenated-name (UAL= dumb)

Posted By: Marathon Man
Date: Monday, 14 April 2003, at 9:53 a.m.

this is a customer service snag. IT is also something for you all to be aware of (Gary, TIM W, maybe put something about this caveat on your sites?)

I tried to get a mileage award ticket for my wife. It happened, but this was like pulling teeth--again. I feel like Brenda here! wow!

Anyway, my DW's last name is hyphenated, keeping the old last name, plus mine. We were married last May in Maui and have been going thru the process of updating airline accounts, etc, which is a priority but lower on the list than some other things out there. (did you know at least one carrier charges you to do this name change?!).

Well, according to the US of A, my wife's home country (Holland), and all the states and government agencies we ever deal with, the new last name which is hyphenated is in fact her legal name and that's just fine and dandy...

BUT on United Airlines, this raises a red flag that gums up the works. -Figures...

It turns out their computers will not allow me to order her a ticket because accoring to them, we share DIFFERENT last names. I can do nothing unless I come into a United desk (that means at the airport itself) and sign a release form!

What a crock!

Apparantly, when they go to book a ticket the system searches based on a few of the first letters of one's last name and since she has a MileagePlus number, it finds her but it starts off with a different set of letters, so it wont let them issue me her ticket!

Stooopid.

SO I asked them to just make it so that her last name becomes her middle and last name instead--for the sake of this computer. (She has no middle name listed there right now so that should work) but they then told me that the middle name spot in their system is not long enough to hold a full middle name!

Cant do that either. This would also make the name on her UAL stuff not match her IDs. Cant have that, now can we! (We already are sure to always carry our marraige cert when we travel even though it is a pain)

I had to contact MileagePlus, fax them another copy of the marraige certificate, plus a note explaining all this crap, and then wait. In the meantime, I had to make sure the temp hold on the award reservation did not go away on us! You see, I had already booked my own ticket! AGHGAGH!

FINALLY, today, I got a MP supervisor who DIDNT stat quoting me tons of bogus uber-security babble to remove this HOLD they have on her account that they refer to as "The Inhibitor" and now I could call BACK to the MileagePlus awards desk and get the ticket issued/.

(The inhibitor? what are we, criminals? That sounds like an Arnold S movie title!)

I found out in the middle of this that I COULD have had a paper ticket mailed but I wanted an E ticket and that is what mine is, so I figured it was better to stay the same. I also imagine that if there are ever problems or changes, it will be much better to work with e-tickets than with paper ones. I think I am right!

I think they have to update some of these rules and computers because a lot of people have long names, hyphenated last names and the like. AND, can't I from now just sign and fax in some sort of "from now on" waiver to save us all the hassle? NO. This makes me not wish to fly the airline that makes it hard to fly! I try to like them, I try to use them but they keep making it difficult for me! Should I stay or should I go now? Tell me?!

Otherwise, why would I chose to fly United over someone else who makes it a lot easier? I think THAT is a thing that they should tihnk about on a customer service issue...

Tell me?!

Well, in the end--this time--I was able to get the tickets after a lot of time and work. BUT I guess I am happy to now have like no miles left on them and so maybe I will keep it that way. We both now have enough for a RT between HI islands on Aloha and that's it...

thoughts? (Believe me, I tried everything and I think I just got lucky THIS one time)

-MM