Here's my advice (if you want to continue playing the UA/CO game...)
Read up on all the tricks we've posted here and be prepared to fend for yourself (even as a 1K) during irregular ops
Stay away from UA Express whenever possible
If you don't like what you hear from an agent, immediately hang up and call back. Eventually you may end up at the HNL call center, which has the best reps.
Good luck.