Hi. I rarely post, but need to vent my frustration from this morning somewhere. Here's the abbreviated version (or not).

Wife and daughter on a Y class ticket FRA/ORD/AUS. I gave them 2 GPU to use, I am 1K. ORD/AUS leg cleared weeks ago, they were waitlisted for biz, but it never cleared (until the gate).

During OCLI, both my wife and daughter were presented the page to list how many bags they were checking. Above the menu says "your allowance is 3 bags less than 70 lbs" I select the 3 bags option for each of them. It does not ask me to pay. Premier Access prints on their boarding passes.

We get to the counter this morning with 3 bags each (for a total of 6). 12 seats avail in biz according to the United App, but counter will not clear the upgrade, they say they have to get their upgrade at the gate.

They then want to charge us money for 2 bags each over 'their allowance'.

We proceed to get into a discussion. Here are my questions:

I thought they 'inherited my allowance'. Therefore they should have been able to check 3 bags each under my 1K allowance? They have no status on their own.

The domestic leg cleared long ago, should they have been given 3 bags allowance because they had a connecting leg in First on the same itin? They say no.

The gate personnel show me their E ticket on their screen. It says they only are allowed one bag. However, I think that is BS, because they are on a Y ticket, and the allowance is 2 bags.

We go back and forth for a while, and its getting more heated, they are discussing my 'problem' in German (which my daughter can understand). They are adamant about collecting fees for 2 additional bags each.

Finally, the gate agent calls the station manager on the phone. After much discussion, they 'agree' to give us the business class allowance, since they are 'convinced' (as was I was long ago) that they will be upgraded at the gate. They insist they are doing me a huge favor. Now for the fun part.

They want $200 each for one extra bag each, for a total of $400. I relent and say ok, but be sure that I will be protesting this with United and I want their names and the station manager names. We are running out of time B4 60 minutes until take off, and I am not getting anywhere with them.

They charge me $400.

I get home and log on and see in the menu of exceptions that the business class allowance is "3 bags less than 70lbs". I am so livid I am about to drive back there. So their 'favor' to me wasn't even applied correctly.

But now I calm down, and type this instead.

Advice? Protest? Dispute? At FRA or with United 1K?

Thanks,