Thanks everyone. I'm going to write them and focus on the customer service aspect.

No fees by the way. My wife and I are lifetime gold as MM. Hardly matters anymore!!! Couldn't hate this new airline more if I tried hard.

Can't think of another business where you can charge fee after fee after fee when the customer messes up and then fail to deliver as-expected and face no liability when you do. I'm going to complain to the DOT too in the futile hope that someday some bigger bully than UA will level the playing field if enough people rebel. I'd pay twice the cost of today's airfares for any assurance we'd be taken care of like human beings instead of cattle if things go bad.