So, this was a first for me today at SLC. Got the little screen at OLCI asking me to bid, which I did at the highest amount ($500). Checked at gate and they still needed my seat. I began the usual negotiation which I have done many times in the past and was told that $500 was as high as they were going and that $500 was the highest amount that they were giving out for any flight that day. I took the $500.

Now, I understand that a Deal's a Deal - but only if the negotiation is in good faith.

About an hour later I see another gate handing out $800 VDB's for domestic flights like candy for a shorter delay than I had. (Both were domestic).

I approached a Red Coat and told her that I needed to speak with her after she was done with the flight she was working and that I would wait in a nearby seat. She told me that she could hep me right away so I explained to her the situation. Her response was that she has no way of knowing who said what and that the gate agents can negotiate however they want. I said that I not upset that the amount was maxed at $500 but I am unhappy that I was lied to. Had he said, "$500 is as high as I am willing to go in this instance," then that would have been fine. The agent responded that it sounded like I was just trying to get more money out of them. When I repeated that she wasn't listening to me, she retorted that she was listening and then went on to talk for three minutes without letting me get a word in edgewise - the irony of which is truly astounding. She finished her tirade by saying that I would say anything just to get what everyone else was getting.

Now I must admit that I violated one of my cardinal rules about getting angry, but after having been lied to and then accused of being a liar myself I was pissed and demanded to speak to her supervisor.

This man was very nice and actually listened to what I said. I explained to him that while yes, I did inquire about the possibility of changing the amount what really upset me was that I felt the negotiation had been in bad faith. What really made me mad was the Red Coat essentially calling me a liar. I told him that I didn't want any additional compensation and that I had demanded to speak to him more because of the Red Coat than the gate agent who may have simply misspoken.

To make a long story longer the moral of the story is that the supervisor explained to me that the policy is now that if you click on the bid at OLCI they will not let you go higher than that under any circumstances. However, if you do not and you volunteer at the gate you can negotiate the price. Doesn't really make sense - but than what does with Delta these days. So I guess its better to ignore the oversale thing and ust go to the gate like the old days.

Last bit of this overlong rant (I promise) I think Delta has a flaw in its staff training. They assume that everyone is like Delta Airlines, doing whatever they can to squeeze the other person dry dry in every situation. Honesty is more important to me than $. Have had a real string terrible customer service experiences with DL on the phone, terrible IT, and at the airports over the course of the past few months. I must say I've had it. Time to make a change in my flying.

If you've made it to the end of this long tome I thank you for reading my venting.