I could've sworn there was another thread about this recently and the person spent quite a bit of time, 3-way calls with Amex/Delta and somehow, eventually, got something to go through (or received compensation for the difference).

Ahh, here it is:
Delta Reserve Companion Cert Problems

I'd think that after that, the higher ups would've fixed it.
Is this something that a State Attorney General's office could be involved, or is this a DOT thing?