Need advice, I think I've been mistreated by AA on award flights
I know that title sounds a little like clickbait, but I don't think that is hyperbole. I'm not exactly sure how to fix this, so I am open to some guidance.
Back in March, I booked a December trip to Germany using American miles. Business class with Iberia through Madrid to Berlin. No problem there. The return trip was Budapest to Heathrow, LHR to Nashville, business class with British Air. Excited to fly business class direct from LHR to home airport of Nashville instead of going through ORD, JFK, MIA, etc. And business class is a big deal, we save CC points to make it happen and it's only our second trip to Europe.
Checking my itinerary around three weeks before the 12/3 departing flight, I noticed I was still booked 12/13 from BUD to LHR, but instead of a two hour layover, I am now booked 12/14 from LHR to BNA, over 24 hours later. I call BA and they tell me the cancelled the 12/13 flight (only one flight a day direct from LHR to BNA) and they rebooked me the next day. I tell them I don't have an email or any notice about the change, they apologize but that is it. I tell them I wasn't prepared to stay in London, so now I have to find a hotel and so on. Too bad, so sad. Luckily, this was a Saturday, so both my wife and I didn't have a work problem. On that call, I also cough up the $310 to pick our biz class seats (gotta love that about BA).
Ok, I find a hotel and say to my wife 24 hours in London will be fun, so we move on. On 11/19, I get a call from BA telling me that American hasn't issued the tickets. I'm confused and ask what do you want me to do about it. They tell me to call AA and get them issued. I'm standing outside our booth at our biggest show of the year , taking this call, and tell them I can't do that. So they said 'lets have a three way call with AA.' BA gets a AA person on the phone and the AA person says "your new BA flight is more expensive, so you owe us an additional $493.00 and 22,000 more miles or we won't issue the ticket."
I"m incredulous. I tell them I didn't make this change, I didn't want to stay an extra day, you changed my flight and then want to force me to pay more for it? I never raised my voice or used profanity (I wanted to), but I did ask them if this makes sense and would either of them pay it if they were me? They both said they can't answer that question. This goes on for 15 minutes. Then the BA person drops from the call. I want to elevate the conversation, AA says his supervisor is busy and I have to get back to booth.
I'm stuck because AA is telling me they won't issue the ticket and I'll be stranded in London. I again say this is unfair and this is extortion, so he offers to get me home on the original 12/13 date, but now I'm coach through ORD there aren't many open seats and it will take us more than twice as long to get home. I tell him I simply want what we paid for, I didn't even complain that they moved me to Saturday and I have the extra hotel expense. I still have to pay.
Of course, I don't have 22,000 miles left, so it cost me another $232.00 to transfer miles into my account from my wife's. So I am out $725 and 22,000 miles to keep the Saturday biz class flight. The one I didn't ask for and didn't want. The flight was fine and I tried not to be irritated most of way home.
I have no status with either airline (I fly WN at least every other week). Am I wrong in thinking I should be able to get a refund of the $725 and points? And if I should get that back, how would you go about this? I'm afraid AA with blame BA and vice versa and I'll be stuck in an endless do loop.
Thoughts?