Originally Posted by Thunderroad
I agree that what happened wasn't the worst thing in the world. But hey, if I were promised something, not given it, and then lied to about it, I'd want some compensation equal to what I gave up and/or to compensate for the disappointment springing from the screw-up. A UA rep (in WHQ) promised you'd get the upgrade if it became available and other UA reps confirmed it. It did become available and you didn't get it. Plus you burned an SWU relying on that promise and it sounds like the UA reps knew they'd screwed up. So I'd say you should press for an SWU as compensation.
If I read his post correctly, 2 of his segments were already confirmed using the system UG, so in effect, he burned nothing additionally based on his expectation from UA, than what he would have used anyway. (I may have read the post wrong, and correct me if I did.) I don't think he was lied to either. I would bet that the PNR comment did not state that he should go above a UGS member, although, it may have been the intention (or it may not have been.) This is a no-win situation for UA, as an employee should not offer to break UA's policies, especially those that will have a direct effect on another passenger (i.e. the UGS member who would then NOT have gotten his UG.)
UG's are not written in the contract of carriage, but last time I looked, it states that NO UA EMPLOYEE CAN MODIFY THIS WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM (Glenn Tilton, Board of Directors, Jesus, or the Major League Ball Club.) Since this is not covered in the contract it isn't governed the same way, but hypotheticaly, what form of compensation should the UGS member have been given for taking what should have been HIS seat away from him? Sure, you state that he would have never known, but truth is absolute, and is not dependant on whether a person is aware they have been wronged...the net effect would still have been the same.