Originally Posted by
bigwings8
Shortly before boarding, gate agent calls me up and says that there's been a problem and they need to move me. So they moved me to an E- seat. No reason was given, except for something about a mistake and someone else getting the seat. Since the plane was already 3.5 hours delayed and at risk of crew going over time, I didn't push. But I figured I should be entitled to a refund of the difference between the seat I got and the one I had. So I submitted a refund req and United says "we don't refund E+ subs". I am not asking for a refund of E+ sub; I am asking for compensation for an involuntary downgrade from a seat I had technically paid for.
1 - You're not "entitled' to anything.
2 - You didn't pay anything for that seat, so there is nothing to refund; hence, your refund request was denied.
Contact customer service and ask for compensation -- point out that you specifically upgraded the E+ subscription to use it on this flight. If you know what the standalone E+ fee was on the flight, mention that as well. UA may -- at their discretion -- give you an ETC to compensate you for your troubles.
This is the downside of purchasing a subscription -- the nice part is that you get E+ for no additional charge for a year; the downside is that the subscription isn't guaranteed and you may end up in E- and there's nothing for them to refund to you.
Pretty much everything I wrote is incorrect, but I’m leaving it for posterity. See post #154 for my update.
Last edited by jsloan; Oct 3, 2025 at 10:25 am