Originally Posted by
flyingtest16
Seems like I made the right decision by paying $44. That being said, I think you just got a lazy agent or an agent who does not want any kind of conflict/service. I booked United's basic economy (but in all honesty, the flight was operated by ANA), and they let me select any seat for free, and when I got auto-assigned due to the flight being full, they let me change my middle seats and upgraded me to a bulkhead row.
Now, back to my story with Delta, I bought my basic ticket before Delta added that verbiage, so I was not sure whether Delta would retroactively apply that rule to my ticket. But once I spotted that rule, I paid for my desired window seat, and I was allowed to change to a similarly-priced seat.
Different alliances and airlines have different rules and it's not due to a "lazy agent". There's no obligation for free seat assignments with DL Basic fares no matter what you status level or with which airline. About the only status benefit you get on DL Basic fares is the checked luggage benefit. For non-DL STE+ elites, you also still get Sky Club access on international itins (excepting the Caribbean).