Pointsfreak, bad analogy.
This is more akin to a bait and switch, even if unintnetional on Delta's part.
The webpage to webpage differences in award certificate selection and layout is misleading. I even caught the switch before leaving the store, but after handing over the card and signature.
Buy a pair of shoes, the clerk comes back with a shoe box with your shoes. You hand over the payment. Before leaving the store, you pull the box out of the bag, and find out that the shoes have been changed so that you have shoes that look similar except that they gave you the store's own generic brand of shoe vs. the brand name you thought you bought and paid for. The store says: "you're out of luck".
Bad customer service and more than annoying. Big difference from your theater ticket purchase process.
[This message has been edited by GUWonder (edited Mar 16, 2004).]