A small courtesy appreciated
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AA 3mm Plat
Posts: 10,067
A small courtesy appreciated
Just for a positive note:
Was booking for my wife and I last week. Same destination, itineraries different as my wife is returning home sooner than I am - working trip for us both.
While booking on-line, I inadvertently bought her ticket under my name, the default on my aa.com sign-in. I only found this out when I went to book my own itinerary a few minutes later. I called AA Plat on the horn, dreading getting a response that it was my fault (it was) and that I would have to pay a change fee.
Instead a very pleasant and short conversation ensued with the name on the first res being corrected. Common sense can still sometimes be found in the system it seems. ^
I did have to agree to have my baggage lost for my next six flights, however.
Was booking for my wife and I last week. Same destination, itineraries different as my wife is returning home sooner than I am - working trip for us both.
While booking on-line, I inadvertently bought her ticket under my name, the default on my aa.com sign-in. I only found this out when I went to book my own itinerary a few minutes later. I called AA Plat on the horn, dreading getting a response that it was my fault (it was) and that I would have to pay a change fee.
Instead a very pleasant and short conversation ensued with the name on the first res being corrected. Common sense can still sometimes be found in the system it seems. ^
I did have to agree to have my baggage lost for my next six flights, however.
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Europe
Programs: AAdvantage, Skywards, Flying Blue, Miles & More
Posts: 176
I would write a letter of commendation.
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AA 3mm Plat
Posts: 10,067
Great idea.
#4
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Benicia CA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K, AA 3.8MM, UA 1.1MM, enjoying the retired life
Posts: 31,849
Originally Posted by Teacher49
I called AA Plat on the horn, dreading getting a response that it was my fault (it was) and that I would have to pay a change fee.
#5
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, HH Gold, dirt loads of places.
Posts: 1,657
Originally Posted by Teacher49
Instead a very pleasant and short conversation ensued with the name on the first res being corrected. Common sense can still sometimes be found in the system it seems. ^
#6
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London
Programs: AA EXP 2 MM
Posts: 2,823
I made a booking on aa.com for a discounted business seat on a BA European flight about a year ago. Having explored some alternatives at some point I went back to the booking page to make the reservation. It was only after I had made the purchase that I noticed that the booking page had reverted to default dates while retaining my other information (I have not seen this happen recently, maybe it is a bug that has been fixed?).
I immediately called AA res who told me they could do nothing as the fare was nor changeable or refundable, and I should call BA. BA told me they could not change it as the reservation was made on AA.
In desperation I called web services to complain about the bug. I don't think they understood my explanation of the bug. Nor did they seem to understand my comment that US format dates are confusing for a European. But they did observe that this was an expensive mistake to make (about $500!). They then volunteered the explanation that the date controls are very small and it is easy to set them wrongly, so they would cancel the ticket and refund me on this occasion.
I was very grateful. This was in my pre-Plat pre-FT days.
I had the impression that the volunteered explanation fitted some acceptable category. And maybe web services had a way of dealing with it that did not lose AA the $500?
I immediately called AA res who told me they could do nothing as the fare was nor changeable or refundable, and I should call BA. BA told me they could not change it as the reservation was made on AA.
In desperation I called web services to complain about the bug. I don't think they understood my explanation of the bug. Nor did they seem to understand my comment that US format dates are confusing for a European. But they did observe that this was an expensive mistake to make (about $500!). They then volunteered the explanation that the date controls are very small and it is easy to set them wrongly, so they would cancel the ticket and refund me on this occasion.
I was very grateful. This was in my pre-Plat pre-FT days.
I had the impression that the volunteered explanation fitted some acceptable category. And maybe web services had a way of dealing with it that did not lose AA the $500?
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AA 3mm Plat
Posts: 10,067
I will say that I had some trouble with other tickets some time ago. After selecting "Choose by Schedule" and specifying a date and early "morning" I mistakenly chose red eyes offered at 11:00 p.m.
I will confess to doing this twice over the period of year of so ... ok, ok, slow learner. But I am not a professional, just a self-employed who has to do many, many tasks only some of which do I do often enough to get fluent with them.
Both times I called to ask for changes. Both times I was successful, but only after haggling over whether or not I should have to pay change fees. I contended that the way the I selected for schedule should not have produced choices that arrived the morning of the following day.
Both time the rep eventually saw my point. It took me "twice burned" but I became super careful on that point thereafter.
Now, there is an alert on aa.com when a flight is overnight marking these clearly. Either I was very persuasive or at least a few other people were making the same mistake.
I will confess to doing this twice over the period of year of so ... ok, ok, slow learner. But I am not a professional, just a self-employed who has to do many, many tasks only some of which do I do often enough to get fluent with them.
Both times I called to ask for changes. Both times I was successful, but only after haggling over whether or not I should have to pay change fees. I contended that the way the I selected for schedule should not have produced choices that arrived the morning of the following day.
Both time the rep eventually saw my point. It took me "twice burned" but I became super careful on that point thereafter.
Now, there is an alert on aa.com when a flight is overnight marking these clearly. Either I was very persuasive or at least a few other people were making the same mistake.
#8
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Ohio and Colorado
Programs: AA Gold MM, DL Gold, US MM, HH Gold, Starwood
Posts: 953
Same problem and resolution
Originally Posted by fly72
I would write a letter of commendation.
Each time I got a nice email back. ^
#9
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: AA Plat, CO Silver
Posts: 138
A change was just made for me as well when the ticket was booked in my short name and not my id name - was able to be changed - this has happened before when others are making my reservations - has sometimes been difficult to correct but AA has come through on it
#10
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: New York
Programs: AA Plat/2MM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 166
Ditto on having no problems after my error having the wrong person listed as my travel companion. I noticed it about four hours after purchase and the EXP desk fixed it in 30 seconds. Although, I heard a relieved laugh after I said "um, I wasn't supposed to take my wife, I was supposed to take my...co-worker." I suspect that she had heard the same thing in the past except that co-worker is substituted with "neice".