Account Frozen/Audit - No Way to Respond?
Jan 9, 2020, 8:24 am
#211
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC
Posts: 752
Jan 9, 2020, 8:26 am
#212
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC
Posts: 752
got a response today!! it does follow what most here had assumed and predicted. they are willing to let me keep my membership if i reimburse a portion of what they calculate as the benefit i gained from my actions. otherwise, my membership will be terminated.
Jan 9, 2020, 8:29 am
#213
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,365
How much were you asked to pay?
Jan 9, 2020, 9:20 am
#216
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP. Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,140
OP hasn't responded yet, but wonder if a "pay us or go away" approach to whatever AA perceives damages to be will be the answer to cases like this...and maybe the CC churn related locks as well. Interesting. Follows the model of monetizing everything in the airline industry.
Jan 9, 2020, 9:24 am
#217
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
OP hasn't responded yet, but wonder if a "pay us or go away" approach to whatever AA perceives damages to be will be the answer to cases like this...and maybe the CC churn related locks as well. Interesting. Follows the model of monetizing everything in the airline industry.
Jan 9, 2020, 9:28 am
#218
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: NYC
Posts: 752
they sent me a list of all the PNRs i booked that i did not pay for in the timeframe they selected.
they calculated a total of 63 tickets for a total of $32,782.11.
they made me an offer of $13k to keep my membership, miles and presumably LT status.
i have written back thanking them for the consideration and offer but letting them know that it is not a financial agreement i am willing to make.
i understand how and why they calculated the cost at what they did (in terms of the the $33k) but while that may represent to them the COST of my actions, it doesnt align with what i consider the benefit i gained. as an example, i bought three tickets for JFK-PHX for $400 each and then later ticketed one and flew that itinerary. to them, the cost of my actions are the two tickets that are unbooked (say $800) whereas to me, i got little benefit out of this instance and paid the $400 for the ticket i did fly.
again, not saying they are wrong in how they calculated it, its just a misalignment of the benefits received, the cost to them and the cost of the tickets.
for me, to pay $13k to keep 4k miles and LT gold status (almost LT platinum) just doesnt make sense. i'll miss flying AA when convenient but this is a risk i took each time i did this and now ive got to deal with the consequences.
they calculated a total of 63 tickets for a total of $32,782.11.
they made me an offer of $13k to keep my membership, miles and presumably LT status.
i have written back thanking them for the consideration and offer but letting them know that it is not a financial agreement i am willing to make.
i understand how and why they calculated the cost at what they did (in terms of the the $33k) but while that may represent to them the COST of my actions, it doesnt align with what i consider the benefit i gained. as an example, i bought three tickets for JFK-PHX for $400 each and then later ticketed one and flew that itinerary. to them, the cost of my actions are the two tickets that are unbooked (say $800) whereas to me, i got little benefit out of this instance and paid the $400 for the ticket i did fly.
again, not saying they are wrong in how they calculated it, its just a misalignment of the benefits received, the cost to them and the cost of the tickets.
for me, to pay $13k to keep 4k miles and LT gold status (almost LT platinum) just doesnt make sense. i'll miss flying AA when convenient but this is a risk i took each time i did this and now ive got to deal with the consequences.
Jan 9, 2020, 11:24 am
#220
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
It is not $12K to keep the status. It is $13K to keep the account. Being terminated means no miles or other earnings going forward and thus no status next year, the year after and so on.
Still may not be worth $13K to the individual in question, but it works out to a penalty of roughly 40% of the tickets' value.
Still may not be worth $13K to the individual in question, but it works out to a penalty of roughly 40% of the tickets' value.
Jan 9, 2020, 11:30 am
#221
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,365
they sent me a list of all the PNRs i booked that i did not pay for in the timeframe they selected.
they calculated a total of 63 tickets for a total of $32,782.11.
they made me an offer of $13k to keep my membership, miles and presumably LT status.
i have written back thanking them for the consideration and offer but letting them know that it is not a financial agreement i am willing to make.
i understand how and why they calculated the cost at what they did (in terms of the the $33k) but while that may represent to them the COST of my actions, it doesnt align with what i consider the benefit i gained. as an example, i bought three tickets for JFK-PHX for $400 each and then later ticketed one and flew that itinerary. to them, the cost of my actions are the two tickets that are unbooked (say $800) whereas to me, i got little benefit out of this instance and paid the $400 for the ticket i did fly.
again, not saying they are wrong in how they calculated it, its just a misalignment of the benefits received, the cost to them and the cost of the tickets.
for me, to pay $13k to keep 4k miles and LT gold status (almost LT platinum) just doesnt make sense. i'll miss flying AA when convenient but this is a risk i took each time i did this and now ive got to deal with the consequences.
they calculated a total of 63 tickets for a total of $32,782.11.
they made me an offer of $13k to keep my membership, miles and presumably LT status.
i have written back thanking them for the consideration and offer but letting them know that it is not a financial agreement i am willing to make.
i understand how and why they calculated the cost at what they did (in terms of the the $33k) but while that may represent to them the COST of my actions, it doesnt align with what i consider the benefit i gained. as an example, i bought three tickets for JFK-PHX for $400 each and then later ticketed one and flew that itinerary. to them, the cost of my actions are the two tickets that are unbooked (say $800) whereas to me, i got little benefit out of this instance and paid the $400 for the ticket i did fly.
again, not saying they are wrong in how they calculated it, its just a misalignment of the benefits received, the cost to them and the cost of the tickets.
for me, to pay $13k to keep 4k miles and LT gold status (almost LT platinum) just doesnt make sense. i'll miss flying AA when convenient but this is a risk i took each time i did this and now ive got to deal with the consequences.
Jan 9, 2020, 11:31 am
#222
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,815
While you can't get AA status or miles again, nothing says you can't keep flying AA without status or crediting to another OW airline, if it is the best option for you.
Jan 9, 2020, 12:34 pm
#224
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,327
The $12k penalty seems somewhat arbitrary and not really related to AA's actual losses, but I suspect they're really not that interested in presenting an offer someone would want to take up.
Jan 9, 2020, 12:47 pm
#225
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SAN
Programs: AA CK, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 839