Contacting Amex Travel (including CTS, PTS, IAP) for Covid-19 changes or refunds.
#16
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend; Moderator: American Express, Capital One, Citi, Chase, Credit Card Programs, Diners Club, Signatures
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA & Marriott Perpetual Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 48,878
#17
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 1
I used the IAP for the first time for an upcoming SFO/TLV trip. Decent savings. DL ticket / AF flights. Given the current state of quarantine affairs upon TLV arrival, and given the DL waivers, I tried to rebook. I packed lots of patience for this endeavor.
Monday AM, I called and waited on hold for about 30 minutes. No biggie. They offered a callback service but I was going to be busy for a while. So, I hung up.
Monday, mid afternoon, I called, and callback wasn't offered, so I was optimistic that the hold times were shorter. Sitting at my desk, working, I waited 2.5 hours for the agent to answer. After a half hour, she determined that the DL waiver didn't apply (and indeed my particular waiver disappeared from the DL website for a short while), and after a total of 3 hours, I ended up where I started, except instead of me making dinner, someone else had to get some take out to bring home.
Momday night, I decided to call again. I got a nice agent, but she had to get a DL agent to help her - so I thought. She said her hold times with DL were pretty short, so I was optimistic. After about 90+ minutes of hold, someone else answered, someone who had no idea who I was or why I was calling. Very competent agent, but it took her some time to find my particular waiver rules, and what not, and then found same class availability on flights about a month out. And then, there were ticketing issues. The system isn't recognizing the change fee waiver. She keeps placing me on hold and won't let me "go" and she'll call back. I'm on the 3rd hold. Apparently everything is rebooked, but not reissued. I'm now 3 +hours into this call.
I wish I could have just canceled this trip, but that wasn't an option. In fact, the IAP fare went down, but they won't refund the difference on the change (which is ok).
So sorry I called tonight. First agent seemed like she was working on it, so I didn't want to hang up. Instead she just sent my call to another queue where I waited 90 minutes. Second agent seems like she knows her stuff, but what a time for system glitches and needing the help desk. I'm familiar enough with GDSs to know that one letter, dot, "pillow" sign, or something else can make things all wonky and not function, but ... to not be able to work on it without me on the phone?
Legit hold time during a crisis is one thing. I'm up to a total of 6.5+ hours on the phone with AX today.
And the main reason for this post is to keep me awake during this nonsense.
Monday AM, I called and waited on hold for about 30 minutes. No biggie. They offered a callback service but I was going to be busy for a while. So, I hung up.
Monday, mid afternoon, I called, and callback wasn't offered, so I was optimistic that the hold times were shorter. Sitting at my desk, working, I waited 2.5 hours for the agent to answer. After a half hour, she determined that the DL waiver didn't apply (and indeed my particular waiver disappeared from the DL website for a short while), and after a total of 3 hours, I ended up where I started, except instead of me making dinner, someone else had to get some take out to bring home.
Momday night, I decided to call again. I got a nice agent, but she had to get a DL agent to help her - so I thought. She said her hold times with DL were pretty short, so I was optimistic. After about 90+ minutes of hold, someone else answered, someone who had no idea who I was or why I was calling. Very competent agent, but it took her some time to find my particular waiver rules, and what not, and then found same class availability on flights about a month out. And then, there were ticketing issues. The system isn't recognizing the change fee waiver. She keeps placing me on hold and won't let me "go" and she'll call back. I'm on the 3rd hold. Apparently everything is rebooked, but not reissued. I'm now 3 +hours into this call.
I wish I could have just canceled this trip, but that wasn't an option. In fact, the IAP fare went down, but they won't refund the difference on the change (which is ok).
So sorry I called tonight. First agent seemed like she was working on it, so I didn't want to hang up. Instead she just sent my call to another queue where I waited 90 minutes. Second agent seems like she knows her stuff, but what a time for system glitches and needing the help desk. I'm familiar enough with GDSs to know that one letter, dot, "pillow" sign, or something else can make things all wonky and not function, but ... to not be able to work on it without me on the phone?
Legit hold time during a crisis is one thing. I'm up to a total of 6.5+ hours on the phone with AX today.
And the main reason for this post is to keep me awake during this nonsense.
#18
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NYC/PHL/HKG
Posts: 209
Surprised but also sort of reassured to hear the horrible experiences everyone is having. Trying to cancel a flight that qualifies for special handling (with JAL) booked through IAP online. Connected to an agent and the call was dropped, and never received a callback. Now on hold for 2+ hours after they apparently removed the callback feature (according to a chat agent?).
#19
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,067
Been on the line with them today multiple times, for hours at a time. Callback did not work. Eventually, the hold music stops and it disconnects. Chats are worthless. Their system is falling apart under the pressure.
What I am wondering is if I cannot get through and cancel the flight before it leaves on Sunday, how can I ever get get a credit back subject to the change fee, per the airline rules, which is all I want? Will I have to sue Amex?
What I am wondering is if I cannot get through and cancel the flight before it leaves on Sunday, how can I ever get get a credit back subject to the change fee, per the airline rules, which is all I want? Will I have to sue Amex?
#20
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Programs: AMEX Platinum, HHonors Gold
Posts: 203
I'm in the same boat, cannot get through and they just eventually disconnect the call after a long hold! I'm not sure what else I'm supposed to do to get assistance.
I will NOT be purchasing travel through AMEX travel again going forward.
I will NOT be purchasing travel through AMEX travel again going forward.
#21
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Orange County, CA, USA
Programs: AA (Life Plat), Marriott (Life Titanium) and every other US program
Posts: 6,410
Been on the line with them today multiple times, for hours at a time. Callback did not work. Eventually, the hold music stops and it disconnects. Chats are worthless. Their system is falling apart under the pressure.
What I am wondering is if I cannot get through and cancel the flight before it leaves on Sunday, how can I ever get get a credit back subject to the change fee, per the airline rules, which is all I want? Will I have to sue Amex?
What I am wondering is if I cannot get through and cancel the flight before it leaves on Sunday, how can I ever get get a credit back subject to the change fee, per the airline rules, which is all I want? Will I have to sue Amex?
#22
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,067
By the way, got a callback from AmexTravel an hour ago. Hit 1 as instructed, and it told me that due to call volume to try again, then hung up.
AmEx is really collapsing under the strain.
#23
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Lafayette, LA
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, BA Gold, UA Gold MM, DL SM MM, Hyatt Glob, HH Diam, Marriott Ti/LT Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 273
So then I tried the method suggested in a post above: calling Amex Platinum Travel and asking them to connect me to Amex Travel (to which the Plat agents refer as "online support"). I tried this three times and spoke to sympathetic and capable Amex Plat agents. They all connected me to what they said was a faster-but-still-not-very-fast track to "online support" (Orbitz dba Amex Travel). All three times I got the same result I had gotten when I called directly: music for between 15 and 45 minutes, then a minute or so of silence, then what sounded like someone was picking up the phone (including on some occasions background noise with someone talking to someone else), then the call was disconnected, apparently having been hung up manually.
I have nothing against outsourcing, but I don't like being deceived. If American Express is going to continue outsourcing its online travel business to this outfit, they need to have clear warnings at the time of booking: "You are now leaving American Express and will be doing business with our partners at Stinky's Midnight Econo-Travel and Towing Service. If you should ever need a refund, change in itinerary, or other service, please contact Stinky's, and may God have mercy on your soul."
#24
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,861
Wow. So I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about not getting called back at all. (Except that there were five mysterious phone calls from two phone numbers in Arizona at 4:50 a.m. Eastern time, 2:50 a.m. Arizona time, yesterday morning. I had left a callback request at 1 pm the previous afternoon. My phone was turned off when the calls came in, but I called Amex Travel a couple more times yesterday and left call back numbers. No callbacks these times, not even at 4 a.m.
So then I tried the method suggested in a post above: calling Amex Platinum Travel and asking them to connect me to Amex Travel (to which the Plat agents refer as "online support"). I tried this three times and spoke to sympathetic and capable Amex Plat agents. They all connected me to what they said was a faster-but-still-not-very-fast track to "online support" (Orbitz dba Amex Travel). All three times I got the same result I had gotten when I called directly: music for between 15 and 45 minutes, then a minute or so of silence, then what sounded like someone was picking up the phone (including on some occasions background noise with someone talking to someone else), then the call was disconnected, apparently having been hung up manually.
I have nothing against outsourcing, but I don't like being deceived. If American Express is going to continue outsourcing its online travel business to this outfit, they need to have clear warnings at the time of booking: "You are now leaving American Express and will be doing business with our partners at Stinky's Midnight Econo-Travel and Towing Service. If you should ever need a refund, change in itinerary, or other service, please contact Stinky's, and may God have mercy on your soul."
So then I tried the method suggested in a post above: calling Amex Platinum Travel and asking them to connect me to Amex Travel (to which the Plat agents refer as "online support"). I tried this three times and spoke to sympathetic and capable Amex Plat agents. They all connected me to what they said was a faster-but-still-not-very-fast track to "online support" (Orbitz dba Amex Travel). All three times I got the same result I had gotten when I called directly: music for between 15 and 45 minutes, then a minute or so of silence, then what sounded like someone was picking up the phone (including on some occasions background noise with someone talking to someone else), then the call was disconnected, apparently having been hung up manually.
I have nothing against outsourcing, but I don't like being deceived. If American Express is going to continue outsourcing its online travel business to this outfit, they need to have clear warnings at the time of booking: "You are now leaving American Express and will be doing business with our partners at Stinky's Midnight Econo-Travel and Towing Service. If you should ever need a refund, change in itinerary, or other service, please contact Stinky's, and may God have mercy on your soul."
#25
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC (LGA, JFK), CT
Programs: Delta Platinum, American Gold, JetBlue Mosaic 4, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Explorist, Hilton Diamond,
Posts: 4,861
My BCN to CTA flight on Iberia/Vueling is scheduled Monday - today's version of that flight was cancelled, but the Monday flight is still showing as occurring as scheduled. I assume that flight will be cancelled, but I have no idea how a refund will be processed to me.
#26
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 643
Completely impossible to get through on any phone number. Either doesn't connect, connects and hangs up, answers goes into queue and then hangs up after a couple minutes.,. WORST travel support ever. AmEx travel support is terrible even when this craziness is not happening. Just trying to move to a different flight same day on AA, not possible on AA site or via Exec Plat phone :-( So GD frustrating dealing with AmEx Travel, I will think long and hard before I ever book with points via AmEx again. Sheesh.
#27
Join Date: Feb 2018
Programs: Hyatt Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 643
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. To confirm, were you trying to get through to American Express Travel or American Express Global Business Travel? If American Express Global Business Travel, please reach out to us via Twitter at @amexGBT so that we can resolve the issue. Thank you!
ALWAYS absolutely TERRIBLE service, from AmEx Travel.
#30
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Programs: AMEX Platinum, HHonors Gold
Posts: 203
Amex Travel has certainly lost a customer in me. I was on hold for 3 hours today and no one ever picked up.
I'm even going to transfer my membership rewards out now.
Contrast this with Walt Disney World, who announced a full park closure yesterday and by 9AM this morning, I had spoken with someone there and had a full refund of my tickets on the way.