I put in a bid for a Premium Economy seat upgrade for a 16 Sep flight. When I made the bid, there was no warning that I could lose that money if I needed to change my flight. There was a good possibilty I would have to change my flight because my visa had not yet been issued.

I won the bid but did not know it when, on 15 Sep, I changed my flight to 22 Sep. I looked up "What happens to my bid when I change my booking?" and the website says "The original bid will be cancelled automatically..." I was, however, charged for my upgrade bid of $1000. on 22 Sep.

I called and they denied my refund. I asked for a manager and they said no manager available. Cathay Pacific ended up with my money and I got nothing in return even tho their site said my bid would be cancelled if I changed my flight. Customer service was rude. They sold the seat to someone else and this is clearly a corporate rip-off.

I am telling everyone I know not to fly Cathay Pacific, including many in my company who fly the airline. There are other ways to get to Hong Kong.

There is no ripoff and the rules are clear. You can always cancel a bid until it is accepted. But once the upgrade is successfully accepted, then you lose it if you desire to change the flight.
The rule is clearly stated on CX website:
"Unfortunately upgrades cannot be transferred. If you choose to change your flight, your upgrade offer will be forfeited, and no refund or credit will be given. "
https://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_...y-upgrade.html

It is not a rip-off if you fail to read the rules..