jk2317

Wow.

This morning I had an reward itinerary booked. The return went like this:

9/22: CDG-LHR
9/23: LHR-SFO

I decided I wanted to return from Berlin (where I'd be on the 21st anyway), so I wanted to change that to:

9/21: TXL-LHR
9/23: LHR-SFO

The point is, I just wanted to change my flight to LHR. Move it up a day, and get there from Berlin rather than Paris.

So first I poked around CO.com and found tons of availability on 9/21 for TXL-LHR. Each flight was on Air France, connecting through Paris. "Great!" I thought, "I'll swap to AF 1735 + AF1680, for my $35 silver elite change fee."

I'm sure some of you see where this is going, but it gets worse...

So I call up the elite desk. It is clear from the start I have a relatively dumb person on the other end of the line (I'm often impressed by the knowledge level and competence of the elite desk CSR's -- this girl was obviously new). I explain that I've found availability to swap to those flights mentioned. She struggles to get the change made:

"sorry sir, those flights aren't available."
"I see them right here on the website."
"They can be for sale, but not for miles."
"Of course I know that. I'm looking at CO.com reward reservation, and clearly see these available for reward purchase. You are looking in F like I told you, right?"
"You have to book all flights the same -- first or coach."
"Yes, I'm sure. All my other legs are in F. Can you please check F?"
"Oh, yes it's right here."

...

Lots of typing/clicking on the other end. Mumbling about "oh will it let me? I don't know if it will ticket!"

Finally, it does ticket, and I'm presented with $254 in new fees. Ouch!

So a quick bit of research (my fault I wasn't paying attention!) shows that the reward ticket change fee for non-plats has jumped to $150 (wow, CO, thanks a pantload!). And there are an extra $104 in taxes because the new itinerary would be a stopover (instead of a layover) in Heathrow, and subject to Heathrow taxes.

So, so far, so good -- too bad for me for not knowing about the fee increase, and for being stupid and not thinking of the taxes. But I can buy a direct flight from Berlin to Paris for $156, so obviously I'm not going to pay $254 to change this booking. I say "ok nevermind. I'll just keep my current reservation."

"No sir, I already ticketed this one. Your old one is gone."
"Well, can you get it back?"
::type type click click::

"No sir, your flight is no longer available in first."
"Fine, it's a 90 minute flight. Put me in coach."
"I can't. The whole reservation has to be in the same class."
"Right, I know. Book me in first but seat me in coach on the waitlist."
"I can't do that sir."
....

ummmm..... are you kidding me?

At this point I realize the best thing to do is just cancel the part of my reward ticket that gets me from the continent to London. Instead, I'll buy a ticket on BA for the direct flight Berlin-London for $156 all in. Then I'm told that would be a change of reservation, subject to $150 change fee.

So anyway, now I'm booked on a 9/22 flight CDG-LHR that departs/arrives 3 hours later than my old one (no longer in time for dinner -- thanks!). It's not that big a deal, but my god what a pain. This took 30 minutes to "resolve."

All because this woman canceled my existing reservation BEFORE telling me that the tax/fees were going to triple.

Hey CO, why don't you use some of those $150 elite change fees to train your people?

jwlowry

I think I might be on hold with this person right now.

jk2317

Did she just drop you to hold without telling you? She'll take a few minutes but be back. She did that to me three or four times.



Also -- I'm on with another CSR now -- reservations ticketed before the 8/17 change fee change are subject to the OLD change fee schedule. I'm now on the 9/22 TXL-CDG-LHR for *less* money than before ($35 change fee minus $42 fewer taxes).

elonepb

Pretty sure that's the same person who answers everytime I call and don't get the answer I like to hear

jk2317

Haha, I take your point, but there's "the answer I want to hear" and then there's "the actual truth according to onepass rules" ... and she was telling me *neither* of those!

CO 1E

IME, many elite line agents do not know much about booking international reward reservations. The average Flyertalk CO Forum regular knows probably four times as much about the rules as the average CO elite desk agent. We could probably teach training courses to undertrained agents (I feel like a trainer when I'm on the phone with some of them).