melehundele

I have been embroiled in a very frustrating exchange with Amex and Delta regarding redeeming a companion fare. I am wondering if anyone has a similar experience or, better yet, a way out of this that has worked.

Here is the story and the rant:

Last May, in response to a targeted direct mail offer, I obtained a Delta Amex Gold card. The sign-on perks were pretty good:
25,000 miles after first purchase
15,000 additional miles after spending $1000
complimentary companion ticket

Note, this was a Gold card, which offers an annual $99 companion ticket. Getting a complimentary one sounded great. So...

Made the required spends, got the miles. I have since been flying on FF miles, other airlines, or internationally, so had no occasion to use the companion fare, which incidentally had to be used (flights completed) by the end of March 2010.

I planned to go to NOLA to catch a cruise at the end of this month. I realized I had never received the certificate. I called Amex, explained the issue, and within about 10 days received a certificate in the mail. However, it was a $99 cert, not the complimentary one I was promised.

I called Amex again, explained the issue, explained I needed the proper certificate FAST because of the timing of the flight and certificate expiration. The CSR spent a good deal of time--and I did too, being on the phone--looking up the promo code guaranteeing a complimentary ticket, since it was not documented with my account. All seemed good, with a request to expedite the mailing of a new certificate.

A week went by--no mail, no word. Last Wednesday, with 30 days remaining before liftoff, and the nebulous language about needing to ticket 30 days ahead, I called Amex again. After explaining the situation again, the matter was escalated to a supervisor. The supervisor told me I was not entitled to a complimentary voucher because I have only a gold card. I again explained the offer and told her I had it in my hand. She needed me to fax it. I got it to her. Hours later she called with a voucher number (yahoo!) and a G*64 code and told me expressly, twice, that the number was issued in my name.

She told me I could use the voucher to book online. I tried and delta.com said it was invalid. I called Delta's promo desk to reserve over the phone. They accepted the number and I was given the total reflecting the free companion fare, and was told that I would get an email with a confirmation and then would get a second email within 24 hours of the first. I was to call if I didn't get the 2nd email.

I checked delta.com and was delighted to see the reservation.

The next day, I went to delta.com to make sure the seat arrangements were acceptable. It said "There are no flights remaining under this reservation number." I had not received an email or heard "boo" from Delta. I called Delta promo desk and was told that the certificate number was invalid, so the reservation was canceled. I was told Delta promo and reservation people are unable to speak with Delta marketing who issues the numbers. I was told there was no companion ticket code associated with my name or Skymiles account. I was told I needed to get back with Amex and get a valid code. Mine had 13 numbers, and they needed one with 15 numbers. I was "escalated" to a supervisor in reservations (not an actual promo desk super) who agreed to reinstate my itinerary and fare until midnight the next day (Friday).

I called the supervisor back and left her a voice mail. She had apparently left for the day. The next day, Friday, I called and left her three more voice mails. After receiving no response within the hours that I had been told that individual worked, I called Amex again and started the process again with a new CSR. She tried her best, I guess, got her supervisor looking into the situation, called Delta with me on the line and tried to convince Delta to take the erroneous number any which way...adding a number to the end, to the front, adding the 64 to it somehow, etc. No go. I spoke with her supervisor, who looked AT the database of numbers Amex buys from Delta and said there were a whole bunch that were only 13 digits so he didn't know what the problem was. He again called Delta with me on the line. This time, the Delta rep said he had seen this situation before and he thought he new which number to add to fix it (apparently this involved adding a "9" somewhere in the number that was now 14 digits after someone realized there was a stray "5" to add. He rebooked the reservation. My fare, in the meantime, had gone up $140, but we were still working on a "held" fare, thank god. The Amex super #2 got Delta to agree to, if the number wouldn't work, hold the itinerary and reservation open until midnight on Monday, since the Amex Delta liaison would not be in until Monday. Super #2 himself would not be in until Tuesday. He documented the interactions and gave me the number of his counterpart, Super#3, who would be working Monday.

On Saturday I called Delta. The number was no good and the reservation was still on hold.

On Monday, I called Amex. Super #1 started returning calls from last Thursday and Friday early. Super #3 was not even in the office yet. Super #1 talked with the Delta liaison in Fort Lauderdale. They came up with an extra number to put in, a "9." She called Delta and had them try to ticket the reservation.

We won't know until tomorrow if it accepts the number. Being admittedly jaded by this time, I am pretty sure this isn't going to work. The extra "9" that has gotten scrounged up sounds like the same "9" the Delta CSR pulled out of the air, or elsewhere, on Friday. Which, by Saturday, did not work. So by tomorrow my reservation will no longer exist. And IF there are still seats remaining on the tiny regional aircraft (TVC-MSY), they will cost a lot more than when this all started.


What can I do on this situation? Doesn't it seem like this is something Amex and Delta probably have dealt with before? I cannot be the only person issued that targeted offer. And according to Amex Super#2, there were a bunch of those 13 digit numbers in the database.

Anyone? Ideas? Help?

ffI

you have convinced me not to use my companion certificate.
Also if you cant upgrade with the cert, but you can with an award, I might as well go with the award and get upgraded as gold or above.

AndyTLe

I use the cert when buying tickets for others. I just used mine to save $400 for my parents' trip. No status, no upgrades.

troyintn

Just reminds me why I never have applied for a card for the cert. I have always thought you could not use them or had to buy a full fare, which would be the cost of two tickets any way.

AndyTLe

Actually, the cert is low-fare restricted, L, U or T (LUT or A for DL Reserve).

robbert

Sorry to hear about your story. I don't think many people would have gone through all that to redeem a voucher, but it's the principle of it all.

At this I would not worry about prices going up because they clearly should not have canceled your ticket and thus should reinstate it for the earlier price.

Good luck getting this to work as promised.

MikeyZBT

The Delta Plat Amex FREE Companion Coach ticket is not fare restricted. Are you sure?

bkmn

If it were me, I would have called AmEx up and told them to cancel the *$@# card and refund my money, along with filing a complaint with the FTC.

AndyTLe

Yep, I have the Delta Plat AmEx and the T&Cs state "Seats are limited in L, U, T class of service."

DFWsakp

I am sure you must have spent atleast 7 - 8 hrs dealing with this whole situation and not to mention the headache and plus the 1 hr or so that you must have spent at this site.

Do you think if this was all worth the 99$ that you saved? Just curious.

Pharaoh

It was not a $99 savings. The saving would be the actual price of the ticket (which we don't know but may be in the $200-$400 range) less the $99.

DL2SXM

off topic a bit but this year, I noticed that with the amex plat card, the companion cert is electronic and was available for use in my delta.com account as of the 1st of the year. It was very simple to redeem. Kudos to delta for simplifying and streamlining the process. ^

AngryPrez

I have the Amex Plat too, but don't see the electronic certificate in my account -- where do you find it?

AndyTLe

Depends on when you renewed, I think DL switched over to electronic certs in the second half of 2009. I renewed in Sept 09 and got a letter telling me how to use the certificate online.

daringtofly

I renewed in Dec and got a paper cert, however when I log in at Delta.com and click "Profile" along the top right, I *do* see the cert listed there. I was able to price itineraries easily online and see full T&Cs ^

Edit: Bizarrely, I got a paper cert in the mail today with the instructions to go online to book