umustbjokim

Sent the following this morning. A bit verbose, sorry! Interesting update - I looked at my record on delta.com - shows my seat as the prem econ in which I'm sitting, but indicates I am sitting in Business.

Good Morning Ms. Evans,

I am writing in regard to an issue I experienced on my flight (683) this morning, January 26. Please let me say in advance, I do not believe I am entitled to upgrades, and appreciate them when I do receive. I do expect, however, to be treated fairly and courteously by the Delta team.

I checked into my flight yesterday, approximately 24 hours before departure. I was glad to see there were three first / business class seats available - and that I was 1 of 1 on the list. I realize that can change as others check in, but happily saw the same scenario this morning on the Delta App.

I checked into the Sky Club at about 9:00 a.m., and the agent there confirmed that status. I headed to the gate around 10:00 a.m., and the monitor and Delta App both showed me to be 1 of 1 on the list, but now with only one seat available.

At this point, I approached the gate agent to see whether the upgrade was ready to clear. She said that I had cleared for Prem Econ, but had never been on the list for First/Biz. I told her I had seen it on App, the monitor and that the Sky Club had confirmed. I showed her my phone, which clearly said 1 of 1 for First / Biz and she said I (?) was mistaken - I was only on upgrade list for "W".

It was odd enough that I opted to call the 800 number for Delta. The agent I spoke to said I was indeed of 1 on 1 on the list, and she did not understand why the gate agent might have thought otherwise. She also checked with a supervisor, who had no explanation. As we were boarding at this point, there was seemingly nothing to be done.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the gate agent approached my row and told another passenger that he was cleared for the First / Biz upgrade. I was able to see her list of seats for potential passengers - and could see that my seat was not even on that list. When I said something along the lines of "What?!?", the agent again said "Ma'am, I told you, you were never on that upgrade list."

I am very disappointed with many of the aspects of this scenario - not the least of which is there was apparently time to rectify after my call to Delta. While the phone agent was courteous, from my perspective, I do not appear to have been treated fairly or with courtesy (that is, someone actually addressing my concern).

Although there is limited I can do of tangible nature, my Delta Reserve AMEX is up for renewal this month. I do intend to vote with my wallet, and cancel that card. It is a not insignificant annual fee, and I do not feel like Delta has earned a portion of that.

Thank you for your consideration.

xliioper

Could be this -- although these bugs seem to involve not showing up on the FC upgrade list at all when upgraded to C+.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...e-problem.html

http://renespoints.boardingarea.com/...ine-krzyszton/

MSPeconomist

When the GA said that you weren't on the upgrade list, did you explicitly ask her to add you to the upgrade list?

umustbjokim

Did not explicitly ask - but she pretty much refused to discuss at all.

umustbjokim

That sounds like it could have been the issue. If so, wonder why the 800 people wouldn't be aware....

CHOPCHOP767

Although I sympathize that the GA was less than helpful, I would not have written the above. Honestly, the AMEX reserve is cheaper than the Individual Sky Club Membership.

live5

Idk, I get that you're entitled to upgrades if they are available, but things happen, there was a glitch, it's not the end of the world. Who even knows whether or not you would have been #1 if added to the correct list? You paid for Delta to get you from Point A to Point B in economy, and that's exactly what they did.

s0ssos

So all the benefits of status are YMMV? Like, being put on an upgrade list?

I believe that is non-negotiable. There was a mistake. Why do you let it go so easily?

MSPeconomist

Have you earned status with DL?

Super80Fan

You've got to be kidding me...

jimrpa

I'm not sure I would have pulled the trigger on the AmEx threat unless there was a pattern of performance issues and lack of recovery.

if you called the DM desk while standing in front of the GA, why didn't you put them on speaker? My response would have been to switch my phone to speaker and say "I'm standing here in front of the gate agent and she says I'm not on the upgrade list. Perhaps you can explain the issue?"

jdrtravel

I agree that you were not treated properly. If you had time, I would have asked for a Red Coat.

Mister Nice

This needs to be addressed ASAP - bad for the customer and bad for the agent. Can't blame the customer for being upset and can't blame the agent for following the list they have . These type of scenarios are the ones that lead to the shouting matches and uncomfortable situations.

umustbjokim

Here's the response I received. Re the AMEX, was going to cancel that anyway, in all honesty. Got it last year to buy status for this year, I also have AMEX Platinum and will keep that.

Thanks for reaching out to Charisse Evans. She's asked me to review your concerns and reply on her behalf. I'm sorry I was unable to reach you on the phone; I hope you receive my message.

I certainly understand your disappointment with the way our agent handled the upgrade list for Flight 683; especially since you were listed correctly for first class. I know you expected better service and I'm truly sorry for letting you down. I've shared your experience directly with our Executive Team for internal review with this agent and our Airport Customer Service Team at the airport.

Delta Choice Gift
As a goodwill gesture, I’m sending a $75 Delta Choice gift. You will receive a Delta Choice gift code, from [email protected] in a separate email within three business days and you can select the gift card of your choice within 60 days of receipt. Included in the gift option are several merchants that you will be familiar with as well as our Delta gift cards.......

We value your time and loyalty as a Gold Medallion member, and we look forward to your next Delta experience... one without disappointment.

Renes Points

The frustrating thing is this IS a known issue for a long time and Delta does not seem to want to fix it. This is why I avoid C+ on most flights and pick exit row. C+ is never worth missing a 1st class real upgrade.