sharktums

Three GM and a nothing are booked on a single domestic roundtrip itinerary. I notice while checking in (yes, I should have checked earlier!) that it's listed as not upgrade eligible. I send a simple direct message tweet to delta asking why we are not eligible for the upgrade. 10 minutes later I get a response that they have split our PNR because the system has problems doing upgrades when you have four or more on a booking and our upgrade has processed. Here starts the irritation! We were automatically "upgraded" to some terrible middle and/or bulkhead comfort plus seats. I write back indicating that I NEVER select the comfort plus upgrade because of this very situation and can we please have our original seats back as I never asked to be upgraded or have the PNR split. They tell me that it's now up to the agent tomorrow at the gate as we're within 24 hours. I try to move the seats myself on the site and there are all kinds of errors either saying we're on standby or that it's within 24 hours, etc.

I'm not complaining as I realize I initiated this and should have been more clear and now at least I know better for the future, but I figured I'd share my story in case any of you are in this situation or to caution you to be VERY specific about what you want/don't want when messaging Delta!

jk88usa

I wholeheartedly agree...DL twitter has generally been awful if I need something. I asked to be removed from a C+ upgrade list earlier this yr since I couldn’t do it in the app and the same exact thing happened, somehow I actually got upgraded instantly to a middle. When I asked to be put back in coach, I couldn’t select my seat and wound up with a middle assigned at the gate. (Not to mention last yr when one of the DL twitter reps offered me standby thru a different connection city, and they didn’t even know they are not allowed to do that!)

Calling works, but having to regularly sit on the phone for 40 mins as FO isn’t fun either

DCP2016

I've actually had pretty good luck with Delta's Twitter, managed to change my flight on there (and to the routing I wanted) quicker than I would have if I stayed on hold over the phone.

btonkid12345

Delta twitter is totally inconsistent nowadays, as the phone agents on the Medallion line are.

Some on Twitter have been excellent at providing quick resolution to customer service issues, rebooking during schedule changes, and rebooking for SDCs.

Other reps on Twitter have no idea any rules for SDC, and I am currently in a discussion with a rep who is claiming the upgrade rules are changing, and the reason my upgrade hasn't processed is because a Silver on a higher fare class could clear before me. Huh? How could a Silver even clear outside 24 hours? This is literally what they said, after they consulted with the "Skymiles Elite Supervisor":

"Actually, there's a chance the clearance may not be an error, as the clearance of upgrades aren't solely based on status any more. Upgrades are cleared based on a several factors, one of those being the amount of the fare purchased. For example, if a Silver Medallion purchased a higher fare, than a Platinum or Diamond, the Silver will clear before the higher statuses....Okay, here's what was shared, the information regarding a higher fare taking priority is accurate. *XXX"

When I replied and copied/pasted the rules from the new and improved upgrade section online (which said status is #1 priority, followed by fare class, clearing in order from Y to V then Awards then Pay with Miles), they simply said: "I'm sorry for any disappointment. I just want to be sure I give you accurate information. I really wish there were more I could do to help. XXX"

They are polite and professional, but sometimes when you get a not-so-stellar agent via Twitter roulette, you just have to wait for the shift change, or call (and possibly HUCA).

RumPatrol

DL Twitter has been hit or miss in the last year or so. Sometimes you get a very quick, detailed reply and resolution to an issue. Other times it takes a while and then it is just a copy and paste from the website I already looked up myself or worse, they reply with a policy I know to be incorrect like noted in btonkid12345's post.

It is definitely a game of Twitter roulette. Some times of the day are better than others. I've had much better luck calling in lately, not sure I waited longer than 60 seconds to get a CSR on the phone this year and all but one were incredibly helpful.

javabytes

It didn't happen to be agent *PF, did it? (Or I guess it seems like they use all their initials now, so *P[something]F...?)

btonkid12345

No, started with an 'H'

Another agent just came back and replied with:

"The regional/global certificate will clear as 1st choice. Higher medallion clears before lower medallion. Within the medallion level, the high fare clears before the lower fare. Hope this is more direct."

Yes, this makes perfect sense. Not sure why it took more than 1 reply for them to admit this. Twitter roulette!

bretthexum

I sometimes wonder if Twitter is checked for QA. My back and forth with Twitter the past few weeks has been unpleasant. I usually call the DM line however I was traveling all over the world and didn't want to spend a fortune calling

Zorak

I've previously theorized in that the first of the three letters is actually a location code:

@DeltaAssist is moving over to @Delta on Twitter (post 36 onward)

so javabytes's agent would likely now be signing as *[something]PF or possibly ^[something]PF (well, I typed a caret /\ but FT turned it into the ^ emoji)

Pianoman109876

Its so interesting the different experiences people have had with Delta twitter. I’ve twice now interacted with *TJN and actually spoke with him directly on the phone tonight (he called to help clear up a matter).

The first time, he waved the fee for a flight change due to weather...even though my airport wasn’t listed in the list. He saw that bad weather was happening the next morning and got me out on a flight leaving the night before with no change fee.

Tonight, he processed a ticket redeposit because I had to change a flight for another reason...he cut the fee from $200 to $100.

He has gone above and beyond in his response times and helpfulness to problem solve situations. Tonight, the wait time for a call back was three hours (technically, I’m STILL waiting for the call back...now at 4 hours.) I reached out on twitter and had the matter dealt with in 15 minutes, including a direct phone call.

Florida Boy

My experience with the old @deltaassist Twitter was wonderful. My current experience with @Delta is awful. I've gotten wrong information from them about available flights, upgrades, and SDC. After being a strong supporter of the Twitter agents for years, I've now given up. It's simpler-- and a better experience-- to just call the Medallion hotline.

RumPatrol

I really do think the time of day you contact Delta's twitter help is the deciding factor on the quality of the service. I've needed to do exactly what you're describing before and tried using twitter and was told they didn't have the authority to change a reservation it and I would need to call in. Other times I've had twitter agents go above and beyond just like you describe. I wonder if certain times of day are outsourced to reps with no actual authority and just copy and paste info that loosely applies to what you're saying.

I've probably been lucky on phone call wait times but I don't think I've waited longer than a minute all year, including when I called from China with an issue with a MU flight booked via DL.

DLDiamond2013

I think the time of day thing is true. Reservation phone agents bid on their schedules similarly to in-flight crew, so it stands to reason that the more senior reservation agents get the better schedules. Calling on a Tuesday afternoon, therefore, might give you a better experience/result than 3:00am on a Sunday or major holiday.

DLDiamond2013

Too bad we cannot call the DM phone line collect when traveling internationally, like you can credit card companies to report lost or stolen cards, get customer service while abroad, etc. Bet that would significantly reduce the hold and waiting times, too!

audidudi

When travelling outside the US, I have always used Skype if I have needed to call DL. Doesn't cost anything!