VDB compensation not as expected
Dec 23, 2017, 6:56 pm
#33
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
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This is common when someone complains about the experience of another person. They get on here with half the facts, and then once the questions roll in, they go quiet.
Being that it has been escalated to corporate, I'd say the odds are pretty good that the kid signed the document. If he did that without reading it, then lesson learned (maybe).
Being that it has been escalated to corporate, I'd say the odds are pretty good that the kid signed the document. If he did that without reading it, then lesson learned (maybe).
Dec 23, 2017, 10:15 pm
#34
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: MIA
Programs: Delta 1 Million Miler, Delta DM, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 241
I’m still confused as to how the $400 in flight credit is useless to either the son or the parent. As a 20 year old, I’d have been dreaming of the places I could go if someone gave me $400 towards a flight! Heck, I still dream now!
Dec 23, 2017, 11:35 pm
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
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WOW. We have several posters writing about what they think the OP really meant when he related what his son told him about an encounter with the GA. And from all of this we can't get a clear understanding of what happened??
Wouldn't it be nice if somehow the transaction would have been put in writing.?
Wouldn't it be nice if somehow the transaction would have been put in writing.?
Dec 23, 2017, 11:36 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
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I've gotten them it ATL multiple times. The agents may default to one over the other, but they are available in all markets. DL didn't create a whole website to redeem just for one or two stations.
Dec 24, 2017, 2:14 am
#37
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: California
Programs: DeltaSilver/MM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 494
Dec 24, 2017, 2:16 am
#38
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: California
Programs: DeltaSilver/MM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 494
Because Daddy will give him award tickets. Why use money?
Dec 24, 2017, 8:21 am
#39
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 110
OK, OP back here.
First of all, the reason why there is no real use for the future flight credit is because as someone astutely noted "Daddy will give award tickets". Except that would be Mommy. I have more than enough miles to last him though grad school and then some. Of course, we will use future flight credit to buy a ticket. I would not have it go to waste, but the $400 GC would have been his to keep, while I am not going to "refund" him $400 when I buy his ticket using credit, because as I said I would normally use miles with about $5 in fees per ticket.
I asked him again if he signed anything on paper or electronically and he maintained that he did not.
The more we thought about it, the more we think that perhaps he misunderstood. He is so used to accepting VDB in MSP where all they offer is GCs, so when they said they will send him email, he assumed that it would be for a GC link. I told him this should be lesson learned and he should always ask for clarifications. But he is young, not very experienced traveler, and not as aware of all the nuances. As I said, he had to wake up really early to get to airport and had he understood that the offer was for future flight credit he would have never agreed to switch to a later flight. Especially, since at the time he accepted they were not even sure how they would get him home (there was talk of having him getting a taxi to ride to ATL and then catching a flight from ATL to MSP). He eventually got lucky because someone has missed their flight BHM=DTW and he was routed through DTW by taking that person's seat (He said it was the very first time in 3 years that he saw security lines in BHM be very long).
Ideally, we would have liked Delta to exchange future flight credit for GC, but given the uncertainty what exactly was said, I am not sure if it is worth pursuing this further. I told him he should save his complaining for important stuff. And now, after he calmed down (the phone agent on corporate line was VERY rude - I was listening on the speaker phone), he will follow my advice.
First of all, the reason why there is no real use for the future flight credit is because as someone astutely noted "Daddy will give award tickets". Except that would be Mommy. I have more than enough miles to last him though grad school and then some. Of course, we will use future flight credit to buy a ticket. I would not have it go to waste, but the $400 GC would have been his to keep, while I am not going to "refund" him $400 when I buy his ticket using credit, because as I said I would normally use miles with about $5 in fees per ticket.
I asked him again if he signed anything on paper or electronically and he maintained that he did not.
The more we thought about it, the more we think that perhaps he misunderstood. He is so used to accepting VDB in MSP where all they offer is GCs, so when they said they will send him email, he assumed that it would be for a GC link. I told him this should be lesson learned and he should always ask for clarifications. But he is young, not very experienced traveler, and not as aware of all the nuances. As I said, he had to wake up really early to get to airport and had he understood that the offer was for future flight credit he would have never agreed to switch to a later flight. Especially, since at the time he accepted they were not even sure how they would get him home (there was talk of having him getting a taxi to ride to ATL and then catching a flight from ATL to MSP). He eventually got lucky because someone has missed their flight BHM=DTW and he was routed through DTW by taking that person's seat (He said it was the very first time in 3 years that he saw security lines in BHM be very long).
Ideally, we would have liked Delta to exchange future flight credit for GC, but given the uncertainty what exactly was said, I am not sure if it is worth pursuing this further. I told him he should save his complaining for important stuff. And now, after he calmed down (the phone agent on corporate line was VERY rude - I was listening on the speaker phone), he will follow my advice.
Last edited by DiamondInTheRough; Dec 24, 2017 at 9:17 am
Dec 24, 2017, 5:08 pm
#41
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: California
Programs: DeltaSilver/MM, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 494
OK, OP back here.
First of all, the reason why there is no real use for the future flight credit is because as someone astutely noted "Daddy will give award tickets". Except that would be Mommy. I have more than enough miles to last him though grad school and then some. Of course, we will use future flight credit to buy a ticket. I would not have it go to waste, but the $400 GC would have been his to keep, while I am not going to "refund" him $400 when I buy his ticket using credit, because as I said I would normally use miles with about $5 in fees per ticket.
I asked him again if he signed anything on paper or electronically and he maintained that he did not.
The more we thought about it, the more we think that perhaps he misunderstood. He is so used to accepting VDB in MSP where all they offer is GCs, so when they said they will send him email, he assumed that it would be for a GC link. I told him this should be lesson learned and he should always ask for clarifications. But he is young, not very experienced traveler, and not as aware of all the nuances. As I said, he had to wake up really early to get to airport and had he understood that the offer was for future flight credit he would have never agreed to switch to a later flight. Especially, since at the time he accepted they were not even sure how they would get him home (there was talk of having him getting a taxi to ride to ATL and then catching a flight from ATL to MSP). He eventually got lucky because someone has missed their flight BHM=DTW and he was routed through DTW by taking that person's seat (He said it was the very first time in 3 years that he saw security lines in BHM be very long).
Ideally, we would have liked Delta to exchange future flight credit for GC, but given the uncertainty what exactly was said, I am not sure if it is worth pursuing this further. I told him he should save his complaining for important stuff. And now, after he calmed down (the phone agent on corporate line was VERY rude - I was listening on the speaker phone), he will follow my advice.
First of all, the reason why there is no real use for the future flight credit is because as someone astutely noted "Daddy will give award tickets". Except that would be Mommy. I have more than enough miles to last him though grad school and then some. Of course, we will use future flight credit to buy a ticket. I would not have it go to waste, but the $400 GC would have been his to keep, while I am not going to "refund" him $400 when I buy his ticket using credit, because as I said I would normally use miles with about $5 in fees per ticket.
I asked him again if he signed anything on paper or electronically and he maintained that he did not.
The more we thought about it, the more we think that perhaps he misunderstood. He is so used to accepting VDB in MSP where all they offer is GCs, so when they said they will send him email, he assumed that it would be for a GC link. I told him this should be lesson learned and he should always ask for clarifications. But he is young, not very experienced traveler, and not as aware of all the nuances. As I said, he had to wake up really early to get to airport and had he understood that the offer was for future flight credit he would have never agreed to switch to a later flight. Especially, since at the time he accepted they were not even sure how they would get him home (there was talk of having him getting a taxi to ride to ATL and then catching a flight from ATL to MSP). He eventually got lucky because someone has missed their flight BHM=DTW and he was routed through DTW by taking that person's seat (He said it was the very first time in 3 years that he saw security lines in BHM be very long).
Ideally, we would have liked Delta to exchange future flight credit for GC, but given the uncertainty what exactly was said, I am not sure if it is worth pursuing this further. I told him he should save his complaining for important stuff. And now, after he calmed down (the phone agent on corporate line was VERY rude - I was listening on the speaker phone), he will follow my advice.
Dec 25, 2017, 9:58 am
#42
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Minneapolis
Programs: Delta Plat Kool-Aid Drinker, Hyatt Diamond, SPG GM, Marriott GM, Hilton GM, and Priority Club GM
Posts: 1,184
My 20 year old son agreed to VDB out of BHM airport last week. In exchange he was promised an email where he can choose his compensation in the amount of $400. Instead he received future flight credit in that amount (no email, we found it in his wallet in skymiles account). He has no use for this, as I buy all his tickets using my miles.
I talked to GA in MSP this week when I traveled about the situation and they told me to call CS, which is what he did. CS told him to talk to corporate. He just got off the phone with corporate and basically they told him that what he got is not negotiable and that he signed a document that he agrees to compensation. When he challenged them regarding this, the person on the line just kept repeating: this is not negotiable, take it or leave it.
He would have never agreed to be inconvenienced and delayed for $400 future flight credit. It was a very early flight he had to wake up at 3 am to take and he wanted to get home ASAP. As I said, there is no value to him in this nor is it to me.
My question is, does he have a recourse. He wanted to complain to DOT, but I told him to hold his horses before we find out if it is even under DOT purview. I am sure if he complains to Delta, they will throw some miles at him which once again will be useless. Any advice how and if to proceed?
I talked to GA in MSP this week when I traveled about the situation and they told me to call CS, which is what he did. CS told him to talk to corporate. He just got off the phone with corporate and basically they told him that what he got is not negotiable and that he signed a document that he agrees to compensation. When he challenged them regarding this, the person on the line just kept repeating: this is not negotiable, take it or leave it.
He would have never agreed to be inconvenienced and delayed for $400 future flight credit. It was a very early flight he had to wake up at 3 am to take and he wanted to get home ASAP. As I said, there is no value to him in this nor is it to me.
My question is, does he have a recourse. He wanted to complain to DOT, but I told him to hold his horses before we find out if it is even under DOT purview. I am sure if he complains to Delta, they will throw some miles at him which once again will be useless. Any advice how and if to proceed?
Dec 25, 2017, 11:26 pm
#43
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 27
Of course, DAL didn’t create them for just a few stations, but all stations were not rolled out at the same time. Perhaps you may have confused Atlanta with another station. Atlanta, as a station, literally just started them on December 20th, so there is zero percent chance that you have gotten multiple gift cards from an Atlanta agent unless you have flown/volunteered multiple times in the last 5 days.
Dec 25, 2017, 11:35 pm
#44
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 27
Furthermore, in this situation, the OP’s son would have only signed something if he would have been possibly involuntarily denied boarding.
If he had a seat that he gave up, then there is no paper trail or anything to sign. The only thing that prints is the form with all the rules and regulations after compensation is issued.
If he had a seat that he gave up, then there is no paper trail or anything to sign. The only thing that prints is the form with all the rules and regulations after compensation is issued.
Dec 27, 2017, 4:52 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: San Antonio
Programs: DL DM, Former AA EXP now AY Plat, AC 75K, NW Plat, Former CO Gold, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 27,040
Of course, DAL didn’t create them for just a few stations, but all stations were not rolled out at the same time. Perhaps you may have confused Atlanta with another station. Atlanta, as a station, literally just started them on December 20th, so there is zero percent chance that you have gotten multiple gift cards from an Atlanta agent unless you have flown/volunteered multiple times in the last 5 days.