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[PREM FARE GONE] UA: NCL-EWR 600 DKK (mistaken fare) DOT ruled; see wiki for link

Old Feb 11, 2015, 11:49 am
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Last edit by: drewguy
If you've never gone through this process read this before posting!
Note: Please consider that with high probability, United is monitoring this thread, so please pay attention on what you post!

DOT Investigation UpdatesNews Media Updates:

-------

According to USA Today, Ben Mutzabaugh:
United is voiding the bookings of several thousand individuals who were attempting to take advantage of an error a third-party software provider made when it applied an incorrect currency exchange rate, despite United having properly filed its fares. Most of these bookings were for travel originating in the United Kingdom, and the level of bookings made with Danish Kroner as the local currency was significantly higher than normal during the limited period that customers made these bookings.
Note that United has also accidentally cancelled "legitimate" tickets paid for in USD, purchased in USD from LHR... Please check your other tickets if purchased today to ensure they were not unilaterally cancelled.

However, there is no chance at all that you can have your tickets re-instated if you complain to DOT on the basis of DOT rule 399.88:
399.88 Prohibition on post-purchase price increase.

(a) It is an unfair and deceptive practice within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. 41712 for any seller of scheduled air transportation within, to or from the United States, or of a tour (i.e., a combination of air transportation and ground or cruise accommodations), or tour component (e.g., a hotel stay) that includes scheduled air transportation within, to or from the United States, to increase the price of that air transportation, tour or tour component to a consumer, including but not limited to an increase in the price of the seat, an increase in the price for the carriage of passenger baggage, or an increase in an applicable fuel surcharge, after the air transportation has been purchased by the consumer, except in the case of an increase in a government-imposed tax or fee. A purchase is deemed to have occurred when the full amount agreed upon has been paid by the consumer.
Form for filing DOT complaint. File complaint as soon as your ticket is cancelled.

Link to PDF of enforcement bodies for European customers affected. File complaint as soon as your ticket is cancelled.


Tips for DOT Complaint:
  • File on DOT for every ticket number affected.
  • If you have one reservation with four people traveling (four tickets) file 4 DOT complaints, one per ticket.
  • If you have separate reservations, file a DOT complaint for each.
  • The DOT complaint website may take several minutes to load, depending on demand.
  • When you go to upload a file, be careful as it will reset all your radio buttons. So, if you want a copy of the complaint, make sure you double check that "Yes" is still selected before submitting, especially if you upload a file.

Template For Complaint:
United has unilaterally cancelled my ticket without my consent.

Facts:
1. The ticket was ticketed (had a ticket number).
2. I received a confirmation number, ticket number, and emails stating both
3. The ticket was paid for and my credit card charged.

United must reinstate the ticket within its original cabin. This trip is for travel TO the United States.

At no time during the booking process was any other fare than the Danish Krone equivalent displayed. As a reasonable, prudent consumer, I believed I was paying the price displayed to me on the website. United never sent or displayed the equivalent fare in any other currency.

Trip Details
Ticket #: 016XXXXXXXXXX
PNR: XXXXXX
Routing: LHR-EWR-LAX-HNL

Attachments: Attached is a document showing the ticket, routing, and providing proof that the reservation was ticketed.

Filename: Cancelled - UA Reservation - LHR-EWR-LAX-HNL - XXXXXX - 016XXXXXXXXXX.pdf

+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Relevant Law |
| http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/399.88 |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
399.88 Prohibition on post-purchase price increase.

(a) It is an unfair and deceptive practice within the meaning of 49 U.S.C. 41712 for any seller of scheduled air transportation within, to or from the United States, or of a tour (i.e., a combination of air transportation and ground or cruise accommodations), or tour component (e.g., a hotel stay) that includes scheduled air transportation within, to or from the United States, to increase the price of that air transportation, tour or tour component to a consumer, including but not limited to an increase in the price of the seat, an increase in the price for the carriage of passenger baggage, or an increase in an applicable fuel surcharge, after the air transportation has been purchased by the consumer, except in the case of an increase in a government-imposed tax or fee. A purchase is deemed to have occurred when the full amount agreed upon has been paid by the consumer.

+-------------------------------------------------------+
| Relevant FAQ |
| http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/rules/EAPP_2_FAQ.pdf |
+-------------------------------------------------------+
Does the prohibition on post-purchase price increases in section 399.88(a) apply in the situation where a carrier mistakenly offers an airfare due to a computer problem or human error and a consumer purchases the ticket at that fare before the carrier is able to fix the mistake?

Section 399.88(a) states that it is an unfair and deceptive practice for any seller of scheduled air transportation within, to, or from the United States, or of a tour or tour component that includes scheduled air transportation within, to, or from the United States, to increase the price of that air transportation to a consumer after the air transportation has been purchased by the consumer, except in the case of a government-imposed tax or fee and only if the passenger is advised of a possible increase before purchasing a ticket. A purchase occurs when the full amount agreed upon has been paid by the consumer. Therefore, if a consumer purchases a fare and that consumer receives confirmation (such as a confirmation email and/or the purchase appears on their credit card statement or online account summary) of their purchase, then the seller of air transportation cannot increase the price of that air transportation to that consumer, even when the fare is a mistake.
-----
Tips for retrieving your ticket number:
  1. paste(right click copy link location first) following link into your web browser
  2. change XXXXXX next to COPNR= for your reservation number and LASTNAME next to LN= for you SURNAME
  3. go to the webpage address you have just created

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/app...NRCD=2/11/2015


Originally Posted by MatthewLAX
Originally Posted by MatthewLAX View Post
R E L A X

Breathe deep.

Congrats on all who got in.

Now comes the fun part.

1. Discovery - mistake fare is posted on FT. Novices frantically checks how much vacation time they have and if the dates of availability mesh with their schedules. Experienced FTers just book it and worry about contacting spouses or their boss later. Word spreads like wildfire.

2. Excitement - Tickets purchased, confirmation emails received and dates of travel shared with other FTers. Discussions of what to see and do and where to stay crop up in other threads. Novices contact source to change seats or inquire about upgrades, Seasoned FTers sit back and enjoy reading the discussion threads.

3. Stress Stage 1 - Concern over paper ticket delivery - Novices Frantically check otheFedEx website every few hours, constant monitoring of driveway for FedEx truck. Seasoned FT veterans sit back and relax.

4. Glee and happiness - Paper tickets in hand, vacation request submitted, spouses finally informed, hotel reservations made and bragging to friends and co-workers begins. Both novices and experts get very excited.

5. Stress Stage 2 - Rumors of fare not being honored, discussion threads about the airline and ticketing agency ensue. Rumors crop up like crabgrass at this stage. Many FTers begin to worry excessively about whether or not the trip will happen. Novices make non-refundable and financial committments to their trip. Seasoned FTers make mixed drinks (and maybe a sandwich) and is patient.

6. Reality Check - Accurate information is obtained - usually takes place a week to 10 days after mistake fare is published. Confirmed information from the source as to whether or not tickets will be honored.

7a. Pure Joy (Icelandair style- Fare is Honored) - Lots of happy people, FT threads on shared information regarding hotels, restaurants, tours, etc. Jealousy from others sets in. First "FT guinea pigs" embark, post confirmation threads that all is ok.


7b Hostile Feelings (Copa Airlines Style - fare is not honored) - Many angry and disappointed FTers. Refunds are issued. Novices have multiple discussion threads of lawsuits and hostile correspondence, FT pros mutter "c'est la vie" and look for the next fare mistake.

8a Success (Honored) - Trip Report thread becomes very active


Freedom of Information Act Request
File #2015-147, Office of the Secretary of Transportation - Receipt acknowledged 3/13/15

http://www.dot.gov/individuals/foia/office-secretary-foia-information

Relevant excerpt from my request on 2/24/15. There no need for multiple requests for the same thing, though feel free to request more or different information obviously. I'll post any updates as I get them.

"Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S. C. subsection 552, I am requesting access to any and all records of correspondence, including electronic, between anyone working for, or on the behalf of, United Airlines and its subsidiaries, and with anyone working for, or on the behalf of, the Department of Transportation; specifically this would include only the date range beginning on February 11th, 2015 through and including February 24th, 2015.

In addition, I am requesting access to any and all internal records and correspondence in relation to coming to the decision made on February 23rd, 2015 regarding the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings Determination Regarding United Airlines Mistaken Fare, with the exception of any of the consumer submitted complaints via phone, email, website, or letter. Specifically, this would be any records beginning on February 11th, 2015 through and including February 24th, 2015."
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[PREM FARE GONE] UA: NCL-EWR 600 DKK (mistaken fare) DOT ruled; see wiki for link

Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:10 pm
  #2161  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SAT
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my secretary booked a UA J class ticket for me. She booked a non-refundable ticket while I instructed her to buy a fully refundable ticket.

UA's response was: "Too bad, you booked a non-refunable ticket and you won't get your $8,000 back".

I tried claiming a 3rd party error, but that got me nowhere.

All true except for the last line
Deltahater is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:12 pm
  #2162  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Originally Posted by vision20
What was your previous response times from the DOT for your past complaints?
On my most recent one, I received an initial personalized response from DOT within 24 hours saying that it fell within their purview and they would forward it to the airline for a response, which the airline needed to provide a substantive response to within 60 days. The airline responded in ~37 days saying they would honor the tickets.
HansGolden is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:13 pm
  #2163  
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Just got my cancelation email even though the itineraries disappeared some five hours ago.
USAJerry is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:16 pm
  #2164  
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Originally Posted by Epicura
^ Couldn't agree more! Everybody makes mistakes but it's how one deals with it and is willing to take responsability for it. From a PR/customer point of view, UA is screwing up and pretty bad.
Actually, UA is doing a terrific job of dealing with this. You might not like the outcome, but they are moving VERY fast -- which is exactly what they should do if they're not going to honor the fare. Their reasoning makes perfect sense to me. They're pinning the blame on a third-party where, it would logically seem, most of the blame belongs.

If you read the comments in the UK newspaper stories, there's little sympathy for the folks who bought these tickets. That's not surprising given the facts here. Honestly, there would be ZERO sympathy except for the fact that most folks hate airlines (and, often, not unreasonably so). But being unhappy with the way UA has, in general, treated its customers isn't a terribly compelling argument that they should bend over backwards to help folks here who tried to exploit an obvious glitch in their reservation system.

Honestly, as long as they don't call us bad and evil people for buying these tickets, I have no problem with what they're doing.
iahphx is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:17 pm
  #2165  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Originally Posted by northdakota
I love the last line:

"If you would like to book your travel at the correct price, please visit united.com."
I actually really appreciate them including that line. It makes it obvious that it's a post-purchase price increase. If you want to make your case stronger and haven't filed your DOT complaint yet, go to United.com, price out your booked itinerary, screenshot, include how much they're increasing the price by.
HansGolden is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:18 pm
  #2166  
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 23
My wife booked us LHR to EWR business First. I had asked her to do multi city with OGG and LAX on the end and Rome in the middle. I was so disappointed about that all day. On one hand I am sad about not getting our first class tickets. But on the other hand it takes away the pain of not getting the crazy tickets. I know I shouldnt have these feelings. But its hard to control your emotions with these things. Its been a rollercoaster for me all day.
ecomajor is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:20 pm
  #2167  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: YOW
Posts: 2,351
The least they could have done was offer PQD and RDM as if the flights had been flown on UA. Some 1Ks might even get 100 miles if they were that generous post March 1.
SensFan is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:22 pm
  #2168  
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Originally Posted by ecomajor
My wife booked us LHR to EWR business First. I had asked her to do multi city with OGG and LAX on the end and Rome in the middle. I was so disappointed about that all day. On one hand I am sad about not getting our first class tickets. But on the other hand it takes away the pain of not getting the crazy tickets. I know I shouldnt have these feelings. But its hard to control your emotions with these things. Its been a rollercoaster for me all day.
Maui, Rome, and LA in one vacation... sounds like it would have been an awesome trip!!!
alo53 is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:23 pm
  #2169  
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
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Have a question about filing my DOT complaint. My reservation was ticketed and confirmed at 815 am Central Time when I clicked on "Manage Your Reservation" but I never got the 2nd email with the ticket number.

So I was too busy at work today to open the receipt to write down my ticket number. Now the "view receipt" had disappeared. Will the PNR be adequate for my complaint? I managed to print the View Current Reservation page before heading to work.
JetSetDave is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:25 pm
  #2170  
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: UA Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 223
One thing I do not understand: if the mistake was caused by a third party, why choose not to honor the tickets? Can't they just honor the tickets, avoid pissing off thousands of travelers (while taking a reputational hit and putting a huge effort in to deal with all customer complaints), and sue the third party vendor for the damages?
kenadams is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:28 pm
  #2171  
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
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I'm currently trying to get the name of the 3rd party vendor. Two different representatives have indicated they're not allowed to share that information, feedback which was forwarded on to the DoT.

Things happen in patterns. To date, I have never heard of an airline admitting a mistake in currency conversion that resulted in a consumer paying too much, prompting an automatic FX adjustment refund to the customer. This exposed the fact that errors are possible and the only reason they were noticed today is because the discrepancy was so large. How many times has it happened before and no one knew and paid too much? Easiest way would be to contact the 3rd party vendor and demand a flat file of their historical fx rates to compare against an industry standard (Bloomberg, IDC, etc.).

If United is using the third party vendor as a shield against honoring the fares, they should be willing to provide that information.
bthotugigem05 is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:29 pm
  #2172  
 
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Actually, UA is doing a terrific job of dealing with this. You might not like the outcome, but they are moving VERY fast -- which is exactly what they should do if they're not going to honor the fare. Their reasoning makes perfect sense to me. They're pinning the blame on a third-party where, it would logically seem, most of the blame belongs.

If you read the comments in the UK newspaper stories, there's little sympathy for the folks who bought these tickets. That's not surprising given the facts here. Honestly, there would be ZERO sympathy except for the fact that most folks hate airlines (and, often, not unreasonably so). But being unhappy with the way UA has, in general, treated its customers isn't a terribly compelling argument that they should bend over backwards to help folks here who tried to exploit an obvious glitch in their reservation system.

Honestly, as long as they don't call us bad and evil people for buying these tickets, I have no problem with what they're doing.
You are missing a few points:
UA is passing the buck and blaming a 3rd party. Not right
UA is accusing the customers of "taking advantage ....
UA, at least on the surface is violating DOT rules
UA is canceling tickets first and then informs the passenger
UA is not apologizing or doing anything to make this any better

The only thing they did right was make a (wrong) decision quickly
Deltahater is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:29 pm
  #2173  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Originally Posted by mtndave47
Have a question about filing my DOT complaint. My reservation was ticketed and confirmed at 815 am Central Time when I clicked on "Manage Your Reservation" but I never got the 2nd email with the ticket number.

So I was too busy at work today to open the receipt to write down my ticket number. Now the "view receipt" had disappeared. Will the PNR be adequate for my complaint? I managed to print the View Current Reservation page before heading to work.
I have the same issue although I thought I had captured the ticket number when I took a PDF of the itenary on United.com that said I had been confirmed and ticketed. But I mark this mistake up to being a noob and my first experience with a mistake fare.

However, I did go ahead and submit the form with Confirm # and PDF stating the flight was confirmed and being ticketed. Might as well give it a shot
SpiderFlyerTX is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:30 pm
  #2174  
 
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Your itinerary cannot be retrieved, since it does not contain any active flight segments. If you require assistance, please contact United Reservations.

It's been exciting day , at least for 12 hours. I thought they would not catch my flight as I used non US CC but didn't work. wonder what I am suppose to do right now . Call UA ? or claiming the case
bargainlover is offline  
Old Feb 11, 2015, 9:32 pm
  #2175  
 
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Originally Posted by bthotugigem05
I'm currently trying to get the name of the 3rd party vendor. Two different representatives have indicated they're not allowed to share that information, feedback which was forwarded on to the DoT.

Things happen in patterns. To date, I have never heard of an airline admitting a mistake in currency conversion that resulted in a consumer paying too much, prompting an automatic FX adjustment refund to the customer. This exposed the fact that errors are possible and the only reason they were noticed today is because the discrepancy was so large. How many times has it happened before and no one knew and paid too much? Easiest way would be to contact the 3rd party vendor and demand a flat file of their historical fx rates to compare against an industry standard (Bloomberg, IDC, etc.).

If United is using the third party vendor as a shield against honoring the fares, they should be willing to provide that information.
That's very interesting, I hadn't thought about that. Good point.
RussianTexan is offline  

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