Twelve weeks go by and a bonus doesn't post. So I send in an email
with all the details. I get one of those frustrating responses, that has my
email attached, and says "Please send us your frequent flyer number." The
number was in the message already. But I comply.

Now four weeks later, my bonus has posted threefold. Previously a similar situation has resulted in double miles. The first time I pointed it out,
and they didn't do anything. Two other times I didn't bother. I'd be
interested in the view of flyertalkers how to approach this.

1. Should I take the extra bonus as goodwill points for their mistake and let it ride?
2. Should I point out the extra miles mistake to them on the grounds that if the mistake was the other way, I'd still be bugging them?
3. Should I donate the points, or an equivalent number, to charity somehow?
4. Something else?

Thanks

Uh . . . do you really want a response to this one? If you tell them and they don't care, it's not your problem.

I would only complain - or let them know - if my acccount had posted as LESS miles - NEVER let them know of excess miles! If they want to give me more miles (or dollars, points, etc...) who am I to complain?

Count your fortunes and move on. Usually, the FFP have internal audits that will catch these things. But if I was missing miles I'd be the first to complain.

Whenever I return an exam to my students, I tell them the first thing they should do is to add up all the numbers in the left margin, one by each question, to see if they total the number in the circle at the top of the front page. If they add up to more than what's in the circle, I ask them to tell me so I can fix the mistake. If they add up to less than what's in the circle, I tell them that I'll correct the error if they want me to, but I don't expect them to say anything.

Same thing with airline miles. They'll probably fix it if you ask them to - though it's not unheard of to get a "keep them as a reward for your honesty" letter - but they won't hold it against you if you sit down and shut up. Don't let it bother you. How long would you fret over a dollar bill you found in the middle of an empty parking lot?

Ahh, welcome to my world: I speak muchly on the world of airlines not posting what they promise...

'Tis the most common thing in FT, in my opinion: Yup, the problem of mileage posting and offer integrity. I see it in one way or another in nearly every section of the entire site!

It kills me that the airlines and hotels still try to play the "rebate scam" mentaility on us all--every single day, knowingly or unknowingly! (mostly the former)

they need to fix this one and it costs everyone money as long as they do not. It is where custoomer service fell apart and everyone knows it. That being said, I used to have more faith but that, and the system of service itself, has seriously erroded over the past few years alone!

Where I would one day say that you should notify them about the overage and allow them to extract the extra mileage, I would now say: Screw it! Take the miles and F**k 'EM!

Once, AA did a big baggage no no to me. I told them, they eventually compensated--with the now unheard of CASH--and I was about to move on but they paid me twice! So I called them and told them this and the lady said, "well, thanks for being honest. Firstly, sir, it involves more paperwork than it's worth to take back the extra money from you now, and secondly, because you were upfront about this, I will personnaly allow you to keep the extra $200."

With that, I knew I liked AA.

But times have changed... OH have they ever! That CS lady was probably "let go" in the wake of huge post-9/11 layoffs, and the types of people currently employed at airlines who still have their jobs are the likes of the guy who is on tape telling a flight attendant on flight 11 to "keep this quiet and stay hush hush" about the terrorist hijackings! Yup, today it's all about masking the truth! (I have heard the FBI tapes and he actually said word to that affect, and actually did say "let's keep this quiet...")

And so now, as a result, this "good customer" has reacted with changes as well: Now I am all for grabbing and using every mile I can, and who cares if they screwed up in my favor, but I'll be darned if they ever miss posting on my account for 12 weeks! Esepcially when they claim it will post a lot sooner than that.

Yup, I am changed as well, but I am not bitter. I just play the system and I know the mindset of most players who currently run it the way they do. (By the way, there are ways to PURPOSELY make them post double, but let's just say I am NOT promoting that kind of activity in this thread).

Keep the miles.
Say nothing.
Move on.
You win!

I am seriously glad to hear there's one who did win! If these airlines change the mindset or change the game, I will too. But I am only one guy trying to survive and you tell me how many fees and unavailable award seats you are willing to weather before you get a bit miffed as well. You NEED those extra miles.

In the end, of course, it could be possible that ONE good person remains at your airline who figured, "hey, this guy waited so long that we should give him something extra!"

Let's hope THAT'S it. (you see, I have hope in me too!) Either way, keep 'em! MM

...the extra miles are for the PITA it is to follow-up with e-mails, faxes, and phone calls to get what is yours to begin with.
Jeffrey

Unlike MM, who seems to think this whole thing is an adversarial competition, I tend to cooperate and get cooperation back. When US made a mistake in redepositing miles for an award I used, I told them about it the next time I called and they corrected it. It was the right thing to do.

A few months later, when something was missing from my bag, I called them up and filed a claim with an estimated amount. I was getting worried that it took so long for them to call me back to get the details when a check for the full amount showed up. I like to believe what comes around goes around.

If you've tried and it has not been corrected, I would then say you have done your fair share and can keep them without concern.

I once had a major loyalty program make a 176,000 point error in my favor. I asked them about it and had them correct the mistake. Didn't get anything special for it, either.

So I put my miles where my mouth is when it comes to being honest and attempting to crrect mistakes.

However, I don't feel a particularly strong compunction about policing all errors that a program may make in my favor. I transferred some points from Diners Club. The miles didn't post after two weeks, so I called. The miles posted and I got a phone call back confirming this. Yesterday the miles posted again. It was just 1000 miles, transferred for the NW FFF 5 promo. I called to get my 1000 miles, and I'm not going to call about the extra 1000 miles.

But if a loyalty program wants to call me to follow up on mistaken points posting, I'd be happy to
* send a form letter response, apologizing for their flight delay
* send a request for documentation that was contained in the first message
* ask them for greater patience, and to contact me again in 6-8 weeks
* finally return the extra miles as a 'goodwill gesture'

Seriously, while I am honest in my dealings with programs and point out major mistakes in my favor I do think that it is reasonable for me to look out for my own interests -- honestly and forthrightly -- and to let the programs look out for their interests.

Take the extra points and RUN

At first glance it was ... Then and ROTFLMRO ^ ^ ^

FYI: Rolling On The Floor Laughing My Rump Off

Thanks for an idea! I think I'm just going to write a form "complaint letter" and post it here. It would probably be similar to the online complaint letters we already fill out, but my gut just tells me it is a heck of a lot more amusing to have a fill-in-the-blank/multiple choice form letter to hand-fill out and mail in. I think I would add a multiple choice "compensation" section. And at the bottom, I'll even write that I was going to write a personalized letter but I knew all I would get in return is a form letter so I figured I would save my time and just fill in the blanks and circle the letters.

If the cashier gives you too much change I think we would almost all agree we have a moral obligation to point it out and return it to him/her, but with miles I think most of us view it as a game not a real currency. Maybe that's because the airlines keep changing the rules and they treat it like a game instead of a valuable currency.

The earlier example that I mentioned was another company. I guess that
wasn't clear.

Thanks everyone for the discussion. (Particularly to gleff for the laugh.)
I decided to point out the excess in an email to them. (We'll see what happens, if anything.) But I would feel pretty justified to let it slide. I
have a nagging worry that they'll take away both the excess bonus and
the bonus in the first place.

Several people have used analogies, and I guess the point to me now is the amount, and not the absolute principal. If I found $50 on the street (and I
have), I think that turning it in would be unrealistic. But a larger amount
should be turned in. Of course, I don't know where to draw the line. A
young man got quite a bit of attention when he found a bag in my
community with $9,000 and turned it in.
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...hreadid=368149

It had fallen off a Brinks truck!

[QUOTE=sosafan]
My friend saw a kid rob the pizza guy in college. he told the cops, the cop wrote his name in a book too, and later, on at least two occasions, he was considered suspect in similar thefts because said cop had written him in the wrong book.

shouldnt have brought attention to himself, perhaps.
perhaps not. They never caught the guy and the pizza guy (we found we knew him, it later turned out) did not have to pony up the missing money, which turned out to only be $10.

If you draw attention to yourself on this one, they may watch your account. Otherwise it is highly unlikely and I have not seen any airline take away such miles before. It is petty to them, and yet, huge to you!

I woudl probably return the $9grand too, but hey, if it is brinks, then it is insured. But if it iwere the Mob's money, I would DEFINIETLY return it!! they will find me if I do not.

MM