divemistressofthedark

Hey folks, I'm trying to change my name on my Worldperks account so I can link DL and NWA, transfer miles DL>NWA and buy a ticket for an upcoming trip to LHR. Long story short, I got married. As directed, I faxed my info with a government issued ID to a number I can look up and post if needed, but is available on NWA.com.

So, it's been a few days, and I decide to follow up with a call to the WorldPerks Service Center (1-800-447-3757). This results in an automated voice system which doesn't provide an option to speak to a representative. Pressing 0 gets you nowhere; speaking gibberish, which usually makes these systems transfer to a representative, provides a recording in which callers are told there's nobody available to take the call due to "heavy call volume".

So I call the regular 800 number, wait on hold 10 or so minutes, and reach an agent named "Debbie" who tells me these changes take up to 14 days.

????!!!!! TWO WEEKS to type six letters into my account summary fields, resulting from something as simple as my having got married and changed my name?

Unbelievable! So I ask a few more things about how I can follow up on this - am not even allowed to finish a sentence - am told that's "standard policy" and essentially that I can go pound sand. Of course, at the end of this two weeks my ticket will likely have increased in price, not that NWA gives a [hoot].

I ask said agent for an ID number or some other identifier and she tells me they "don't have them."

WOW. I think this is really mindbogglingly bad service. I suspect it'd be a different story if men had to perform this function after getting married. It'd be a simple phone call, not some foolishness of faxing in, then not being provided a number to check up on things, then being told you get to wait literally weeks when other companies can do this over the phone.

fti

I know people who book travel shortly after getting married in their maiden name and only apply for a new passport, name changes, etc. after they return. It is much easier than what you are trying to do, as you unfortunately see.


Pretty sexist and untrue remark. You think men never take the woman's name after marriage? Sadly mistaken - it does happen and they are bound by the exact same rules. Too much potential for fraud with airline frequent flyer accounts to handle it any other way.

jhayes_1780

How do you know that this is all NW needs to do? Are you sure they might not take a little extra time to verify that everything is legitimate (that no one is trying to defraud the system via name change)?

While I agree 2 weeks seems a little long, IME (with UA not NW) they said it would take a "couple of weeks" and it was done much faster (underpromise, overdeliver).

ADDED: Plus, is it fair to say they might be getting hemmered with name change/corrections right now with the new TSA rules?

Unacceptable

Save it for OMNI

3Cforme

Inquiring minds want to know: How many days elapsed between the happy nuptials and the fax to NW?

divemistressofthedark

Hey folks, just an update - sorry for getting carried away on that first post there. I was just really pretty PO'd - and still am, actually...but what I meant to say was if "everyone" had to do that name change it'd be easier. Which I actually do believe.

Anyway, I called up Amex PLAT hotline to see if they had any magic to work. Long story short, the Concierge desk told me I can simply book NWA fares using my DL account and that I'm not necessarily required to link them. This'll work, b/c most of my points are in my DL account anyway. I do have 15K or so in NWA I'd like to use, but at this point I'm more concerned about having the 70K SM/WP fare to LHR get away than in using those points to begin with - and actually, using the 30% MR>DL deal running right now, it's not going to cost that much.

At this point, actually, I'm somewhat concerned about identity theft. I've been forced to reveal my passport number to process this name change (no way was I sending my driver's license or SSN card) - to an 800 number they can't or won't double check, which could be being processed anywhere in the world. I'd feel a lot better if the CSAs answering the phone were a bit more responsive, and a bit less "get lost" in their attitudes towards customers.

HD_3

I changed my WP # when we got married, although I can't recall how long it took, but it was no where near 14 days....

If you are worried about someone getting your SSN#, passport or DL#, black it out before you fax it. All they are looking for is that you last name has been changed. I did that when I sent in my Drivers license and had no problems.

Now, I just did it this morning for my Delta Skymiles account (I only flew Delta one time and didn't even remember I had a skymiles account. But when I went to link my NWA and DELTA account, it wouldn't let me because my NWA account I changed, and my DELTA one still had my old name on it.

How frustrating - it shouldn't have to be all the hoops and bells to get something like this changed..... sheesh, it would have been quicker to just sign up for a new Skymiles account #!!

fti

Unfortunately it has to be this way - to prevent fraud. Plain and simple. The airlines are not the only industry making it hard to change names on things. And actually it is not all that hard, just some paperwork.

reddawngrl

I doubt that, at least on the airlines end. We who get married have to supply the paperwork and the airlines merely change a name on the computer screen.

In my case, I had about five itins booked in my maiden name when I got married (hey! we planned it all and tied knot in 1.5 months - no flaming!). So the reissue desk had to reissue all of my booked trips in my new name. On a side note, I had one trip booked with CO. when I attempted to get them to reissue that ticket in my new name (via email), they said not possible. A subsequent phone call had it done in two minutes. It's always possible.