UAs Official Response to HKG Ticketing/IT Error: Redeem @ Correct Amount or Redeposit
Jul 19, 2012, 8:15 am
#1366
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: PHL
Posts: 656
Just leave us forever hanging in the breeze and never give us an answer? If nobody actually files a complaint with the DOT because of an "action" taken by UA, then UA just keeps us guessing until our flight time. Or is the DOT compelled at this point to issue a ruling on their investigation?
I'm assuming no one has filed an official complaint at this point. Has anyone?
I'm assuming no one has filed an official complaint at this point. Has anyone?
Jul 19, 2012, 8:16 am
#1367
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ORD
Posts: 870
UA should have cancelled all the 4 mile tickets on Monday. Personally I think the whole “honor error fare” is nonsense, plus it will set a bad example for the future. What UA needs to do right now is improving its service and performance, not rewarding greedy. People attracted to here because of error fares will normally show no-loyalty to UA. They will hope the mistakes keep coming and each time they will jump in with no mercy. On the other hand, the potential revenue passengers may end up with no seat to buy or think twice before purchase since UA ticket can be obtained at zero cost.
By the way, I am also in the game, bought 1 RT on Sunday. Maybe greedy is indeed part of human nature like others said. I just so sad today America gives so many opportunities to people to release such nature, from wall-street to main-street.
Oh, forget to add, For UA elite member, don’t be silly to think it’s a good revenge time. The current UA management team will not swallow the cost peacefully. You may see further benefit cuts in near future.
By the way, I am also in the game, bought 1 RT on Sunday. Maybe greedy is indeed part of human nature like others said. I just so sad today America gives so many opportunities to people to release such nature, from wall-street to main-street.
Oh, forget to add, For UA elite member, don’t be silly to think it’s a good revenge time. The current UA management team will not swallow the cost peacefully. You may see further benefit cuts in near future.
Why don't you proactively call and make them cancel your RT? That's right, you will whine here about how greedy everyone else is, while you will secretly want a free first class ticket yourself. This is just sad. So it's UA's fault for giving you the opportunity to be greedy?
I don't know if I should laugh or cry.
Jul 19, 2012, 8:16 am
#1368
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2002
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Jul 19, 2012, 8:16 am
#1369
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 690
I don't think complaints should be filed until UA makes the business decision to cancel the purchased tickets. Maybe someone who was charged the full amount has made a complaint, although I think they would have a much weaker case.
Jul 19, 2012, 8:18 am
#1370
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Just leave us forever hanging in the breeze and never give us an answer? If nobody actually files a complaint with the DOT because of an "action" taken by UA, then UA just keeps us guessing until our flight time. Or is the DOT compelled at this point to issue a ruling on their investigation?
I'm assuming no one has filed an official complaint at this point. Has anyone?
I'm assuming no one has filed an official complaint at this point. Has anyone?
Jul 19, 2012, 8:18 am
#1371
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SAN
Programs: UA 1MM/1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 6,832
If I were UA management I would find it very hard to comprehend the notion that my "most loyal customers" were the ones who take gleeful pride in taking advantage of a regrettable but honest mistake.
In fact, I find it hard to comprehend how I or anyone who runs a business - and I'm sure there are more than a few on this discussion who do so - should somehow prefer doing business with those who would gladly hurt me instead of those who seek to conduct their business relationships according to how they would want to be treated.
In fact, I find it hard to comprehend how I or anyone who runs a business - and I'm sure there are more than a few on this discussion who do so - should somehow prefer doing business with those who would gladly hurt me instead of those who seek to conduct their business relationships according to how they would want to be treated.
Call me a pinko if you will, but I think it's problematic to apply notions of ethics to customer-corproation relations. United doesn't care about its customers. The stockholders don't care about the customers. All they care about is separating us from as much of our money as they can. I don't say this is a judgment (that's topic for OMNI); that's what corporations do. So they're just doing what they have to do. But painting UA and its customers with the same moral brush, I think, is fundamentally misguided.
So to go back to your initial point, if I were UA management I would find it rather easy to comprehend the notion that my "most loyal customers" were taking gleeful pride in taking the maximum advantage of a regrettable but honest mistake. It's precisely what corporations like UA do: find and exploit every way possible to maximize returns on their investments.
Jul 19, 2012, 8:19 am
#1372
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: US Silver, UA Plat, HHonors Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 212
Now, “DOT is looking into a number of complaints received from passengers about United rescinding the frequent-flyer tickets,’’ DOT spokesman Bill Mosley said.
Jul 19, 2012, 8:20 am
#1373
formerly known as Frugal Travel Guy
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Programs: UA Gold, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Silver, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 1,925
If official complaints have been filed, my question is already answered. The previous post suggests that tickets have been rescinded. Is that fact at this point?
Jul 19, 2012, 8:20 am
#1374
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: Benicia, California, USA
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Posts: 10,820
I would tend to agree with you under normal circumstances. And there is no doubt some people that took advantage of this were motivated by greed. But many people who post here fly UA regularly and have had to sit idly by while UA has taken advantage of ans even abused some of us over the last 4 months. People were stuck in China for 3 days and UA refused to put them on other carriers to get them home. Others have missed weddings and funerals due to MX's and the new UA refused to either issue refunds or get them to their destinations on other carriers. In short, UA has really abused many many passengers since the merger. Passengers that the old UA would have helped it taken care of. I did not get in on this deal. Not cuz I was against it but because I saw no reason to grab a flight just cuz it's free. I fly enough and have no interest in flying more. Most people got 1-2 tickets for themselves and took advantage of a glitch in an otherwise VERY rigid system that allows no compromise. Some took advantage and IMO I hope UA makes it hard on them to fly. But for most of these people - have a happy trip
+1 on this. I has a recent itinerary where UA truly stuffed me around, on 1 itinerary I had about 7 separate incident worthy of complaint
1) ICN-SFO, arrived at airport flight 5 pm flight cancelled. Took them 3 hours to arrange transport to a hotel. UA staff member tells us "oh this happens maybe 20 days a month!"
2) At hotel get message under door, we will pick you up at 10am for 2 pm flight, but on the bus someone says, actually we are on a 5pm flight. So not only was flight 24 hours late but their messing us around meant we couldn't actually use that time visiting Seoul.
3) Check in took 3 hours as staff didn't really know how to do it! Turned out later they had re-booked and cancelled our flight.
4) SFO-EWR, supposed to be in J but we were downgraded (perhaps if they had known what they were doing at 1), 2), 3) would have been OK. No apologies.
5) EWR-Montreal. Lucky I checked the day before because my booking now says flights is cancelled, spent 2 hours on phone fixing. 1st CSR tells me (after 1/2 hour on hold), you cancelled it so you need to pay $150/ticket and wouldn't be convinced or transfer us to a supervisor. Hang up and rang again, next CSR fortunately did have more than half a brain cell.
6) arrive at airport and checked in, get to gate - sorry your flight is cancelled.
7) Arrive at Montreal, no bags! Fortunately our next flight was AC and they were much more helpful when we got to Vancouver.
So you wonder why people are happy to stiff UA, perhaps because UA stiff them all the time.
1) ICN-SFO, arrived at airport flight 5 pm flight cancelled. Took them 3 hours to arrange transport to a hotel. UA staff member tells us "oh this happens maybe 20 days a month!"
2) At hotel get message under door, we will pick you up at 10am for 2 pm flight, but on the bus someone says, actually we are on a 5pm flight. So not only was flight 24 hours late but their messing us around meant we couldn't actually use that time visiting Seoul.
3) Check in took 3 hours as staff didn't really know how to do it! Turned out later they had re-booked and cancelled our flight.
4) SFO-EWR, supposed to be in J but we were downgraded (perhaps if they had known what they were doing at 1), 2), 3) would have been OK. No apologies.
5) EWR-Montreal. Lucky I checked the day before because my booking now says flights is cancelled, spent 2 hours on phone fixing. 1st CSR tells me (after 1/2 hour on hold), you cancelled it so you need to pay $150/ticket and wouldn't be convinced or transfer us to a supervisor. Hang up and rang again, next CSR fortunately did have more than half a brain cell.
6) arrive at airport and checked in, get to gate - sorry your flight is cancelled.
7) Arrive at Montreal, no bags! Fortunately our next flight was AC and they were much more helpful when we got to Vancouver.
So you wonder why people are happy to stiff UA, perhaps because UA stiff them all the time.
Nothing wrong with those people.
I have no sympathy for UA either and I wish those people who get the
tickets will have fun when traveling.
When an airline keeps lying about many things (TODs, upgrades....),
this airline has no basic honesty.
When an airline chooses a crap IT system just to save money, it's their
choice and it's this airline causes many of the problem.
They feel it's right things to do to cause employees and customers inconvenience and
they get what they pay for.
Like loyalty is a two way street, BASIC HONESTY is too.
When the new UA feel it's right for them not to honor what they have promised to their MMs, they didn't have basic honesty.
They feel that they can change the program because of the MP rules even
it's not honesty.
Why can't people do the same thing to them - follow the rules, DOT rules?
They show people an airline doesn't need to have basic honesty and people show them not only they can do that.
I have no sympathy for UA either and I wish those people who get the
tickets will have fun when traveling.
When an airline keeps lying about many things (TODs, upgrades....),
this airline has no basic honesty.
When an airline chooses a crap IT system just to save money, it's their
choice and it's this airline causes many of the problem.
They feel it's right things to do to cause employees and customers inconvenience and
they get what they pay for.
Like loyalty is a two way street, BASIC HONESTY is too.
When the new UA feel it's right for them not to honor what they have promised to their MMs, they didn't have basic honesty.
They feel that they can change the program because of the MP rules even
it's not honesty.
Why can't people do the same thing to them - follow the rules, DOT rules?
They show people an airline doesn't need to have basic honesty and people show them not only they can do that.
You know what.. I make mistakes sometimes too. In fact, no lie, the last intercontinental flight I booked on united, I accidentally booked my return on the wrong day and didn't discover this til the last day. Yes, it was a completely idiotic move but an honest mistake. Of course when I called united to move my flight to one day earlier, not only did I have to spend 53 minutes on the phone with them for this simple task, but the end result was that the fare difference would be over $2500 (economy ticket where the original was around 700). I could not afford this so consequently I paid for my mistake and missed an important meeting at work because I flew back too late.
This is not the first time I’ve unsuccessfully tried to change a ticket. I can go on and on. On many occasions I've been blatantly lied to on the phone by united representatives. They try anything to scrape every last penny out of their customer in cases like this.
I do not understand why it makes me a bad person to want to take a flight that they issued to me by mistake. United doesn't go easy on me when I make a mistake, they never have, and never will.
This is not the first time I’ve unsuccessfully tried to change a ticket. I can go on and on. On many occasions I've been blatantly lied to on the phone by united representatives. They try anything to scrape every last penny out of their customer in cases like this.
I do not understand why it makes me a bad person to want to take a flight that they issued to me by mistake. United doesn't go easy on me when I make a mistake, they never have, and never will.
No doubt people would take advantage of this glitch if some other airline made this kind of mistake. Witness the recent SQ fiasco. But there's a particular vehemence on the part of many because of how they've been treated by UA: a resulting lack of sympathy for UA; and a poetic justice that an IT glitch is hurting UA after so many UA IT glitches have hurt passengers, with little or no UA effort to make up for these mistakes.
Last edited by Thunderroad; Jul 19, 2012 at 8:57 am
Jul 19, 2012, 8:25 am
#1375
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: UA PP, AA, DL, BA, CX, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 2,002
regarding DoT complaints, I think the same rule applies as taxes :
you can't sue against a future tax code until the tax is implemented and imposed.
similarly, until UA unilaterally begins to cancel, i'm not sure if we could file a complaint preemptively (because no known negative action has yet to occur, despite claims of pending occurrence from UA Insider).
you can't sue against a future tax code until the tax is implemented and imposed.
similarly, until UA unilaterally begins to cancel, i'm not sure if we could file a complaint preemptively (because no known negative action has yet to occur, despite claims of pending occurrence from UA Insider).
Jul 19, 2012, 8:29 am
#1376
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Dubai / NYC
Programs: EK-IO, UA-1K2MM, ETIHAD-GOLD, SPG-PLAT LIFETIME, JUMEIRAH SERIUS GOLD
Posts: 5,220
More of the same jealousy from someone who clearly didn't book a ticket and is now upset that his status on United is devalued as a result. When United starts letting me cancel all my tickets four days after it has been ticketed and booked, I will start showing them the same regard. Until then, I expect them to honor my ticket or possibly face whatever a DOT fine, if the DOT follows its own clearly stated rules.
Jul 19, 2012, 8:30 am
#1377
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 690
Aren't we approaching 100% on the hobo theorem?
Jul 19, 2012, 8:32 am
#1378
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: UA PP, AA, DL, BA, CX, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 2,002
Jul 19, 2012, 8:34 am
#1379
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Alabama
Programs: Not care as much as before...
Posts: 329
