Seats in seen by the agent and online not matching
 

We just cleared GPU 2 days before our flight in BF. Our seats were 10A and 10B. Several hours later, while checking the seat map online, I noticed seats 3K and 3L were available and we switched us to these. They were accepted. However, when I checked my account later, "our seats" still showed 10A and 10B. I called UA and spoke to an agent and she said that we are confirmed in 3K and 3L even though on-line and on my account it still shows 10A and 10B. She said that 3K and 3L are our seats and they are what will print on the BP (and to disregard what I see in my account online as far as our seat numbers are concerned). I spoke with another UA agent and she said the same thing. I have never seen this before. Typically, when seat changes are made, they are reflected instantaneously in my account. Has anyone experienced this before?

This has happened to me 5 times in the last 5 weeks
Every time I have ended up with the seat the agent confirms me as having
I've just put it down to non sync'd systems

Same thing happened to me which I discussed here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19035626-post465.html

Thank you for the responses. As long as the new selected seats remain intact, we are happy.

united.com and premier agent show us in different seats. Who to believe?
 

Short version:
Website and the agent show us in different seats. Who do I believe?

Long version:
I'm watching the seat assignments of an upcoming reservation. Noticed that our 3 seats were split up on the upcoming IAH-TPA leg. (Weather issues make an equipment change not surprising.) I start to get annoyed and notice that rows 10 and 12 both have d-e-f free. So I try and switch our seats to that. Website accepts it, but a second later shows us still in our old seats, but the seats I asked for are mysteriously now occupied. Repeat the process with the other empty row. Same thing. Call the agent. The agent says, you are in 10-D-E-F already. Is the website just slow? How long should I wait for it to update? I'd really like to not be one of those people at the gate asking for a seat shuffle to not have our toddler 10 rows back by herself...

(Sure, weather may screw up this flight anyway, but the longer I make sure we have seats together, the better chance we keep seats together.)

Thanks Mod for moving this! I presume from the previous posts to trust, at least for now, the agent. Do the website and record eventually sync up?

Yes, it is a known issue with the website. As long as the three seats you picked now show as taken, and the agent confirms it, you should be good. Yes it will eventually sync up

There was discussion of it a while back, but I can't find it.

Thanks! Hopefully I don't find out what happens if there is another equipment swap/irrops on this flight. Though given the hurricane I expect not to be so lucky.

Ask the agent to manually check the manifest. If they are there you are good.

Well, I had 12C booked on a 320. Checked in and still had 12C. Checked back 2 hours later to see where I was on the upgrade list and bam, equipment change to the other version of 320 with no row 12. They put me in seat 37D. Only thing left in E+ was 1 center seat. I called (got a USA call center) and they switched me to the flight leaving 1 hour earlier and got exit row aisle. yes, I pulled a little DYKWIA by saying not a very nice way to treat a million miler by putting me in the last row of the plane because of an equipment swap. I did say it in a joking and fun manner and she took it that way. Lady was very nice and even made the suggestion of the earlier flight as it had the exit row aisle. She put me on hold for a while to uncheck me in, swap me to the earlier flight and check me into it then sync my reservation so it would not destroy the remaining legs (this is my outbound). Not really happy about leaving an hour earlier as it means I have to get up at 4am instead of 5am. But hey, at least I will be comfortable now.

So word of caution, never book row 12 on a 320 if you can help it as it may change to the other version of 320 that doesn't have a row 12 and then you will get put in the last row of the plane.

Answering my own question: Immediately before OLCI, and the seats shown were still the old ones. But OLCI gave no hiccup and showed the correct, new seats.

(As a second check of what seats were listed, when I did a trial booking of the flight without being logged in, I could see the new seats occupied and the old seats available.)