MP Accounts Closed by UA Alleging Fraud/Misuse
#1291
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 102
I have met GS who know nothing of their benefits, they knew they were Global Services and sometimes someone met them at the plane, but that was about it. Her assistant always flew coach (Company rules) but she didn't know about giving her assistant a GPU (She didn't even know what a GPU was!)
There are people out there who fly that aren't on this website (I know the horrors) and have very little clue about anything except UA takes care of them and they sit in business.
There are people out there who fly that aren't on this website (I know the horrors) and have very little clue about anything except UA takes care of them and they sit in business.
was ... I’m constantly amazed at the attitudes
here as if every traveler knew everything about every FF / CC progrsm that exists - most people in the real world have real lives not obsessed with the FT sub-culture....
#1292
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Houston, TX, USA
Programs: UA 1K, AA Lifetime Platinum, DL Platinum, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Titanium, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 7,970
They sold the miles for cash, which is a clearly prohibited transaction, and then donated the proceeds. Also, what UA cares about is not so much that the member converted some miles to cash, but that the purchased instruments are used by others to create a black market for premium cabin travel that a) is sold at far less than UA would charge, and b) where that reduced price doesn't even go to UA. Imagine an "open season" scenario where people could sell awards at will, and people could purchase and fly them, with no possible repercussions for any party. Far fewer people would purchase premium cabin travel from UA when they could get the identical product for far less in the mileage resale market. That's why UA and every other carrier gets so uptight about this sort of thing. For me, I far prefer the US carrier's solution to this (i.e. harsh enforcement) than what some overseas carriers do: limit award travel by other than the member to family members only.
#1293
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
I give my miles to my less fortunate friends and family so they can go home for holidays or funerals or whatever. I have the same 4 or 5 people's profile saved on United.com for years now - just so I can book them a ticket. Every time this thread comes up I do worry some, but A) I have never sold or received renumeration - I just followed the rules: and B) I have never tried to sell any certs or miles earned on places like Ebay or Craigslist, or indeed anywhere else. I am not sure when I became aware of this big no no, but I'm guessing when I was a true youngster and I got any communication from any airline (before the internet) I read the rules through and through. Not everyone can be an AvGeek but I do feel badly for the most recent victim - it seems UA might have given them a probationary period or something rather than the lifetime ban and all miles confiscated. So I suppose that this thread keeping going is at least worthwhile as a potential reminder to the innocent/ignorant to not end up in this situation.
On a separate note, I wonder who I would move to if it happened to me. I'm guessing AA as at least they have good partners in one world. Many of the Skymiles partners might have good service on board, but even the stronger ones aren't the best - except maybe KLM. Virgin is struggling, AF is struggling, and if I have IRROPS at ICN I suspect I would not fare as well as I do with UA or their partners. The airlines have been weak for so long - now that the US3 are strongly entrenched and making bank, I hope people take notice that to AA/DL/UA losing a good passenger of many years who is caught cheating - HQ knows they will be replaced by someone else!
On a separate note, I wonder who I would move to if it happened to me. I'm guessing AA as at least they have good partners in one world. Many of the Skymiles partners might have good service on board, but even the stronger ones aren't the best - except maybe KLM. Virgin is struggling, AF is struggling, and if I have IRROPS at ICN I suspect I would not fare as well as I do with UA or their partners. The airlines have been weak for so long - now that the US3 are strongly entrenched and making bank, I hope people take notice that to AA/DL/UA losing a good passenger of many years who is caught cheating - HQ knows they will be replaced by someone else!
#1294
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Denver & Phoenix
Programs: UA 2MM, Life UC, Global Entry (UK citizen)
Posts: 129
...Also, what UA cares about is not so much that the member converted some miles to cash, but that the purchased instruments are used by others to create a black market for premium cabin travel that a) is sold at far less than UA would charge, and b) where that reduced price doesn't even go to UA....
I.e. If an FF earns a GPU, he/she can:
1. Gift it to anyone on the planet without restriction or
2. Use it himself/herself or
3. Illegally sell/trade/barter it to someone else.
In all cases UA will lose the same amount of money.
What am I missing here?
If UA wanted to potentially save money, they could implement a rule whereby ONLY the FF who earns the GPU can use it.
#1295
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Orange County, CA, USA
Programs: AA (Life Plat), Marriott (Life Titanium) and every other US program
Posts: 6,411
I find this argument questionable.
I.e. If an FF earns a GPU, he/she can:
1. Gift it to anyone on the planet without restriction or
2. Use it himself/herself or
3. Illegally sell/trade/barter it to someone else.
In all cases UA will lose the same amount of money.
What am I missing here?
If UA wanted to potentially save money, they could implement a rule whereby ONLY the FF who earns the GPU can use it.
I.e. If an FF earns a GPU, he/she can:
1. Gift it to anyone on the planet without restriction or
2. Use it himself/herself or
3. Illegally sell/trade/barter it to someone else.
In all cases UA will lose the same amount of money.
What am I missing here?
If UA wanted to potentially save money, they could implement a rule whereby ONLY the FF who earns the GPU can use it.
#1296
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: NYC, LON
Programs: *
Posts: 2,772
if we believe that then we will believe anything. I find this explanation very implausible. If OP was selling instruments for purpose of donating all proceeds to charity then he could have asked the ''buyer" to send whatever money to the charity. Or frankly he or she could just donate them to anyome who wants them. Indeed assuming the account is true then UA would have a much stronger case against OP as represents a carefully premeditated, planned and orchestrated abuse of the program rules. Who sells GPUs and keeps records of the proceeds?
#1297
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Denver & Phoenix
Programs: UA 2MM, Life UC, Global Entry (UK citizen)
Posts: 129
Here is what you are missing. If member gifts to "anyone on the planet" it probably won't be ME. So some lucky person (almost always a friend or a relative) will get to sit in a $12,000 seat which wan't previously full, so the marginal cost to UA will be less than $12,000. But if I (ME) want to go to Chna next week in First Class, and I know that I can buy a GPU on E-bay, then I won't buy a $12,000 seat and UA will actually lose a lot of revenue.
Why does UA allow other people to use GPUs in the first place?..........If it potentially impacts their revenue.
One reason is a dark one: UA target their best customers (viz. 1K & GS) to see if they are selling or willing to sell their GPUs. They have caught many people doing this and have made (or saved) a lot of money by voiding all their GPUs and closing their MP accounts that could have contained 100's of 1000's of MP points..........We're talking $1000s per person. Customer Goodwill is not a consideration because they are doing something illegal.
BTW, I used to let my RPUs/GPUs expire if I couldn't use them.........Then (after learning of UA's business practice), I decided to make sure I gave them away..........Even to perfect strangers!
#1298
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,406
One reason is a dark one: UA target their best customers (viz. 1K & GS) to see if they are selling or willing to sell their GPUs. They have caught many people doing this and have made (or saved) a lot of money by voiding all their GPUs and closing their MP accounts that could have contained 100's of 1000's of MP points..........We're talking $1000s per person. Customer Goodwill is not a consideration because they are doing something illegal.
You're missing the big picture significantly. If upgrades were freely available, transferrable, and unlimited, the price would converge to the difference between Y and J, discounted by the chance of the upgrade clearing. If R space were available on any given route, UA may as well drop the fare to W+(cost of GPU on the open market), because they won't get any more than that.
Each limit UA puts on GPU transfers increases the spread between the market price and the lowest business class price, so it matters.
As for your argument about the lost revenue being the same -- it really, really isn't. For one thing, if GPUs are readily available on the free market, you're going to wind up with fewer 1Ks. 1K is designed to motivate people to spend more with UA, but why bother if you can buy the perks à la carte?
For another -- and this is something they don't talk about -- they understand that GPUs influence customer behavior. Since I've become 1K, I've taken international trips I wouldn't have taken otherwise, because I could justify the trip in W+GPU but not in J.
Finally, there's the breakage factor. Many upgrade instruments expire unused; many fewer would do so if they could be sold.
Most people don't bother, and UA knows this.
#1299
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NBO/ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 188
Smart point. And the larger cabins UA plans for also let them make sure not to leave money on the table by leaving behind someone willing to pay for a late booking to fly J, while also keeping elites happy. The world doesn't just revolve around us elite DYKWIAs
#1300
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1MM 1K, BA Gold
Posts: 431
Just for kicks I checked out one of the current ebay listings for 1K GPU "advice." The seller's feedback has multiple positive reviews that are exact duplicates of each other (word for word, letter for letter) but come from different members. Likely a bogus account. It's just a question of whether it's a UA investigator or a fraudster.....
Has it been confirmed that UA employees actually do this?
#1301
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,205
if we believe that then we will believe anything. I find this explanation very implausible. If OP was selling instruments for purpose of donating all proceeds to charity then he could have asked the ''buyer" to send whatever money to the charity. Or frankly he or she could just donate them to anyone who wants them. Indeed assuming the account is true then UA would have a much stronger case against OP as represents a carefully premeditated, planned and orchestrated abuse of the program rules. Who sells GPUs and keeps records of the proceeds?
#1302
Join Date: May 2015
Location: SFO
Posts: 82
I cannot comment on selling/bartering/etc. - never done this and never will. Like others, I sponsor (a) family, and (b) co-workers. Sponsoring family is straightforward, and often on tickets I am on as well. Sponsoring co-workers is technically easy - all are listed in my profile to begin with. But none, understandably, are really familiar with UA rules/details. Which leads to the majority of sponsoring requests being ineligible - sub-W fare internationally, or "can you sponsor my mother-in-laws second husband's third cousin flying UAX in an all economy RJ 200". Mind you, I always lay out UA restrictions and clear rules (one of which is: only for a co-worker) but to little avail. As a result, between my wife and I, we will have more than 20 RPUs/GPUs expire this year. But rather this scenario than ever getting into trouble for what are in my view pretty clear and sensible rules by UA.
#1303
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Denver & Phoenix
Programs: UA 2MM, Life UC, Global Entry (UK citizen)
Posts: 129
You and your wife should be receiving Birthday & Xmas presents from UA!
You do know you can give them away to Anyone On The Planet and NOT be breaking any Rules!? (I.e. Isn't there a charity you'd like to support?........Make-A-Wish Foundation for instance?)
You do know you can give them away to Anyone On The Planet and NOT be breaking any Rules!? (I.e. Isn't there a charity you'd like to support?........Make-A-Wish Foundation for instance?)
#1304
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,257
Again, I don't have any way to know if this is United or someone else. Either way, there's something hugely fishy about these accounts. I can't believe anybody would fall for it. It's like buying something that "fell off the back of a truck."