zrs70

I just called them and had a great time with them! told them my name was “URA Scam”

localkinegrindz

Hi there!

My friend called in to the general UA number to try and change one of his reservations for the next couple of days, and someone picked up who said they're from "FlightTicketHubs" and they're authorized to make changes to reservations for UA. I was listening to the call and it was very strange as the agent was able to "provide discounts" and negotiate the change fee down significantly. We have an email from them, the changes to the reservation shows the right information but is definitely not coming from UA (as the email address is also from @flighttickethubs.com).

Has anyone experienced this before? Has he just been scammed? The UA lines have crazy wait times right now and we can't seem to find any information online. Any tips would be much appreciated!

Thank you!

nachosdelux

it is a scam in the sense that UA probably could make the changes free of charge.

BTW if you google UA, the first numbers that show up may be one of these " travel agencies" that charge you for changes to tickets

there is no way your friend called UA.

you could call them back and demand a refund, or dispute the charge on the credit card. Of course they may change the ticket back, then you would have to call UA and fix it.

WineCountryUA

Double check that -- suspect it was not

Many have been fooled , google & SEO is not your friend in these cases

It is unlikely to get to get a refund because "your friend" agreed to charge and provide a credit card. (and they did not falsely identify them selves as United.)

This sites are busy around the holidays as inexperienced flyers do not check who there are dealing with.

MSPeconomist

Have you or your friend verified with UA that they actually changed the ticket and did it correctly? Look at UA's website or app and check both the reservation/PNR and the ticket, which should have a new ticket number. I wouldn't trust just an email from the scammers.

daleweston

Hi, looking for advice from the forum. Is this the appropriate forum for a question about how UA handled a missed flight connection from EWR to DXB?

jsloan

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

Sure, this is the United Airlines forum, so questions about United's operations are on-topic.

Repooc17

UA164 has departed late frequently. Friday's flight didn't take off until after 5am, some 7.5 hrs after scheduled time.

daleweston

Great! Here is my story.

2 of us were booked TPA-EWR-DXB-EWR-DTW in economy. Our flight out of TPA had a delay due to weather but we still made it to the gate in time to run to the connecting flight. If only we could have parked at the gate. Instead we sat on the tarmac for an hour and missed the flight to DXB.

I’m not blaming UA for these issues. Things happen. But what happened next when trying to get protected is my concern.

I called into UA customer service while standing in the very long line of distressed passengers. UA had protected us on their next flight the following day (24 hours later) but this was a problem for us as we had critical business meetings that following day. Maybe my fault for booking a flight to only arrive one day early. Anyway, I explained to the UA agent that we could not wait for the next UA flight and please find us an earlier flight. The agent found us seats on emirates out of JFK that would arrive at 8a on the morning of our first day. Yes please!

Then I was advised that the new flight would cost $1600 per person! And UA would give us a future flight credit of about $600 per person. Not even real money!

Faced with little choice in the matter, along with the stress of the moment, I agreed to the terms. Now you could say I’m having a bit of buyer’s remorse.

Is my experience typical of what might expect in these circumstances? I always thought that the airline had to protect you on an acceptable replacement at no additional cost. Is this not true? If this is not what one should expect, do I have any recourse after the fact, and how should I go about addressing that with UA?

Thank you for your thoughtful and informed replies.

angetenar

Did you look for alternative options on your own? There are multiple daily EWR-DTW flights, did you see if there was an earlier one with available seats that would have worked for you? If you're calling into customer service, best to always have a desired routing in mind.

NC17376

They missed the EWR to DXB leg, not the EWR DTW return

angetenar

My bad.

Have you sent in a customer service claim? If that wasn't successful, you may try filing a DoT complaint as well.

jsloan

Well, it's not true that airlines have to protect you on an acceptable replacement flight. Particularly in the case of weather, UA will transport you on its own flights or offer you a refund. At its option, United is allowed to offer other airlines' flights at no additional charge, but I wouldn't expect an Emirates flight to be included in the options they'd suggest.

That said, I've never heard of UA charging an up-fare when you call in for re-accommodation. Silly question, but are you sure you called United? There have been occasional reports of people getting scammed by call centers advertising customer support phone numbers, who then employ agents to sit at a computer and use the public websites and then charge you for the "help." I'm particularly suspicious by the suggestion that you'd get future flight credit back, because UA's obligation to refund (to the original form of payment) is quite clear in that case.

As far as following up after the fact -- once your travel is complete, you can follow up with united.com/refunds and try to get your funds refunded. UA's refund office can be hit or miss, so if they won't budge, you can file a consumer complaint with the DOT. That only takes a few minutes, but it will ensure that a senior UA rep reads the complaint, as soon as they actually look at it, instead of mindlessly clicking the 'reject' button, your claim will be clear.

In terms of trying to get a refund of the fare difference, though, I'm not really sure what to tell you. Were you traveling in economy class?

If I do a search for flights leaving tonight, JFK-DXB in economy, I get a price of $773 for the EK nonstop. However, United can't sell you that ticket. That price is only available if you purchase directly from Emirates. So, if that's what this agent was actually doing -- buying a ticket on another airline in an attempt to be helpful -- you could have gotten a much better price without that help.

BearX220

OP, did you by any chance hunt up some viable Star Alliance connections out to DXB on LH, TK, etc.? If there was a routing / time that suited you that should have been a more straightforward bookover.

EBiafore99

OP, I am sorry to say but think UA handled this correctly. EK is not a Star Alliance member, they are only a codeshare partner with UA. If EK were a Star Alliance member with all the interlining agreements in place, UA may have been able to book you on an EK flight with no upcharge. However, a codeshare arrangement is more limited. Furthermore, if the EK flight did not have a corresponding UA flight number, that means the EK flight was not part of the codeshare arrangement. Therefore, all UA could do is check the availability and offer you what EK had available. My guess is UA provided vouchers as a goodwill gesture because of the inconvenience.