Talking to UA - Text Message
 

I've always been a fan of chat vs. voice, even if it takes a little longer.

My original flights were taken off of the schedule and iI didn't like the ones I was assigned to. UA.com kept erroring out when I tried to change, saying "Unable to retrieve the award calendar."

I went on UA.com and was disappointed to see that the chat feature was removed - or so I thought. I called them up and the recording offered to send me a text and chat that way. I was like "Sure."

I got my text and started to use it. The first time it accidentally cut me off, but the second time I was quickly able to direct myself to an agent. It's 2:15am Eastern US time and I got an agent in less than 1 minute of waiting. My impression if it is similar to the chat, although I think I like using the native chat app. I'm on a Mac so the text message platform is synced with my phone, however android users might have an issue with this.

It's a good feature. Not as reliable as the 1K email/voice but I've used it a few times. It's good for when you have a simple, very specific request (eg. flight change) and you can just type out your flight numbers / airports without an agent trying to understand your request / accent / whatever. On one or two occasions, I got disconnected from an agent and had to restart the chat/text.

If you don't want to do the type/wait/type/wait dance, simply DM them on twitter. UA's social team is fantastic in that they know the rules well.

I wouldn't advise sending pii on social media. Dm or otherwise

And that's exactly what I did. I gave her the exact flight numbers and dates, with departure and arrival times to back up the numbers. I admit it might not be easy for a back and forth with suggestions, although the agent was able to copy and paste what she found in the computer.

DM on any major social platform is far more secure than something like email, which runs on the ancient smtp protocol. By implying it's insecure, we're steering customers away from one of the most efficient and elegant CS touch points UA has released in decades.

Thanks so much for this suggestion. I had a schedule change that reduces my layover and I wanted to take a new flight instead. The flights aren't until May.

So, I DM'd United with my confirmation, what flight I was on and what flight I wanted to change to and they got back to me 5 minutes later. I am still in the process of getting it changed, but it is a lot easier than sitting on the phone.

Thanks for the suggestion.

While it's doubtful that any single message will be intercepted from any mechanism, I would not consider any electronic communication to truly be secure. There have been way too many security breaches, and I'm willing to bet that 100% of all personal information people have freely given to social media platforms is on the dark web (whether stolen or sold by employees for a quick buck).

It's all about what level of risk you're willing to take for the benefit.

Was offered the text option while on the 1K line on hold today. Decided to give it a try. Not good. First had to navigate a relentless series of menus trying to weed me out. (The reason I was on hold on the 1K line was that I had a request I was unable to complete using the website.) Once the text system decided I *could* text with a human, there was a very long delay (10+ minutes) before the agent came along. From that point, it was straight-forward, but I got the feeling that the agent was over-tasked with several conversations, given the long delays between each text.

So, in summary, I like the concept of this option, but there needs to be a much quicker and responsive interface so that the end result doesn't take significantly longer than a call. Obviously YMMV, so congrats to the people who were able to quickly handle their needs via Premier Chat.

Wow...10 minutes? I had to wait almost an hour the second time I tried it. The first time wait was less than 10 minutes. The first time the whole problem was resolved in another 10 or so minutes. My impression was very good, particularly as I had been on hold twice for an hour each, prior to taking the text option..

But the second time (actually fixing another problem from the first text discussion), after the hour wait, another hour with two humans, and the problem is still not resolved.

agreed…10 minutes is not that long…sometimes can be hours for text. It’s very variable, IME. But also nice you don’t have to keep ‘on the line’ while waiting.

IME, this option is fine for simple things…a PITA for the menus but once you’re through those and get the agent, it’s fine…for simple items. Would use for things like confirming items, seat changes, asking basic generic questions, etc. wouldn’t use for booking/changing flights, upgrades, etc.

if you use the ‘iPhone’ option, also nice because the next time, you don’t have to call in…you can just find the old thread, write back there and you get to the menu. Alternatively, you can also use Twitter DM for a similar experience…may or may not be faster. Can check both to see what’s faster also.

I just tried using United Text Messaging to apply an "Instant Upgrade Fare" upgrade to First class on one leg of an upcoming trip. The agent on the texting had no idea what I was talking about and said that I must be confused. The interactions extended for 40 minutes without any resolution. I called the 1K line after that and was able to have the Instant Upgrade applied right away. If United is going to offer the test messaging option, they should inform their texting agents of United policies.