sp31415

I had booked a business fare on a redeye SFO-EWR. The plane had mechanical issues and I was given the option to switch to an economy seat on the next flight. I was told I would receive the fare difference back between the business leg and the lowest (I verified this point) economy ticket. To my disappointment, when I was refunded, the economy fare was based on a Y-class, the highest fare. My ticket had been purchased over a month in advance, so much lower fare classes were definitely available. But, UA seems unwilling to acknowledge their mistake here and give me the full difference. Thoughts on how to proceed? To me, this is a clear case of fraud and I even though I have almost a million miles for UA, I am at a point of calling it quits and changing carriers.

AnkSFO

What have you done so far in terms of escalating with customer service?

And who told you that the fare difference to cheapest economy would be refunded? Was that over the phone or in person at the service desk? Basically trying to see if you have proof it was said.

sp31415

I brought this up with customer care and they wrote that they believe their refund was correct. I spoke to the refunds department and they believe that they were correct to refund in the Y-fare class.

The agent on the phone before I switched to the other flight told me the cheapest economy fare would be refunded. Unfortunately, I have no way of accessing that recording and when I requested a copy of it just now, the agent did not know how to proceed.

WineCountryUA

The Carriage of Contract states
You need to quote this rule (27.A.3.b) and stress it was involuntary

Give UA one more chance and then DOT complaint (but that will take at least a month or two.

DJ_Iceman

Was it? "I was given the option to switch to an economy seat on the next flight" Sounds voluntary to me--switch to economy on the next flight or wait for first class on a later flight.

AnkSFO

Right. This sounds voluntary. And the refund provided is the standard one provided by United. The key is what was said to the OP over the phone by a United agent. He needs to escalate to a supervisor who can try to pull the recording.

In these circumstances, i would typically ask for then to put me on the next flight where Business was available as the refund is always BS.

WineCountryUA

I would certainty argue this was involuntary with the mechanical cancellation plus the agent stating refund would be based "lowest (I verified this point) economy ticket."

Using that there is a future flight with business space ( a day, a week, ... later) make this voluntary is bogus.

zombietooth

What I've been doing is asking for the full refund and booking a flight on another carrier. I usually come out ahead this way if I am forced into Y. If I can get into J on another carrier, I usually have to pay more out of pocket.

AJNEDC

And if the next flight is 3 days, 4 days, a week later?

Steve M

Regardless of the choice you made, it was triggered by an event outside of your control: a mechanical issue. Since UA can never force you to board any flight, including your original flight in a lower class of service, could they say that any downgrade is voluntary? That would be an absurd interpretation of what voluntary means in this situation.

docbert

The change itself is involuntary due to the cancelation. You can argue that the choice to move to economy was voluntary (although even that really depends on when the next available business class seat was), but that doesn't change the fact that the entire thing is considered an INVOL change - if not for the cancelation then the OP wouldn't have had to make the choice to downgrade.

JerseyCityS

I have a friend who was flying in a paid F fare last month from LAX MCO. They switched form a 737900 to an 800. 8 fewer seats. He was rebooked in E+, given a full refund, plus a 1000.00 travel credit. Not a bad deal.

In reading the original post, oftentimes the F fare when in P, or C, etc, is actually less than Y. I can't remember when I've actuallyseen a full Y fare offered for sale. They are usually outrageously high.

mduell

OP didn't say cancellation, he said mechanical issues.

danielflyer

This is also how I see it. The first change is involuntary and that is all that matters. Failing to accept a later business flight does not magically make the downgrade voluntary.

AJNEDC

Generally they are used for fare construction purposes. Off the top of my head in combination with J or F fares. IRRC the delta between those fares and J fares were not that much.