My daughters travel story with United this weekend. Please let me know what you can do to help rectify this.
:td:
I put my daughter on Flight 6202 United Airlines in Oklahoma City, OK Sunday morning December 30, 2012. She arrived in Los Angeles late so she missed her connecting flight. The flight attendant right before they landed got on the plane speaker and said we have a young lady who is running late for her connecting flight so when we land could everyone stay seated so she can try to make her flight. The attendant never approached my daughter and told her she might miss her flight. When they landed she felt bad but quickly walked down the aisle and hustled to her gate. The plane was still there but the gate had been retracted so they told her she missed the flight and to go to the United desk and they would get her another flight. She did that and after waiting in line at the counter was told they could get her out on an American flight at around 11:30. They told her she needed to take a bus to Americans terminal and check in and they would get her in on her flight. She did this and when she made it to front of the line and gave the agent the information United had given her. They informed her united reserved the ticket but didn't pay for it (which they says happens all the time) and there wasn't enough time for her to get back to United to get this handled so she would miss the flight. She went back to United who told her they could get her on a 4:30 flight oops its full will get you out at 6:30 pm. Then the agent told her to hop on a bus and go to the beach for the day after all she was in LA. She called me sobbing. When she asked what they were going to do to compensate her for she was told she had to wait until she got to Sacramento and talk to United there. I called United and was left on hold for over an hour and a half. In the mean time my daughter called my sister who happened to be on vacation in LA and couldn’t calm my daughter down so she told my daughter hang on I’m coming. My sister used her computer and bought her another ticket with Southwest last minute for around $200 printed out a pass to get her through security and drove it to the airport and hugged my daughter and handed her the ticket and she got out of LA. The girl [name removed, per FT Rules] from the Philliphines told me she was trying to fix this. I told her I’m putting my child on another airline then she said she’d cancel the leg from LA to Sacramento and make sure we received a refund. I told her the entire ticket of $416 should be refunded for all the drama United made her live through and they were putting me through. She told me she was adding to the notes and the refund department would process a refund. She also told me Customer care would be calling me and asked for my number so they could reach me later that day because there were to many people on hold to further help me. I waited six hours before calling back. Then I explained once again why I was calling I was put on hold for 35 minutes then shoved in to a que where the machine starts telling me to push buttons for help then I get a new operator I start all over again and then told to wait for a supervisor which took another 30 minutes. Then [a new agent] got on the phone and I started over again (by now I’m really losing my patience.) I told her I’ve been waiting for a call all day because [the previous agent] said I would get one. She said no one will call you we don’t do that. So I stated I was flat out lied to by your rep and she said yes. I ask what United is going to do about this mess and she says that a question for Customer Care Monday – Friday. I said what happens if there is a problem on the weekend? She said you call during business hours and they can help you. She said she was noting my daughters account and Customer Care would be able to read that when I called them on Monday. So my daughter finally arrives in Sacramento and I tell her after this nightmare go to United’s baggage desk and ask about your luggage. She goes to United’s baggage counter and is helped by [an agent] who is busy gossiping to an employee about another employee in front of my daughter and her boyfriend. When my daughter gets her attention she explains the situation. [The agent] tells her call Southwest you abandoned your flight and their now responsible for your luggage. My daughter explains Southwest never had her luggage. She told her to call 800-335-BAGS to locate her luggage. Took my daughters info and said if it showed up she’d call and my daughter could drive back out to the airport and pick it up. Again my daughter called me and said United was of no help. I called the airport directly and asked for United baggage. I was transferred and [the agent] answered. I explained I was not appreciative of the way she treated my daughter. She told me to stop yelling. I informed her nI was not yelling. If I was yelling she would know it. She then stated if you were yelling and I knew it I will just hang up on you. At the point she told me what she told my daughter and I reiterated Southwest never had the bags so there was no reason to call them. She responded very rudely and I asked for a Supervisor. She put me on hold for 15 minutes and then [a supervisor] answered the phone. I once again started from the beginning.
She apologized for how we had been treated and said she’d look for my daughters bag. She said it was still in LA waiting for the 6:30 pm flight and that when my daughter bought a ticket with another airline she should have asked for her bag. I informed her I told United we had got her a new ticket and they never told us that. I also told her she paid the $25 fee for the bag to get to Sacramento and so that’s where it needed to go. She said she was going to call LA and make sure the bag got on the flight and she would have it sent to my daughters address. She called me later and had me send her an email describing the bag and my daughters physical address which I did to [the supervisor's email address]. My daughter still hasn’t got her luggage as of 2:42 pm 12-31-2012 or received a call letting us know whats going on with her luggage.
So I wake up this morning and call customer service at the number provided 800-932-2732 and once again explain our nightmare. The girl said I’m sorry let me send you through to Customer Care. I said this is the number I was given for Customer care she said no I’m a rep. She comes back on the phone and says she has [an agent] at customer care on the phone but instead of patching me through [the customer care representative] has here asking questions through the rep. I finally tell the rep that if customer care wants me to answer the questions they need to ask me themselves she puts me on hold for like the fifth time and finally patches me through to [the customer care representative]. Her demeanor is automatically irritated. I then explained I’ve spent over six hours on hold for two days trying to handle this and start over again. I tell her all the notes everyone says they added should be there and she tells me there are no notes about anything listed. She says we can refund your leg from LA to Sacramento. I ask how much is that because we had to pay almost $200 for a last minute ticket to get her home. She said that’s another department you’ll find out when you receive the refund in 7-10 days. I will also email you a $100 voucher for your trouble. I said that’s it. Your Machine when you check in offer a $200 voucher if you agree to be bumped if needed. She said I don’t know what the machines say. I informed her she should because it United’s machine. I asked for a supervisor and she informed me all Customer Care reps are supervisors and there call can not be transported anywhere else. So I stated you are the end of the line and what you say goes. She said I can file a complaint about how you were treated and have that followed up. I said fine and then you will get back to me? No we handle it and that’s it you are not contacted. She said please hold after an hour and fifteen minutes and came back and said its not letting me refund the ticket its still at American Airlines so I’ll call you back. She calls me back about a half hour later and says even though she was flying United the ticket was written on US Airways stock so you have to go to them for the refund. By now I’m flabbergasted by the horrible customer service and amazed I have to call another airline and tell them even though your airline wasn’t used we have to call you to refund the ticket. [the customer care representative] says there is nothing else she can do. I asked for a baggage refund which your site says we were entitled to and she was very short then said she processed it [number removed] and filed a case about asll the problems #[number removed]. I hang up and call US Airways who looks up the ticket [number removed] and they say United still has control of the ticket and has not typed why she missed the flight she could have been a no show. They tell me to call United back and tell them to release control of the ticked and write details as to why the flight was missed. I call United again which tells me to deal with US Airways I explain I did and what they needed United to do. He put me on hold and then came back and told me he released the ticket and typed in the details please call US Airways. So I call US Airways back which tell me nothing has been done and it is still in control of United that I have to call them. I call United again and get ahold of [name removed] in Web Support and tell her the drama once again. She puts me on hold and comes back and says a United Supervisor and a US Airways supervisor are talking trying to get this handled. She then comes back and tells me to call US Airways and get info on refund. She could not give me a refund number or amount. She told me all questions would have to go to US Airways. I have spent over nine hours on the phone with United. Lied to multiple times and told they will email her a $100 travel voucher. I said she will never travel your airline again and they [name removed] told me fine give it away then. I asked for a supervisors email or one of a higher up and she told me they had no such list with that info. I found your information on several facebook groups of people that have been treated the same way by United.
This one day ruined a trip for a 23 year old little girl. She tried to be an adult and handle this on her own but everytime she gathered her courage there was a United employee there to shoot her down or be rude to her. I wish the Corporate United employees had to put one of their children or family through this experience to see how when it’s your child or family member scared, crying in a strange airport and there is no way to contact customer care because they aren’t open on the weekends or evening how utterly hopeless you feel. United really should have someone you call 24 hours a day seven days a week that can help a stranded passenger. We are not talking a couple hours were talking twelve hours and broken promises to get her home in a timely matter. In Europe an airline has to compensate a passenger after a three hour delay but in the US there are no such rules to protect us from the large airlines that rule the skies. We are just supposed to roll over and be thankful for anything they offer we have no rights. Please if there is anything you can do to help somehow fix what was done to my daughter please let me know. I would really like to restore her faith in people do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Update 1-1-2013 my daughters luggage did arrive at her residence. Also the manager [name removed, per FT Rules] emailed me to describe how my daughter was treated by [the agent at SMF] so she could handle that situation. She has been the only employee I spoke with that cared anything about customer service.
:(
:td:
I put my daughter on Flight 6202 United Airlines in Oklahoma City, OK Sunday morning December 30, 2012. She arrived in Los Angeles late so she missed her connecting flight. The flight attendant right before they landed got on the plane speaker and said we have a young lady who is running late for her connecting flight so when we land could everyone stay seated so she can try to make her flight. The attendant never approached my daughter and told her she might miss her flight. When they landed she felt bad but quickly walked down the aisle and hustled to her gate. The plane was still there but the gate had been retracted so they told her she missed the flight and to go to the United desk and they would get her another flight. She did that and after waiting in line at the counter was told they could get her out on an American flight at around 11:30. They told her she needed to take a bus to Americans terminal and check in and they would get her in on her flight. She did this and when she made it to front of the line and gave the agent the information United had given her. They informed her united reserved the ticket but didn't pay for it (which they says happens all the time) and there wasn't enough time for her to get back to United to get this handled so she would miss the flight. She went back to United who told her they could get her on a 4:30 flight oops its full will get you out at 6:30 pm. Then the agent told her to hop on a bus and go to the beach for the day after all she was in LA. She called me sobbing. When she asked what they were going to do to compensate her for she was told she had to wait until she got to Sacramento and talk to United there. I called United and was left on hold for over an hour and a half. In the mean time my daughter called my sister who happened to be on vacation in LA and couldn’t calm my daughter down so she told my daughter hang on I’m coming. My sister used her computer and bought her another ticket with Southwest last minute for around $200 printed out a pass to get her through security and drove it to the airport and hugged my daughter and handed her the ticket and she got out of LA. The girl [name removed, per FT Rules] from the Philliphines told me she was trying to fix this. I told her I’m putting my child on another airline then she said she’d cancel the leg from LA to Sacramento and make sure we received a refund. I told her the entire ticket of $416 should be refunded for all the drama United made her live through and they were putting me through. She told me she was adding to the notes and the refund department would process a refund. She also told me Customer care would be calling me and asked for my number so they could reach me later that day because there were to many people on hold to further help me. I waited six hours before calling back. Then I explained once again why I was calling I was put on hold for 35 minutes then shoved in to a que where the machine starts telling me to push buttons for help then I get a new operator I start all over again and then told to wait for a supervisor which took another 30 minutes. Then [a new agent] got on the phone and I started over again (by now I’m really losing my patience.) I told her I’ve been waiting for a call all day because [the previous agent] said I would get one. She said no one will call you we don’t do that. So I stated I was flat out lied to by your rep and she said yes. I ask what United is going to do about this mess and she says that a question for Customer Care Monday – Friday. I said what happens if there is a problem on the weekend? She said you call during business hours and they can help you. She said she was noting my daughters account and Customer Care would be able to read that when I called them on Monday. So my daughter finally arrives in Sacramento and I tell her after this nightmare go to United’s baggage desk and ask about your luggage. She goes to United’s baggage counter and is helped by [an agent] who is busy gossiping to an employee about another employee in front of my daughter and her boyfriend. When my daughter gets her attention she explains the situation. [The agent] tells her call Southwest you abandoned your flight and their now responsible for your luggage. My daughter explains Southwest never had her luggage. She told her to call 800-335-BAGS to locate her luggage. Took my daughters info and said if it showed up she’d call and my daughter could drive back out to the airport and pick it up. Again my daughter called me and said United was of no help. I called the airport directly and asked for United baggage. I was transferred and [the agent] answered. I explained I was not appreciative of the way she treated my daughter. She told me to stop yelling. I informed her nI was not yelling. If I was yelling she would know it. She then stated if you were yelling and I knew it I will just hang up on you. At the point she told me what she told my daughter and I reiterated Southwest never had the bags so there was no reason to call them. She responded very rudely and I asked for a Supervisor. She put me on hold for 15 minutes and then [a supervisor] answered the phone. I once again started from the beginning.
She apologized for how we had been treated and said she’d look for my daughters bag. She said it was still in LA waiting for the 6:30 pm flight and that when my daughter bought a ticket with another airline she should have asked for her bag. I informed her I told United we had got her a new ticket and they never told us that. I also told her she paid the $25 fee for the bag to get to Sacramento and so that’s where it needed to go. She said she was going to call LA and make sure the bag got on the flight and she would have it sent to my daughters address. She called me later and had me send her an email describing the bag and my daughters physical address which I did to [the supervisor's email address]. My daughter still hasn’t got her luggage as of 2:42 pm 12-31-2012 or received a call letting us know whats going on with her luggage.
So I wake up this morning and call customer service at the number provided 800-932-2732 and once again explain our nightmare. The girl said I’m sorry let me send you through to Customer Care. I said this is the number I was given for Customer care she said no I’m a rep. She comes back on the phone and says she has [an agent] at customer care on the phone but instead of patching me through [the customer care representative] has here asking questions through the rep. I finally tell the rep that if customer care wants me to answer the questions they need to ask me themselves she puts me on hold for like the fifth time and finally patches me through to [the customer care representative]. Her demeanor is automatically irritated. I then explained I’ve spent over six hours on hold for two days trying to handle this and start over again. I tell her all the notes everyone says they added should be there and she tells me there are no notes about anything listed. She says we can refund your leg from LA to Sacramento. I ask how much is that because we had to pay almost $200 for a last minute ticket to get her home. She said that’s another department you’ll find out when you receive the refund in 7-10 days. I will also email you a $100 voucher for your trouble. I said that’s it. Your Machine when you check in offer a $200 voucher if you agree to be bumped if needed. She said I don’t know what the machines say. I informed her she should because it United’s machine. I asked for a supervisor and she informed me all Customer Care reps are supervisors and there call can not be transported anywhere else. So I stated you are the end of the line and what you say goes. She said I can file a complaint about how you were treated and have that followed up. I said fine and then you will get back to me? No we handle it and that’s it you are not contacted. She said please hold after an hour and fifteen minutes and came back and said its not letting me refund the ticket its still at American Airlines so I’ll call you back. She calls me back about a half hour later and says even though she was flying United the ticket was written on US Airways stock so you have to go to them for the refund. By now I’m flabbergasted by the horrible customer service and amazed I have to call another airline and tell them even though your airline wasn’t used we have to call you to refund the ticket. [the customer care representative] says there is nothing else she can do. I asked for a baggage refund which your site says we were entitled to and she was very short then said she processed it [number removed] and filed a case about asll the problems #[number removed]. I hang up and call US Airways who looks up the ticket [number removed] and they say United still has control of the ticket and has not typed why she missed the flight she could have been a no show. They tell me to call United back and tell them to release control of the ticked and write details as to why the flight was missed. I call United again which tells me to deal with US Airways I explain I did and what they needed United to do. He put me on hold and then came back and told me he released the ticket and typed in the details please call US Airways. So I call US Airways back which tell me nothing has been done and it is still in control of United that I have to call them. I call United again and get ahold of [name removed] in Web Support and tell her the drama once again. She puts me on hold and comes back and says a United Supervisor and a US Airways supervisor are talking trying to get this handled. She then comes back and tells me to call US Airways and get info on refund. She could not give me a refund number or amount. She told me all questions would have to go to US Airways. I have spent over nine hours on the phone with United. Lied to multiple times and told they will email her a $100 travel voucher. I said she will never travel your airline again and they [name removed] told me fine give it away then. I asked for a supervisors email or one of a higher up and she told me they had no such list with that info. I found your information on several facebook groups of people that have been treated the same way by United.
This one day ruined a trip for a 23 year old little girl. She tried to be an adult and handle this on her own but everytime she gathered her courage there was a United employee there to shoot her down or be rude to her. I wish the Corporate United employees had to put one of their children or family through this experience to see how when it’s your child or family member scared, crying in a strange airport and there is no way to contact customer care because they aren’t open on the weekends or evening how utterly hopeless you feel. United really should have someone you call 24 hours a day seven days a week that can help a stranded passenger. We are not talking a couple hours were talking twelve hours and broken promises to get her home in a timely matter. In Europe an airline has to compensate a passenger after a three hour delay but in the US there are no such rules to protect us from the large airlines that rule the skies. We are just supposed to roll over and be thankful for anything they offer we have no rights. Please if there is anything you can do to help somehow fix what was done to my daughter please let me know. I would really like to restore her faith in people do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Update 1-1-2013 my daughters luggage did arrive at her residence. Also the manager [name removed, per FT Rules] emailed me to describe how my daughter was treated by [the agent at SMF] so she could handle that situation. She has been the only employee I spoke with that cared anything about customer service.
:(