Looking for some opinions on something that happened to me about a year ago on a flight from CDG-EWR (emails are from 2012). Long story short (see below for the *long* story), I paid $109/person to upgrade to two E- seats to E+ bulkhead seats on the 8 hour flight. We had the middle seat + window seat. The third person (aisle seat) was a parent with two twins (the other parent was seated in the aisle seat behind us). A bassinet was installed on the bulkhead for the 8 hour flight, which sits directly in the lap of the middle bulkhead seat (which was occupied by my girlfriend, not the parent). It basically negated the extra room we paid for, and also created a potentially dangerous emergency situation (read my initial email below). I emailed United CC and asked for the E+ upgrade fees to be refunded (or reimbursed via vouchers) and was told to go pound sand. After a month, I was finally able to squeeze (2) $50 vouchers out of United.
I haven't read many other stories about bassinets here on FT, so I'd appreciate everyone's input. Was I being ridiculous/asking for too much?
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Here are my exchanges w/ United Customer Care:
From me, April 25, 2012:
From me, April 29, 2012:
From me, May 14, 2012:
From United, May 15, 2012:
From me, May 15, 2012:
From me, May 29, 2012:
From United, May 29, 2012:
I haven't read many other stories about bassinets here on FT, so I'd appreciate everyone's input. Was I being ridiculous/asking for too much?
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Here are my exchanges w/ United Customer Care:
From me, April 25, 2012:
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On 4/25/2012 I flew from CDG->EWR on UA 55 with my girlfriend. We specifically paid extra for the bulkhead seats ($109 each), seats 8E and 8F. However, once we were airborn, one of the crew members installed a bassinet directly on the bulk head for the duration of the 8 hour flight (for the mother/baby sitting in 8D). The crew member never asked if we were OK with it, he just kicked our stuff aside and screwed it to the wall. Not only did this effectively negate the "extra room" we paid for, it also created a *very* dangerous situation: the TV that folded up from under my seat would *not* fold down with the bassinet installed, which would have made an emergency exit difficult or impossible for me (sitting in the window seat). This serious design flaw needs immediate attention. Therefore, I'm requesting that the $109 (x2) Economy Plus upgrade fee be refunded for the CDG -> EWR segment of this ticket. |
From me, April 29, 2012:
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Can someone from United please call me back regarding my query below? |
From me, May 14, 2012:
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It's been nearly 3 weeks...please have someone call me ASAP. |
From United, May 15, 2012:
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Thanks for getting right back to me. I understand that you both paid the extra fee for the bulkhead seats. I know that you were disappointed by the bassinet that was installed in the seat next to you and your girlfriend. Please know that there are only certain seats that accommodate the bassinets I would like to sincerely apologize that it ended up next to you. We appreciate your feedback on the video monitor that would not fold down as a safely issue. I will be sure to report that with our maintenance people. I do apologize for your disappointment with the bulkhead seating. Unfortunately I would not be able to offer you a refund for the inconvenience of the bassinet next to you. I am sorry if you felt if took up some of your legroom that you paid extra for. I won't be able to be as generous as you’d hoped for but I would like to offer you each a gesture of goodwill in the form of an electronic travel certificate. This will be arriving via email with the certificate and pin number in 24 to 72 hours. |
From me, May 15, 2012:
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I just got the travel vouchers. Thanks for extending this offer, but unfortunately I'm not satisfied with the amount ($50). The "economy plus" seats we paid extra for ended up being worse than typical coach seats, so I effectively paid $60 ($109 - $50) for *worse* than average seats. I'd appreciate if you could escalate this issue to your manager and have him/her get back to me. I'd still like the full amount refunded or at the very least the equivalent amount returned in travel vouchers (as I mentioned, I do travel with United frequently). |
From me, May 29, 2012:
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A CSR sent me 2x$50 travel vouchers. Thanks for extending this offer, but unfortunately I'm not satisfied with the amount ($50). The "economy plus" seats we paid extra for ended up being worse than typical coach seats, so I effectively paid $60 ($109 - $50) for *worse* than average seats. I'd appreciate if you could escalate this issue to your manager and have him/her get back to me. |
From United, May 29, 2012:
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Thank you for contacting us again. Please know Customer Care Department is the highest level of management where escalated complaints go to. You have asked us to re-examine your request, and we have done so. All things considered, we do support our earlier decision. I know this was not the answer you had been hoping for and we are truly sorry for the trouble that we caused you. We recognize that our goodwill compensations will not always amount to our customers incurred expenses and loss of time. But realistically and financially it is necessary for us to have compensations guidelines in place. We often receive similar requests to yours which ask us for an exception to our policies, however to remain fair and consistent for all of our valued guests. We are not in a position to honor all such inquires. I am sorry to disappoint you since we cannot assume the responsibility for deciding which requests might be worthier than others. We ask for your understanding that your request for additional compensation had been declined and will continue to be. We recognize you have a choice of airlines, and we thank you for choosing to fly with United this occasion. We wish you the best with all of your future travel. |