We've all heard the phrase "Buyer Beware". Well @United Airlines takes that to the next level!
On a recent trip from Buffalo to LAX, I noticed at check-in that my boarding pass was not the same as my flight itinerary. Upon returning to the counter, I was told my flight had been cancelled and I was put on the next available flight which left two hours later. Even though I had subscribed to United Airlines' email updates, the cancellation had not been brought to my attention until this moment. Nor did the United staff member alert me of this change, which certainly messed up my plans for the evening in LA, as a group of us were to meet prior to a conference which started the next morning. I figured two hours wasn't that big of a deal. Subsequently, this later flight was delayed almost another two hours for reasons only United would know. Even their flight crew sitting across from me were questioning the announcements being made. One flight attendant asked the pilot "why don't they just tell people the truth?". I found it humorous at the time, but this was just the beginning. My return trip on United was even more of a nightmare. I had selected flights from LA to Buffalo to match with my children's flight from NJ to Buffalo. I would be arriving NJ at 5:59am and be on the same plane as my kids at 6:30am back to Buffalo. Arriving at LAX, everything seemed perfect. Next, my flight was delayed for 20 minutes. This 20 minute delay turned into a 2 hour delay. As I approached the counter and asked the United representative to call Newark and make sure my kids don't board the 630am flight and are put on the same flight as me, I was assured that there were 24 people on board that would be connecting on the same flight and that the flight would be held. This was quite a relief. As the flight landed at 745am, I turned my phone on and emails came through advising me of my connecting flight being delayed until 8am. Perfect! They waited. I ran through the terminal and came to the gate. The attendant stated I had missed my flight. I said "impossible, it is leaving at 8am and they are waiting for our flight to arrive from LAX". I showed her the email sent from United about the delay to 8am. As she showed me on the screen, the flight had indeed left at 7:14am with only 34 people on board - including my family!!! I stormed over to Customer Service, and was not at all happy to notice 20 people in line. Another 25 people had joined the line after me. I tweeted a picture of this and within minutes, golf carts began picking up people and taking them to other Customer Service areas to shorten the line we were in. All had the same problem, delayed United flights resulting in missed connections. As an irate lady questioned compensation, she was told by representative Darren that this was Customer Service - they do not offer compensation, they just rebook. Apparently, United's Customer CARE decides if you are compensated or not, and they are only available on-line! As people in line disagreed, Darren responded with a "I'm dealing with this lady, not you". At this time I stepped in to let Darren know that all of us in line had the same issue and he needs to deal with it or call in a Supervisor to do so. Ironically, United does not have any Managers or Supervisors employed at their Newark Hub. People that wanted to give up their ticket and rent a car were told they could not do so at Customer Service, they would have to call United and let them know of their decision to do so. As I approached the counter, I was told that I would be booked on a flight leaving the next day. I told the representative that this was not acceptable. After 10 minutes of arguing I was told there were three remaining flights to Buffalo that day that were all full, and I could take the next day flight or take my chances on stand-by. I chose stand-by as I needed to get to Buffalo to pick up my family who were already there. Furthermore, United reps would not assist in contacting Buffalo to advise them that I would be on a later flight. This was not their responsibility according to the Customer Service reps. Their job, I guess, is merely to sit on their stool and rebook. I went to my gate and waited as a stand-by passenger for the next flight only to find that I was 10th on the stand-by list and there were only four seats available. I headed back up to wait for the next flight as a stand-by passenger and hoping for better luck. I had 2 1/2 hours before the next flight. I went to customer service and asked if they had any meal vouchers. Who was I kidding. This wasn't Customer Care. There were no meal vouchers. As I grabbed a bite to eat, I decided to look up other airlines and just buy a seat. As I searched Expedia, Travelocity, CheapoAir, I kept seeing United Flights. Some said 3 seats available, some said 5 seats available. Pricing was around the $521 mark. I stormed back to Customer Service, showed them the flights on my phone and asked if they wanted me to PAY for the flight! As I placed my credit card down, the lady just printed me off a boarding pass and said "you're in seat 10C". Although I was happy to be heading home, I was furious with the way United conducts its business. However having faced delays and receiving false information on both legs of the journey, I was not at all surprised. I still have not received any correspondence from United with respect to any compensation that should be provided for their delays which caused disruption to my schedule both ways. Knowing their track record of recent, I'm sure it is just delayed. Am I surprised? No, not surprised. Disappointed for sure. When the Customer Service representatives tell you blatantly that they are not responsible for Customer Care, that itself speaks volumes about a company's commitment to their customers.Until United decides to shape up and put their customers first by adding care into their service guidelines, United travelers will need to keep their expectations to a minimum. Flyer Beware!
Asif Khan, ABR
Re/Max All-Stars Realty Inc.
Re/Max Hall of Fame
click here: http://bit.ly/Phzcqe
Posted via email from Markham Real Estate Today with Asif Khan
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