We’ve been following a story on the Consumerist for the last few weeks on one family’s issues with United. First of all, if you’ve had some major issues with United, and been unable to get satisfaction from their line agents, talked to supervisors, and written letters, try their Executive Customer Service.
The Consumerist reported on Manesh…whose parents flew from Nebraska to Sri Lanka. At LAX, United Airlines refused to honor their tickets. Sri Lankan Airlines, which is a United codeshare partner, had apparently been unable to find their reservation. They ended up having to pay $2860 extra to finish their travel.
After three letters of complaint, his parents received two three hundred dollar coupons and a letter stating that their policy “does not permit us to respond with the generosity you anticipated.” Manesh was, of course, not looking for compensation for dissatisfaction, he was looking for a refund of funds that should not have been collected.
The Executive Customer Service tip from the Consumerist netted him an apology from the Chief Customer Officer, and the promise of swift resolution. However, United had already changed the tickets for Manesh’s parents, a fact they reminded him of when they called back. However, they apparently never properly reissued them, which probably was the reason why Sri Lankan Airlines couldn’t find them.
Manesh’s blog, Evil United Airlines, has the most up to date information. It is customer service experiences like this that give airlines a bad name.