[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

That’s my question. There’s still room for improvement in United’s letter below. But the part that really shocked me was where they actually solicited feedback on their letter! I’m not responding. However, as the saying goes, it’s the thought that counts. Could United’s letter reflect Continental’s influence??

As to my reference about considering United again. It’s not really all that much of a compliment. The choices out of Billings are limited.

Parts of my letter, and United’s reply, were edited for brevity.

(my letter to United)

I am requesting a refund of a “baggage payment,” in the amount of $25.00. This request is based upon my having paid what appears to be a “premium” fare.

The “baggage payment” receipt number is: 016-4517738861.

My entire itinerary consisted of a single flight: BIL – DEN, United Express/Sky West flight number 6304. The basic fare paid was $439.20. This amount does NOT include baggage and “options.” I checked "fully refundable" ticket prior to starting the available flight search. My reservation and ticket purchase was done (on-line) approximately 7 hours prior to departure time. Thus the fare paid represents a “walk-up,” or “premium,” fare.

As you know most US-based airlines, including United/Continental, offer limited free baggage service when a “premium” fare is paid.

The refund I am requesting is for a credit to the original form of payment. I am NOT interested in a “refund” in the form of a voucher for a free or reduced cost flight. Likewise, I am not interested in “frequent flier” miles. Please refrain from offering vouchers or miles.

Regardless of the outcome of this matter I will consider United/Continental in any future plans involving domestic air travel.


(United’s reply)

Dear Mr. (redacted),

Thank you for contacting United Airlines Customer Department. On behalf of United, I'm sorry you incurred an extra fee to check your bag and understand how frustrating this was especially since you were not anticipating an added charge. We want all of our guests to be familiar with our baggage requirements prior to arriving at the airport and attempt to ensure our bag policies and other travel information is readily available to you.

While your request for reimbursement is appreciated, I must advise you that fees for checked baggage are only refundable when you do not fly due to a flight cancellation or schedule change. Although a refund of the fee is not applicable, please visit us the following link which will fully explain what type of tickets are exempt from our baggage fees:

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,52649,00.html

I recognize this may not be the answer you had been hoping for, but your feedback on this policy is very important and valued. Our leadership team routinely reviews business policies that negatively impact our customer's perception, and on many occasions this has resulted in us making changes to benefit you, our customer.

At the conclusion of this email, please fill out the survey where we ask you to rate my individual performance. While, you may still be dissatisfied with the policy, the survey is intended to improve my abilities as a representative of United. I value your feedback and hope you walked away very satisfied with my service. If you feel I could have been better in handling your request, please reply to this email, which will be escalated for further review to ensure we have done everything possible.

Regards,

Miguel (redacted)
United Airlines Customer Relations

[jimworcs]

I must admit, that letter is a significant improvement on the usual tone and guff they normally send out. Perhaps you got special treatment because you both have the same unusual surname (redacted).

[bilingual]

I do not understand what your complaint is about? - if UA the rules are that you have to pay extra for baggage check-in regardless of bookingclass and fare, then i can not understand why you are requesting a refund.

[jimworcs]

Isn't it typical that airline sympathizers and employees can't understand basic customer needs. The customer was clear. He felt he had paid a premium fare and should therefore have received a free baggage allowance. Whether he was right or wrong, what was difficult about that? At least United understood and replied with a response which demonstrated they had understood the issue. Why you don't understand it is a mystery to me, but seems endemic in the airline industry...even when it is in perfectly good plain English.

[HoustonFlyer]

What is written in perfectly good plain English is the airline's rule with regard to check-in bags. Our retarded, oops redacted friend ought to have read the rule before he wrote his letter of complaint. Unless they are really illiterate or do not have access to the internet, consumers ought not in this day and age to be playing dumb. It costs the airline to be dealing with complaints like this one, a cost which is passed on to all of us. It's not in the consumers' favor to bother the airline with things that are crystal clear on the website.

[bilingual]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Isn't it typical that airline sympathizers and employees can't understand basic customer needs. The customer was clear. He felt he had paid a premium fare and should therefore have received a free baggage allowance. Whether he was right or wrong, what was difficult about that? At least United understood and replied with a response which demonstrated they had understood the issue. Why you don't understand it is a mystery to me, but seems endemic in the airline industry...even when it is in perfectly good plain English.

No the UA rules were clear, the customer agreed upon them and then afterwards wants compensation, that is totally ridicolous.
Should i complain to the Hotel i went to last week, that there was no minibar even though it is clearly stated that this was not available?

I find the UA rules costumer unfriendly and hopeless, but it does not change the fact that you then have to vote with your wallet, not complaining afterwards you have travelled upon rules you have agreed upon.

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

Our retarded, oops redacted friend

Houston, I don’t recall getting into name-calling in my original post. So why are you doing it?? If I were to dare to call any of your “saintly” friends, who work at the ticket counter, retarded, or other names, they would be hitting the speed-dial button for the airport police! Or, at the very least, they would make sure my bag went to Hong Kong.

It costs the airline to be dealing with complaints like this one, a cost which is passed on to all of us. It's not in the consumers' favor to bother the airline with things that are crystal clear on the website.

Again, given the fare I paid, your crocodile tears that “it costs the airline” border on the absurd. As to something being “crystal clear:” If the airlines were as “crystal clear” with their pricing as you want us to believe they are, why then is the Federal “Clear Fare” Act working its way through Congress and why, I suspect, are the airlines, as usual, fighting this legislation tooth and nail??

Finally I fail to see what is so unusual about asking a business to match the pricing of its competitor. Frontier Air flies the same route—BIL – DEN—and offers a premium fare which includes two pieces of checked baggage. Unfortunately, Frontier did not have a late afternoon flight and UA may have exploited that fact.

[HoustonFlyer]

Your fare paid is to travel and is not licence to make complaints of the kind you were making. Airlines pay their customer relations staff and it is precisely to minimise cost that their practice of cut and paste letters has developed. This cost is allocated to overheads which is built into the airline's administrative costs.

What is crystal clear is the policy with regard to check in bags, not their fares. Airlines' policies on pricing are not always clear and even employees not involved in this do not always understand the reasons for what seem to be anomalous fares. You put in the dates of travel and the fares come up on a screen and you yourself are not always sure of the rationale for all the variations.

Of course you can approach the airline and point out what their competitors are doing and try to get them to bring their fares in line. However what you tried to do which borders on nonsensical, was to pay for checked luggage, when you well knew or ought to have known what the policy was since the information is published on the website, and then try to get a refund to which you were not entitled.

That one is a no no and they were very polite in replying to you.

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

Isn't it typical that airline sympathizers and employees can't understand basic customer needs. The customer was clear. He felt he had paid a premium fare and should therefore have received a free baggage allowance. Whether he was right or wrong, what was difficult about that? At least United understood and replied with a response which demonstrated they had understood the issue. Why you don't understand it is a mystery to me, but seems endemic in the airline industry...even when it is in perfectly good plain English.

I understand perfectly what he is saying. When Butch bought the ticket it didn't say bag fees waived. I will tell you that I myself am against the whole bag fee thing. It's a mess. But at the same time, when he bought the ticket, where did it say the bag fees were waived just because he bought a premo ticket? It didn't, and therefor why is he writing the complaint.

Also, while I might be wrong, I'm not aware of any airline that will waive the fees for a coach ticket. As stated in the link from United it's either frequent fliers (high status, not regular), business class/first class and military. Coach tickets that do not qualify for upgrade also do not qualify for waving of bag fees.

[Marie Jean]

• 1 human as me = 105 pounds

• total weight of my bag and my husband bag = inferior to my weight

• surplus of one bag 3 pounds taxed by UA "only" 100 $

• no cabin bag

• my thin person travelled squezed between 600 pounds persons

• United Airlines do not reimbursed me as they promised and make me send by mail and call them several times ( means the tactics of let it go )

Please note :

1. Wihin my position as PM, my company of 6'000 persons will never purchase a UA ticket ( and when I say never, it is never )

2. I will send my case to ALL who want to hear me - that is a perfect publicity for 100 $ surtax of thin human

3. I think UA should tax thin persons not 100 $, but 10'000 $


A very proud customer with 105 pounds weight

[pattis]

Marie Jean.. not sure your point. 105 lbs..go treat yourself ro a pizza with everything!!

[Marie Jean]

My point was that some rules was not applied by UA.

Well, let me tell you what I understood from UA :

A 600+ lbs passanger can carry itself more weight in the plain, squize other passangers and moreover, manipulating dangerously over the head of others HUUUUGE & HEAVY hand cabin bag. As a passanger, I consider very dangereous for my head to get a huge HAND bag on my head. It is very risky - chances are you really get "nuts".

In the same time, a 105 lbs thin person is surtaxed 100 $ for 7 lb because they was polite and choosed to respect other passangers and not to take into the craft a hand bag with 2 inches more.

It is unfair !

Rules must applied, I perfectly agree on this.

However, I consider to be unfair when only some rules are applied ...


What UA should do :

In my opinion, UA should care more about the safety of their passangers DURING THE FLYGHT and tax hand cabin bags whose size & weight are way superior of their policy. Because UA dit not react. So, one existing rule, but "this one not applied". We apply only SOME rules.

Commercially speaking, it is not a very good ideea to ask a thin respectful passanger 100 $ for 7 lbs surplus of a bag "normally not allowed in the plain".

Well, the opposite is not correct either. So ... Lesson learned. I will become just like others passangers. I will take HUUUGE & HEAVY hand bags into the plain and block the normal walk and security of other passangers. There will be quite difficult to get @ 600 lbs as personal weight, but with efforts, we can do everything !

Thank you very much for your advice. But when you want to get to 600 lbs is not with pizza only will get there ... LOL