[mshodges25]

I booked a ticket online at delta.com, I am now having some financial difficulties and called customer service to cancel my reservation. My ticket was only $100 and delta does not want to give me my money back. They said there would be a re-booking fee of $150 but since my ticket was less than $150 I cannot re-book. That is absurd. I asked the agent if I could re-book and pay the difference and she said no! SO, I just have to lose my money? At a time when I need it the most? Delta says they care but they really don't. I don't think it's fair especially when I offered to pay the $50 difference in my ticket price and the re-booking fee. I am going to be sure to tell people my experience with Delta's customer service agents.

[Ombudsman]

When you buy a non-refundable ticket you agree to those terms. Unfortunately financial hardship is an issue for many however you still agreed to the terms when you purchased the ticket and although Delta's track record for customer service is lousy you really can't blame a front line employee with no empowerment to break the rules for enforcing the rules of your ticket.

[chriscolombo]

Although Delta ranks in my book as the worst of the worst, the rules pertaining to non-refundable tickets are fairly standardized. Delta charges $150 to apply an unused nonrefundable ticket to another flight. Whether you pay $100 or $1,000 for your ticket at delta.com, it still costs $150 to use it towards another non-refundable ticket. The change fee is irrespective of the cost of your fare.
The condition of being non-refundable is in exchange for a deeply discounted ticket. You said you only paid $100, but had you purchased a fully refundable fare for the same route, your ticket would have been far more expensive. The good news is you only lost $100. I wouldn't worry about it. If you do need to buy an airline ticket, it can still be applied to another ticket (plus change fee) for one year from date of purchase. Unfortunately, Delta is not alone in this scam. Airlines have been doing it for decades. Delta just handles it a little worse than other carriers.