[ChrisH]

Great news. I think Continental owed it to you, considering it was maintenance, as well as the lack of help you got from the agents.

[countrynewsman]

Well, friends...as I mentioned before, I received a call stating I would get a refund of $638.00. What I got was a refund for only one ticket....$319.00. I emailed Continental a week ago and they have not responded! I guess they chose to lie to me.

[countrynewsman]

AHA! I got a response from Continental...only to be told that they refunded the one ticket to my credit card and the other to "Bill-Me-Later.com". What the hell is that? Or could that be Continental's new site called "We-Might-Refund-You-Eventually.com?

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by countrynewsman

AHA! I got a response from Continental...only to be told that they refunded the one ticket to my credit card and the other to "Bill-Me-Later.com". What the hell is that? Or could that be Continental's new site called "We-Might-Refund-You-Eventually.com?

"Bill Me Later" is a third-party payment option available on Continental's (and several other airlines) website. You can apply for deferred payment through this company. Was your original transaction through "Bill Me Later" or was it on a credit card? Perhaps Continental got confused and sent your credit to the wrong place? I'd call their refunds department Monday and let them know if the credit was supposed to go back to your card.

The Continental Airlines Customer Refund Services Department is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Central time. Phone: 800.932.2732, option 5

[countrynewsman]

Confused? Hell yeah they're confused! I had no idea what "Bill Me Later" was until now. I'm not going to jump through hoops trying to get the refund. I expect their Customer Care Department to handle it.

[countrynewsman]

Just an example of how incompetent the folks at Continental are, here are a series of emails...the first after I responded to their statement that my credit card was credited with the refund. I have blocked out personal information.
================================================== ==
Dear Mr. XXXXXX:

Thank you for your reply.

It appears that Bill Me Later was the form of payment used for XXXXX
XXXXXXX's ticket number 005XXXXXXX in the amount of 319.00. Therefore the
refund was sent to Bill Me Later.

You will need to contact them regarding your refund. They can be reached at
1.866.528.3733. Monday- Friday 9am-11pm Eastern time, or online at
Bill-Me-Later.com.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to clarify.

Regards,

(Person 1)
Customer Care Manager
===============================================

Ms. XXXXXXX:

Regarding my last email, please be aware that both upgrades were made at the
same time to your reservations office via my cell phone at the airport. I
gave my credit card number for both, and both were charged accordingly.

I am not even familiar with Bill-Me-Later and I have absolutely no clue how
you came up with that name.

I am really becoming quite frustrated with Continental.

J.R.XXXXXX

================================================
Here's a response from a different Customer Care Manager!

================================================

Dear Mr. XXXXXX:
>
> >
> I verified in our refunds accounting database that both refunds have
> been completed. XXXXXXX's ticket number 005XXXXXXX for the amount
of 319.00.
> Likewise, for XXXXX XXXXXXs ticket number 005XXXXXXXX for the same
amount.
> Please check with your credit card company to confirm this credits
> have posted.
>
> We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming you onboard
> a future Continental Airlines flight.
>
>
> Regards,
(Person 2)
=============================================
Here is my reply sent a few minutes ago:
=============================================

Ms. XXXXX:

May I suggest you compare notes with Ms. XXXXXX. This has become very boring.

As I stated before, and I shall repeat, my bank credit card statement online shows only one refund. Ms. XXXXXXX stated that the other refund went to "Bill Me Later". I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF "BILL ME LATER", LET ALONE EVER USED IT!

Please note below the reply I received from Ms. XXXXXXX. Even after replying that I do not use "Bill Me Later", I received NO RESPONSE.

Can someone there please get their act together?

It is no surprise you are getting a large amount of emails given the incompetence of your employees.

J. R. XXXXXX

====================

STAY TUNED! This is almost becoming humorous!

[countrynewsman]

Oops...forgot one email, but the important part from them is:
===============
Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines. I apologize for the delay in
> responding to your email. We answer correspondence in the order it is
> received. An unexpectedly large number of emails has delayed our response to
> you.
=============

[jimworcs]

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines. I apologize for the delay in responding to your email. We answer correspondence in the order it is received. An unexpectedly large number of emails has delayed our response to you.

mmm, perhaps if they had a different approach, something novel like fixing the problem first time, re-gaining the trust of the customer.. they wouldn't have quite so many emails to respond to in their customer complaints department.

[PHXFlyer]

Originally Posted by jimworcs

mmm, perhaps if they had a different approach, something novel like fixing the problem first time, re-gaining the trust of the customer.. they wouldn't have quite so many emails to respond to in their customer complaints department.

The cumulative numbers from the DOT won't be in until later in February, however in 2007 Continental fared much better than others in both complaints to the DOT and mis-handled baggage and were below average when it came to delays. They were, however, at the top of the list for denied boarding but I have a feeling that number will decrease for 2008.

[countrynewsman]

After receiving a call from them...again...I actually received the refund today.

[jimworcs]

Well done!!! But really, should it be that hard?

[PHXFlyer]

Sometimes the hoops are worth jumping through - even if they're flaming!

[countrynewsman]

I probably wouldn't have gotten it this soon if I hadn't sent a second email to Larry Kellner. Nope...should never be that hard...but the hoops were definitely flaming!

[PHXFlyer]

Just know that Larry never saw that e-mail. If it doesn't come from the CO corporate intranet the e-mails are routed to the management team at customer service and delegated to one of the reps. at 1-800-WECARE-2.

[countrynewsman]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

Just know that Larry never saw that e-mail. If it doesn't come from the CO corporate intranet the e-mails are routed to the management team at customer service and delegated to one of the reps. at 1-800-WECARE-2.

Oh...I am very much aware of that. I just made sure all bases were covered.