[SeasonedTravelor]

This is my first experience with United. I booked an international trip months in advance in order to find a good fare like any reasonable person would. I then read up on each airlines policies. I came across United's upgrade reference. I thoroughly read all the options. Being new to United, I did not have any status or miles so that left me two choices, paying fare difference (average person who cannot afford over $6,000.00 for business - not first class but business space) so that left paid upgrade. It states its options that "Paid upgrades are one of the best ways to ensure that you receive available upgrade space. By purchasing an upgrade, you may have the option to be instantly confirmed in a United Global FirstSM, United First®, United BusinessFirst® or United Business® seat. These upgrades, if available, can be selected any time from ticket purchase to check-in through the Manage Reservations page on united.com, or within 24 hours of departure through check-in online, on a mobile device or at an airport kiosk. The price of an upgrade is personalized, and based on factors such as Premier® status, seat availability, flight origin and destination, date of travel, and date of ticket purchase.
So being an average person I waited till 24hrs prior and checked in. I got up after sleeping 3hrs from working late nights to hope to have a chance at a business seat. There had been 6 seats available for purchase (more seats in seat map but I know that only means some have not selected a seat yet) for over a week. At checkin time it offered a paid upgrade for approx 451.00 (sorry forgot the exact now after being so ticked from talking to United agent AND Supervisor). I went to select seats. My first flight gave me an option and I selected. My second flight said "sold out". It still had me in coach. I pulled up the flight again outside of checkin and it still showed 6 seats at "$6,294.00". I called United and told Ann Marie that I was calling about the paid upgrade. She automatically asked if it was about the ORD to FRA flight, so she knew my itinerary and exact flight. She said it would be 22k miles or $550.00. I thought maybe my paid upgrade didnt go through being the wrong amount so told her I would take the 550.00. She then backtracked and said NO, it takes BOTH 22k AND 550.00. Im a new member to United so no miles, so why would she offer that??? Then the agent started a song and dance about there is no "upgrade" space available and the paid upgrade if only for "EACH" flight". I explained what I read, what I was seeing. She put me on hold multiple times going to her "web support" and came back and like a drone repeated each segment and there was no "upgrade" space. She then started telling me that the ORD to FRA flight is a popular "business" flight so the only way to get business is to pay the fare difference but they would not give me the paid upgrade. Really?? So you are telling your customer that we have seats available and it words it online saying if space is available 24hrs prior you can benefit from a paid upgrade BUT you are nobody and we want to collect the $6,000+ instead of honoring it for the quoted $550.00 (dont forget it said about $451.00 online). At that point forward it was a record player saying nothing they can do and repeated same info over and over not listening. She offered to refund the 451.00 - oops so I HAD been charged 451.00 plus was willing to pay 550.00 additional and they still would not honor their word???. She said I could ask at the airport at checkin to see if could get upgraded on the Chicago flight. I said do not refund the paid upgrade and I would ask at the airport. She then countered that immediately saying that they would NOT upgrade me at the airport. WHY OFFER IT THEN????

I asked for a Supervisor. Sandra Woods came on, starting off "telling" me that there was nothing they could do, the space was not "available" and had an attitude in her voice from the start. I listened politely at first having already spent over 70minutes talking to the agent. Each time I tried to talk, Sandra would overtalk me in a loud voice to keep repeating she could do nothing. I finally had enough and told her to drop the attitude, that I expected more from a supervisor and that this was my first experience with United and had heard good things considering my Uncle RETIRED from there and said they had the best customer service. She would ask me a question then interrupt me everytime as I would start to answer - obviously not wanting to listen, repeating over and over nothing she could do. She said there was no error and it was segment to segment to segment etc. When I mentioned to her AGAIN how the agent had lied to me and the runaround I had gotten she said how was I lied to - when I went to answer.....BOOM interruption stating they had not lied. I finally got ticked enough I told her to stop interrupting and let me speak since she asked. Gets interesting now: after reminding her how I was told I could check at the airport then told me they wouldnt (are they documenting my record to single me out and MAKE SURE I do not get the chance at business upgrades??). That was a lie. Offering the $550.00 then taking it back and saying it took BOTH miles and money was a lie. The supervisor apologized stating she was frustrated causing the attitude and for the errors. I said then make it right for customer service. I was not asking for free. I was willing to pay what was quoted - right back to attitude and nothing can do. She clearly told me I could complain where ever I would like a couple times but nothing she could do, then got even more defensive stating that their "Legal department" looks over the wording online to make sure it is legit and legal and if I want to pursue this......so now the Supervisor is making this a legal issue????? Really? She did this after she tried to tell me the upgrade policy by paraphrasing but when she directed me online and read it, I made my position clear that it words it in MY favor that if the space is available we could do the paid upgrade - that is when she started in again with I could complain whereever I wanted and legal department, etc. She then said she was going in circles with me and tried to offer options but....WHOA, OPTIONS? Called her on that immediately as I only heard nothing they could do AND they could refund my 1 segment paid upgrade. How generous of them after I proved my point, spent over an hour and 20 minutes on the phone at this point, did my homework and took them at their word and in good faith. She then offered me "Premium seat" for the inconvenience. Hence she was offering me a "Coach" seat a little more forward then the coach seat I was already in. HOW GENEROUS.

This is my first and LAST experience with United but I will make sure I pass on this experience of the lack of professionalism, how their "20 year experience" agents can do no wrong but quote things and do not honor, how they deceptive offer paid upgrades and when a person pays for it, they do NOT get what they think they are getting and that only their business travelers apparently are "important" to them, that the regular person is a nobody. This has been one of the worst airlines experiences I have ever had.

As an additional fact, I am a licensed commercial pilot, have friends in the industry (and no I would not ask a friend to bypass the rules - I simply wanted what was quoted and fair), I work in customer service, and do supervisor work. This is NOT how you treat your customers, especially if they prove their point of abuse by employees and bad information. I also had family that worked for United so I KNOW a lot more about what they can and cannot do as supervisors (this was a I WILL NOT do because of greed instead of doing the right thing by their customer. I also know that if the seat was available it should have been given considering the web offered it, but according to "their web support" it wasnt, even though the web showed sold out for seat selection during checking in business but if you goto their website it showed 6 seats still available for purchase. That is deception and an error which Sandra stated an error but then said no errors so she could help justify her "cant do anything" attitude.

United does NOT care about their customers unless you are wealthy. They do not care to honor anything and they do not care apparently their reputation since she personally made it into a legal issue and mentioned can goto BBB, etc. What more does that tell you about them?

[SeasonedTravelor]

After all the problems above, I went to do my webcheckin and cannot get my boarding pass because they need to verify my documents - because after entering my passport info 3 times (once when booked and 2x today while trying to checkin) agent said my passport info is missing.
She checked with 4 different supervisors on the upgrade problem as well. One said they cannot touch ticket since bought from travel agent (that is BS, they can) next one said they can but would charge fare difference and wanted to charge me $2,200.00 more money (they are still holding my $459.00 - verified amount and now I wont have that money for over a week minimum while on vacation AND do not have any upgrades - only in coach).
All supervisors are mechanical just stating policy and not doing their job as a supervisor who have the ability to do exceptions and resolve issues - to do whats right by the customer when there is a problem that they have caused. They all refuse unless you dump them a lot more money. I will not pay them even one cent more from here on out and NEVER fly United again! Over 6hrs this morning after 3hrs sleep trying to resolve everything from upgrade to even checking in.

But I was promised I would have no problems checking in at the airport. YEAH Right......excuse me if I have no faith in United anymore.

[Судите]

Lemme see if I got this straight ... you paid United $450 so that you "may have the option to be instantly confirmed ...." under the condition that "These upgrades, if available ...." and it never occurred to you that may not and not available are also implied by those statements. Ya know, United promised to do nothing in return for the $450, it was all stated as may and if available, and they did exactly what they promised. It takes a truly seasoned travelOr to fall for a scam this dumb.

Really, in a way, you have to admire United. They recycled one of the oldest cons in existence, and they can still find willing victims who think they can get something for nothing.