United Airlines Consumer Reviews - Page 5

United Airlines has hands down the worst customer service of any company I've ever dealt with. And I include Sprint PCS in that statement, which is impressive. That's like winning the poor customer service Olympics! After waiting on hold for over half an hour trying to make a reservation, I decide follow the advice that the recorded voice gives me every three minutes and try to book online.

When you fill out the online form for destination and departure city, you are given the option to check a box that says "include nearby airports." I choose not to check that box, since I will be picked up by the hotel at the Louisville airport, and will have no way to get to the hotel from any other airport and therefore would be screwed if I were to fly into one.

Since I did not check the box that said "include nearby airports" I assumed (crazy me!) that the search would not include nearby airports. What I unfortunately did not understand is that what the box really means is "whether or not you want us to include nearby airports in your search, we will return your flights to every airport within a three state radius of your intended destination. HAHAHA!"

At this point, however, I am blithely unaware that United.com is offering me the mere illusion of control. And so, when a list of flights is returned, I select one. I book my flight under the insane assumption that the search form will return the flights that I've searched for, and exclude the flights that I've chosen to exclude.

I later discover that, despite the fact that I specifically chose NOT to include flights to other airports in my search, the flight I booked based on the returns from that search goes to an airport clear across the state from my intended destination. "That's unfortunate," I think. "But, since I booked the flight based on a misleading if not mendacious feature on their website, I'll just call and they'll fix the problem."

I have to call twice. The first time I run through my lunch break waiting on hold, listening to that godawful hold music and the sweet siren lies of the voice telling me that I can solve all my problems by going to United.com. The second time I call, I do finally get through to someone.

When I explain what has happened, they look up my reservation, and exclaim, shocked, that I made it SIX DAYS AGO! My god, that's almost a week! Clearly there's nothing that can be done after such a vast expanse of time! They acted like I was asking them to see if they couldn't do something about the lifeboat situation on the Titanic. I explain that I had just caught the issue today. They say that they can change the flight but it will cost me $100.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, I work for a non-profit, and I don't have that kind of money to throw around. Also, I think it's wrong that I should have to pay for a failure in the design of their website. And the fact that this mistake happened six days ago is irrelevant. They offered the feature to only search for flights to my intended airport but give me a flight to an airport 90 miles away. It doesn't matter when this error on their part happened, the point is that they have made an error and the onus is on them to correct it.

I try to explain this to the person on the other end. I am still shocked at the level of rudeness of the United personnel. The gentleman I was talking to (employee # **) interrupted me and cut me off nearly every time I opened my mouth. I kept an even tone of voice throughout, but I had to keep reminding Mr. ** not to yell at me.

I think the best part of the conversation is when good ol' ** accused me of just deciding that I wanted to change my vacation destination and cooking up this explanation to stick United with the bill for my change of mind. Wow. Not only are you not helping me to solve the problem created by your website, you're actually calling me a liar. I mean, am I right kids? That's a special form of bad customer service. Kudos, United. You've really gone above and beyond. In the end, Mr. ** refused to change the flight and hung up on me.

This is my opinion: If you are going to make it impossible to speak to a reservation agent without waiting on hold for the better part of an hour, your website better work like it is supposed to. If it doesn't work, you should correct the mistake.

I'm no MBA, but I think that asking your customer to pay $100 to correct a mistake made by your poorly designed search engine that she was forced to use (despite the fact that she had been told it was poorly designed) because she was unable to speak to an agent on the phone is poor business practice. Although I have a credit card that gives me United miles, I've had enough. I'm going to switch credit cards and I'm sure as hell going to switch carriers. LEARN FROM ME! Any carrier other than United.

LAX, CALIFORNIA -- I would like to register a complaint against United Airlines for what happened to me, and the way I was treated afterwards. Here is a detailed account of what happened: On Sunday 9/17/06 I arrived at LAX shortly before 1:00PM for my 2:00PM flight, and after waiting in line at curbside, I was informed by the skycap that the deadline for checking in luggage passed while I was waiting in line.

I went in to try to check in at the desk, but I was forced to go "Standby" on the next flight at 3:00PM. Little did I know that I would be a prisoner in the Twilight Zone for the next 7 -Yes! Seven hours shuffling between Gates only to be told repeatedly that due to the flights being oversold, I would have to wait for the next flight. I had plenty of company. Apparently I was still Number 60 on the waiting list at 8:00PM (even though I had come in before 1:00PM) and United was unable to let more than 2 people go standby on any of the subsequent 6 flights and none on most. I counted about 20 people in the group going from Gate to Gate trying to get on.

Mind you, this was not a Holiday weekend, just an ordinary Sunday. Finally, at 8:00PM, I stood in line at the customer service (There's an oxymoron if I ever heard one) and along with another passenger, demanded that my ticket be "pushed" to another Airline (Frontier in my case). I had to go to another Terminal, fly on Frontier Airlines (who apparently do not oversell their flights as much as United does) because United employees kept telling me the chances of me getting on a United SF flight that night were slim to none. I live 70 Miles away from SFO, so I did not get home until 1:30AM, and had to go to work early the next morning.

I would not have gotten home that night had I not demanded to be sent on Frontier. No United employee even suggested it despite my repeated pleas for help getting home. And to add insult to injury, when I arrived in SFO, my luggage was still in LAX. The United Luggage desk in SFO made me put in a lost luggage claim with Frontier (rather than delivering it themselves) and as a result I did not get my luggage back until late the next day. I had refrigerated medicine in one of the boxes, and I do not know if they were subjected to overheating.

I can understand having to go on standby because of some 45-minute rule, but having to be held prisoner for seven hours is inhumane. All I got from any United employee was indifference thinly disguised as so-called "caring". And when I repeatedly tried to call with a complaint, it was impossible to get any representative outside India.

I don't know if any of your readers have ever had the pleasure of getting anything resolved with an Indian CS rep (of any company). It is next to impossible to get anything resolved: they will NOT forward you to a supervisor until you practically badger them into it, and even when they do, the Supervisor is merely a slightly more polished version of the person you just spoke to. No authority to satisfy you whatsoever. All you ever get are useless apologies and meaningless platitudes.

When I got an Email reply from one of their CS Reps, he offered me a $100.00 certificate with restrictions. I replied that it was a slap in the face and that I will be posting a detailed version of my ordeal on this and other similar websites, hoping to encourage others with similar experiences to speak out and maybe get satisfaction. The fact remains that United aggressively oversells their flights in pursuit of the almighty Dollar. They couldn't care less about the welfare of their customers -or should I say victims- and that they have lives and jobs they need to get to.

BURBANK -- I have had terrible experiences with United over the years and swear I will never fly them again. But this last time takes the case. I flew from LAX to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on July 2, 2006. I arrived an hour and half early for my flight. The lines were really long and not moving so I went to the self check in. It said I could not take that flight as my flight was delayed making it impossible to make my connecting flight in Denver. I had actually called one hour before I arrived and was told my flight would be on time. I was upset as I did not want to wait all day at LAX.

So the very nice lady at the service phone told me I could catch a flight that would be about 45 min. later than my original scheduled flight and go through Chicago. The trick was that the next flight going out would not be until the morning, so I would have to spend the night in Chicago. I told her I did not want to pay for a hotel there and she assured me that United would cover the cost and that I just had to go to special services when I got to Chicago.

I arrived in Chicago around 11:30 PM and when I went to the special services counter she told me about they said they were closing and could not help me and sent me down to baggage claim office. There was a long line there and I was tired. The lady said she could not help me and that I would have to pay for the hotel and contact United later about getting reimbursed. She then gave me a pink slip for a discount at select hotels.

The next day I contacted United customer service and they said they could not reimburse me despite the fact I had the lady's name and ID. I also tried at the airport the next day with no luck. After numerous calls for help I finally got someone who said they would give me a $100.00 coupon for another flight. I did not want this, but since I could not get the money back I took it. Now of course that means I have to use that stupid airline again. So I book a flight to Portland from Burbank online and put in my coupon number. I get back an itinerary that is not what I booked, but is from LAX to Portland and different times.

I call the customer service again (and by the way I always get their India office and have to talk to people I can barely understand). They said they could cancel that flight and I would have to rebook it. I said "what about my $100.00 coupon?" and he said I could not reuse it. After much argumentation and persistence and calling back I got a supervisor to rebook it properly with the discount. But when I saw my itinerary it charged me the full price. I had to call again and they assured me they would give me the $100.00 credit.

After two days it finally showed up. But I spent about four hours on the phone trying to get a $100.00 discount which should have been reimbursed for my hotel. I swear I will never fly them again after I take this flight and use my 66,000 Frequent flyer miles. I was saving this for Australia. After that I am done. I think more people need to write their complaints and while I was on this last flight I heard many customers complain and one took my name on a list where she is writing to Congress and the FAA about this airline. They do not care about their customers so why should we care about them.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA -- Mailed a flat rate package to my daughter using a flat rate box from VA to CA. Was supposed to arrive in 5 days. Never arrived!! I contacted service number after 3 days after no arrival and they had LOST my package. Couldn't track it after it made it to Sacramento. Told me I'd have to wait 30 days before I could file a claim for the insurance. I asked why they couldn't track it after Sacramento when it had been tracked all the way there. They had no explanation. Disaster service. I'll never mail priority again.

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA -- United States Post Office service is the worse! Don't think you're ever going to get someone to answers the phone at 800-222-1811! I have waited almost a week for a letter that was mail priority. The text alerts that say the package is out for delivery is a lie. I could go on about the service but I have learned that bad service is actually the norm at United States postal service.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- United in Uniform is a SCAM. BEWARE!!! I signed up for this unethical service 2/22/2012. The salesman, ** promised me that if I did NOT get any rentals, WHICH I DID NOT over the course of 10 months, that I could get a refund at any time. I asked him this question again before we got off the phone, and he again promised me that "If I don't get a rental, I can get a refund at any time of the year". No mention of needing to follow some instructions on their web site or some fine print.

It was a lie and when I called to try to get a refund at the end of 10 months, they informed me that I had to stay with the company a full year to give them a chance to get a rental, before I could get a refund. Again, NO mention of needing to follow some instructions on their web site. So I agreed to wait a year, and when I DID NOT get even a SINGLE RENTAL, I asked for a refund. I was then told by their refund department that I didn't follow the proper documented refund policy that was on their web site.

I informed the United In Uniform customer service team, **, that I was never notified by the sales man, or the first lady I talked to, ** on 11/2812 about a refund policy, or that I needed to read anything on the web page. ** was very mean and unsympathetic that no one had informed me about reading a refund policy on the web page. To me, this is nothing more than an advertising scam that needs to be shut down. They Lied to me, mislead me, never told me after countless phone calls (at least 5 calls!!) about this mysterious 'refund policy' on their web site.

Please let other potential consumers know not to fall for their untruthful, unprofessional service. They are truly a very un-customer friendly company, especially the way ** disregarded all the other phone calls and flatly said "You should have read our web site". Wrong, all you liars had to do was to tell me the truth up front about the policy when I asked. If you would have told me, I would have told you that it was unrealistic to do all of those things, and I would have never taken your pathetic service. The bottom line is I received no rentals, and received maybe 4 requests for rentals which is a terrible advertising investment.

Please, PLEASE, HANG UP ON THESE JERKS and don't listen to them. They are nothing but a BIG SCAM.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- After my return flight to Dayton, OH via Chicago I went to unpack my checked bag. I noticed that my pair of dress shoes were missing from the bag. I remember packing these shoes in my checked bag as I am very fond of them and they were a rare splurge. I went online to find out how to remedy the problem. I was directed to the Baggage Resolution Service Center. When I called the number the woman who answered asked me to tell her what happened.

I began with the story of the return trip and went on to explain what happened when I went on to put things away at home. She was immediately combative and actually told me I hadn't contacted them in time before she even knew what date I'd returned home. I didn't catch this at first but as she became more and more rude and began to explain to me that United Airlines had no intention of helping me in any way I paid closer and closer attention to what she was saying. She was far more concerned with United Airlines liability risk and in informing me that this was my fault than anything else.

Now, all I wanted were my shoes back but she basically accused me of trying to defraud the airline. It's not important here to disclose what I paid for the shoes but they were something I don't go buy every weekend. She kept telling me I needed to be quiet and allow her to speak and didn't seem interested in my lost item at all. I asked her if they had cameras in the baggage handling area and she said that no, they have limited camera coverage of that area. She ended by giving me a website and a form # that I could up on my own to fill out.

I asked her who I could call about this and she told me there was no one I could call. I confirmed there is no one I can talk to about items stolen out of my luggage while I'm traveling... she said that was correct. I just hung up. I WILL NEVER FLY ON UNITED AIRLINES AGAIN. I would rather spend more money on a competent airline that cares about their customers than deal with the likes of this rude and arrogant woman.

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA -- I've been flying on a semi-regular basis for the past 16 years, and I've never had an experience like the one I had yesterday on United Airlines. I flew Continental for a long time, because it was one of only two airlines in my hometown, where my parents still live. But after yesterday, I doubt if I will ever use United again. I originally had a 'red-eye' flight from Monterey, CA to New York City for Sunday night, with a connection at SFO. That flight was first delayed, then eventually cancelled due to fog. That, I can understand.

I was automatically re-booked onto the 5.30 am flight. I slept for four hours, woke up at 4 am, and was at the airport with plenty of time. We all got onto the airplane. Then, the gate agent came onto the plane to announce the plane was overweight. She offered any volunteers to leave the plane a $250 voucher. Since $250 won't get you very far these days, no one took the offer. Then she came back and read the last names of two passengers would have to get off the plane. I was one of those unlucky passengers.

I loudly refused to leave the plane. I explained I had a very important work event that I was already going to be three hours late to, and that I could not miss entirely without serious repercussions. Another passenger then tried to negotiate for a larger voucher amount, saying she would get off the plane for more than $250 so that I could stay on, but the gate agent said should could not offer more than $250. She said I had to leave as I was the last to check in for the flight - surely because I was automatically rebooked and wasn't supposed to even be on that flight in the first place.

I refused to leave. The gate agent left, then came back with security. I was forced to get off the plane like some kind of criminal when I done nothing wrong. They escorted me out of the airport and put me in a cab (which they paid for) to SFO. So I had to endure a two hour cab ride, and of course I missed the connection (only by a matter of minutes due to fog delays). They also gave me a $250 voucher which is worthless because I will never fly their lousy airline again or give them ANY money.

After I missed my connection, they tried to put me on a 1 pm flight, but I demanded they get me back to NYC sooner. They put me on hold for HALF AN HOUR and finally came back telling me they could get me on an 11 am Delta flight. I finally got home, bedraggled, at around 10 pm. I missed my work event entirely.

DENVER, COLORADO -- 27 July we went to the airport to catch our flight home, found that our flight had been changed to a different time and changing planes at a different airport. The airlines changed our seats and put us in row 12. We started boarding the plane to find there WAS NO ROW 12, so had to go back through all the people trying to get on to the agent. They said, oh well, then you will all get middle seats, which we hate.

We then flew to Denver, to find we land in gate 13 and have to run to gate 86 with no ride carts around to help, with 40 minutes to get there. At this point they did not give us a seat assignment for Denver so rushed to make sure we got a seat, which we did get assigned one by an agent there. Then our flight got delayed as the incoming was late. When the incoming arrived and unloaded they said there was problems they had to fix, after a while they said they were taking it away to fix it.

Later they brought the plane back and let us board. We sat there for about 15 minutes on the plane and they said we all had to get off again as still problems. When we went to sit in the waiting room the agent called us and two other couples up and asked to see our boarding passes. After she looked at the passes she said she was keeping them, I asked why and she just looked at me. I said "€œare you bumping us?" She said, "Maybe."

Much later when the plane was OK to go she announced over the speaker for all to hear the names of us 6 and we were NOT ALLOWED TO BOARD THE FLIGHT. Made us sound like criminals!! I ran up and said why and she said the plane had weight restrictions and where we got to the gate later then the others, we are picked to be bumped. I asked her how we could get there and sooner as we were on the plane they put us on getting there and still had ½ hour to spare when we got to the agent for our seats by running, or in my case with my bad foot walking as fast as I could. She said it didn't€™t matter.

I asked for our luggage so we could stay the night if we did not get another flight and she said NO, it had to go on to Tucson with the plane. Later they got us on a flight to LA where we sat for 5 hours for the plane to have that delayed too, got into Tucson at 1 am on Saturday Morning, had been at airports since 6 am East coast time and got up to get there at 4 AM.