United Airlines Consumer Reviews - Page 6

SAN JOSE AND DENVER, CALIFORNIA -- It was a whirlwind 2 day trip from San Jose, CA to Grand Junction, CO via Denver CO. 4 flight segments with my 9 year old daughter who is in a wheel chair. We travel a lot. When we fly, we fly on South West, a fabulously handicap friendly outfit that goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable and help make the hassle of flying as easy as possible. This time we had to go United. Bummer for us. I booked handicap reservations. I called when I booked to let them know I was traveling with a child in a wheel chair, requesting front row for ease of access. I was told 3 weeks prior to departure that they could not help me but I should call 24 hours in advance.

I called 24 hours in advance (10 to be exact). I was told that they couldn't do anything about the seats (row 26) and I needed to handle it at the checking counter. The next morning at the check in counter I was told I should have called, there was nothing they could do about it, the gate would be able to help me. Well... by now you got it. They told me at the gate that the seats were full and they couldn't do anything about it!!! OK... I mentioned there were four flight segments, right?

I threw a fit. I told her to warn the flight crew that they would have a hostile mother on board and that I would make them setup the aisle chair in the plane 4 times if they didn't. The agent, (the same lady at the first counter) beg a passenger in the front row to switch - problem resolved. Ish. I told her thank you and if she could please let the agents know that we had 3 more flights so that we could avoid this mess on the subsequent flights.

CLEVELAND, OHIO -- Coming home from a much needed vacation, my flight connected in Cleveland Ohio (United/Continental). I landed at 4:00 PM and had the next flight at 7:00 PM to home (Chicago O'Hare). There was bad weather in Newark and Philadelphia so of course there were delays (even though from Cleveland to Chicago it was beautiful). I was patient until 9:00 PM when they cancelled the flight. I paid for hotel, food, battery charger for my phone (my charger was in the luggage on the plane).

They booked me a new flight for Sunday at 7:26 AM. Going on 4 1/2 hours of sleep I rushed through the airport just to see that this flight too was delayed 30 minutes. It was delayed 30 minutes at a time for the next 4 1/2 hours!! Mechanical issues. Several people sat in the gate and noticed that for 3 1/2 of those hours, no service was done on the plane. We were rescheduled until 2:40 PM... Again, mechanical issues and now they will update us at 4:00 PM... Again, mechanical issues and delayed until 7:00 PM!!! Cancelled!! The same plane sat there for 24 hours with mechanical issues and they couldn't bring in a different plane?

They rebooked me for a new flight for the next day at 2:40 PM! I had to book a new flight on a different airline out of pocket. I spent $500 for hotel, new flight and phone charger, and food. They do not pay for hotel unless you are international, they gave one coupon for $8 for food. They even told us regarding a couple from China (also connecting) when we requested help for them that "Quote: they are in America they should speak English."

They told me when I went to transfer my luggage to a new airline "Why didn't you just drive to Chicago?" Driving would have been a great idea had I not been delayed every 30 minutes for 4 1/2 hours and not told that I would be out of there in 2! I was a female traveling alone and I don't even drive in Chicago.

United/Continental employees were rude, not compassionate, would not help you find a new flight on other airlines. Due to the merger with United, the computers were not "talking" to each other so they couldn't even tell you if United offered flights. Of course when I landed my luggage was nowhere to be found. Continental failed to deliver it to American in time for my new flight.

Once I received it at home, it was wrapped in plastic (Continental stamped all over it), 3/4 of the back of my luggage was ripped off, 3 souvenir items were broken and a sandal was missing. I lost a week's salary due to the errors of the airline and there is nothing airlines will do for the travelers!!

I am currently a very upset, long term mileage plus United Airlines customer (over 50 years). I had two major problems with my past United Flight. When I returned from my flight, I called the customer service number on my mileage plus card.

They then transferred me to 3 different people with extremely long wait times (up to 25 minutes!), after talking to the third person they told me I could only email to Customer Refunds, and to email Customer Solutions. I was responded to by Lynette **, United Airlines Customer Relations. She then told me to email Customer Refunds, which I already did, and to call the 800 number which was the very first number I called!

As way of background, I originally tried to use mileage for any part of the trip. No €œmileage€ tickets were available, so purchased economy plus on tickets to Hilo. It turned out that the flight to Hilo was a Continental plane so it did not have economy plus seats! So I paid $81 for tickets that did not exist.

I also asked to be upgraded to First Class on the flight from Kona to SFO July 30, on June 26. Your company took all the mileage (82,500) out of account, immediately, but when I got to the ticket booth in Hawaii, they said they didn'€™t have any first class left, so they would refund my mileage.

When I arrived in Los Angeles, they said someone made a mistake, and there were not any regular seats left on the plane, only First Class, so they would allow me to stay there, without any upgrade cost. The next day someone deducted 60,000 miles from my account!!! I have been trying for a full month, to get them put back that were taken without my permission. And have been trying to get my refund for the economy plus tickets I purchased that did not exist.

I have spoken several times with Customer Solutions many times, one time she scolded me and told me it was like buying groceries from a car dealer. When I asked her to talk to the mileage plus personnel, she told me to speak with, your two employees started arguing, and even compared how long each worked at United, (customer solutions two years, and mileage plus customer service Pam in Rapid City- 21 years). Each told the other it was their responsibility to issue back my mileage. The customer solutions person, told me she would get back in a couple of days. Meanwhile nothing has happened.

If you go by our experience, you cannot trust anything United Airlines tells you, unless it is to their advantage! We were told by three different representatives that we could take a two day stopover in Frankfurt on our one-way flight. They even sent us a printed itinerary which the representative gave us 24 hours to confirm. We got all excited and researched what we could do, almost made hotel reservations, etc. etc.

When we called back the next day to confirm it, the representative told us that the policy is that you do not get a stopover on a one way flight. Talking to her supervisor for over an hour, he repeatedly did not take any responsibility for his three representative's incompetence in not knowing what the United policy is and his "I do apologize" sounded like it was read directly from a script, in a monotone voice. It would be better to have no apology than one that sounds so insincere.

RJ even agreed, when I asked him, that he was saying that when his company makes a mistake the customer is responsible to pay for it. What happened to the days when if a business offered the wrong price or similar to a customer, they were supposed to have the integrity to accept responsibility and give what was offered?

When we read him the United statement on their website which states that they treat their customers with honesty and integrity and seek their satisfaction, he finally agreed to give us what was promised to us but warned us that the partner airline may kick us off the flight from Frankfurt. Needing to check our schedule, we said we would call back and confirm it. He made it clear that when we called back we could get this already-made reservation confirmed.

But once again, we could not trust their word because when we called back we started back at square one, in spite of RJ's word that we could do this, with the representative (who gave us the reservation in the first place) telling us that it was not valid. She told us that the computer would not permit her to make the reservation, but by that time we couldn't believe anything they told us. I am almost positive that the supervisor could have overridden that.

Tired of several hours of hassle to get them to keep their word, we gave up our hopes of the stopover. We ended our conversation feeling like we had been talking to a brick wall. We were offered a small compensation but I wonder if the cost of the manpower used to argue against giving us what three of their representatives arranged for us didn't cost more than just following through on their reservation would have cost them. It also cost them some business, and the former good reputation they had in our and our friends' eyes.

United is horrible. I am/was a premier customer and still was intentionally blocked by poor customer policies on mileage and cash voucher use. Call customer service and you get an Indian call center. Talk to the supervisor and he tells you not even the president of the company can change policies. WT_! So I ask, how can I get someone who can make a decision? He says "Email the customer service dept."

I emailed the Customer Service center and get an auto response that because of the high volume (no surprise there) they will not be able to respond for ten days rather than the usual five, (great service so far). Then because of an upgrade they lose half of the information and I had to resubmit the complaint.

They still refuse to allow me to use my cash vouchers as cash with miles to make up the difference, I could not upgrade to economy plus with miles, I could not find decent flights with miles, etc. I have flown several hundred thousand miles with United over the past twelve years and am considered a "premier" customer. If this is the way they treat loyal customers I am glad I am not an occasional flier.

The customer service reps. were just as bad, told them I would leave if they did not reconsider their poor policies, basically they said "Sorry to see you go." They are willing to let $20,000-30,000 a year walk out the door. It is no wonder they are financially struggling and now they want to make a mega airline. Sorry, bigger is not better and the culture of poor customer service will not change.

I am liquidating my United Miles and I am flying Alaska and Southwest from now on, they actually care about keeping customers. Check Southwest's frequent flier program. I will be happy to give them my money rather that UAL.

Yesterday, I arrived at the airport more than an hour early to secure a better seat. Although we had chosen an aisle & middle seat, we were given a window & middle seat both ways. Going there we said nothing & just took our assigned seats. But I had dislocated & broken my wrist while in Chicago and felt that I desperately needed an aisle seat on the return. I was wearing a splint & bandage until it could be fully cast when I got home. My wrist was painful & vulnerable. I didn't have the strength to get in & out of a middle seat with just one arm.

The ticket agent told me there were absolutely no seats available. It was a full flight. She told me, in a disrespectful way that I had to take my assigned seat if I wanted to travel on that flight. She gave me no options at all. When I tried to talk to her, she rolled here eyes & snickered at me. As soon as I got on the plane, I asked the flight attendant to help me. Because of the pain I was experiencing & the dread of hurting my wrist further, I was crying & literally begging for help. He repeated the mantra that the plane was full. There was not one seat left on the entire plane.

I reluctantly went to my assigned seat as the doors were closing & I found an empty & available aisle seat in my own row. Furthermore, there were other seats available on the flight. I won't get into the sarcastic & aggressive way I was spoken to. But how can they be so apathetic that they wouldn't even peruse the plane for a minute to see what was available.

Why do they think they have license to be so rude? I thought the airlines were in so much trouble financially. Rotten customer service will not help matters. I'm completely sour on flying again, either UA or any other carrier. The disrespect & apathy toward my obvious distress were the breaking points for me. Amtrak, here I come.

CELEBRATION, FLORIDA -- I flew from Seattle to Washington then on to Orlando on June 29, 2010 in Business Class. I used 5,000 miles to upgrade from economy and now I regret it. Service was way below average. Why does one choose to pay for and want Business Class? Higher levels of service, attention to details, quality of meal, silverware, comfy chairs, "nicer" flight attendants. Whatever it is, it has to be SIGNIFICANTLY better - RIGHT?

Well I am here to tell you that for my money I get a wider seat, period! That is what I have boiled it down to. A wider seat. Food was average; sure I didn't have to pay for the snack/salad but seriously, a salad with plasticware??? Staff was not attentive. They did not anticipate needs or wants but stayed tucked away in their hole for 15-20 minutes at a time. Yes I did sleep but when I was awake during the 45 minutes after take off and 45 minutes before landing (on the first leg) they hid.

I have also been on several business classes where plastic cups have never appeared. As a matter of fact it was always glass and you were given various choices of beverages before take off. Not just juice or water in a plastic cup!

On my Dulles to Orlando leg I wanted a beer. I was given three choices. I chose the Wheat Beer and I was told they did not load it. Really? And when she came back she gave me a Miller Beer, which was slightly cooler than room temperature and not even a beer I like. YUCK and not even the common courtesy to come back, apologize and ask me what other choice would I like. Here is a tip - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COLD BEER! At least that would be meeting expectations!!!

On the Orlando leg I was also miffed that they only served chips or pretzels IN BUSINESS CLASS!!! I get it that it was a late night flight but some of us in BUSINESS CLASS are there, why? We have been in BUSINESS MEETINGS ALL DAY!!! We are HUNGRY! And get this one... when they finally came out of their lair, minutes before landing and came by sweeping the place for trash, all she could muster up the will to do is point to my beer can, look away and WAITED for me to hand it to her. Well then I also waited for her to give me the common courtesy to look back at me and then I handed her the trash that was 4 inches away from her hand.

Here is the bottom line - GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER and then UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND WANTS. You get a big fat 3 on my scale from one to ten, because at least they didn't drop a drink on me like I saw happen a couple rows up. Sadly disappointed from Seattle to Orlando.

We booked tickets from UA to NC in order to attend our son's graduation. It's an important event and we decided to be there 2 days ahead of that day, and bad things came. Our first flight was canceled by 2 different reasons that coming from 2 different sources. We asked for help on re-booking another flight and was asked to call a punch of different numbers in order to talk to some "right" UA support. Finally we just ended up with some other UA representative with a terrible accent, and the guy did not even care to search for other flights for us. All he said was "all other flights are full".

We asked that UA should transfer us to other airline, and he responded immediately that all other flights from other airlines are full, too. After just...about 2 hours talking with this guy, we asked his name and requested to talk to his manager, the guy hung up. How nice that UA trains their employees. Then we had to call around and around again, asking for help again, and this time, we were transferred to Delta, next day flight.

Next morning, at the checking boot, Delta told us that it was overbooked, and no seats for us, that we had to contact UA again. Sooo, we were canceled again. We called UA again and after few hours begging UA representatives, they transferred us one more time to another Delta flight, next morning. We thought that would end but it would not. We called Delta to get seats assigned and terribly found out that this morning flight was canceled AGAIN.

We called and asked Delta, and of course after about 30 minutes waiting, Delta told us that we did not show up for the previous flight - the flight that they didn't allow us to check-in because it was overbook. How nice! And it was even NICER that Delta said this is UA responsibility and we must contact UA. And the game started over when we called UA. They transferred us AGAIN to Delta, tomorrow late afternoon. At this point, we were already late for 2 days and already missed the department graduation of our son. It's even worst that Delta still does not have any confirmation that this transfer is settled down and OK.

In life, there are a lot of things that if you miss, you would never have it again, like my son graduation. We don't know if we can attend his day. So, please try as much as you can to avoid doing any business with this airline, United Airlines. They just don't care about passengers. Horrible airline. Our original flight was May 12. Today is May 14 and we're still not sure if we can get to NC at some time.

PASCO, WASHINGTON -- I needed to overnight (on a Sunday night) an envelope to my husband that he had forgotten to take. I called United Freight (1-800-Package) who were very kind and helpful. They referred me to the desk at the small Pasco airport, telling me it was manned until 5 pm and since I was only a few minutes away at 1:30 pm there should be no problem with getting the package there on time. I went to the airport and arrived at approximately 1:45 when I encountered an unmanned desk, another airline representative calling to try to find someone, and 2 hours of what appeared to be inexperienced, rude and unhelpful "customer service" representatives who were the farthest thing from customer service that I've seen in a long time.

In fact, at one point there were 3 uniformed individuals in site, none interested in helping anyone at the counter because they were busy trying to find a suitcase that was lost. Finally, I was helped and left the airport at approximately 3 pm. Today, the package that I shipped did not show up on the flight on my airbill. When I called in, they told me it was "probably" on the next flight and to call later. They only showed it being scanned in at the original airport but not the connecting, so they are not sure what happened to it. Between the horrible service, personnel attitudes and now lack of follow-up capabilities, it is no wonder the airlines is struggling.

The Pasco, Washington management should be fired for allowing whatever is causing their employees to act so poorly happen. The employee - last name ** - at that desk should also be required to endure another round of customer service training since it is a tiny airport and only requires one to look up and tell a customer they will be right with them or better yet call for assistance. I truly have not been treated this poorly as a customer in a very long time, and hell will freeze over before I ever buy another United Airlines ticket or ship anything with them ever again.