United’s becoming less generous with compensations?
United has (or had?) arguably one if the best customer service department. Until last year, they would hand out compensation e-certs for almost all complaints. I have got them in cases where I was not even expecting it. However, this year, they have tightened the noose. I didn’t get any when I complained about not getting the special meal I had ordered. I had not asked for compensation. However, in the past, such situations have always yielded compensation e-certs.
Flyertalker tkflyer reports that he has been told, United is limiting compensation to 6 times in a 6 month period. Here is the response to his complaint regarding broken EV:
“Thank you for getting back to me. Please understand that I have re-visited your concerns, and I very much regret that you continue to be unhappy with us. United is in the process of redesigning our compensation guidelines and in the interest of creating a financially sound airline we will not be able to be as generous with our compensation as we have in the past. We will no longer be issuing compensation for every contact and in fact are limited compensation to 6 times per 6 month period. I am sorry for any disappointment this causes.”
I feel 6 times in 6 months is good enough if they remain as generous as they were earlier. I have had to complain only four times in the last year. Neverthelss, I feel for roadwarriors (or Un-roadwarriors), this limit is disgusting. This rule means that you may not get compensation even for some valid claims!
Have you been affected by United’s change of stance? Let us know!
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I had no idea people complained that much. 6 times in a 6 month period is a lot! I was afraid I’d be labeled as a trouble-maker for complaining 2-3 per year.
Watch the whines and screams that will come. UA has been completely over-generous with compensation, and I guess that maybe someone might have finally done six sigma project and figured out that they had a bunch of people milking them.
It doesn’t surprise me that airlines are in the financial trouble they’re in when they keep throwing away money like they have been in this area. It’s gotten so ridiculous that many frequent flyers just start searching for the least lame and trivial thing to complain about something because they know they’ve been so “generous” (stupid) in compensations. But the airline has no one to blame but itself. As long as you keep handing it out, there will always be some who’ll be more than happy take it. Now they’re going to have to deal with the stuck pigs who’ve been happily milking this scam for far too long. And of course, as usual, the ones who haven’t been abusing the system are now held to these new dumbed-down standards thanks to all those dumbed-down abusers.