9/22/07 10:34:56 AM

My28 AUG flight was cancelled, I was given an itinerary for 29 Aug. I arrived at the airport and self checked in. The machine said to see agent.

I went to the counter and the agent told me to wait in line. After waiting for awhile the flight was called for boarding. The agent asked if anyone was on this flight. I identified myself as on it, expecting to be called up to get my ticket straightened out so I wouldn't miss my flight. To my surprise and shock I was told to wait in line. I of course missed my flight. The agent (Byron Gassage) seemed totally unconcerned and indifferent with my plight that he had caused. I asked him why he had me wait in the line when my flight was called he did not respond. He looked over my ticket and said I would have to contact United to deal with it. I asked if he could not fix it here since they caused this. He had an attitude of cold indifference and said he could but he would have to charge me. Fine, I told him, How much I asked. He did not reply but kept his head down to the computer. I asked again how much, still no reply. Now I was getting angry and asked to see the manager. He replied that he was the Manager. and walked away.

I left and went to the Delta counter and asked to buy a ticket to Kuwait. The agent listened to my recap of what happened at the United counter and said wait a minute, He went and talked to Mr. Gassage and returned and told me that Mr. Gassage would sell me a change ticket to catch a DELTA flight(FLT #1994/2094) to catch up with my United flight in IAD. It cost me a $100. TKT NBR 016 2163668070.

I work in Iraq as a helicopter mechanic for the US Army. I have a Leave and Return By date. I can lose my job if I am late. United representative would not give me a Flight Cancelled note for my employer,( they did last time my flight was cancelled).

1. I want to know why was I treated this way. I was not loud, rude or ugly. Stressed, most definitly thanks to the agent.
2. Why was my ticket not honored?
3. Why was I charged a change fee?
4. Why was I sent to the end of the line when boarding was being called when circumstances (and good customer relations) dictate get the customer on his way, thus avoiding all the above.

I was at the airport early just in case of problems like this, only your agents turned a glitch into a nightmare of snitty indifference that had even Delta's agent shaking his head. I was willing to pay for a ticket to get back to work on time from another carrier, that is how serious my employer is about employees being back on time. Personell can't leave until another is back. We have military ops to support.

Please explain to me what your agents are representing in Birmingham.

I am back in Iraq now and made time to deal with what should have been a routine flight as I come home 3 times a year. Up til now always on United.

Flight Information:
Ticket Number: 01676638540813
Flight Number: 7108
Travel Date: 28Aug2007
Origin City: BHM
Destination City: KWI

Dear Mr. Cooper,

I am responding to your email send on September 24. I do apologize for the miscommunications from my side.

I have revisited your email and am sorry to learn that you have been handled in an unprofessional way which resulted in your disappointment with our service. I have forwarded your comments to the appropriate department for review; I have forwarded your e-mail to them on your behalf.

Please know that the E-Fare tickets are non-refundable, an exchanged of $100.00 USD is charge as service charge per ticket and we will not be able to refund you the amount. However, I am happy to offer you a travel certificate which you can use for your future travel as a goodwill gesture. Your disappointment is understood and I appreciate your patience.

I do apologize for the inconvenience caused to you by this. Rest assured will work to ensure the situation is not repeated. We know that leaving on time is important to our customers. I am sorry that you did not have a positive experience and I recognize that your recent experience did not reflect our commitment to provide you with a hassle-free travel experience.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. Your business matters to us. Please give us another opportunity to serve you better.

Regards,
Ellis Panmei
United Airlines Customer Relations

9/27/2007 9:53:32 AM

Let me get this straight, United cancels my flight, United causes me to miss my flight the next day, United gets an antagonistic attitude and won't fix the ticket when they can, because a DELTA Airline agent has to talk to the UNITED agent to get him to do his job,for a fee, and I did ask for a refund.

So United's answer is to offer me a "gift certificate", when someone REALLY needs to FIRED. I see that I will need to pursue this in a different venue.

Regards,
James R. Cooper

Dear Mr. Cooper,

Thank you for contacting us again. I'm sorry you're dissatisfied with our response.

As mentioned in our earlier correspondence, I have included your comments in a report to station manager. We are sensitive to your concerns and your report of unsatisfactory service. By reviewing the situation with the management and employee involved, we are taking action to improve service quality. I trust you understand United considers all disciplinary measures between employee and manager to be confidential.

Your continued disappointment with our decision is regretted. Your business matters to us. Please give us another opportunity to serve you better.

Regards, Ellis Panmei United Airlines Customer Relations

9/27/07 9:16:07 AM

Per my previous message, should have read: I did (not) request a refund. That's what happens when trying to my job and yours. I think we are agreed that everyone regrets bad service. However this is WAY beyond simply "bad service". I don't know if your "agent" has a problem with Soldiers, Military Contractors or Customers going to the Middle East, or other underlying issues. As I was made to understand; the problem employee in question is the Station Manager. I'm sure he'll deal as harshly with himself as he did with me. Maybe he'll feel the panic and stress I did. Maybe he'll even dock himself a Hundred Dollars before he lets himself go back to work.

It is evident United intends to do nothing beyond emailing "Regrets". I regret that my wife and everyone standing in line had to watch this spectacle as this United Agent deliberately humiliated and embarrassed me in front of everyone as I begged him to honor the ticket I bought in good faith. I believe he could have rectified this from the start and chose instead to "Punish" me for reasons known only to him. I believe the Delta Agent made him realize he had crossed the line in a very bad way. Why else did he "relent" and sell me "change" ticket?.

The response up to now has been what I expected. Regrets and no refund of an unjust $100.00 charge, and vague hints of "disciplinary action". I don't believe United understands fully or takes seriously enough my "dissatisfaction". Generic emails of regret and a certificate will not suffice in this case.

Regards,
James R.Cooper

Dear Mr. Cooper,

Thank you for writing to us regarding the additional fee you paid. I regret for not been able to respond earlier.

As a Supervisor for Customer Relations, I can realize how a situation such as this can cause great deal of frustration. You report that you had to pay additional amount to reschedule your flight. This is quite unusual.

Further, I would like a specialist to review your account in detail and have, therefore, forwarded your concern to our Accounting department. A representative will be in touch with you as soon as possible. If you prefer to contact them directly, you may reach them by calling (1-888-551-6881).

Mr. Cooper, I'm also concerned about the treatment you received. Further, I would like to assure you that I have now shared a copy of you message with the customer service manager at the Birmingham International airport for his information and internal review with the staff involved.

We're committed to meeting your expectations, and we hope you will give us a future opportunity to restore your confidence and support. Your business is important to us.

Regards,
Evan Valecha
United Airlines Customer Relations

10/12/2007 10:21:27 PM

Mr. Valecha,

Finally a response acknowledging the situation as I reported it. It is a most unusual situation for any employee to conduct business in such an outlandish manner. I am not unreasonable, I can overlook harried employees and sympathize with them. But as a professional (I was a police officer for 15 years) we must rise above certain stresses. I have referred this matter to my attorney for review. I will however wait to hear from you regarding this matter before pursuing this any further. I am surprised to hear from United since my last email. "Regrets" was all that was forthcoming. I did not wish to be ignored as this was so far out of the "harried employee" type of incident. I have traveled United many times and have nothing but the utmost respect for the flight crews and service I have received. Traveling to and from Iraq often, I always feel safe once I am on a United flight. I was saddened to have been treated as I was.

I hope we can resolve this to everyones satisfaction.

Regards,
James R. Cooper

Dear Mr. Cooper,

Thank you for writing to us again with your concerns. I truly appreciate the opportunity to respond.

As a Supervisor for Customer Relations, I can realize how a situation such as this can cause great deal of frustration.

We are sensitive to your concerns and your report of unsatisfactory service. By reviewing the situation with the management and employee involved, we are taking action to improve service quality. I trust you understand United considers all disciplinary measures between employee and manager to be confidential.

We appreciate this opportunity to respond and look forward to serving you again.

Regards,

Evan Valecha
Supervisor
United Airlines Customer Relations

November 16, 2007

Dear Mr. Cooper:

Your most recent letter clearly indicates that you are not satisfied with the responses you have received. I deeply regret if we have failed to adequately address your concerns or even more so to show true empathy for your experience on August 29. I appreciate another opportunity to re-visit your concerns.

You mentioned in your original correspondence that when you tried to use the Easy check-in you were advised to see an agent. The reason was you had missed the cut off time. In order to ensure that our guests and their checked baggage make it through the security process and onto the plane on time, we may establish lobby cut-off times for checked baggage. This is usually 45 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights, and 90 minutes prior to departure for international flights. If you check-in after this cut-off time, we will most likely be unable to get your baggage to your flight in time. Whenever you make a change to your ticket you will be charged the applicable service fee. I am sorry if you thought our agent was being unfair to charge you, nonetheless, in this case, the fee was applicable and we must support our agent's decision.

We realize you are still upset with the way in which things were handled. The rude and unprofessional service you report is unacceptable and I want to assure you that your comments have been taken seriously and given the attention deserved. Customer satisfaction is an integral part of our commitment to you and as our guest you have a rightful expectation to be treated with courtesy and respect. That being said we expect our staff to provide helpful, professional service at all times. Please accept my apologies, on behalf of United, for any unprofessional service you encountered that day and for any misunderstanding regarding our check-in policies.

It's important for you to know that the travel certificate we sent you was not meant to compensate you for your dissatisfaction. Instead it was meant to serve as an expression of our goodwill and appreciation for your business. While we cannot change the past, we want to assure you we will act on your feedback to ensure we are more responsive to your needs and concerns in the future.

Mr. Cooper, your business and satisfaction are important to United. We will do our best to see that your future flights with us match our standards for quality travel experiences in every respect and we sincerely hope you will continue to give us the opportunity to serve your travel needs.

Sincerely,
Anne McFadden
Customer Relation
s AM/ca
Ref #: 6587259G