I am so annoyed with United

[Dznypal]

back in Feb 2020 we cancelled our Hawaii cruise since my moms health was declining--we had insurance that would cover the
cancellation--I knew I would get the unsual year to use the credit but after the year I would need a statement from the airline that credit expired without use

so when the year was up I asked united for the statement--well the extended the date for just over a year--now it was good till March 2022 I was never notifed by united of the change--

I thought since I cancelled before covid and for health reasons that I would under the old rules of the credit being good for a year
but thas not the case

so now its almost March 2022 and I saw on the news airlines are extending the credit--so once again I checked with united and sure enough its not pushed till dec 2022!!!

by the time I get my refund it will be almost 3 years since we first cancelled and this is with insurance


Im not sure if I have any recourse but to wait it out yet again--

I was thinking of going through the BBB or another thought is disputing with the CC--not sure if that would even be an option since its been so long--

we were going out on air canada and back on united--AC was great to work with--after the credit expired they were right there to get me my statement and insurence was quick to pay after I sent in the paperwork

just wondering if anyone knows are any deadlines for going through the BBB or the CC or if theres some other way to get my money back
thanks

 

[FCDub]

The BBB does not help and will not care. Sorry you’re going through this.

 

[sam_gordon]

When you asked this three weeks ago, you were prompted to call your trip insurance company for advice.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...line-credit-and-waiver.3867079/#post-63680551
Did you do that yet? What was their response?

 

[MrKnight]

I don't see anything out of the ordinary here.. Most airlines issue non-refundable tickets, hence why a credit with the airline is issued if you cancel since the ticket cannot be "refunded" (unless of course you paid extra for a refundable airfare).. There is no way to get a "refund" and you are expected to use the airline credit for travel otherwise you loose it..

If you purchased travel insurance, then you have work directly with the insurance company to request reimbursement, not the airline.. Be prepared to provide proof/evidence as to why you were unable to travel..

 

[lockets]

To clarify - you are waiting for the credit to expire and go unused and then you plan to go back to your insurance company with proof you never used the credit and ask for the refund?

 

[Dznypal]

yes thats how it worked with air canada--when the year was up and I asked air canada for the statement that the credit expired without use--I sent it to the insurance co who then sent me a check--this is what I was told do by the insurance

what annoys me so much is that this is the 2nd time united changed the expiration date I never got a notice either time--this last one I found out on the news

my point also is I cancelled before covid was here--and have insurance
I dont like that just as I get close to being able to get my letter that united pushes the date farther out
Im just thinking now of this money in an interest free account

strange also cause united will make money on this since were not going to use the credit so they wont have to fly us anywhere and insurance will reimburse us so united gets to keep what we paid back in 2020

 

[MrKnight]

yes thats how it worked with air canada--when the year was up and I asked air canada for the statement that the credit expired without use--I sent it to the insurance co who then sent me a check--this is what I was told do by the insurance

what annoys me so much is that this is the 2nd time united changed the expiration date I never got a notice either time--this last one I found out on the news

my point also is I cancelled before covid was here--and have insurance
I dont like that just as I get close to being able to get my letter that united pushes the date farther out
Im just thinking now of this money in an interest free account

strange also cause united will make money on this since were not going to use the credit so they wont have to fly us anywhere and insurance will reimburse us so united gets to keep what we paid back in 2020

IMHO, I see no wrongdoing whatsoever by the airline and I must say that is not something I say very often.. The average person would be THRILLED that the expiration date keeps getting pushed as you now have even more time to use the credit for travel rather than loosing it, the whole point of the credit was for you to re-book your travel.. Like I stated previously, as far as the airline is concerned, your original ticket was non-refundable and they hence offered you the credit in place of a refund, they owe you nothing else at this point.. I am honestly not sure what you are trying to accomplish..

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So I looked and your cruise was in April 2020 correct? You cancelled it in February 2020 correct?

What I found is in April 2020 this is what United said "Travelers with United electronic travel certificates, regardless of when they were issued, now have two years to book future travel from the date they were issued. The two-year window applies to customers who who were due to fly in April or May and booked by April 3, as well as those who had flights canceled or have eCredits for flights during that time."

*Bolding mine*

Are you sure that your credit wasn't for 2 years to begin with? Because at least from what they issued a statement for because your flight was suppose to occur in April it was given a 2 year timeframe and this was done back in April 2020.

Here's the source for that information: https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...nge-fee-2-years-april-may-flights/2939593001/

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

IMHO, I see no wrongdoing whatsoever by the airline and I must say that is not something I say very often.. The average person would be THRILLED that the expiration date keeps getting pushed as you now have even more time to use the credit for travel rather than loosing it, the whole point of the credit was for you to re-book your travel.. Like I stated previously, as far as the airline is concerned, your original ticket was non-refundable and they hence offered you the credit in place of a refund, they owe you nothing else at this point.. I am honestly not sure what you are trying to accomplish..

I think the problem is they wanted money in lieu of the travel credit. I agree most people would be happy to have a travel credit have an extended time to be used but I do also understand that not everyone plans to fly either and would rather have the money back instead. I also agree with you the airline isn't at fault if the OP purchased a ticket that does not allow for a refund of their money. Their issue seems to stem from trying to recoup the money via their travel insurance as the only recourse but their travel insurance wants proof the voucher is expired which makes sense because if it's not expired the OP can still use the credit then they would be double dipping (getting a cash refund and having a travel credit) but the travel credit hasn't yet expired..so kinda a big circle presently.

 

[lockets]

I guess at this point the only resolution would be to contact United and explain that their blanket credit extension policy stands in the way of you getting your insurance payout, and that you are not able to travel through December, and that technically this was pre-covid.

That you appreciate the ongoing extension, but that you’d like for an exception to be made. For the refund to be either cancelled completely or ended so you can claim the insurance.

Unfortunately I don’t see an angle in which BBB or your credit card can help. BBB is out. United did nothing wrong. As far as credit card - since United is technically giving you the money back as a credit and the dispute is based on your preference of what you’d like to happen vs. the typical dispute of “United took my money and won’t give me a credit at all” I believe credit card will side with United.

This probably needs to be escalated to someone in power at United who can “hit the kill switch” for you on that credit, or my next best idea would be to enlist a good travel agent to help you navigate this and offer to pay them something for it.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

I'd like to think you are speaking in frustration in your comment about going to the BBB or dispute with your credit card.
Because I'm sure you know that United has done nothing wrong whatsoever. They do not deserve a bad rating with BBB or a credit card dispute they have to defend.
They are actually being very generous in extending credits to aid people who want to wait till things are at a more normal level to travel. They could have let all those credits expire and go unused and instead they are moving the expiration dates out further. This is not something they have to do, though most all airlines are doing this.
You are in a minority in that this solution is not helpful to you. You just had unfortunate timing.
There is little recourse to you other than working with the insurance company. They could always make an exception and have you turn the credit over to them and issue a refund based on a time period but they choose not to. The insurance company could request United void the credit to be sure you don't double dip. I'd be more annoyed with them than United, who is only trying to offer something to their customers.

 

[JBRB828]

yes thats how it worked with air canada--when the year was up and I asked air canada for the statement that the credit expired without use--I sent it to the insurance co who then sent me a check--this is what I was told do by the insurance

what annoys me so much is that this is the 2nd time united changed the expiration date I never got a notice either time--this last one I found out on the news

my point also is I cancelled before covid was here--and have insurance
I dont like that just as I get close to being able to get my letter that united pushes the date farther out
Im just thinking now of this money in an interest free account

strange also cause united will make money on this since were not going to use the credit so they wont have to fly us anywhere and insurance will reimburse us so united gets to keep what we paid back in 2020

I fly United and had a credit from 2020 that was good till March 2022. I thought I had to use the credit by that date, so I called United and the rep told me no, as long as I booked a flight before that date, even if it was in the summer of 2022, they would honor the credit. At the time I wasn"t sure if we would want to fly by then with Covid still happening as I told her, so she extended our credit to March 2023. I even received an email confirmation of the new date. Even though she did that, we ended up using the credit for this summer's trip to Disney.
I hope it works out for you.

 

[Cheburashka]

The Better Business Bureau has completely sold out and will rubber stamp almost any business. They are next to worthless. Just compare the online reviews of a bad company to their top-notch BBB ratings. Their days as a legitimate consumer advocate are over.

That said, I agree that you need to try to work more closely with the insurance company and the airline to resolve this, as it's really just a logistical issue. Both sides are acting in good faith and willing to stand up to their end of the bargain- it's just the rules of each are unintentionally colliding. I would talk in detail to the insurance company, explaining the problem and asking for advice specific to this situation, getting a supervisor (more experienced than the average phone rep) to talk to if necessary. Then, using their guidance and advice, I would candidly talk to the airline about the problem, again nicely asking to speak to a supervisor to get a more experienced and authoritative perspective, rather than someone reading responses from a printed flowchart.

 

[Dznypal]

Actually to better phrase here what the real issue seems to be with United is that the rules were changed in the middle of the game. When I first canceled we got the standard credit use for one year which I expected. We canceled before Covid shut everything down. So I canceled under the old rules but then Covid hit and tykes changed. my point being since I canceled under old rules those rules should still apply. But I will try both insurance and untied supervisor.

 

[Dznypal]

Also that’s too bad about the BBB not there for the consumer anymore. They were a major help when there were billing issues where we bought our cell phones and also a car dealer