• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » Six Hours on the Phone with United Web Support
United Airlines

Six Hours on the Phone with United Web Support

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 19, 2009 2 Comments

Yes, six hours–and only two bookings.

Being the mileage runner that I am, I naturally rejected a conventional routing for my two trips to Los Angeles next month. It took me some time, but I pieced together a nice itinerary that would take me circuitously across the country–with connections through United’s hubs–in order to maximize mileage earning and VDB possibilities. 

The problem with nine-segment itineraries is that united.com and United Reservations cannot price them: they run into problems with itineraries of more than eight segments. That means a call to United’s web-support is required.

United.com support agents, based either in India or the Philippines, are always pleasant–but pleasantness does not always equate to competence. I calmly explained what I wanted and provided the flight numbers.

The first agent repeatedly tried to talk me into going with a much simpler routing. I kept telling him thanks but no thanks–I chose my routing for a reason. I figured out about 20 minutes later that I kept being offered the simple routing because this agent was also having trouble pricing my complex proposed itinerary.

I e-mailed my ITA (check out itasoftware.com if you are not familiar with this site) itinerary to web support and was put on hold for another 20 minutes. Back comes the agent to tell me that United would not honor the fare. I told him that it was just pulled less than an hour ago from the UA reservation system.

Back on hold for another half hour. The agent returns and tell me has found a solution for me: and proceeds to offer me the same simple routing I rejected over an hour ago. I kid you not!

Back on hold. Finally, the agent returns and gleefully proclaims he has priced out my itinerary at the same amount I was seeing. Great news, right? Wrong. I pull up the itinerary, now on hold at united.com, and see that the price is much higher than was quoted.

I call back and run into a 15-minute wait time for someone to pick up on a Sunday night–and my 1K number had been entered. The agent listens to my problem and puts me on hold. I’m kept on hold for over an hour, with periodic interruptions to Rhapsody in Blue to be informed that he was still working on my ticket. Finally, the agent comes back and says everything is now in order. I pull up the itinerary and indeed, everything looks fine.

This morning, I pull up the itinerary and it is right back to where it was before my last call. UA’s computer system must not have liked the agent’s changes…

I call back web support and reiterate the problem, provide the specific fare basis I want (again), and am placed on hold again. Nearly 1.5 hours go by without a peep from the UA agent–just more Rhapsody in Blue (a scratchy version no less).

Agent comes back: no dice. The fare is invalid. I ask what the problem is and the agent says that one of my connection cities is not valid. ExpertFlyer confirms she is wrong.

I ask her to re-read the flights to me and it turns out the last agent, in reconstructing my itinerary, had booked the wrong flight between Chicago and Washington Dulles, making the connection exceed the four-hour limit. 

Finally, I am quoted the right price. It only took four hours.

And that was only one ticket…

—–

My point of this long rant is two-fold:

1. Maybe I should just go with a simple routing next time.

2. Call United web support at your own risk.

 

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Picture of the Week #1: Gate Lice in Denver, Courtesy of United Airlines
Next Article Angels’ Wings Clipped at La Guardia

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • United Flight Attendants Tentative Deal

    At Long Last, United Airlines Reaches Tentative Labor Deal With Flight Attendants

    May 24, 2025
  • a woman looking at a man

    He Flirted On A United Flight…Then Let Her Walk Away

    May 23, 2025
  • Jon Gooda United Airlines Newark

    United Airlines Promises Smoother Summer Travel At Newark After Weeks of Delays

    May 23, 2025

2 Comments

  1. Palal Reply
    October 24, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    I’ve been successful with pricing 9+-segment itineraries on UA on Orbitz if you do a multi-city itin and narrow it down by airline and flight times.

  2. Matthew Reply
    October 24, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    @Palal:

    That’s good to know, though I did use a voucher for each of the trips above–so that complicated matters further.

    Next time I have a 9-10 segment route, I’ll take a look at Orbitz before I call UA web support.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Motion Sickness Uber
    I Used To Get So Much Done In Ubers. Now I Just Try Not To Puke. May 24, 2025
  • American Airlines Flagship Lounge Philadelphia
    Premium Progress: American Airlines Flagship Lounge Opens In Philadelphia (PHL) May 24, 2025
  • United Flight Attendants Tentative Deal
    At Long Last, United Airlines Reaches Tentative Labor Deal With Flight Attendants May 24, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a room with a table and benches
    Where To Smoke At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) April 26, 2025
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Refresh Polaris Lounge Chicago
    First Look: United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago (ORD) April 29, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.