I guess AA has no heart

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 37 total)

  • Cwyfan
    Participant

    Simon

    No doubt I will follow your advise from now on, as I now have little faith in AA’s computer system, but I am still perplexed as to how it happened, and given AA could see on their system that I had a transaction, they would do nothing about it.

    The real mystery is the midnight deletion, just about 5 hours after the booking. It is the most perplexing, as I did not return to the computer until next morning, and if for some reason the AA system had registered it as hold, it should have been there for 5 days!


    TheRealBabushka
    Participant

    Kmcottrell,

    Are you saying that you were issued with a PNR (Record Locator in AA lingo) but the booking was never ticketed?

    That has happened to me in the past both via internet booking on AA’s website and bookings on the phone through an agent. I have been lucky in that, upon confirming the lapse, inventory was still available and another booking could be made.

    The key here is to never rest until you receive an email from AA detailing the ticket number for your booking. If you have not received an email with your ticket details and confirmation that you have used your Aadvantage miles, I would be on the phone to AA to get it sorted. If they tell you it will happen in time, kick a fuss and tell them your booking has dropped in the past and you wish to ensure it does not occur again. At the very least, there would be a record of your interaction with AA should you require recourse in the event that things go wrong.

    I know it’s not ideal but at least you save money booking online than via an agent. I know it’s frustrating when IT systems do not work as designed but I think it is folly to assume IT systems are infallible.


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    That is exactly what I believe happened. I booked, and the system bucked!

    Unlike you when I picked up the disconnection, and phoned AA for help, there was no inventory left.

    They are BA flights using AA’s FF miles, so I was able to see that the 2 award seats available at my time of booking then had disappeared off the BA site, when I checked next morning. I assume in some way related to my booking.

    BA say it can take a day or 2 to go back on their inventory, so I have not given up yet, that I might get a second bite.


    thesunjet
    Participant

    kmcottrell – Happy New Year.
    Not sure why you are getting such hostility as you are right to be upset.
    I have a contact for you :

    Director of International Marketing at American Airlines London
    Stephen Davis
    <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected]


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    Happy new year to you too thesunjet, and thank you for your positive contribution to my dilemma.

    I found the negative responses interesting, as my main concern was to alert others to take care. Not everyone was negative, and at least I realised that I was not an isolated incident as it had happened elsewhere too.

    I will never know if I somehow made a mistake after 20 years of booking on the AA site, but am convinced that everything went exactly as with all of my previous bookings, so the probabilities are with me.

    I will contact your suggestion, if for no other reason than to alert them to a possible loophole, or do I mean black hole, in their system.


    MKB1964
    Participant

    I’ve had it had to me several times with AA. The booing and payment are apparently accepted and a PNR is issued. However, rather than ticket, the reservation has auto-deleted because it wasn’t able to ticket, a few hours later, with no warning at any stage that I didn’t have a confirmed booking and no email to notify of the cancellation.


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Surely if you have a PNR number you are in stronger position – this is the number issued by the airline to identify your booking.


    maxgeorge
    Participant

    I’ve found AA to be generally helpful in matters like this.

    While redeeming Avios or AAdvantage miles with American is much easier than getting the usual “no availability” with BA, AA redemptions have no 24 hour cancellation option. Once booked, it’s US$150 to have your miles re-banked.

    I recently booked a mileage flight that I had to cancel the next day. A call to their US customer service, a bit of groveling, and the fee was waived.


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    Sunjet

    I have sent 2 emails to your suggested contact, and have not received so much as a courtesy reply.

    I guess their attitude begins at the top?


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    Finally, AA have given me the points back without a fee. I went onto Facebook, and they reacted swiftly!

    The sting in the tail is that their reply says:

    You’ll need to request the taxes be refunded in person at the airport. Make sure you give the agents at the airport your record locator or the ticket numbers.

    I have cancelled the flight, so will not be visiting the airport!

    The flight was with BA, although booked through AA airmiles.

    Anybody know what I do next?


    Carajillo2Sugar
    Participant

    Surely they can simply refund the taxes to the card you used to pay them with? I’m guessing you booked/paid on-line so why on earth would they expect you to go to an airport to get your money back?

    Perhaps Michael O’Lairy is now running the department…..


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    I have now spoken to them on the phone, and they say that what was said on Facebook was incorrect, and they will refund via my cc.

    Nearly there!


    Carajillo2Sugar
    Participant

    Yay! Someone higher up the food-chain sees sense….


    TheRealBabushka
    Participant

    Congratulations! Such perseverance is commendable!


    jsn55
    Participant

    I’m not sure why there so many mean comments on this problem, does it really matter who made the error? An error was made and AA refuses to correct it without a penalty. This is ugly, ugly, ugly. It’s no wonder people hate the airlines, with behaviour like this. I hope you keep asking AA, working higher up the food chain, until you reach someone with a brain. AA should cancel the existing ticket without penalty. There’s no excuse for treating customers like this. You might contact Chris Elliott, a consumer advocate with a great deal of experience in obtaining justice with travel problems. I think the website is elliott.org.

Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 37 total)
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