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UNITED AIRLINES TOOK MY AIR MILES FOR BEING SIX DAYS LATE!

  • In my previous blogs on this issue, I stated that I was six days late in creating some "activity" that would keep my 196,000 air miles from expiring. I have written and pleaded with Mileage Plus customer service and they are rigid and unyielding. I explained that I had had surgery last year and that none of their options of how to get my miles reinstated were helpful. They suggested I pay them $400 to get the miles reinstated or that I take out another credit card for $200 OR I could pay for a plane ticket and fly somewhere. I am sixty seven years old and just recovered from a full hip replacement. I am facing a full knee replacement next. I do have high hopes of a better time health wise and financially to use these miles I so carefully collected. Most other airlines give you two years to "keep the miles alive" by either taking a flight or transferring points, but United had a deadline of 18 months. That's what tripped me up. And they even asked me for proof of my surgery which I gave them and then still denied me on a technicality. Is this customer service? I encourage all of you to protect your miles, use them up but don't give United your paid business. They are terrible at taking care of their loyal customers. I have been a mileage plus member for over 20 years and have been very loyal to United, hence the almost 200,000 miles. Too bad they couldn't have been loyal to me. Please spread the word.

    Well the good news is that someone from United finally responded on Gary's twitter and asked me to call a number which turned out to be another customer service line for Mileage Plus. After a long voice mail tree journey I ended up with an entry level customer service agent and felt like I was starting over. BUT from all the emails I had send asking for help, they had generated an incident number and that agent did move up the chain to a supervisor who said that they would have an answer in 7 to 10 business days! So, let's keep this topic going until we get a positive result. As of now, the only way I could get my miles back is to pay them $400, get a credit card I don't need for $200 or fly somewhere for at least $200 and the only place I could go without losing hundreds of dollars in income is to fly to San Francisco on a Saturday and fly home on Sunday. I still feel like United is holding me hostage over these almost 200,000 air miles. How is that customer service or rewarding loyalty for my years of membership. Remember that I was only late six days and had valid reasons, even if United keeps denying me. Let's hope they become compassionate and don't make me fly just to fly. Can't even enjoy the time away. Thanks as always for your support.

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