Bad Omens

[Casey_03]

I am not usually one to be superstitious, but it seems like things are piling up to prevent me from being able to move back to the U.S. as planned. First the U.S. embassy decided to give me a hard time issuing my baby a birth certificate/passport, and now I receive notice from the airline where I'd already booked tickets that the flight has been moved to a different date.

Mind you, I spoke to an airline employee by phone earlier and she said the whole flight was booked, so it seems like they just arbitrarily decided to bump me from the flight to make room for someone else. I just got an email very matter of factly telling me "oh, your flight has been moved to another day by the airline. deal with it." (okay so the "deal with it" wasn't in there, but that was the overall attitude).

I'm really not sure how common this is with airlines, but it's never happened to me before. This means that I will also miss the connecting flight I was getting in New York (not an actual layover, but a separate flight that I booked for the same day to get me to my final destination). I will lose $600 from missing that flight. I already called and tried to change it, and they said there is a $200 change fee for each ticket -- meaning I'd have to pay $600 because I have three tickets. So I will have lost $1200 just like that, just because some airline decided randomly to bump me and my family from their flight.

Considering I will only have about $1500 in savings to survive off of once I move back, and I now have to deduct $600 from that, I think it's safe to say this trip just cannot possibly happen. Everything that could go wrong is already going wrong, and I no longer think it's a good idea to take this leap.

 

[Friday]

It certainly gives you more time to get the divorce paperwork / prove you're not attempting a custodial abduction out of country / so you can get the US passport for your baby.

f*cking sucks that this airline doesn't have the standard clause that they will pay for all ticket changes needed on connecting flights if it's their fault you miss an already purchased connection, like most of the airlines stateside & Western Europe do. Any chance you got travel insurance, or put the charges on a credit card that has that protection clause buried deep in their policies?

 

[Casey_03]

They said they'd give me a full refund, but they won't cover the money I'm losing for the other flight. I flipped the hell out on them. Unfortunately, now all the prices on other suitable flights have almost doubled. So it looks like the relocation is off until some time next year.

 

[joeylittle]

They said they'd give me a full refund, but they won't cover the money I'm losing for the other flight.

Just regarding the other flight - you should get in touch with customer service and see if they will waive the change fees. It's an extraordinary circumstance - and airlines are often much more sympathetic than you might think. Explain the whole thing, and ask if there is any exception that could possibly be made. Otherwise - if you are truly looking towards a future flight - weigh the cost differential of having to pay the change fee, vs just letting go of the reservation. You should be able to cancel the reservation and have the option to re-book (with the change fee, if they won't waive it) for another 12 months from date of purchase. You can watch prices, and if you can secure something that is less than the sum of the change fees, buy that instead.

I've been in this situation before (buying a separate itinerary for what would be a layover flight), and I've gotten accommodated almost every time I've asked. I'm a frequent flyer, and that may have something to do with it - but generally, if the sales rep can be helpful, they will.

 

[Casey_03]

@joeylittle That's the really screwed up part. So, the airline of the flight I need to change is Delta, which apparently has a terrible reputation for this. i called them and explained the situation, crying and upset, explaining that this flight is critical for me and my newborn baby, and they said they can't waive the change fee. WORSE YET, even if I cancel and rebook, they said they note the cancellation on my account and WILL STILL ADD THE CHANGE FEE to each new ticket. It's completely insane. The woman I spoke to actually seemed very sympathetic but said she can't waive the fee because technically, i should have enough notice to modify travel plans enough to make the flight.

This whole thing is really just too much for me to deal with right now. First the embassy and now this. I've decided to put my relocation plans on hold for another year. There's way too much instability and I haven't even made the move yet.

 

[Powder]

I got really angry with my last flight because of this kind of thing. Customer service down the toilet.

But, I did email Customer Service with specific flight #s and my complaint, holding them to what I read on their website. This did get me the refund that they said I wasn't entitled to, but it took a month to get it.

So you might try putting this all into writing and sending it to Delta's Customer Service. I'm sure the phone people are not authorized. They are powerless drones.

 

[joeylittle]

Ugh.

What she said about still having to pay the change fee - that is only true if you re-book using the credit from this current reservation.

In other words - when you cancel, you'll retain the value of the ticket and can apply it to another flight for up to 1 year. However, the change fee will be added on no matter what.

If you simply cancel and then make an entirely new reservation, not using the credit from the cancelled one, you don't pay a change fee. The change fee doesn't follow you around by name.

Say the value of 1 ticket is $300, and you cancel. If you rebook using that credit, and the new flight you want is $550, you still come out ahead - you'll only pay $250.

Old value plus change fee becomes the price to beat. If you can get cheaper, don't use it. If you can't, use it.

Sorry they were jerks.

 

[Weemie]

dunno how this works for delta but look and see if you can contact their CORPORATE division. if you can't find it online, insist that you be escalated when speaking to a phone agent.

while you are yelling at the lowly front line agent, lmao, you can start by trying here: Dead Link Removed (now i am not sure if this links to like an overseas customer chat support center [in which case, uh, good luck] but it looks like a very typical FLA bypass escalation sheet to me--i filled it out myself and it has keywords like "has your issue been addressed previously" etc) you should also send the SAME EXACT EMAIL to [email protected]. (it looks like this stands for customer relations which is another keyword.)

you can also try contacting their disability support section. while this is a bit of a low move, it will ensure that the CSR you talk to speaks english. when they answer, KEEP TALKING. (you can also just lie and say you are hard of hearing and require a disability agent, but whatever.)

at all levels (phone, email) indicate that you are SPECIFICALLY looking to speak with a MANAGER or SUPERVISOR and that you are not interested in discussing your case with a front line agent AT ALL. you want a refund or a CREDIT and won't accept anything less. FLAs may still try to assist you but keep repeating that you need a supervisor. don't cry, get angry. if the manager cannot resolve it, INSIST that they escalate it further.

if THEY are at fault, THEY should be the one to pay. having enough notice to "modify" your travel plans doesn't give you back $600 by magic.

 

[Casey_03]

The problem is that they are not the ones at fault, they just have a shitty change policy. Ukraine International Airlines is the one at fault.

 

[Silver.]

I would definitely make a formal complaint in writing on their website. There is only so much customer service can do over the phone.
Also, if you use social media, I have seen so many problems resolved just by calling the company out on social media ;)
I do hope you get this sorted x

 

[Crow]

If you change your mind about traveling, go to Delta's FB page & twitter & ask for help. They can and will waive the change fee....hell do it even if you postpone. The key is social media and heartstrings. They're all about improving their image.

 

[Casey_03]

It's okay, guys. Thanks though. I already cancelled everything and called the trip off. There are way too many things going wrong and wreaking havoc.