Update: They are now at least offering a travel credit, but still not good enough.
United has made a no notice retroactive change to it’s schedule change policy. Previously if there was a schedule change of more than two hours, United would refund you. Now the schedule needs to be 25 hours before United will refund you. As mentioned this is a retroactive change, meaning that United will be applying this new rule to existing bookings. To me this signals that United plans to make massive schedule changes due to COVID-19 and a lot of them will be in excess of that two hour buffer they used to give themselves. I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t see how applying this change retroactively is even legal. In a case of United attempting to applying this new retroactively I’d suggest doing the following:
- Immediately file a charge back with your credit card issuer for services not rendered.
- File a complaint with the Department of Transport. It might also be worth filing a complaining to the FTC for misleading advertising and also to your state attorney general as well
Keep in mind that these schedule changes are likely a cost cutting measure by United and they should absolutely be providing customers with a refund. In my opinion this is an absolutely insane move and even if not enforced will result in a lot of goodwill being lost by United. At this stage I couldn’t recommend that anybody book a ticket with United, because who knows what other negative retroactive changes they have planned?
How much does @united want to conserve cash? Before Saturday, after a schedule change of more than two hours, United happily would refund you. The new policy is 25 hours. Spokeswoman said: “We do everything we can to rebook customers in as timely a manner as possible.” pic.twitter.com/BgEQ1PsyHA
— Brian Sumers (@BrianSumers) March 7, 2020
The next time they come begging for a bailout and massive welfare, let us all remember all of these actions where they go out of their way to eff us, customers and taxpayers alike.
Their stock price is continuing its massive dive, off another 10+ percent today. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch*.
*Of all of the thousands of great customer-company interactions I’ve had with big companies (waives to the likes of Costco, Starbucks, 3M, Amica, etc, etc), I’ve only had a handful that were shockingly bad and unethical. Four of which were with United and American (btw, it’s not about airlines, I’ve had fantastic interactions with Southwest and Alaska, to name two.)
In addition to being terrible for customers, United’s move here is also not helping with the society’s mental security. The public panics enough (too much) already, and what we need is other airlines and cruise lines stepping up to say, “hey guys don’t worry, we will work with you through this tough period by being extra flexible with itineraries.” In contrast to that, United is sticking the burden of uncertainties on their customers and sending a signal of a gloomy future. It piles anxiety onto people’s minds already occupied by plenty of worries, making the whole situation far worse than it needed to be.
Is this TPG’s best airline by chance? If so, then their programs awarded “best” have been on a rampage rately.
What a concidence!
Just got an email from United notifying me of a 5 hour change.
On a flight I was considering cancelling…
I just received an email as well. My new schedule went from a 90 minute layover to a 7 hour layover (that now leaves at 5:45 am!). United needs to uphold the terms in effect when I purchased the ticket.
Gah! Just had my United flight adjusted 4 hours to a timeline that doesn’t work for me :/
Very strange – take a trip in vain situation where you booked for a meeting and with a long schedule change you miss the meeting.
A bit more palatable when combined with a no change fee ticket but even then you are left with a airline credit you don’t want for a trip that no longer has any meaning.
I’d be very surprised if they have no flexibility there (of course perhaps their answer is book a more expensive refundable ticket).
Companies I’ve worked for always booked refundable tickets for that very reason.
It’s irrelevant for me to add anything to this conversation, as it’s just a waste of my time… BUT of course I’m going to comment anyways :S
United already found themselves on my bad list when they eliminated mobile boarding pass issuance on basic economy tickets a year or two ago (forcing you to go to the counter to get your boarding pass so they could check the size of your carry-on). I am as FRUGAL as they come, yet this policy genuinely resulted in my paying more to fly Delta and American over United.
Now this new policy… United made $2.5 billion in profit in 2018. They are perfectly able to weather this storm without further screwing consumers. Attention Oscar Munoz and Scott Kirby – you greedy fat sacks of s***: I will actively pay even MORE to fly American and Delta over United. This is coming from someone who actively pursues deals on DoctorOfCredit – you KNOW you’ve screwed up when you have people like us paying more for competitor offerings.
And attention Doug Parker over at American – I actively pay more to fly Delta over your sack of crap airline, too. So don’t think you’re anything special over United. Also, your claim of American Airlines stock at $60 per share? Can we just say LOLZ?
Who hurt you?
I feel the same way as them. They’re hurt by the shitty airline experiences we treat as if its normal today
Care more about multi-national corporate crooks than human beings?
Well put, XenaWP.
Thank you. I didn’t mean to sound unhinged in my original post. I just get so frustrated by companies trying to squeeze every last penny out of the consumer. I understand and appreciate capitalism – but at what point is enough profit enough? How do we change mindsets and incentives such that customer service + environmentalism + humane treatment of workers + high profits is more enviable than highest profits alone?
I suppose I should just have faith that the chickens will ultimately come home to roost for the Uniteds of the world. I was shocked when I genuinely found myself paying more to fly Delta over United (I am truly as frugal as they come) – I can’t be the only person choosing to vote with his/her wallet.
No, no, no, no: YOU have absolutely nothing for which to apologize or from which to shirk. YOU please keep on writing the truth. The only ones who should be ashamed of themselves are the corporate crooks and their apologists (see the “C” above whom i will not dignify by naming.)
You, XenaWP (ok, not gonna lie, feel a little questionable about praising the name unless it’s all about woman power –I never watched the show– then I’d be ALL for it…) YOU GO! And, PLEASE, don’t stop. Please. Aside: hey, ALL, yanno even from the *purely* financial side: the honest, ethical companies who treat their customers and employees SO WELL, are those who make the MOST money. Duh. Hello, make.the.MOST.money. Huge kudos to those at UofOregon B-school who put so much of this great research into the public domain amongst the first, if not the first (besides those true geniuses who positively correlated the ‘best companies to work for [sic]” with BY FAR the best returns.) Duh.
Please: PLEASE: never leave it up to others to fight that which is our responsibility to do. Even moreso: let’s fight hard and smart enough that our fights which are so ethical, honest, and real are those which the SO many honest, ethical, and decent other people can not help but to join.
Oh, and aside: this very successful previous (now retired at a youngish age) professional investor agrees with you about the price of AAL –Parker’s a crooked incompetent.
Yanno, I’m just gonna take an extra second to applaud again ‘XenaWP’ for their courage, ethics, and intelligence to write a post (OP) with such fortitude. Bravo! [I said the following to one of my besties recently and thought again how seldomly we say it to those who truly deserve it, (even tho coming from a stranger on the internet –granted on a such a wonderful place that Chuch and William created and provide] Frankly, I am proud of you.
This reply was written after my reply below. Just fyi.
Errm, for those who are not also enjoying the gorgeous warm weather, with the most amazing sunset, with a full moon, over the most glorious bay in Pacific SW Mexico on vacation: Chuch = Chuck. Buena suerte! :))
Of course, XenaWP, could not have been more right:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/united-now-offering-a-travel-credit-for-schedule-changes-2-25-hours/
The corporate crooks (incl United and American) will attempt any short-term PR move to distract all of us customers, taxpayers, owners, etc of their constant and continued efforts to eff us, while constantly having their hands out for MASSIVE corporate welfare, all the while paying tens/hundreds of millions of dollars to their crooked/incompetent execs and board members. Wait, now the same with Kirby???!!! Oh.my.goodness.
See below for further insight, posted previously.
***all the while paying tens/hundreds of millions of dollars IN WELFARE… to their crooked /incompetent execs and board members….
Maybe they can merge with another airline again to save themselves like they did the last time. American Airlines maybe?
How successful could a charge back be when I charge all my United flights on a Chase United Card?
I just logged in and checked one of my reservation from middle east. United changed my domestic connecting flight from direct to a stop/layover via chicago. No email, nothing. Ridiculous!
Yep. I had a similar silent change for my trip to Japan. Fortunately, I was able to use that to cancel the flight under the old policy.