Post by Captain Serious on Sept 12, 2013 14:17:08 GMT -5
I just spent the best dentist's appointment ever!
Sitting in the waiting room, I overheard the hygienist tell the receptionist that United was having a glitch or something on their site, and was offering $5 flights! I jumped on, and just booked a couple of $20 round-trip tickets from NJ to Hawaii! We were looking for somewhere to go cheap, and this was perfect!
To top it off, i didn't get my filling replaced today, because i gave up my appointment slot to confirm the reservation and then had to leave to pick up the kids from school. I'll go back on Monday, but I'm going to Hawaii!!!!
However, don't get your hopes too high. I hit a United booking glitch where a flight I was buying ended up a fraction of what it was supposed to be, but they corrected the mistake a few days later.
When I enter my Norwegian billing address, it had to convert my $1000 flight into Norwegian kroner (around 5500 NOK), but it skipped the actual conversion and just showed 1000 NOK instead! I booked the flight, and my card was charged 1000 NOK! I was over the moon! But then a few days later they charged the other 4500. I was already planning to pay the original price, so I didn't argue it or ask for a refund.
Unfortunately, most sites have disclaimers so that they don't have to honor incorrect prices. I've seen pricing errors on a few retail sites lately as well. I would have taken the amazing deal, but not the full price option, so I looked up the policies and found the clauses that they don't have to honor the price if it was a mistake.
Didn't another company have this happened on some rugs and they ended up sending an email saying that it was a glitch and the price wouldn't be honored. Let us know how it works out for you.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
Did you see that guy that had bought like 12+ flights throughout the year to Hawaii. Seems like a jerk move on his part.
Why is it a jerk move? It was brilliant on his part. Worst that could happen is they don't honor it. Best is they do. I am sure many, many people would have done the same thing if they could have.
I actually think they played this well. If they didn't honor it people would be pissed, and it would be bad image wise for them. Instead they sucked it up and honored it and now get this positive press.
Did you see that guy that had bought like 12+ flights throughout the year to Hawaii. Seems like a jerk move on his part.
Why is it a jerk move? It was brilliant on his part. Worst that could happen is they don't honor it. Best is they do. I am sure many, many people would have done the same thing if they could have.
I don't think one should blatantly take advantage of something they know is incorrect and was an obvious mistake..just because it's a company.
Why is it a jerk move? It was brilliant on his part. Worst that could happen is they don't honor it. Best is they do. I am sure many, many people would have done the same thing if they could have.
I don't think one should blatantly take advantage of something they know is incorrect and was an obvious mistake..just because it's a company.
I don't remember ever hearing of an airline honoring these kinds of tickets before, so I am sure he figured why not try. I understand your point but I do think, like I said, many people would do this.
I actually think they played this well. If they didn't honor it people would be pissed, and it would be bad image wise for them. Instead they sucked it up and honored it and now get this positive press.
Only idiots would be pissed. They bought the tickets with the intention of scamming the airline, so (in theory at least) should not be surprised when the airline refuses to be scammed.
Why is it a jerk move? It was brilliant on his part. Worst that could happen is they don't honor it. Best is they do. I am sure many, many people would have done the same thing if they could have.
I don't think one should blatantly take advantage of something they know is incorrect and was an obvious mistake..just because it's a company.
This is what DH said. Although if there's any company I want to take advantage of it's an airlines that's taken advantage of me for years with all of their BS fees and upcharges.
I don't think one should blatantly take advantage of something they know is incorrect and was an obvious mistake..just because it's a company.
I don't remember ever hearing of an airline honoring these kinds of tickets before, so I am sure he figured why not try. I understand your point but I do think, like I said, many people would do this.
Aeromexico did this a couple years ago, and flights from Santiago to Mexico City were going for $90. I know a ton of people who bought them, including a friend who bought 3 or 4 to go see her boyfriend who was living in Mexico City at the time.
I don't think it's scamming the airline to do so either. I do see how it could be considered wrong (I wouldn't do this to a friendly local business, so I probably shouldn't justify doing it to a big corporation either), but the word scam to me implies that the buyer is pulling a fast one rather than just taking advantage of the seller's mistake.
Look, I would have been perfectly find if the airline decided not to honor the tickets.
That being said, I don't for one second think they didn't do a cost-analysis on this and decide that they would be better off financially in the long run if they honored the tickets than if they didn't. They are a business, whose only concern is it's bottom line, as it should be.
The mistake was only available for 15 minutes. I haven't heard how many tickets were purchased, but I bet it wasn't a ton, compared to the number of flights they offer. Airlines routinely have unfilled seats. If their analysis showed that they will be flying the same number of flights they ordinarily do, but will have a few extra people each day filling otherwise empty seats, then why not honor them and earn the positive press? They aren't losing any money in that scenario, and they are deflecting the negative press of having made the mistake in the first place.
I understand the concern that this may force them into having to raise rates on other flights, but in truth, it may barely cost the airline anything. Without knowing the actual number of tickets bought, for which flights, and what those planes actually look like normally, there's no way for an outsider to tell.
So it was $20 + taxes? How much was the total flight cost?
(Because if the tickets were $20 total, they're paying out of pocket for the taxes, airport fees, etc and absolutely losing money.)
PS - If thinking United is a dumb-ass airline makes you bitter, put me in the bitter camp. UA 39 alone can rack up dozens of stories about United being stupid.
PPS - I'm glad they're going to honor your flight! For $20, even United beats the hell out of RyanAir! (Especially since a glitch in their site cost me $30 last week! )
So it was $20 + taxes? How much was the total flight cost?
(Because if the tickets were $20 total, they're paying out of pocket for the taxes, airport fees, etc and absolutely losing money.)
PS - If thinking United is a dumb-ass airline makes you bitter, put me in the bitter camp. UA 39 alone can rack up dozens of stories about United being stupid.
PPS - I'm glad they're going to honor your flight! For $20, even United beats the hell out of RyanAir! (Especially since a glitch in their site cost me $30 last week! )
The total cost was $20. All people got charged were the 9/11 fees.
So it was $20 + taxes? How much was the total flight cost?
(Because if the tickets were $20 total, they're paying out of pocket for the taxes, airport fees, etc and absolutely losing money.)
PS - If thinking United is a dumb-ass airline makes you bitter, put me in the bitter camp. UA 39 alone can rack up dozens of stories about United being stupid.
PPS - I'm glad they're going to honor your flight! For $20, even United beats the hell out of RyanAir! (Especially since a glitch in their site cost me $30 last week! )
The total cost was $20. All people got charged were the 9/11 fees.
If I sound bitter it's because me and everybody else (yourself included) are going to have to pay more for the company to recoup their losses. On their dumb ass mistake that they didn't need to honor.
Post by Captain Serious on Sept 17, 2013 6:58:27 GMT -5
Again, I think that they can take the loss without too much pain other wise, they would have decided not to honor the tickets. I also think that if this were to somehow spiral them into not having any profits this quarter, they could write it off.
And finally, I don't know how you define crook, but it's funny indeed. Last I checked, companies are allowed to give things away, even at a loss. As long as it's consensual, I've never heard it referred to as thievery or any other crime to enjoy their generosity. If what I did is wrong, so is accepting any purposeful promotion, including upgrades, club passes, or any other perk or customer loyalty program offered by any business.
You can sit here and be bitter all you like. You can think me an evil, thieving witch. I have had the hardest year of my life, and just when I thought things were at their bleakest, I got these tickets on a whim, with the knowledge that the airline didn't have to honor them, but hoping they would. They did, and I sure as hell am going to enjoy my vacation.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain