United will not refund money

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Macbeth

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Okay. Hopefully I am in the correct section and if I am not, I apologize. Just let me know so I can move it to the right section. (Let me know which one it is, though. =] )

Here is the situation: This past summer my aunt and uncle purchased tickets from United Airlines to fly to Brazil to get a medical procedure done. They booked the flight and made the appointment at the same time so there wouldn't be scheduling errors. On the day of the flight they arrived at the airport early but when it was time to board they said that there was not enough seats and that the airline had overbooked. No problem. They said the next day they could board another flight to Brazil. The next day they arrived early again and got on a flight that had to stop at NYC Kennedy Airport and then go to Brazil. When they got to NYC Kennedy and it was time to board the flight, the same thing happened. There was not enough seats. The airline apologized and offered a flight on the next day, however by the time they'd arrive in Brazil they would have missed their appointment and would not be able to reschedule because the doctor was going to be leaving the country. United said that they would refund the money because it had been their fault that they couldn't board the flight. They took my uncle's card number and said the refund would be credited back in 1-2 weeks. They were then told the next day they could board a flight back to DC. My aunt and uncle had to spend the night sitting on the floor because the airline did not give them a hotel to spend the night in. However since this all happened in July, United Airlines has not returned their money. They have contacted them numerous times via letters in the mail and telephone calls and United has said they would credit the account and to wait 2-3 weeks but they have done nothing. Would suing them be the best approach? They have not called and threatened legal action because they're not sure what charges they could bring against them, if any. The flight was non-refundable but it wasn't my aunt and uncle's fault they couldn't board. By not taking the offer of getting a flight the next day did this void any possible refund?

Thank you for your time. :] I appreciate it.
 
Have you sent a written letter, certified return receipt? You should do so immediately, documenting the entire event, and make sure you don't send it to some general PO Box. If you speak to a supervisor I'm sure you'll get a physical address. Start with this approach. How were the tickets purchased?
 
No, they have not. I know they have sent letters but they were mailed to a PO Box. In the letter should they only include the documentation or should they mention that if they do not refund the money (which is close to four thousand dollars) they will seek legal action?

The tickets were purchased online with a credit card. We have talked to the credit card to open a dispute about this and they contacted United. I'm not sure if the tickets were bought from United directly or from say Expedia. I will ask and let you know later on today. If they were purchased from a third party (like Expedia) would it be better to contact the third party as well?

Thank you for the quick response. =]
 
You can also write to Conde Naste Traveler Magazine they have an ombudsman that may mediate this for you. They have a high success rate for issues they choose to mediate for you.
 
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