US Airways Doesn't Know Why They're Charging You $25, Doesn't Care
Reader Alex says that U.S. Airways charged him a $25 fee that they can't explain — and are unwilling to remove. If he doesn't like the mystery fee, he says, he was told to do a chargeback.
Alex says:
USAirways charged me an extra $25, on top of what the agent said was the amount that "includes all taxes and fees", when I booked 2 tickets on the same itinerary, one of them discounted using an E-Air Check Plus (which was issued for a previous inconvenience). Now, the EACP cannot be used on line, and therefore USAirways' policy is to let you book on the phone without a booking fee (I checked this).
When I called back to ask about the mystery charge the agent told me the following two contradictory things—-
1. They probably charged a booking fee because the SECOND (non-discounted) ticket could have been purchased on line.
2. The booking fee for my ticket (international travel) should be $35, not $25, so she wasn't sure it was a booking fee.The agent asked her supervisor if I could get a refund, and the response from the supervisor was (not surprisingly) no.
But here is the great advice: the supervisor suggested that I issue a chargeback. Really. I seriously doubt this is official USAirways policy, since chargebacks cost them extra money, but I was very surprised to hear this advice from anyone at their call center, let alone a supervisor.
I've contacted Executive Customer Support and requested the dispute paperwork from the Credit Card company. Any advice? If I dispute the mystery charge (which is charged separately from the travel on my cc), can they cancel my tickets?
We have never tried a chargeback for just an airline fee before, so honestly, we have no idea what is going to happen. It really depends on the bank and the airline.
Before you go ahead and follow the supervisor's advice — try contacting US Airway's executive office again. You can also try emailing your story to this address.
Has anyone out there tried a chargeback for just a fee? Did it work? Would you recommend it? Help Alex out in the comments.
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Comments:
It is the violating the first rule of flying fee - never fly on USAir.
Picture courtesy of Will Leitch's spank bank.
So do a chargeback - why hesitate? It's not such a big deal, and puts the burden on them to prove the charge is legit.
I've done a partial charge-back when I was charged for 8 months of service when I only used 6. It went through no problem so I would think it would work with similar logic in this case.
@zarex42: He's hesitating because they might cancel the tickets and he he probably wants to keep the tickets.
@zarex42: Why wait?
It's like filing a multi-million dollar lawsuit over a pair of supposedly ruined, dry cleaned pants. Or over-prescribing antibiotics to irresponsible idiots and causing a rising in drug resistant germs.
There are appropriate times to cause trouble for a company, and at this point filing a chargeback would be frivolous. There's still USAirway's higher support tiers and the BBB to consider. Part of being an effective consumer is being a responsible one.
I would not be remotely surprised if the US Air jerks cancelled his whole ticket for the fee chargeback. I don't have any proof of this; I just know they're assholes like that.
@BlackMage is doing the Time Warp agaaaaaaain!!!: The reason to wait is because if they DO cancel the tickets and the chargeback is denied, or he gets a refund on the whole purchase (with no tickets), he'll have to spend even more to buy them again.
It's a legitimate concern.
Some airlines tell you to file a chargeback as a matter of policy. Continental, for example, does this.
Call 1-800-WE-CARE-2, select option 5. The first part of the message, will be CO telling you to do what US suggested to the OP.
I had the exact same thing happen to me. $25 fee showed up, I didn't authorize it. Amex would not allow me to dispute the charge, either. I ended up just submitting it for expense reimbursement.
This was on a corporate Amex card.
"If he doesn't like the mystery fee..." Why wouldn't he?
Finicky bastard!
These fees are totally out of control. This weekend I had to make a reservations on United (yes, I know, it's not USAir) and I got stuck in some endless loop with their voice robot. I finally got kicked to a real person, who was able to sort it out -- then got slapped with the $25 fee. I tried to argue, saying that their dimwit robot didn't get it and I didn't realize I'd be charged, since it wasn't made clear during the transfer process. I hung up and tried to book online. When I chose the "select seats" option, an additional $350 was added to the ticket price. At that point, I gave up and chose a different carrier.
Really does anybody still fly US Air? I have moved my trip to a different day to avoid using them, I will never give them my business.
It's at moments like this (and this) when the wise words of Herbert Garrison echo through my head:
"The airline companies are losing money because of their own incompetence and their own inefficiency! ... Airline motherfuckers! You pieces of shit!"
It was a long, long time ago that I decided that if my feet have to leave the ground to get there, then it's not an important place for me to go to. If these people can't be trusted figure out something as simple why they're overcharging somebody $25, then why should they be trusted with my life?
@Susan Reed Clark: I had a similar thing happen with United (business travel; I didn't get to pick the airline). I tried to change a reservation online and it wouldn't let me. When I called the 800 number to change it - which triggers a $150 change fee - they explained that their software can't calculate the price difference for a different-time flight so it has to be done on the phone. Even though the fare was EXACTLY THE SAME.
@Penny Dreadful: Not sure if that's fair. The men and women flying the planes are not the problem here. Its the monkeys in the offices that control the company that are worrisome.
Just be careful during boarding... "Oh, Mr. Alex, we have a SPECIAL seat for you..."
I filed a chargeback against Airtran because they charged a "seat reservation fee" (or whatever they call it), but they canceled the flight. Since we didn't get those same seats on the *next* flight, I charged it back. Been more than 180 days, so I assume it's OK.
It's gotta happen more and more -- airlines are charging more fees; gotta expect that some of them would get charged back.
@Susan Reed Clark: You received actual better than average customer service from United then...
see www.untied.com (as spelled) for the "real" fun people have had with united airlines
This happened to me on United. It was a $15 fee and I got punted between Indian call centers with everyone claiming they couldn't help me or couldn't see the fee (which was clearly on my Visa statement online). I charged it back, got my credit, figured United would fight me but to my surprise I had no issues.
Charge it back!
I reject your fees and substitute my own! Take that!
U.S. Airways corporate headquaters is in Tempe, AZ. Call the police in Tempe, AZ and report the credit card fraud.
Sprint double billed (surprise!) me for a phone when I first switched over to them. When I called in to explain that I did not need two phones for one line of service (and didn't even receive two phones), the rep told me to do a chargeback for the second billing.
Cue about a month later, when the chargeback went through, my service was abruptly shut off with no warning. I tried to make a call to my husband, and was instead rerouted to Sprint where they informed me that my service had been shut off. It was the first time I used my phone in days, so who knows how long it had been shut off for. I walked away with a free month of service in compensation.
They will probably cancel your tickets when the chargeback goes through. Depending on the timing, don't do the chargeback more than a week before you fly.
I'm surprised no-one has suggested waiting until after the flight to do the charge-back. Does this interfere with your ability to do a charge-back?
@Penny Dreadful: Yeah, because logic has completely been lost on you since a higher percentage of people who walk, drive or ride bikes get killed because of other people. Get a clue and LIVE your life out of your shell
I use to work for US Airways when it was America West. They purchase US Airways when US Airways went into there 28 bankruptcy (Just Kidding). Everything has been down hill since.
Airlines can and will cancel your ticket if you charge back, they may keep your reservation depending if it was automated cancellation or not. If you are going international I would wait till you get back to charge it back.
No good agent, supervisor, or even manager will guarantee a refund. Everything has to go to through accounting and they decide if it is valid for a refund. If you get a good agent they will document the heck out of your PNR (reservation).
Did you book the reservation on two separate reservations? They should not have but, if it was one reservation and they charged you then that is absurd.
Here is the number to US Airways Quality Management 480-693-6715 or CRC 800-741-0329 both of these numbers go to what is basically a supervisor, try the Quality Management number first. This last number is corporate switchboard (480) 693-0800.
Hope you have some luck. Let us all know.
You can definitely dispute part of a charge, I did so on a dispute with CompUSA (so sad that they are gone, NOT)
I was locked into a year-long epic battle with U.S. Air back around '06, over some missing frequent-flier miles (with an overseas partner of theirs--won't go into it, but the error was on their end from the start). It took 12 months, a couple dozen phone calls, at least two faxes, and one letter... but they did sort the problem out in the end.
Win?
...Snark aside (and I'm flying to Europe on the miles they finally coughed up, so hey), I'd go with a paper letter to their main customer-service HQ (4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd. in Phoenix--full address is on the site)--it seemed to get results MUCH faster than trying to deal with their phone reps once every couple months for ten months. The faxes didn't reach anybody so far as I can tell.
In the future, travel with Southwest. Also write to them and let them know you support their "fees don't fly with us" campaign.
probably because the refund of $25 might be coming out of the supervisor's 'allocated refund funds' for the month....