1/14/09
I can be reached at 415-897-0323 or you may write to me at:
Maureen ChavezOtavon Apartments1515 South Novato Blvd., #29Novato, CA 94947
COMPLAINTI booked a round trip ticket for my husband with US Airways from San Francisco to Mexico. I informed the ticketing agent at the time that my husband would be traveling on a Mexican passport and asked her what other documents he needed to take with him. She informed me, “Just the passport and a photo ID.” When he checked in at the airport on the day he was to return, he was denied boarding because he did not have his green card (or Permant Residency Card). Since the agent was made aware that he was traveling on a Mexican passport, she should have specifically stated “green card.” A photo ID can be a number of things, and not specific to a green card.
His name is Gerardo Chavez Moreno. Departure date from San Francisco was 12/21/08 and returning from Guadalajara, Mexico on 1/10/09 (Ticket #03723342688236). He was originally scheduled to fly back on 1/8/09, but became quite sick during his stay and was not able to fly that day. So I rescheduled the flight back for 1/10/09. We were charged an additional $150.00 for rescheduling, which is not what we are disputing, as we knew there was a penalty for re-booking the ticket at the time of ticketing.
I spoke with Joseph of US Airways after I sent my husband his green card via Fedex. The airlines was going to charge me an additional $150 for moving the date up. When I told him this didn’t seem fair because of their error, he put me on hold for a very long time. When he returned to the phone, he told me that he had authorization to waive the $150 charge because we were “misinformed” by the agent booking the flight.
Because of the misinformation given to us by US Airways, I wrote to US Airways Customer Relations requesting a refund for the full amount of the ticket of $768.81 (after deducting the $150 for rescheduling). A copy of their response is below.
In addition to the $768.81, I also requested a refund of $36.50 for having to Fedex my husband’s green card to him in Mexico so he could come back home. The reason why we are requesting a full refund of the ticket plus Fedex delivery is because my husband was due back to work on 1/12/09. Because he will lose a week’s pay amounting to approximately $600.00, and because I had to wire him more money for his additional week’s stay in Mexico, $768.81 plus $36.50 would compensate the losses incurred by us. However, this does not make up for the aggrevation and stress put upon us.in addition to my existing heart condition, I lost many night’s sleep because of this.US Airways did not provide the service we expected that was paid for.
There were problems with the delivery of the Fedex package as the driver could not locate the address. We went back and forth with Fedex on the phone until my husband had to finally meet the driver at his location.
Attached below is the response I received from US Airways after my letter to them requesting a full refund.in their response they mention that my “husband advised our agent that he left his residency card in San Francisco and that it was expired.” This again is another false statement made by US Airways. My husband’s residency card does not expire until the year and why they would make such a statement is incomprehendable.in their letter, they state “your husband knows that he has to travel with his green card at all times.” Why should they assume that customers know this when many have never travelled before?
It is unfair that airlines and big corporations can treat customers like this and get away with it without ramification. We seek retribution from US Airways for the money lost because of their misinforming us at the time of ticketing. This has not only resulted in unnecessary financial loss to us, it has stressed me out for almost a week. Because of my existing heart condition, US Airways should be very glad this situation didn’t put me in the hospital.
Sincerely, Maureen Chavez
Mrs. Chavez, On behalf of US Airways and the entire Customer Relations team, please accept our sincere apology for the travel difficulties you recently experienced. Your concerns have been thoroughly documented and your comments have been shared with the appropriate management teams to help us improve our service. Mrs. Chavez, our records indicate that your husband advised our agent that he left his residency card in San Francisco and that it was expired. We are sincerely sorry for his inconvenience however passengers' may visit the website www.usairways.com and you may view the rules on flying into and out of Mexico. Regretfully, we cannot issue a refund on any fees or the Fed Ex package fee, your husband knows that he has to travel with his green card at all times this is not a new rule and I'm sorry you believe you were misinformed and I cannot answer to what you were told by an agent. If the package doesn't arrive in time email Customer Relations and we will waive the reissue fee again and that will be a one time gesture of good will. Aviation regulations do not require airlines to pay compensation for consequential expenses because of delayed or canceled flights. This would include such items as hotel expenses, telephone calls, lost wages, missed meetings and other personal expenses including purchasing alternate transportation. The Customer Relations Department is US Airways Corporate level your correspondence cannot be escalated to any other department or other management personnel. Customer Relations is an executive management team that enforces US Airways policies. It is never our intent to inconvenience our passengers and will make every effort in the future to insure the situation you encountered is corrected. Thank you for sharing your concerns with us.US Airways value's each customer and appreciates their feedback. We look forward to providing a more pleasant experience the next time you fly with US Airways. Sincerely, Ms. H. StonUS Airways Customer RelationsCorporate Office
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