Fault lines

I recently traveled round trip from LAX to Washington, D.C., on United. United told me I could print my boarding pass and pay the baggage fee online. I did that, but as I was making my selection, I had to opt out of several costly offers. When I returned from Washington, I asked the hotel concierge to print the boarding pass and pay the baggage fee. When I got home, I noticed that one of the pages the concierge printed was an acceptance of a $137 charge for United’s Award Accelerator, which increases the value of flier miles. I called United’s customer service reps, but they refused to cancel the charge. Can I get my $137 back?

MaryAnne Smith

Irvine

Answer: Yes, but not because there are clear-cut good guys and bad guys here.

As is often the case when airlines were involved, I thought at first this was merely a question of customer service, which I continue to insist is a misnomer when airlines are involved. But the more I talked with Smith, United and Tim Winship, travel editor at large for SmarterTravel.com, the less clear it became.

Smith erred by not telling the concierge to be careful. She had successfully evaded the charge when she printed out her own boarding pass on the first leg of her trip.

The concierge erred by accidentally obligating her to buy the extra miles.

And United screwed up by insisting that whatever the question is, the answer is no.

So whose responsibility is it anyway?

Some will say that it’s Smith’s (including Smith, who told me in a conversation that she felt responsible). She may not have made the original mistake, but she still has to own it.

Some will say it’s the concierge’s, who clearly was flying on autopilot.

Some will say it’s United’s, which continues to find new and infuriating ways to wring revenue out of its customers (although United points out that one has to opt in to end up paying for those miles, not opt out, an important distinction).

In the end, United offered, as a one-time courtesy, to fix this for Smith. Smith’s other avenue may be to dispute the charge with her credit card company.

So what’s the big deal if Smith actually got the miles? Winship, who also is the publisher of Frequentflier.com, thinks that, in most cases, you’re probably overpaying for Award Accelerator miles. “If you’re really savvy and you know that you paid 3 cents a mile to earn [the miles] in the first place and therefore you also know you need to squeeze that or more from the value of your miles when you redeem them, then you can potentially come out ahead,” Winship said. “But most people don’t do the math.”

And that, in my mind, tips the scales of the “who’s-to-blame” equation. If offered the opportunity to err, I will almost always take it, especially if it involves money. And United, it seems clear, not only offers this opportunity but practically engraves an invitation to the screw-up party.

So, please, United, do us a favor. Take our names off the guest list. We love a good party, just not the ones you throw.

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