I am not the type to write bad reviews. Typically, I understand that there is always the risk for extenuating circumstances, particularly when traveling, and I try to be patient and understanding. That being said, I will never fly with United again. The customer service we received from this airline on our most recent trip was deplorable.
We booked a flight to the Dominican Republic months in advance. Then, a couple weeks before our trip, United contacted us to inform us that our short, same day layover, would now be an overnight layover. Instead of flying from BWI to Newark airport Saturday morning, and then hopping on our connecting flight, we would have to fly out a whole day earlier and spend the night in Newark. The same was expected of us on our flight home. No apologies, no discounts, nothing was offered for the inconvenience. Fine, things happen, and we decided to roll with it. However, when we asked about hotel accommodations the agent refused to provide us with any information. We explained that we would be traveling with an infant, and would need to know details, and the customer service rep was rude and unhelpful. Fine. Again, we decided to roll with it.
When we arrived in Newark, well past my son’s bedtime, we found our way to the United help desk. Again, the agent was rude and short with us. She reluctantly have us directions to the platform to catch a shuttle to the hotel and caught a major attitude when we asked about or luggage.
So, we went to the luggage help desk. We were informed that the agent at BWI tagged our luggage for the DR so we would not have access to it. We calmly explained that our son’s bottles, food, formula, travel crib, EVERYTHING was packed away. We have an infant, these items are necessities. The agent told us they would send someone to *try* to find our luggage, but that it would take upwards of an hour. So, what choice did we have? None. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, after well over an hour, and well past 10pm (did I mention we were traveling with an infant) we approached the agent, who informed us that they supposedly looked three times, but could not find our luggage. Right. So off we went, with no supplies to take care of our child.
We were directed to an area where we could catch a shuttle to the hotel. We had to wait outside, in the cold, at 11 o’clock at night for a shuttle. The place was a disorganized madhouse (admittedly, the airport’s fault, not United) and people kept rushing the shuttles, leaving us and our baby out in the cold. Finally, we gave up and caught a taxi ourselves, which cost us an astonishing $28 to go less than 2 miles. When we arrived at the hotel, the front desk apologized profusely and said that the United agent was supposed to call if someone was traveling with a baby, the elderly, disabilities, etc., but they never do it. If the agent had done her job, they would have sent a shuttle just for us. Additionally, they are supposed to call and request a crib. However, since it was nearly midnight by the time we arrived, there were none available. We would have used our own, but, United lost our luggage.
Our experience was so horrific that we could not put our young son through that again. So, instead of staying in Newark for our return flight, we decided to rent a car and drive the 3 hours home. We would rather drive 3 hours after a 3 hour flight than deal with the deplorable customer service that United provides. So, we ended up spending an additional $160 to fix a horrible inconvenience caused by United. Our whole experience was beyond unacceptable. We are out nearly $200 because of United’s incompetence. Our son had to sit in the cold, stay up hours past his bedtime, and go without his necessities. Never once were we offered any compensation for our troubles.
As I said when I started this post, I am not the type to leave negative reviews, but how could I not with this type of service? I will share our story on every social media outlet I can, as well as warn my friends and family not to fly with this airline. Please, do yourself a favor, and choose another airline when you book your travel arrangements.
