The short story - After Continental Airlines agent accidently cancelled flight ... customer logs over 400 minutes of phone time to recover flight. THEN tries to charged $50 change fee. Continental Airlines Inc 1600 Smith St Houston, TX 77002 CEO Lawrence Kellner Phone 713 324 5000 FAX 713 324 2087 ; ) EST sales $9,744,000,000 Jeffery Smisek President Lawrence Kellner Chairman Feffrey Misner CFO Gerald Laderman Treasurer Chris kenny Controller John Walker Corporate Communications Executive garry beagleradio@gmail.com The abbreviated long story - Booked flight through Expedia Cleveland to West Palm Beach (delta) May 17 06 / West Palm Beach to Cleveland (continental) June 12 2006. Both segment 'controlled by Delta June 4th called Continental asking for options to change return. Was told by continental agent he could change flight to flight lv West Palm that would leave June 6. I said that would be great. Was put on hold. Agent came back and told me that he was sorry but he could not change because tickets were controlled by Delta. Called Delta to see what they could do and was told that my reservation was cancelled. Called Continental back 'why did you cancel my reservation' was told that it was cancelled but could not reissue because ticket was controlled by Delta. Called Delta was told that they could not help because it was booked through Expedia and they (Delta) did not have the original record number. Called Expedia got disconnected Called back and was told that they could not help because the flight was cancelled by Continental. Time log -- keep in mind that each of these calls require getting through the voice jail / auto response system and include many holds and a couple 'start the whole f**&^ing thing over because of disconnects .... SO time so far is 35+25+17+12 or 89 minutes and I am only 1/2 way through my 6 pages of hand written notes. FOR ME AND OTHERS THERE IS NOT RECOURSE FOR DISGUSTING SERVICE ---- EXCEPT FOR ---- HOPEFULLY THE WEB COMMUNITY ----- The story continues - Enter Expedia again- (the help desk in the Philippines) Called Expedia -- voice jail - hold - disconnect Called Expedia back they tried to conference Delta to solve the problem ... was told that he had Delta agent on other line and she was briefed of the situation and would help. I should stay on the line and she would be with me shortly. He said bye. Hold 20 some minutes no one came on from Delta ... I hung up. Called Delta back got through to level 1 support told problem asked for level-2. Hold .......... I explained background to level-2 and was told that she could change ticket for earlier flight but I would have to pay 'significantly more' I said I can not pay more and what are my options? She said that she could rebook the original ticket. I said great. put on hold .... she came back and said that after checking she found that she could not reinstate because Continental cancelled it. I called Expedia and after the auto response questions I got a fast busy signal .... I hung up. I called back only to reach a nice guy who did not understand english very well - even after very slowly giving my email with g-george a-adam r-robert r-robert etc. could not get it ... I hung up and called back for someone better with english and asked for a supervisor. Now I try to peel the corporate layer onion by asking how I can get in touch with someone from the States. The call dropped. I tried again and the call was dropped .... Called back an explained that I had been disconnected 3 times. And was told that their records show that I was only dropped 2 times. I complemented them on their great record keeping but the reason that they had only two dropped calls was because I never reached a person on one of the dropped calls. I went on to explain that the bigger issue was I do not have a flight back home because Continental cancelled my reservation. Was but on hold for over 15 minutes and never got to an agent. 4:18 day one. (now starting detailed time log) Called Expedia explained situation and was told that he had to contact sales support because the records show that Delta created a separate pin ???? He would call me back with new flight information tomorrow. He said that the flight would be tomorrow sometime between 1-3 tomorrow. End day one ... total time logged aprox. 280 minutes. That is 4.6 hours and I do not have my original flight back because Continental made a mistake and cancelled it. Day two. 11am Called Expedia to tell them that I never got a call back. got reference number of trouble ticket which showed no record of any flight for today. hold hold 11:25 level-2 I give reference number she asks if she can put me on hold while she reads the reference documentation. I said no because I am sick of listening to the Pachelbel canon -- 11:38 comes back and asks how she can help? I said 'after reading for the notes of my problem for 13 minutes how do you thing you might help. She did not understand so I explained that I want my flight back. the on that Continental cancelled and that I have been trying to get back for about 5 hours. hold 11:48 still hold 11:56 still hold 12:10 still hold I hang up 12:10 Thinking to myself maybe if I lie to the auto response system and rather than say change reservation I say cruise tickets. There must be higher level people that sell the higher ticket cruises. Someone answers and I ask if I was calling the Philippines. She said I had reached the states. I told her the situation and she said that she could not help because she was with the cruise department. I asked if she could look up a reference number. She said yes. She asked me if I tried calling 800 397 3342. I told her that yes and that I had the number burned into my brain along with the Pachelbel canon. I asked if she could get me someone to help. To be honest I do not know what happened next. I have not notes until later at 5pm . I might have passed out. 5pm I received a call from Expedia with Continental on the line (but on hold) to discuss the problem. 5:11 still on hold ... Expedia said that they would call me back. 5:15 Expedia called back ... puts me on hold said that he can not get Continental on the line .... hold 10 minutes ... Continental get on the line and I explain. Continental said that they would reinstate the original ticket but would not give me an earlier flight without a $50 change fee. This supervisor whose name was Mark Pratt must be pittied. Anyone who could listen to the details of this customers 6 hour adventure and still ask for $50 ... and be adamant about not waving it, is a moron. The company that supports this lack of service is beyond absurd. Continental responds telling me that I had a flight today but I never showed up so it was cancelled. I said that while Expedia was trying to arrange for this I never got a call back and when I called asking about the flight no one had information. Then in a big 'I got you now attitude' the Continental agent said 'If you did not know about the flight why did you show up at the airport!' What!!!! I said ... why the hell would, after trying for -- now hell i lost track maybe 6 hours -- to get a flight, would I go to the airport and not take the flight... NO I did not go to the airport. Now another Expedia agent who said that he was monitoring the call came on in my defense explaining that Contenental screw up, put this customer through hell and asked why he could not simply wave the $50. He said no. Then asked why he was able to book rebook the the flight (the one that no one ever told me about) without assessing a $50 charge but can not now. He had no answer. The Expedia agent then asked to talk to this Continental supervisor's supervisor. 5:55 hold 6:12 Expedia said that they would call me back. 6:20 I call Continental explained ... and asked for help. 6:24 hold 6:31 marilyn answered .. I explain 6:43 hold 6:47 Marilyn said that she could wave the $50 change fee but the cost of the new ticket would be the difference between the new flight ($350) and what I have 'into' the old flight which would be about 200$. I said let me tell why I think this is a bad business decision and started reading the notes of my experience....... 6:58 Marilyn said 'I am going to have to disconnect you now..... click. 7:01 Linda from Continental -- I asked why I was told by Mark Pratt that he could not wave the $50 but was told by Marilyn that she would wave it (but charge $200) hold. 7:25 Denise Patterson Continental - I explain -- she said that the original ticket was never cancelled by Continental and that I could change only if I paid the difference of the new flight and the old plus a change fee. She went on to say that she is marking the record for all agents to see stating that no changes will be made without charge. 8 ish -- Expedia called me (to there credit) and said that they were unable to get Continental to wave the $50 change fee but, if I paid it, they would reimburse me. On principle I want Continental to wave this $50 and asking for the web community for help. Anyone in? I just want Continental to wave the $50. Explain why they treat customers this way. Personal apologies for the morons who made such stupid business decisions. And compensation for my time. You know what to do boys. Continental Airlines Inc 1600 Smith St Houston, TX 77002 CEO Lawrence Kellner Phone 713 324 5000 FAX 713 324 2087 ; ) EST sales $9,744,000,000 Jeffery Smisek President Lawrence Kellner Chairman Feffrey Misner CFO Gerald Laderman Treasurer Chris kenny Controller John Walker Corporate Communications Executive garry beagleradio@gmail.com