There's a lot of airline bashing lately, so I want to share a very good experience with United which saved me a third of the ticket price. I called United this past Sunday (Memorial Day weekend). After a 20 minute hold time, I talked to a rep in Houston.
Three reasons for the call: 1) Since I can't see it online, I wanted to be sure priority boarding was on all four legs. 2) I was charged for five legs priority boarding instead of four so requested a credit. 3) I wanted to know if she could help me adjust the refundable airfare from what I paid last October to the current rate.
Results: 1) Confirmation all legs have priority boarding. 2) Refund received and credited to CC for overcharge. 3) Before I could ask my question about the fare difference, she said "I see you are eligible for a fare reduction refund". Today $668 refund posted to my CC. Not only is the airfare cheaper but taxes and fees are less. Preferred seats are still the same.
I didn't receive an email saying the fare refund was in progress but the rep stayed on the phone until she saw it go through in UA's system. Chatting with her while we waited, I thanked her for her help and since I had worked on phones for years (as a stock broker) I understand the nuances of customer service. She said it was nice to talk to someone who was polite and not demanding or rude.
I buy refundable tickets because I book far in advance. I don't know if this helps with the customer service. I don't have standing but have always had good customer service from United.
UA system improvements that would be helpful: On their app and website show priority boarding. Send a refund-in- progress notification.
The moral of my story is Be Prepared for your call. I had paper copies of all the ticket changes (theirs and mine) and conversations since the ticket was bought. I had the current fare up on the screen so if I had to discuss it, I could. I had made notes about the fare difference to know what to expect. Ask, Don't Demand. Treating the person on the other side of the phone the way you want to be treated goes a long way.