Her $7,300 business class seat was stuck in the lie-flat position for a 14 hr flight

Wow! I’d be hopping mad if that happened to me! You’d think at least the daughter would do a 50/50 split with Mom so each could sleep and also have “up” time. Being banned by UA if they lose in court would not keep me from filing a suit.

It is a serious safety concern. I wonder if UA got it fixed for the next flight.

This:
"I am paying that extra $6000 for one thing and one thing only: the SEAT. It isn't "ancillary". It's the whole product."

I be hopping mad too. Aside from the discomfort, the product failure seriously endangered the customer. The attendants shrugged off an unusable seat belt? The thing they all remind you almost constantly to have buckled in case of sudden turbulence? Unbelievable.

I'd guess that the daughter did offer to switch seats for a time but Mom declined. Her daughter's safety probably meant more to her than her own: Moms are like that.

I was mad once when my comfort+ seat didn't recline on my 9 hour flight. That was a painful flight. Actually, it was my kid's seat with the problem so I swapped with her (things we do for your child). The only thing I got from Delta was some miles, not even enough for an upgrade.

Honestly. I would be annoyed but not extremely angry, especially if it was an overnight flight. The few times I have paid for business class, it was to be able to lie down and take the pressure off my back. So if I was able to lie flat, I could deal with not being able to sit up, though it is far from ideal.

On the other hand, if the seat did not recline to a lie-flat position, I would be extremely angry.

Either way, the service paid for was not received due to a broken seat, which is the airline’s responsibility. I would request and expect a full refund.

"I would request and expect a full refund."

I agree with Carroll. I would have emphasized the safety issue of not being able to be safely restrained for most of the trip. I am shocked that the FAs were not more concerned about having a non-functioning seat belt.

I wonder if they actually fixed the seat on the turnaround or if the next person seated there was unlucky as well?

Not condoning the situation at all, but, especially on a flight with a regular (read, 1-2 hour)
turnaround leaving a hub to an international destination, there is no time to fix a seat, and
the alternative is substituting a new plane, which may work if it has the exact same seating
config as the original plane. If there's an empty seat of the same class, that is the obvious
solution, but if not, the unlucky person in that seat has to deal with the situation.

If, though, you are the first person to discover the problem, and it is mid-flight, yes, this
is a crappy situation and not much to be done. So check everything out in your business
class seat as soon as you get on the plane....

The flight attendants will usually be new, and learn about the broken seat as they are getting
ready for the next flight, but there's nothing much they can do, and they are the ones getting
the ire of the affected passenger.

If there's an overnight for the plane, they may be able to make an attempt at repairs, but UA
having the right parts in, for example, Paris, is questionable. Plus they need mechanics.