Comments on: Hassled over my ‘no hassle’ miles http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/ Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sam Koren http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-91599 Sam Koren Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:55:00 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-91599 Airline miles are very easy to sell. There was no need to contact capital one or their friends. try www.sellmilestoday.com  Airline miles are very easy to sell. There was no need to contact capital one or their friends. try http://www.sellmilestoday.com 

]]> By: RobR http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-14376 RobR Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:39:55 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-14376 If you google on "airlink mile inflation" you will find that many airlines are restricting the seats and flights available via miles, and increasing the number of miles you need to have to get a free ticket. One solution is to sell your miles for cash. This involves a mileage transfer fee, http://points.com/ has something set up to help you do that. If you can buy a stranger a ticket and then get paid directly, that is even better; I think http://flyhub.com/ allows that method of transfer, but I haven't used it yet myself. If you google on “airlink mile inflation” you will find that many airlines are restricting the seats and flights available via miles, and increasing the number of miles you need to have to get a free ticket.

One solution is to sell your miles for cash. This involves a mileage transfer fee, http://points.com/ has something set up to help you do that. If you can buy a stranger a ticket and then get paid directly, that is even better; I think http://flyhub.com/ allows that method of transfer, but I haven’t used it yet myself.

]]> By: Joe Farrell http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-13878 Joe Farrell Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:45:36 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-13878 All of the points & FFB schemes are just that - schemes. They are NO different from the rebate schemes. Great on that printer, $250 now only $100, but you need to fill out 18 pages of paper work, cut off 6 different box labels and then paste them in a specific order or else your 'offer' is rejected. On the off chance that you can follow our directions, we'll get your form in 3 days but take 3 months to send you your money. If you fail to dot the third 't' in every sentence, then your offer is reduced to $25 instead of $100. Gimme a break, take $50 off the price instead of $100 rebate and just make it easier on everybody. You want something for nothing? Then you have no control over it as a customer. All of the points & FFB schemes are just that – schemes. They are NO different from the rebate schemes. Great on that printer, $250 now only $100, but you need to fill out 18 pages of paper work, cut off 6 different box labels and then paste them in a specific order or else your ‘offer’ is rejected. On the off chance that you can follow our directions, we’ll get your form in 3 days but take 3 months to send you your money. If you fail to dot the third ‘t’ in every sentence, then your offer is reduced to $25 instead of $100. Gimme a break, take $50 off the price instead of $100 rebate and just make it easier on everybody.

You want something for nothing? Then you have no control over it as a customer.

]]> By: Phil http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-13812 Phil Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:09:34 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-13812 Yes, Capital One is notorious for poor customer service. In addition, they have depreciated the value of their points over the last several years much more rapidly than most other programs. Bottom line - many of their customers would be better off with standard "cash back" credit cards. For example, 35,000 Capital One points buys you a ticket worth between $150 and $350. You can get "cash back" cards that give 1 point/dollar on all purchases (2 points/dollar for grocery and some other types of purchases), and give $300 cash back for 30,000 points. That makes it easy to get $300 or more in real cash from a cash back card, which you can use to buy airline tickets or anything else you wish. Bottom line - Capital One's value proposition is poor. The true "no hassle" card is a cash back card. Yes, Capital One is notorious for poor customer service. In addition, they have depreciated the value of their points over the last several years much more rapidly than most other programs. Bottom line – many of their customers would be better off with standard “cash back” credit cards. For example, 35,000 Capital One points buys you a ticket worth between $150 and $350. You can get “cash back” cards that give 1 point/dollar on all purchases (2 points/dollar for grocery and some other types of purchases), and give $300 cash back for 30,000 points. That makes it easy to get $300 or more in real cash from a cash back card, which you can use to buy airline tickets or anything else you wish.

Bottom line – Capital One’s value proposition is poor. The true “no hassle” card is a cash back card.

]]> By: Robert Johnson http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-13796 Robert Johnson Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:33:59 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-13796 Capital One is notorious for this type of behavior. This was no misunderstanding, this was IMO corporate policy. Google Capitalone and read the litany of Consumer comlaints. Capital One is notorious for this type of behavior. This was no misunderstanding, this was IMO corporate policy. Google Capitalone and read the litany of Consumer comlaints.

]]> By: Chicky http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-13777 Chicky Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:10:28 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-13777 It does seem these companies could save themselves time and embarrassment by just doing the right thing to begin with. You're right, Kelly. There's no reason travelers should have to beg, plead, whine and threaten corporations to get them to do what they are supposed to do in the first place. Give people the blooming refunds! What they "lose" in immediate revenues, they more than get back in goodwill and repeate business. It does seem these companies could save themselves time and embarrassment by just doing the right thing to begin with. You’re right, Kelly. There’s no reason travelers should have to beg, plead, whine and threaten corporations to get them to do what they are supposed to do in the first place. Give people the blooming refunds! What they “lose” in immediate revenues, they more than get back in goodwill and repeate business.

]]> By: Kelly http://www.elliott.org/the-troubleshooter/hassled-over-my-no-hassle-miles/comment-page-1/#comment-13768 Kelly Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:56:36 +0000 http://www.elliott.org/?p=5139#comment-13768 You know, I am sick and tired of hearing people complaining about having to contact airlines and hotels and credit card companies over and over and over again! Why do we, the customers, have to continue to go through this stuff for days and weeks and months? Why can't these companies just do the right thing and admit when they're wrong and issue refunds, vouchers, miles, etc. back to their customers? Are they really losing that much money to do this? They are wasting so much of their own employee's time to give the customer the run around which clogs up the phone lines, drives up overhead, and causes consumers to lose confidence in these so-called friendly companies.So much for customer loyalty! I appreciate the work you do Chris to help your readers, but why does it have to come down to a well-known person who has websites and columns about these problems to finally get these companies to do the right thing and provide customer service? So now our last resort is to contact Chris to get these problems resolved and this poor guy has to spend his time contacting these inexusable companies. They always seem to say, oh there was this missing piece of information, or just this one time we will give this courtesy voucher to the customer, or like above, there was misunderstandings. This is BS! If these companies would take care of the problems in the first place then maybe there would be some customer loyalty and employee loyalty, for that matter. And we could actually talk to someone that understands our language! Reading these articles and different columns about these issues, and from having a brawl with Spirit, among other minor issues (delays, missed planes because of late connections, cancellations, etc) with other ailrines has caused me to totally check out of traveling. The only traveling I do is for work and when I do travel personally, I have choose to just drive for the past 5 years. Maybe this is an extreme measure and maybe I am being too pessimistic, and being one 1 person out of the millions that travel, I am quietly boycotting and quitting these companies that give me the run around. Hey, at least I feel better about not having to spend countless hours chasing after people from foreign companies that barely speak English to solve problems here in the US. Olay, time to get off my soapbox! You know, I am sick and tired of hearing people complaining about having to contact airlines and hotels and credit card companies over and over and over again! Why do we, the customers, have to continue to go through this stuff for days and weeks and months? Why can’t these companies just do the right thing and admit when they’re wrong and issue refunds, vouchers, miles, etc. back to their customers? Are they really losing that much money to do this? They are wasting so much of their own employee’s time to give the customer the run around which clogs up the phone lines, drives up overhead, and causes consumers to lose confidence in these so-called friendly companies.So much for customer loyalty!

I appreciate the work you do Chris to help your readers, but why does it have to come down to a well-known person who has websites and columns about these problems to finally get these companies to do the right thing and provide customer service? So now our last resort is to contact Chris to get these problems resolved and this poor guy has to spend his time contacting these inexusable companies. They always seem to say, oh there was this missing piece of information, or just this one time we will give this courtesy voucher to the customer, or like above, there was misunderstandings. This is BS! If these companies would take care of the problems in the first place then maybe there would be some customer loyalty and employee loyalty, for that matter. And we could actually talk to someone that understands our language!

Reading these articles and different columns about these issues, and from having a brawl with Spirit, among other minor issues (delays, missed planes because of late connections, cancellations, etc) with other ailrines has caused me to totally check out of traveling. The only traveling I do is for work and when I do travel personally, I have choose to just drive for the past 5 years. Maybe this is an extreme measure and maybe I am being too pessimistic, and being one 1 person out of the millions that travel, I am quietly boycotting and quitting these companies that give me the run around. Hey, at least I feel better about not having to spend countless hours chasing after people from foreign companies that barely speak English to solve problems here in the US.

Olay, time to get off my soapbox!

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