Delta Airlines - Vouchers for voluntarily giving up seat actually only valid one year from receipt - told by Delta that could cancel voucher tickets and re-book with only paying $ 100 re-issue fee, to extend time of validity - but then not allowed to do t

Complaints.com received the following on March 26, 2003:

From: Huss, Cindy [Email User]

RE: Delta Airlines - Vouchers for voluntarily giving up seat actually only valid one year from receipt - told by Delta that could cancel voucher tickets and re-book with only paying $ 100 re-issue fee, to extend time of validity - but then not allowed to do this

I received 2 vouchers for $500.00 each when I gave up my seats (July 2000) and took a later flight. The man that stood up in the front of the plane and ask for volunteers told me, noting that I was pregnant, that I could book the tickets within the year and if I could not travel to cancel that flight and then the tickets would be good for 2 years. Based on this statement below!

STATEMENT TAKEN DIRECTLY OUT OF TWO DELTA CUSTOMER CARE E-MAILS TO ME: Tickets issued from October 1, 1996 through May 31, 2002 have a two year validity provision. All travel has to be completed within two years from the date the tickets were issued. Your tickets were issued on June 13, 2001. The two year validity provision applies to Delta issued domestic and international fully refundable published fare tickets and nonrefundable published fare tickets issued in the US in USD currency. Please accept our apology and we would welcome further opportunities to be of service.

I made my flight reservations over the phone within the year (June 2001) and told the Delta Rep. exactly what I was doing. He helped me choose a flight with a value as close to $500 as possible and told me then to call and cancel the flight and the tickets would then be able to be re-issued with a re-issue fee of $100.00 each, leaving the value at $409.00 and the tickets good to June 2003!!!

I just spent over 45 minutes on the phone with DELTA customer care from Los Angeles and the woman tells me the tickets had no value right after the 1st year (July 2001) She said she could do nothing about what I was told by two of the DELTA representatives and had the nerve while on the phone with me to inform me she was putting a note on the system against my E-ticket numbers that they were null and void. Do you think I would have held onto these tickets and took the steps exaclty as I was told by two DELTA Reps if this is not what I was told to do!!!!????????? I will walk before flying Delta again! And Customer Care should be renamed Don't Care. I would have thought with the shape of the airline industry right now they would be trying to polish up on their people skills.