Darren H.

UPDATED directly from the BBB

Consumer's Original Complaint:
I have been trying to reach the Revenue Protection Department of Delta Airlines for over one month to report a company operating outside of Delta T&C.
On or about April 14th, 2015 I "purchased" what I thought was a discounted business class ticket from a company I found online, Wholesale-Flights out of Burlingame, CA. When I received a receipt (attached) indicating a charge of $129.30 was to my AMEX and a withdrawal of 245,000 points from Sky Miles account ending in xxxx363, I became very suspicious and began digging. My Sky Miles account does not end in 363, I do not nor have I ever had 245,000 Delta Sky Miles. I do not know anyone that travels Delta and certainly not anyone nice enough to give me 245,000 miles. I was able to ascertain the owner of that Sky Miles account is a female, so it further supports my suspicions on how this company operates. I then received a 2nd receipt from the company charging my AMEX for $5779. 20. Now, I'm not a math wizard, but when I buy a ticket, I don't ever think it is coming to me via an award travel ticket. That is not what their website says and furthermore they claim to have "exclusive contracts" with airlines that do not allow them to publish the fares or carrier online. So... somebody is lying big time, the question is WHO? My question #1: is Delta truly a partner with Wholesale Flights and does Delta have an "exclusive contract" with Wholesale Flights as their website claims to be? #2 Does Delta knowingly condone this unethical exchange of miles in their program, thereby creating a whole business of buying and selling airline miles? #3 Why hasn't Mr. Parker from the Revenue Protection department ever returned my phone calls and emails over the last month? #4 Why has an inhibitor been placed on MY Sky Miles account when I have done nothing wrong? If anything it should be placed on the 363 account any any accounts Wholesale Flights has. #5 The MOST Important question I have is who is the female who's account ends in xxx363? The ticket was purchased through her account using my AMEX that was NOT authorized to be used in that manner. I thought I was simply buying a ticket, not this complicated unethical shady award miles seat for nearly $6k. The profits this company is making are being taken away from Delta and putting passengers at risk of losing their trip and having it cancelled as I am sure you are aware. I have my suspicions, but I want a full detailed description on the origin of those 245,000 miles and how they ended up in my lap for $5779. 20. I was told by one representative that the ticket was purchased with AMEX points not through Delta, and another rep telling me it was legitimately purchased with miles on Delta. Which is it and which should I believe? Let me make it clear; I am not seeking anything other than information or courtesy of a response and explanation. This information is key in my quest to recover my money from AMEX. Please provide this information so that I can put this issue to rest and move on with things.

Sincerely,

ME

Consumer's Desired Resolution:

I want to know the origin and detailed tracking flow of the 245,000 points that were used to purchase the above ticket ************** on April 14,2015 along with the ip addresses of the origin of booking. I also want to know specifically if Delta has an "exclusive contract" with Wholesale Flights, Inc. from Burlingame, CA and if so, what the details/terms are of that contract. I also want to know why nobody from Delta seems to be overly concerned about it and instead put an inhibitor on my account and essentially punished me for alerting them to fraudulent use of your Sky Miles. Yes I know these are a lot of demands in here, but I do not think they are unreasonable and I certainly am in dire need of this information as soon as possible. Thank you for your help and I am disappointed I had to go to the BBB to get a legitimate response.

Sincerely,

Me

BBB Processing

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11/20/2015 WEB BBB RECEIVE BUSINESS RESPONSE:
Hello Darren,

We have received a copy of your complaint from the Better Business Bureau regarding the ticket purchased through Wholesale Flights. I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

You purchased a ticket from an online ticket broker that buy and sell SkyMiles and are in no way affiliated with Delta. They advertise 50 - 70% off business class seats which should make the purchaser suspicious. You paid $5,700 for a business class ticket which should have been over $12,000. We get several of these a week and the only thing we can do is close the SkyMiles account that the award ticket was issued from and have the member file a police report. In almost all cases the member doesn't bother filing the police report since they usually travel on the award ticket.

The broker deposited 245,000 American Express Reward points into the account on April 14,2015 and your ticket was issued that same day. The broker usually deposits just enough into the account to cover the cost of the award ticket. Revenue Protection, Loyalty and Legal have tried several times in the past to close down the brokers but there are hundreds of them and thousands of customers willing to buy and sell their miles.

Below is a link to an article describing how the ticket brokers operate.

http://www.awardtraveler.com/articles.asp?articleno=27

I hope this has provided some clarification for you. Thank you again for sharing your concerns.

Regards,

Name Deleted...

*****STAY AWAY, STAY AWAY, STAY AWAY!***** I WILL MAKE THIS SIMPLE. This company operates at the risk of YOU losing your flight and ruining your vacation or trip. They win 90% of the time or more, but if you check BBB, you will see several "customers" have had that happen and the company refunds their money. Somehow, when I purchased what I thought was a "ticket," I received an email from Delta for $129.30 and 245,000 Sky Miles! I don't have Sky Miles so somebody else's account transferred those miles to me, charged my AMEX for the Delta fees, then a hefty nearly $6000 for 245,000 points by Wholesale Flights. People ask if they sell points, well, indirectly they have to since I have a receipt with somebody else's Sky Miles account and I set out to prove it. I demanded a refund and the owner/COO offered me $2000 IF, IF, IF and ONLY IF I removed any negative comments and left positive ones in their place... He also threatened to sue me for defamation of character for leaving my comments IF I took him to court. So not only have they taken my money, they are now trying to take my freedom of speech. I have not said a word that I can't back up with proof, so if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about this company, then I don't know what does. IMO, it seems I'm being paid to remove negative comments and leave false positive ones int their place. I could be wrong, but it sure does feel that way to me. IF you're feeling lucky go ahead and book it with them, if you're not, then suck it up and just go in economy. At least you know you will get on the flight and not have your ticket cancelled. Side note, I tried resolving it directly with the company directly, now it is with the BBB and next will be court. Look elsewhere if you want quality customer service, a real ticket (not a hidden award ticket that they shuffle miles around and then charge you ridiculous amounts.) Not to mention unscrupulous representatives that lie to you. My so called "agent" promised me he wouldn't book the flight without my final consent... well, you know how that went and shame on me for giving my cc #. I just thought it was to hold the ticket since he said I had a time frame in which to lock that fare in. High pressure sales tactics, bait and switch fares and despite what their website claims, they DO NOT HAVE EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTS WITH ANY AIRLINES! That statement is a flat out lie and it baffles me how they can leave it up there. Also, simply by using their site, your are agreeing to what is called a browse wrap (check Terms and Conditions at the bottom of their site.) Furthermore, they claim they occasionally "gift" customers points/miles. Anyone knows you can't gift miles to strangers and a customer is still a stranger and you can't gift miles... Do your homework, check the BBB complaints, resolutions and do a general search on forums and other people's horrible experiences. Many are strikingly similar in their circumstances. IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK! STAY FAR AWAY!