How United Airlines’ Customer Service System Ruined My DMA07 Conference (and What Catalogers Can Learn from My Experience)

Tuesday morning, after some meetings (and constantly having to whine to people about my ordeal — how annoying that became!), my frustration hit a boiling point. No matter how hard I tried, how deep I looked, I couldn’t find another phone number to reach anybody at United. The airline’s Web site gives some non-800 numbers, but you can’t reach real people. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I knew United had moved its corporate office into R.R. Donnelley’s old headquarters on West Wacker Drive. So, I decided to do a Michael Moore and storm the ivory tower.