To those people that think Delta should trust Celeste..

I don't see many other places that trust customers.

1. The stores won't take my check without an ID.

2. Most stores seem to use security tags(even some supermarkets).

3. To try something on in a store i need to be "checked into a fittng room".

4 If I forget my ID at the airport ...they won't let me board.

5. Hotels want my credit card to guarantee a reservation.

6. Hotels generally put a hold(above basic room charges)on your credit card, after you check in, to cover additonal charges.

7. If I deposit your check, my bank wants to put a hold on it before I can access the funds.

THe list goes on and on.

The reality is...most places of business don't trust you already and you accept it them...give Delta the same courtesy.

Leone...Leone...Leone!: Love of my life! I actually had a fantastic night's sleep & am full of vim and vigor, thanks so much for asking. Honey, I just want you to be able to wear all your snappy chapeaus & you won't if your head swells much more.....no...don't speak...don't speak....sayonara

Please stop-this is all so childess and ridiculous! Let's all get on with using this board intelligently! Thanks.

I really hate seeing someone (even an airline) get bashed for something that was not there fault. Celeste you lost the voucher and it can't be replaced. You didn't spend money for this voucher it was given to you FREE when you were bumped from a flight. It should be treated like money. The airlines do not make any record of who they give vouchers out to. What difference does it make how it was lost. The airlines can't give every person who calls up saying they lost a voucher a new one. Unfortunately for you there are way too many people who tend to tell airlines, stores and others things that aren't true. So, this is going to make the airline doubt your story.

Now I know that someone else talked about Lord and Taylor giving a duplicate gift certificate. Well the difference is that the certificate was paid for and there would be a record. It wasn't free.

Stop blaming the airline and start blaming the hubby.

I guess no one wants to take responsibility for their actions. Let's all blame the other guy.

A few observations:

Whenever I have received vouchers (many times) the airline person seems to document them thoroughly, as if handling cash. They are taken from a locked box, filled out completely, explained and then they keep one of the carbons. Using them has required taking them to one of that airline's ticket offices, to their airport counter or mailing them in to headquarters. It seems to me they have a record of who got what, even if it does not appear that way.

Even if I were to have my house and contents destroyed (fire, flood, whatever), I honestly don't think I would hold a grudge against the airline for not replacing it.

My first impression of this thread was that this is a ploy by Celeste to hammer Delta into caving ("...and for your information I have placed the details of this incident on a widely read travel forum. Just go there and see what kind of PR you are getting!). When things went "bad" for her on this thread, she became unglued and lashed out because that plan went down the drain.

Flew on Hawaiian Air last year. The flight out of LAX was delayed several hours. Once we boarded for takeoff the flight attendants passed out vouchers to everybody for their next flight on HA. These vouchers were worth $400.00 each. They did not notate down names and numbers associated with each voucher. Just passed them out to everyone on board. Now..if I had lost this voucher I would have been upset but I would not expect the airline to compensate me for being irresponsible. Like someone else said...feel sorry for her husband. The poor man probably has to hear about this all day...every day!

what is "notate"? as in notate down names? is that like there is notate way I am believing this crap? or how about notate way are you telling the truth? I know,I know, this is notate but a troll!

Here's my gripe-I rec'd my skymiles voucher for a free companion pass when you buy a ticket. Can go anywhere in US.
Want to go to NYC- $200 right now on web. However, that's an "L" fare and my voucher doesn't allow L or U fares. When I looked up the same exact flights unrestricted- $1444 a seat! Do they expect me to pay $1444 and get one free when I can purchase 2 for $400 without the voucher??? How can I get around this L/U thing? I mean it's $200 we're talking about....I want to use the voucher!! Sorry off the subject, but it's another Delta headache!

Could this thread be more fun?! I'm loving it. Let's all get together and have a "Celeste Bashing" Party. I especially like all the sleuthing.

I think we should send all of these complaining posts to Delta...give them a fright,thinking that this is going out all over the world..how crummy Delta is!
I have had problems with them in the past and they made up for it, and so did my daughter,she also was reimbursed, but they still had to be nagged for weeks before they came through..
yes..that is what we should do...copy this and send it to Delta .

To the above poster "Idea" and the others: I am sooooo sorry that one of the top 3 major airlines doesn't drop EVERYTHING so that you can be attended to! You see-companies like Delta get ALOT of mail daily and with the cost cutting,etc. on employees.....sometimes it takes awhile to get around to your letter.So please "Precious" STOP your b---tching! FYI- airline employees can buy tickets at a reduced rate on other carriers and ride space available. Quess what-we have to take the price off the MOST EXPENSIVE coach fares so for the person complaining about using her free voucher on a higher fare.....as John Stossel would say on 20/20, "GIVE ME A BREAK"!!!!

Lav Lucy, is that like Lavatory?
you work for the airlines dear? perhaps the mail room? what is your problem?

Let's not invite Lav Lucy to the party.

Let's think of all possible examples of situations in which companies don't trust customers.

Here's my entry: You buy something and a rebate is offered. You have to send in the original receipt to get the rebate. If you lose the receipt (or forget to mail it on time, or lose the UPC code), too bad, so sad.

How is that different, Celeste?

Not that different, but a smart company bites the bullet, trusts the customer and gives them what they want. Remember the slogan "The customer is always right"? The really successful companies know it's not worth the bad press and poor corporate perception to argue. If they were smart the'd give her the damn voucher. It's highly unlikely that it would lead to a significant amount of crooks who would try to scam as a result.

Do you know why LLBean is so successful? Because they take back anything, any time for any reason and without a receipt and with no argument. Do some people take advantage? Yeah, maybe a few, but it's worth maintaining that policy of outstanding customer service. The squely wheel gets the grease and a lot of you sound like complete doormats!

Sorry, but the LLBean comparison doesn't really work here. Even LLBean wouldn't give you a free pair of boots or a new parka if you showed up without the boots or the parka, claiming that the sole of the boots was falling off or that the zipper on the parka was stuck. Or, that you'd LOST the parka. Furthermore, it's a little different to fix or replace (and they fix before they replace) a pair of hundred dollar boots than to give someone five hundred dollars he or she can use to fly anywhere. People are simply not going to take advantage of the LLBean policy the same way they'd take advantage of airlines if they said they'd replace lost vouchers, which basically equal cash. I sympathize with Celeste, and sure, I'd call people and try to get the voucher replaced. But at a certain point, when losing the voucher was clearly your fault, you really, REALLY have to let it go.

For those of you who defend Celeste, are you familiar with the original post? The voucher was dated APRIL or MAY 2000. She wanted to use the voucher almost two years after receiving it.

Delta owes her nothing but a courteous "sorry, but no."

Poor Celeste, another spoiled American.

On the back of my voucher it clearly states, "Lost, stolen or expired certificates will not be replaced."

SOL Celeste.

And now that the original post has been topped for us all to see, look how much her tone has changed. In the original post she clearly says how polite and courteous Delta was. They asked a supervisor, returned and were very apologetic, several times even. Now she acts like they are horrible people. Celeste, you tried, they tried and you lost. At what point to you give up and admit your mistake instead of turning on a company that explored the possibilities but simply didn't give you the answer you want to hear?

Has anybody ever checked with Delta to see if Celeste's original voucher would have been good for a trip two years after being issued? Isn't the lost voucher a whole non-issue? Perhaps Celeste's husband saw the expiration date (long past) and that's why he threw it out in the first place. Ooops, or maybe that's why Celeste threw it out. I forget which of her stories we're following right now.