Someone else's information in my reservation?
Apr 28, 2016, 12:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
Someone else's information in my reservation?
I booked an international award ticket a few months ago, using my miles, and paying the fees with my credit card. I've gotten the normal update emails every once in a while - this flight has moved by 5 minutes, this flight number has changed, etc.
But today I got one with someone else's name at the top. It's my trip, and the correct names still appear on the itinerary & receipt, but the greeting at the top says:
I'm sure it's a computer glitch of some sort or something, but I'm definitely going to check. I'm calling to see what's going on, but appear to be on a fairly lengthy hold. Has anybody ever run into this before?
The trip is still a couple months out, so it's not an emergency - just kind of alarming to see a strange name at the top of your reservation.
But today I got one with someone else's name at the top. It's my trip, and the correct names still appear on the itinerary & receipt, but the greeting at the top says:
Sameer A*** [redacted, but definitely not my name],
Thank you for choosing American Airlines / American Eagle, a member of the oneworld® Alliance. Below are your itinerary and receipt for the ticket(s) purchased. Please print and retain this document for use throughout your trip.
Thank you for choosing American Airlines / American Eagle, a member of the oneworld® Alliance. Below are your itinerary and receipt for the ticket(s) purchased. Please print and retain this document for use throughout your trip.
The trip is still a couple months out, so it's not an emergency - just kind of alarming to see a strange name at the top of your reservation.
Apr 28, 2016, 12:33 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
So I got through (faster than expected), and the agent was just as surprised as I was. She said there was a different address associated with the reservation as well - I'm assuming Sameer's (whoever that is).
She had to put me on hold and go ask about it. The story she got was that their software has a problem - if one caller gets disconnected or hangs up abruptly, and another call comes in immediately, the information from the previous customer will remain in the system, and automatically populate into the next caller's record. The agent has to manually close out the previous record in order for this to not happen. (I'm guessing that if a call ends normally, the record is automatically closed out before the next one comes in?)
This is interesting, but of course, it doesn't quite sound like it applies to my reservation. I haven't called about this trip since I made the reservation, and I've gotten several emails with the right name at the top since then. I'm not sure if someone has to manually update (or approve updates to) reservations when flight numbers change, but that's my best guess - same basic concept, but without me calling in. Either that or their computers had a real problem that didn't involve human error, which is a little scarier. It does make me wonder if my information is in the next person's reservation.
I'm not sure what would have happened if I tried to fly this reservation with the wrong name on it - probably nothing, but who knows.
Hopefully this helps somebody out somewhere along the way.
She had to put me on hold and go ask about it. The story she got was that their software has a problem - if one caller gets disconnected or hangs up abruptly, and another call comes in immediately, the information from the previous customer will remain in the system, and automatically populate into the next caller's record. The agent has to manually close out the previous record in order for this to not happen. (I'm guessing that if a call ends normally, the record is automatically closed out before the next one comes in?)
This is interesting, but of course, it doesn't quite sound like it applies to my reservation. I haven't called about this trip since I made the reservation, and I've gotten several emails with the right name at the top since then. I'm not sure if someone has to manually update (or approve updates to) reservations when flight numbers change, but that's my best guess - same basic concept, but without me calling in. Either that or their computers had a real problem that didn't involve human error, which is a little scarier. It does make me wonder if my information is in the next person's reservation.
I'm not sure what would have happened if I tried to fly this reservation with the wrong name on it - probably nothing, but who knows.
Hopefully this helps somebody out somewhere along the way.
Apr 28, 2016, 1:01 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
This specifically has not happened, but I have, on more than one occasion, logged into my account/reservation and seen someone else's reservation.
I seem to recall there was actually a thread about the occurrence?
I seem to recall there was actually a thread about the occurrence?
Apr 28, 2016, 1:53 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2015
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 179
So I got through (faster than expected), and the agent was just as surprised as I was. She said there was a different address associated with the reservation as well - I'm assuming Sameer's (whoever that is).
She had to put me on hold and go ask about it. The story she got was that their software has a problem - if one caller gets disconnected or hangs up abruptly, and another call comes in immediately, the information from the previous customer will remain in the system, and automatically populate into the next caller's record. The agent has to manually close out the previous record in order for this to not happen. (I'm guessing that if a call ends normally, the record is automatically closed out before the next one comes in?)
This is interesting, but of course, it doesn't quite sound like it applies to my reservation. I haven't called about this trip since I made the reservation, and I've gotten several emails with the right name at the top since then. I'm not sure if someone has to manually update (or approve updates to) reservations when flight numbers change, but that's my best guess - same basic concept, but without me calling in. Either that or their computers had a real problem that didn't involve human error, which is a little scarier. It does make me wonder if my information is in the next person's reservation.
I'm not sure what would have happened if I tried to fly this reservation with the wrong name on it - probably nothing, but who knows.
Hopefully this helps somebody out somewhere along the way.
She had to put me on hold and go ask about it. The story she got was that their software has a problem - if one caller gets disconnected or hangs up abruptly, and another call comes in immediately, the information from the previous customer will remain in the system, and automatically populate into the next caller's record. The agent has to manually close out the previous record in order for this to not happen. (I'm guessing that if a call ends normally, the record is automatically closed out before the next one comes in?)
This is interesting, but of course, it doesn't quite sound like it applies to my reservation. I haven't called about this trip since I made the reservation, and I've gotten several emails with the right name at the top since then. I'm not sure if someone has to manually update (or approve updates to) reservations when flight numbers change, but that's my best guess - same basic concept, but without me calling in. Either that or their computers had a real problem that didn't involve human error, which is a little scarier. It does make me wonder if my information is in the next person's reservation.
I'm not sure what would have happened if I tried to fly this reservation with the wrong name on it - probably nothing, but who knows.
Hopefully this helps somebody out somewhere along the way.
Definitely bizarre.
Apr 28, 2016, 1:58 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: FNT, but DTW if I can't help it
Programs: AAdvantage Former EXP/Current PLT / Total Rewards - Diamond / Hilton HHonors - Gold
Posts: 757
When my boss pays for a ticket on my behalf, all of the e-mails about the reservation come addressed to him, despite me being the person who's flying.
It seems the "billing" information on your reservation is incorrect. I'd assume you may have a problem if you try to process a paid upgrade or something like that. Did the AAgent actually FIX it?
It seems the "billing" information on your reservation is incorrect. I'd assume you may have a problem if you try to process a paid upgrade or something like that. Did the AAgent actually FIX it?
Apr 30, 2016, 1:36 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: EARTH
Posts: 295
Coding issue
It can happen that the IVR name recognition which brings up your details so the agent can address you as a valued customer, is not erased automatically once the call is finished. As the last action of a call is quite often sending out an email confirmation about e.g. Reserved seats, special meals or a changed date, the combination of data from 2 subsequent callers to that same agent can indeed happen - previous passenger name & your email address. Untidy coding and a lot less alarming than it looks like. This will only ever affect your email confirmation, never your actual Booking. In many cases the passenger name on the booking cannot be easily changed anymore, due to its FQTR element - the association with your frequent flyer number.
Apr 30, 2016, 8:01 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
When my boss pays for a ticket on my behalf, all of the e-mails about the reservation come addressed to him, despite me being the person who's flying.
It seems the "billing" information on your reservation is incorrect. I'd assume you may have a problem if you try to process a paid upgrade or something like that. Did the AAgent actually FIX it?
It seems the "billing" information on your reservation is incorrect. I'd assume you may have a problem if you try to process a paid upgrade or something like that. Did the AAgent actually FIX it?
The agent was as disturbed by it as I was, and took a good 5 minutes checking my reservation & my account to make sure anything not related to me was removed. She re-sent that confirmation email, and it had the correct name. So I'm pretty confident that she got it taken care of at this point.
It can happen that the IVR name recognition which brings up your details so the agent can address you as a valued customer, is not erased automatically once the call is finished. As the last action of a call is quite often sending out an email confirmation about e.g. Reserved seats, special meals or a changed date, the combination of data from 2 subsequent callers to that same agent can indeed happen - previous passenger name & your email address. Untidy coding and a lot less alarming than it looks like. This will only ever affect your email confirmation, never your actual Booking. In many cases the passenger name on the booking cannot be easily changed anymore, due to its FQTR element - the association with your frequent flyer number.
May 2, 2016, 8:35 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
On international flights from a foreign destination to the USA, especially if you are GE (Global Entry), associating the proper name and flight number is important, since potentially a mis-match could cause an "X" slip being issued.