Dear ABC News Fixer: Delta SkyMile Woes

May 14, 2013 — -- Dear ABC News Fixer: Delta Air Lines advertises their Gold Delta SkyMiles American Express card heavily with ads claiming "first bag free on every flight."

I started a "traveling" job last year, so I quickly decided to concentrate on one airline in order to maximize my miles. I signed up for the Gold SkyMiles card.

Since then, I've traveled five times on Delta, reserved my flights with my SkyMiles account and paid with my SkyMiles card. Yet every time I've checked in, I have been required to pay the $25 first-bag fee. I put that on the card as well, but the charges still show up every time. No free bag.

I tried to get this reversed, to no avail. Delta tells me I should have reserved the flights with the SkyMiles card. I did. They tell me I should have used my card for the bag fee. I did.

They owe me $125, yet they don't want to talk to me. Today, I called the SkyMiles phone number and was referred to another number. That person told me to call American Express, which told me I need to call Delta. This is NOT customer service.

- Edward Winne, Rochester, N.H.

Dear Edward: We hear you. This does not sound like customer service. Though sometimes the ABC News Fixer can barely remember what customer service is, we see it so rarely these days.

But we digress.

On to your problem: We found someone at Delta to look into it, and it turns out you were doing everything right. For some reason, when your card application was processed, the miles program and the card weren't properly linked.

Soon after, you got a call and an apology from the CEO's office (hooray!). They refunded your $125 and gave you 8,000 free miles for the trouble.

- The ABC News Fixer

Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.