United keeps sending my bag on an earlier flight

Prepare for a rant! Sorry to everyone with real problems, this is all superficial, but also, here were are in the United sub.

I took a round trip flight this week from LAX to ORD. In both instances, they sent my bag on an earlier flight.

The first flight, LAX to ORD, admittedly, I checked in almost 3 hours early. But I got no notice that my bag left before me until I had arrived in Chicago. That notice was a text message that I needed to check in at the baggage office. I was slightly miffed by this, because of course now I had to contend with a baggage office line instead of grabbing my bag off the belt. After about 10 minutes in line at the baggage office, I realized I should look at my AirTag for my checked bag. Turns out, it was actually closer to the belt off to the side. But definitely not in anyones care, and not in any of the locked cages around baggage claim. Confusing, but okay. Obviously not super happy that my bag was all by itself for however long....hours maybe.

The return leg, ORD-LAX, I again arrived about 3 hours early for my scheduled flight. This time, I was fully intending on getting on an earlier flight that departed in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Plenty of time for a checked bag and getting through security. Check in agent says, "sure, we can do that on the kiosk", but as soon as I swipe my credit card, it spits out a bag tag for my scheduled flight. She asked her supervisor if theres anything I can do, they all say no. "you can fly standby on the earlier flight, but your bag will be on the later flight". Bummed, I say okay, and go to Chili's. Then, of course, I check after a bit, and sure enough my bag has been scanned to the earlier flight I was desperate to get on. Wonderful.

I go to my gate, and I ask the gate agent if there are any customer service counters around, she says there are no customer service agents working right now (630pm on a weekday in one of the biggest airports in the US). Odd....but okay. She says I need to scan this QR code to chat with a representative. I do this, and (say nothing of the terrible web app interface of this type of customer service) I get through to a person. The first thing I ask is "are you a customer service rep?" he says yes. I proceed to tell him how upset I am with this system of separating me from my bag, especially in a city I don't live in, and how they explicitly told me my bag would be on my scheduled flight, which is the only reason I stayed on it. He explains all about the policy of putting bags on earlier flights for a number of reasons, etc etc. And tells me my bag is totally safe in the baggage claim area where it ended up the first time. He's ignoring my frustrations and he is not offering any solutions. He finally says that if I'd like to submit a complaint he would get me the contact info for customer service. I say "do you not think I've been complaining?....remember when I asked you if you were a customer service rep" he says, in order to complain I need to email. I hang up on him. A few minutes later I get an email for a free in-flight drink or snack. Ugh.

The problem here is the lack of accountability and the fact that they seem to be separating people from their bags for no real reason. Imagine if my scheduled flight were to get cancelled. I don't have my bag. Their reason is something about weight distribution or something. (both of these return flights were quite empty). They also seem to have terrible customer service skills, every single one of these agents I spoke with, nice people, but terrible at helping customers.

I can't see flying united again anytime soon.