Meeting my 13 year old after her unaccompanied trip from SOUTH AFRICA. Flight arrived early. Counter was understaffed. It took 45 minutes to get a gate pass. Agent sent me to the wrong gate. Agent at wrong gate, when asked which was the correct gate, ignored me (not an exaggeration). When I escalated, she chastised me for being late, and continued to refuse to answer my question. I ran to the next available gate agent (five gates down) to find out the correct gate. By the time I learned the correct gate, her plane had deplaned. Total service meltdown nightmare. Never again, United.