And I Want It Back!

I have been booking with Travelocity for years and until now have had no problems.

I booked a trip to Turkey this week and its not a cheap flight – its over $1200.

I could have gotten that price from several places but in my experience Travelocity is pretty reliable.

I logged into my bank yesterday to find I had both a hold on my account from United Airlines & Turkish Airlines.

This isn’t too surprising because most companies these days break down the tickets by carrier.

What surprised me was that BOTH the holds were for $1200!

I contacted Travelocity and they explained that this was because I used a debit card – NO – you did not run BOTH charges through via 2 different airlines because of a debit card!

They said to wait – and that it would go away.  Then they said I should call back.

The first call took 30 minutes and the woman on the phone apologized a lot but couldn’t DO anything.

When will they train people to understand that saying “I’m sorry” over and over is NOT going to make up for $1200 missing from my bank account!

I called back later and was put on hold for 30 minutes (before I had to go again!)

I called back again and got the same BS explanation and when I demanded to speak to a supervisor he had me look up my bank’s phone number and put me on hold while he contacted my bank and I had to get them to clear the hold – I would have done this myself but I didn’t know which hold to clear – and to be honest am still concerned that my flights are all OK.

He apologized again and magnanimously offered me a $50 voucher off my next trip.

They blocked $1200 from my bank for 2 days – can’t tell me exactly why it happened or that it won’t happen again and he thinks $50 is going to make me feel better?

He wasn’t much of a supervisor because he was stuck on his script and kept telling me to “Have a nice day” and how “Sorry he was” and how “Happy he was to resolve it”.

This is not customer service!

His offer of $50 was done to make HIM feel good – to make it look like he DID something.  But as a customer I am still upset and this form of manipulation the “You should feel good because I dictate that you feel good” attitude is terrible.  I would rather he did nothing and accepted that I was upset still.

Would a $50 voucher make up for $1200 being missing from your bank account for several days?

He couldn’t answer me and didn’t know what to do next.  He just fumbled and said goodbye.  Nice.

So a follow up to the previous story.

I sent the previous article to the Hotels.com press office with no response and then I sent this message to Hotels.com Customer Service:

—
What a nightmare experience I have had with Hotels.com. First my reservation wasn’t at the hotel, then their rate was CHEAPER, then hotels.com would not refund my money, then I had to complain to my credit card agency, then I get yelled at by your dispute people and all along no one apologized to me!

I travel frequently and apparently no one at hotels.com wants to keep my business!
—

I think this is a fair complaint.  I mean I have received repeated abuse from hotels.com and nobody seems to care.

I know I should just give up – but how does that reflect on their business model? On their ability to even attempt to resolve a customer service issue?

I guess it is over though because I just got an email from Hotels.com telling me as follows:

–
Thank you for taking the time to write to us in regards to booking number ***.

Tracy J.
Customer Care Specialist
—

What?  We are sorry for the delay in responding? And I shouldn’t have any complaints because I got the refund for the product I never got?

I just want to summarize:
I didn’t get what I paid for.
If I had it would have been overpriced!
I was put-out by needed to arrange my own hotel.
Customer Service ARGUED with me when I tried to resolve it.
I was compelled to report it to my credit card company.
I was YELLED at my Hotels.com dispute resolution people.
And now customer service is asking what’s my problem because I got my money back?

Wait it gets better!  They ended their email with:

—
********************************************************** Notice: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged, may constitute insider information, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. It is the property of Hotels.com. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by return e-mail or by e-mail to postmaster@hotels.com, and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. **********************************************************
—

Really? Telling me to “kiss off” is confidential?  It’s insider information? They think they have a right to tell me that an email they send to me belongs to them?

I will forward this off to their press people again.

I am not writing this because my personal hotels.com problem – this is a about a fundamentally broken process at hotels.com and their focus on something “Other” than customer service.

Nice.

Ok folks this is a good one.

On my recent trip to Dijon, I found out at the last minute that I was going to need to spend the night in Paris.

We went online to Hotels.com to find me a hotel near the train station and we found one for 57.6 Euros.

I wrote down my confirmation number and a few hours later headed to Paris by train.

When I arrived in Paris I went to the hotel which had no record of my reservation.  I said I had my confirmation number and they said that it wouldn’t help me.

They did however have a room (for only 55 Euros) and I paid them and figured this would be easily resolved later.

When I got home the next day I went online to find out that Hotel.com did indeed charge me the night (as well of course as the hotel themselves).

So I called Hotels.com to resolve this.

My logic is simple – I purchased something from you – I didn’t receive it – I want my money back.

The man put me on hold and called over the the hotel in Paris, when he came back he started to push me aside telling me that I needed to call back another time and that this might be my issue with the hotel in Paris.  I said that the hotel in Paris did exactly what it was supposed to with me it did give me a room and it did charge me for the night and that Hotels.com didn’t do their job in that there was no prepaid room for me.

He then hung up on me.  No joke – just click.

So I called back and talked to someone else.  She too called Paris and then said that I needed to call back another time.  I said this is silly, it is their problem why won’t they take care of it and call ME back?  She told me that the moment she got off the phone that she would be so busy that she would not return my call. That if I didn’t call back that no one would take care of this.  How’s that for customer service?

So I called back and asked to speak to a manager or a supervisor.  I was told that they were all in a meeting and that they wouldn’t be available for several hours but that they could take a message.

I tried to email but the automated response asked me to mail all copies of my travel documents to a European address.

At this point – 4 tries later – I called my credit card company to dispute the charge.

I purchased something – I didn’t get it.

They were very agreeable and removed it from my card to begin an investigation.

Along the way I’ve had a few more emails requesting documents to be mailed to Europe from Hotels.com. How hard is it for them to call the hotel and find out that I their reservation didn’t go through and that I paid for 2 nights in the same location?

So today was the kicker!

I got a call from “Unkown” on my cell phone.

The woman identified herself as Martha from Expedia/Hotels.com and concerning my dispute.  She was very strong with me and very pushy and wanted to know why I would dispute the charge.  I explained the entire story including the nightmare I had with customer service when she barked at me:

“I’m not with customer service! I’m with dispute resolution!”

So now I know the score here. Which is weird because what do I need to do with her – the credit card took it off already right?

So she proceeds to tell me that she is going to have the hotel in Paris refund my money and that I will pay Hotels.com

I told her that was complete Bullshit.  First it wasn’t the Paris hotel that didn’t come through for me it was Hotels.com.  The hotel in Paris gave me a room and I paid for it.  Second, why should I pay the higher amount?  I really felt that Hotels.com would do anything not to have a credit card blemish including strong arming this little hotel.

Well this was too much for her – because I swore – pardon my use of the world Bullshit – she started getting really angry with me said I was swearing AT her – which I was not and then kept cutting me off so I had to keep interrupting her to get a word in. She finally yelled at me – I don’t have to deal with this and… HUNG UP ON ME!

So much for dispute resolution!

5 minutes later she called me back and asked if I had “calmed down yet”?  I told her that she hung up on me.  I don’t think she was supposed to hang up on me.  She told me however that if I faxed her the receipt from the hotel that she could credit me the Hotels.com amount and that this would be done today.  She also made it clear that after the fax I wouldn’t have to talk to her again – that she would just email me.

I said this was fine and took the fax number.  But she wouldn’t let me off the phone.  She started to lecture me about how this was a clerk at the hotels fault and not Hotels.com, she started to chastise me for my attitude, and I finally had to cut her off and say I didn’t want to hear any of this I just wanted my money back and for her to let me off the phone so I could send her the fax.  She was VERY angry at this point and finally let met go.

I sent the fax off and I got an email telling me that in 7-10 days they would refund me 57.60.

Refund what to whom?  They money has already been reversed!  Are they now going to recharge me so that they can credit me.

Also the lack of currency units on the email worries me.  It would not be funny to get 57.60 dollars back instead of euros.

So I called my credit card company to warn them about the nasty crazy lady I talked to at Hotels.com – just a heads up.

Finally I called Hotels.com to complain.  I got in a Customer Service loop for a few minutes and then I explained that I needed to talk to a supervisor.

The lady said that she would get me one and to hold the line.  2 second later I hear a couple of clicks and then I hear a whole bunch of conversations.

For 10 minutes I could hear the call center floor – well not the call center floor – I could hear one guy talking either on the phone or to someone else.

I don’t know what they were saying because it wasn’t in English.  They couldn’t hear me and after 10 minutes no one ever came back.

You know the worst of all of this?  I walked into a hotel with a prepaid reservation and not only am I having problems getting my money back no one has even apologized for possible ruining my trip by stranding me without a room.

Way to go Hotels.com

What a nightmare at the movies tonight!

First it took forever for the film to start – it was like they forgot that we were there and then even after I ran out and told someone they left the lights on for the first ten minutes.

So we are watching the movie and all of the sudden – BAM – the film goes off, the lights go on, and the strobe starts to flash, but no real alarm. I am sitting there and my wife gets up and goes “I’m outta here” and starts to walk back to the lobby. (Funnily enough no one went for the emergency exit – just to the lobby).

When we get to the lobby every theater is pouring out with the same story and one of the managers is asking us why we are leaving and then says someone must have pulled a fire alarm. This wasn’t an announcement – she just kinda said it. So I decide to go back into the theater since people aren’t leaving and the lobby is getting dangerously congested.

Back in the theater we wait for more than 20 minutes with the full lights and the strobe. The strobe finally goes out and a guy comes in – to CLEAN the theater. He is like – are you still eating that popcorn. No manager came in to make an announcement or anything just some guy who is on a schedule.

Then out of the blue the theater goes fully dark and the movie continues (the last 10 minutes).

So finally we leave and we are late to dinner elsewhere and it was with no surprise that there was no manager in the lobby waiting to apologize or anything. I’m sure if I wanted to say something I was going to have to work at it – I mean it isn’t like I didn’t just drop $50 for my wife and I to go to the movies (and have popcorn and drinks).

So yeah – I’m pissed:

1) Bad experience
2) No customer service
3) Unsafe handling of an emergency situation – if this was a fire there would have been no leadership – people would be trampled and burned – way to practice that fire safety.

I understand that accidents happen and people do stupid things – but I still paid for my experience and its like the managers and staff where looking out for ‘their’ experience and not ours.

Unacceptable.

So I went to email Regal Cinemas and their customer comments only allow for 255 characters – this is almost 10 times that – apparently I have to complain on their terms too.

“Hi, Mr. Bendis, I am calling from Dealer Services concerning your 2002 Kia. What’s the current mileage?”

Excuse me – do I have an account with you?

“Uh, no – are offering you an extended warranty on your car.”

No – you called me up and asked me information about my car.  No thank you.

“But…”

Listen if you want to offer me something than offer me something but don’t make the first thing that comes out of your mouth a question for my personal information.

CLICK

Oh boy. This is a fun one.

So some of you know I have a bad back and because of this I often walk with a cane.

When things are good they are ok but when they are bad I can’t stand for long periods of time. Most of the time I am in some form of pain. This makes certain things in life difficult – one of them is going to rock concerts.

I’ve had my share of aggravations in the past and I have learned that it is possible to get accessible seating – usually in the front row of a section where there is only a rail in front of you and you can sit for the entire concert without your view blocked. Usually this is a balcony – sometimes they even set up folding chairs next to where they put the wheelchairs.

Previous horror stories abound.

Fleetwood Mac is coming to town and I really wanted to see them. I missed them once a few years ago and Lindsey Buckingham is one of my favorite performers (I got to see him a few years ago and it was great – seating troubles at that one too).

So I go online to ticketmaster and I click the accessible seats box – fill out the form – explain my need for limited mobility seating (walk with a cane – can’t stand for long periods) and hit submit.

I get a reply saying they will work on it and get back to me.

An hour later I get a reply saying I need a prerelease code.

So I reply with one.

Then they ask me for a prerelease code.

So I reply with one.

Then they ask me for a prerelease code.

So I reply with one.

This is not a cut and paste error – this is the actual back and forth.

Then they tell me that they are all out of accessible prerelease tickets and that I need to email them again in the morning.

In the morning they get back to me with an offer of two seats and the ability to purchase them within 2 days. So far so good. Problem is – you can’t see on the map exactly where the seats are just what section (very far from the stage BTW) and I have been placed behind people before and still told it was ‘accessible’.

So I emailed them asking if they could clarify what is in front of me. Since the website only was general could they tell me more about the location of the seats.

They emailed me back telling me that they don’t have a better map and that I need to go in person to a sales office where they might have one.

Now I admit I got angry at this point. Because

1) If you don’t know where these seats are then how do you know that they meet my accessibility needs? (Which were clear in the email)

2) Did you really just email someone who has been identified as limited mobility and tell them they had to physically go somewhere for more information?

They emailed me back saying they could be of no further assistance and to call the arena.

I emailed them back asking who I registered a complaint with and …. no emails anymore.

So I called the arena and they were very nice and told me that the section ’should’ have a clear view if I was sitting. I then asked about the sections that I normally sat it – the balcony near the stage – and she told me that she couldn’t help me there and to talk to ticketmaster.

So I emailed Ticketmaster again – no reply.

So I called Ticketmaster and the guy told me he could only talk about the tickets that were available and only those. I asked if they had every been available. He said he couldn’t say. At this point I wanted to know if during the whole send your code – here is your code – send your code fiasco I lost out on better accessible seating. He said he couldn’t tell me.

So he sent me to a supervisor – who had the entire transcript in front of her – and I tried to ask her about it and she started to yell at me.

She told me that Ticketmaster had more than one concert to deal with, that she couldn’t comment on online customer service because it was a separate division, that it was the promoters fault for not providing enough ticket and at one point said:

“Listen, I’m sorry that your in a wheelchair but this all we can do for you.”

Nice. I told her I didn’t expect much from them – that Ticketmaster had always been a pain in the ass – that I knew it was bad before I had my accessibility problems but I expected them to be able to at least answer my concern:

Did I lose out on better seats because of the screw up from the online customer service that is documented on THEIR server in an email transcript?

She told me that it was none of my business.

So I emailed the promoter – LiveNation. I have to say that even though they were useless they were very nice. They listed to my entire story – offered a kind apology and then pointed their finger back at Ticketmaster, The Arena, and the band’s management.

With everyone having no authority – its amazing these concerts even go on!

At the end of the day – I have tickets – I paid good money for a distant view that in theory is unblocked.

If you got this far and wonder why I go through the aggravation – it is simply that I would rather be aggravated now and be sure I had good seats – then show up to the concert and have some guy stand in front of me for two hours who got his seats somewhere else.

The supervisor’s attitude was so angry and her words were so rude and wrong.

I have since found out that the ONLY way to complain to Ticketmaster is in a letter.

Trust me its coming….

I don’t know about the rest of you but in my life there are three types of bills:

1) The autopays

2) The pay it yourself online

3) The send in a check

I am horrible about the third.  So much so that my wife pays those.

Anyways, earlier this month I messed up on one of the seconds and found myself getting a call from Wells Fargo because my car payment was late – just a slip up – I have the money and everything just forgot to pay them.

The man of course tried to get me to pay on the phone and incur an $8 fee (on top of the $20  for being late).  No thank you I said.  I am late and since late is late I will just make a double payment online on the first.  He said that was ok.  He then asked if I was having ‘hard times’ and could explain why I was late.  Told him everything was fine and that they would get the money on the first.

At that point I did wonder why they asked – are they doing a survey?  do they care?  do they collect excuses?  But I digress.

This morning I woke up to a phone call of a lady asking me if I knew my car payment was 24 days late?  Yes – Yes I do.

Then she asked when I planned on paying it.  So I told her I had made arrangements weeks ago to pay it on the first – since again it wouldn’t make a difference once I was late – I mean they already charged me $20 for the delay.

Why are you harassing me about this? I already made arrangments for the first?

— Well I am just calling to verify that you are still going to pay on the first.

No – No that is not what you said when you called you were trying to get me to pay today.

— Well, I just got to that part of the notes – its the same thing. But you need to pay on the phone with me today because you won’t get your payment in on time.

I was going to pay online.

— Oh no – we turned that off – you can’t pay online because you are 17 days late.

Ok, then I will send a check.

– Oh no – it won’t get here in time, you will be late again.

But it takes two days for a check to get there.

– But we won’t process is for 7 to 10 days.

Wait a second, you have on record that I have arrangements to pay online on the first.  Why would you then turn that off?

– So you learn your lesson about being on time.

What?  Did you really just tell me that I made arrangements and you are now changing the terms of them so I learn my ‘lesson’?  Get me a supervisor.

-

So the supervisor does this whole song and dance and tells me that I needed to talk to customer service.

So I call customer service – and they were like – your online account is fine – your can pay whenever you like.

WTF!

So I paid – today – before the first – for January and February.

Thank you Wells Fargo!

About 4 years ago, when I was a young looking 27 year old, I was mugged and my wallet stolen. The next day, I was in need of cigarettes, and took my passport with me because I was frequently carded. I walked into a gas station with my shiner, waited for a long time in line, and the woman asked for ID. When I handed her my passport, she tossed it back to me and informed me that she does not accept passports as valid ID. I attempted to explain that the passport trumps the drivers license, but there was clearly no explaining it to her. I took another tactic by explaining that while I am glad that I look younger than thirty, but clearly I am not under 18. She explained that if I was over 18 I would have a drivers license. I explained that I was mugged the day before and pointed to my shiner. She responded “sucks to be you . . . Next customer!” This would normally have angered me, but with a nicotine fit and no cigarettes, I was incensed! But just stomped out of the establishment, and left my dignity at the counter.

So I walk into the store to get my afternoon snack of combos and sierra mist and as I approach the counter the clerk leaves her station and says to me “I will ring you up in a minute, I’m just going for a dustpan” and proceeds to leave me standing at the register waiting as she goes into the back to get the dustpan and then when she returns apologizes to me because she couldn’t find it and proceeds to ring me out.

What is wrong with people?!