Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Calling Flyer Talk for help with the Evil gnome

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place and mods feel free to move it if it isn't.

A good friend of ours has a problem that I don't know if it can or will be fixed but I am asking the experts here for some advice.
I told her to book on Hilton.com, but what do I know.
Here is her letter to Travelocity CS. I thought there was a 24 hour cancellation like Airlines offer?
Thanks in advance

Good Evening,

On Saturday (1/10/09) I logged onto Travelocity to find a hotel in San Diego to book a vacation in February for me and my son. I went with the travelocity pick for a hotel and booked it, was quite excited. When I did a further area search for daily excursions from the hotel, I was dismayed to find we would be >20 miles minimum drive from any of the places we planned to visit. Since we will be in a state I am unfamiliar with and driving a 6 year old around, the hotel was clearly not in our best interest. I attempted to cancel the reservation for a Sea World based hotel and the website would not allow my transaction. I called customer service for assistance and was informed my trip was canceled and I would be billed in full even if I simply switched hotels.
Well simply put the $600.00 was not refunded in spite of the fact the reservation was being changed less the 24 hours when first made. I asked if the money could be transfered to a new hotel reservation and was told 'no, sorry have a good night' and the rep hung up. This information is quite distressing since the money not refunded for changing my mind IS our vacation money. Being a single mom saving enough to bring my son for the most awesome vacation was no easy task. I find it quite dismaying and the website misleading. My additional e-mail contact to customer service yielded no resolution for the situation and if the money is not refunded our trip is canceled.
Please assist me with a positive resolution so I do not simply throw $600.00 hard earned/saved dollars away.
And ask your service people to please be a bit more understanding that situations change as a parent tries to find the safest vacation plans when traveling with a child.

Kind Regards,

Has she tried contacting either Hilton customer service or the hotel directly? They may be able to help refund a portion of the charge (minus Travelocity's cut) especially if she has selected another Hilton property.

Has she tried contacting either Hilton customer service or the hotel directly? They may be able to help refund a portion of the charge (minus Travelocity's cut) especially if she has selected another Hilton property.

Good idea
Thank you

Well I would rather stay in that hotel and take a cab or whatever instead of wasting 600$.

For how long are you booked there ?

If TO doesnt honor your original reservation, dispute it with your Credit Card company.

What exactly is the cancellation policy for her reservation? It seems to me that if the policy allowed cancellations or rebookings, that should have been the focus of her letter to Travelocity, not the "single mom" thing. It's not that I'm not sympathetic, but she has recourse if the T&Cs say changes can be made, not so much if they say that the reservations cannot be cancelled or changed without penalty. If Travelocity stated the policy up front that the reservation couldn't be cancelled, she MAY get some relief from a sympathetic agent, but they are not under any obligation to refund her money or apply the payment to a new reservation.

Also, I think you'll find more people who are conversant with online booking issues in that forum versus hotel deals. IMHO.

That said, I hope she does find a way to make the trip happen. San Diego is a great place to take a 6 year old.

Wow.

I've had a similar situation with Travelocity where I had to change a reservation and I had no issues. I would try Travelocity CS again and see if you get a rep that isn't having a bad day and if that fails, then as Italy98 suggests, call Hilton and see if they will contact Travelocity for you. If it was a non-refundable rate that was booked, then that comes from the Hotel side and not Travelocity so they might be able to help you out.

Why would you not check out the hotel before booking?

Why would you not check out the hotel before booking?
- Good point, but I think she understands that verrry well now. Granted, those of us who travel often are much more savvy and aware, and she seems to be not one of those. Lets all give the lady a break and some constructive advice.

I think your best bet would be to re-review the TO T&C for your friend and see if there's something useful there.

Then, try the property itself. You'd be surprised at how undertanding they can be. While it might be an issue of revenue loss for them, they might be willing to be more flexible if the other Hilton property she chooses is owned by the same owner. Even if it's not the same owner, some places are really awesome when it comes to sevice. It never hurts to ask.

Why would you not check out the hotel before booking?
She doesn't travel at all and I am sure she got excited about booking it. Why do people pay more than retail on EBay? They get all caught up.
The original destination was Legoland. I will try to talk her into renting a car and never using Evil Gnome again, I would NEVER use that POS (Pathetic Obnoxious Slugs) brand

Please follow the discussion in our Online Bidding and Booking forum. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

I hope it all works out in the end. But this is one reason travel agents will never go the way of the dodo bird. Online booking on your own is not always a simple process and can be very expensive in the long run, as you found out.

I still am puzzled by some of the posts on forums like Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic about travel. Some people have little or no clue about what they are booking. It is quite sad honestly. Fortunately many of us on Flyertalk are more savvy and understand the implications, read cancellation policy information, don't make assumptions like "Since some vendors in another part of the travel industry have a 24 hour cancellation policy, I assume all vendors in all parts of the travel industry do."

Good luck, but even if you "throw away" (your words not mine) $600, it is a relatively cheap lesson to be learned. I am not trying to beat you over the head. I am making a realistic observation. I really do hope it all works out and I hope even moreso that lessons have been learned.

I will try to talk her into renting a car

Yes, better that than simply cancelling the whole trip. Explain to her that the drive itself can be fun and educational for her child, if she approaches it with the right attitude. I have no idea the reading level of her son, but she can have him help her (to the best of his abilities) look over a city map and plot out the route they'll need to drive. And as far as the actual driving, by 6 years of age both of my daughters could help with reading road signs. If her son is capable of assisting in that way, then all the better for them both.

Fwiw we recently went to Legoland in Billund, Denmark. We weren't able to spend much time there but it far exceeded my expectations. I sure hope your friend doesn't miss out on a great opportunity with her son simply because the motel is farther away than would be ideal.

Legoland rocks for a 6-year-old.

It sounds like the lady has a booking she doesn't like in the Hotel Circle zone of San Diego. You can drive from San Diego or La Jolla up to Legoland in about 30 minutes. If the lady had booked a hotel up in Carlsbad, she would still have to organize car, taxi or shuttle transport to Legoland which would take 10 to 20 minutes. (There is no lodging AFAIK within walking distance of the park.) So she is willing to risk $600 over ten minutes of transit time?

The kid will be all excited about approaching Legoland on the drive up, and will be tuckered out and fast asleep -- believe me -- on the drive back.

It just doesn't sound like that big a crisis.

PS. If she does complain to the hotel or -- again -- to Travelocity, I recommend she leave out the single-mom-with-child stuff and stick to the facts of the case. If she's an adult, she's on the hook for whatever she agreed to, which may be a nonrefundable reservation.