Originally Posted by magiciansampras
It's hard for me to judge what "fair" is in this case. I had no plans to go to Japan without the hotel deal. Now I can not afford to go because the hotel will put me way over budget (was going to use miles for the flights). So offering me one night for free really doesn't do me a whole lot of good.
So is that fair? I don't really think so. Why not just let me use the $250 towards something that I can actually use? Answer: they're trying to drum up more business for themselves and limit who will use the coupon. I don't really see the fairness there.
I was in the same boat as magiciansampras. I booked a week in Osaka in September and went and added 6 nights in Tokyo as a Hilton HHonors award to have my dream trip to Japan. I, too, was going to use miles to get myself and my 8 year-old niece to Japan to the extent that I would have enough miles. I told her about this trip on Monday after hearing no word from Expedia and figuring that if it was a mistake that they were not going to honor, they would have immediately notified me -- they had my e-mail address and this is the age of immediate communication.
My niece has never been out of the state - let alone the country and she was over the moon with excitement - even going so far as wanting to get a Japanese language tape to start practicing.
When I got the e-mail from Expedia on Wednesday night, I called the number because even with the $250 coupon, a comparable week in Osaka would have put me back at least $1250 in hotel alone. The first CSR wouldn't budge and was most unhelpful. Then I asked for a supervisor. This supervisor was actually really understanding and very helpful. She was adamant that Expedia would not honor the original deal, but seemed willing to figure out a creative solution. To that end, I figured I could take my niece with me to Hawaii on an already planned trip - a bummer for Mr. SoSiouxme, but at least my niece is going to an island outside of California.
The CSR rep allowed me to apply the $250 to the Hawaii hotel - when she priced it and I balked at the amount still owing because I frankly told her I didn't want Expedia getting one red cent out this fiasco, she obtained permission from "accounting" to boost Expedia's credit to $300. So, in the end, while I wished Expedia had handled this better for all involved, I think I was treated more "fairly" than most. And this is a crying shame.
I just called Expedia to reconfirm my Hawaii hotel at the rate that I got because it is ridiculously low in light of the credit given to me by Expedia. The CSR I spoke to was laughing about that - but she said she "totally underst[oo]d" my anxiety about my hotel reservations with Expedia given what has happened. Hee Hee.
And, FWIW, I still have the Japan coupon in "My coupons" on Expedia.