LONG STORY - Trouble with Consumer Affairs
Apr 20, 2005, 1:09 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Programs: Hyatt, United, Marriott
Posts: 128
LONG STORY - Trouble with Consumer Affairs
I had an interesting problem crop up after my last stay. First, a little background...
Part 1 - Why I didn't investigate the missing charge immediately:
My family went swimming in the Lake Tahoe resort pool on Thursday night around 7:30PM for about an hour, followed by showers (and a bath for the little one). By 10:30 we had all developed a rash in varying degrees of severity. By 1AM, it was so bad I got dressed and went downstairs to tell the front desk and to ask them to have someone check the PH balance in the pool. The night clerk seemed remarkably unconcerned.
The next day I went back to check in for my sister's room and asked what had happened with the pool. The my GREAT surprise, the desk manager had no idea what I was talking about. She said that if the pool had caused it, we would be covered head to toe, instead of just breaking out in more sensitive areas. By then I had called my pediatrician for advice on mitigating the problem (my son is only two and had woken up in the night crying about his rash), and I politely let her know that our doctor didn't agree with her diagnosis. (Our doctor did recommend a baking soda bath, which worked wonders! ^ )
At this point the manager directed me to the "SECURITY" office to file a report so the hotel could pay my medical bills! Excuse me??
I stated again that I just wanted someone to check the PH balance on the pool. I've got a pool at home and know that if you go swimming too soon after a "shock" treatment, or when the balance is off, it can cause problems. Uncomfortable, but not dangerous! Our family likes to swim and we still had two days at the resort... we just wanted to feel like we could use the pool again!
After that, she said she would send someone from engineering out to check the pool. I said "Thank You"... case closed. ^
In all fairness, when initially describing the problem to the front desk manager, I used the words "chemical burn". At the look of alarm on her face, I immediately apologized for a possibly inflamatory description and clarified that the rash was itching and burning and likely caused by a chemical imbalance in the pool. This might account for her suggestion that we file a report with security.
The next day is when my real problem started. As is my habit, I stopped by the front desk for a printout of my room charges. I was surprised to note that my last night hadn't been charged, but we were rushing to get to the snow, so I didn't stop to find out what happened. When the charge still hadn't shown up 2 days later, I assumed the manager must have waived the room charge since we had such an uncomfortable night. Not necessary, but a nice little surprise. I missed the bonus points and the stay credit I had been expecting, but wasn't about to complain.
Part 2 - Where Hyatt empties my mother's bank account:
Monday afternoon I got a call from my mother. She wanted to know why the Hyatt in Lake Tahoe had billed my room rate to her atm card and overdrawn her account!
WHAT?!?!
It turns out that back in March she called the Sacramento Hyatt to reserve a room for me for my birthday. At the time, she gave the hotel reservations desk my name, her name and atm credit card number (to pay for the room), and mentioned that I have status with Hyatt. She explained that it was my birthday present and asked them to upgrade me if possible. She didn't have my GP number, so they looked it up and added it to the reservation. Unbeknowest to either of us, someone apparently was trying to be "efficient" (Consumer Affair's description) and also UPDATED my GP Profile with her atm/credit card number!!
The next month when I made reservations for LT and was asked if I wanted to guarantee it with the card in my profile, I said "Sure", never realizing that my card number had been deleted and hers added. When I checked out on Saturday, apparently Hyatt charged the room rate to her atm card and the incidentals to the card I provided at check-in.
After calling GP CS to have my mother's atm number removed, being directed to the hotel for the atm credit and a recharge back to my account, then sent back to GP CS to handle the missing room rate points and stay credit that were now due, I finally ended up at Consumer Affairs to address the issue of the $39 overdraft fee their actions had cost my mother. I spoke with a very professional woman named Linda (who coined the "efficient" description). She agreed to credit the $39.00 overdraft charge back to my mother's account and to call her bank and explain to them that the charge was Hyatt's error and not the result of any irresponsible action on my mother's part. (Mom just bought a car, hence the small balance in her account and her panic at discovering she was overdrawn).
Thank you very much... case closed.
As a postscript, I even got a very nice e-mail from Linda thanking me for my "courtesy" during our conversation. I offer this as proof that I was not unreasonable, I did not scream or try to throw a tantrum, and I did not ask for any consideration other than what I have described here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Dear Ms. Forcemejure,
Thank you for the courtesy displayed in our telephone conversation
this afternoon. I spoke to someone at the Credit Union after your
mother gave them permission to speak with a third party speaking on
her behalf and they will note your mother's records that this error
and subsequent overdraft was due to an error on Hyatt. Please call me
personally if any additional assistance is needed for this.
I have sent a request to our Accounting Department to issue a $39
credit to your mother's ---- card. This may take several business
days to show on her statement.
If you would like to discuss this or any future experiences with
Hyatt Hotels, you may contact me directly at -------------,
extension ----. My office hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. central time. In the event my office hours are
inconvenient for you to contact me, please feel free to speak with
one of my colleagues anytime between the office hours of 6:00 a.m. to
11:00 p.m., central time, Monday-Friday.
Linda -----------
Hyatt Consumer Affairs
----------------------------------------------------------
Part 3 - Where I get a very surprising e-mail, some would even say insulting:
Imagine my surprise when I opened up my e-mail Tuesday morning to find this:
-----------------------------------------------
Dear Force, (addressed to my first name only)
My name is Gloria Hightree and I work with Linda -------- in Consumer Affairs
for Hyatt Hotels. Unfortunately, Linda will be out of the office for the next
few days.
I spoke with your Mother, Karen this morning regarding the billing of her Visa
card from the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. I called the General Manager of the
hotel and he called me back. His accounting staff did the credit yesterday and
I believe they advised you of such.
In researching this matter, we found that your mother's Visa card is on your
Gold Passport profile, which automatically drops on the reservation when your
Gold Passport number is added. Therefore, if this card is used to hold your
booking and a deposit is required, your Mother's card will be charged. We
believe this is what happened in this case.
If you want to prevent a problem like this from happening in the future, I would
suggest that you call the Gold Passport office and add another card to your
account. If I can be of assistance in any way, please let me know.
Best regards,
Gloria Hightree
Consumer Affairs
----------------------------------------
*Bolding and Italics are mine
----------------------------------------
EXCUSE ME??? Why would my mother's ATM/Visa number back on my GP account again? Why is it suddenly my fault this happened? And what is this about reminding me that LT already sent the credit back to my mom's account???
I called Gloria immediately to find out what was going on and was told that the e-mail above was a "courtesy". She then admitted that she didn't actually have access to my GP account and couldn't say what was going on with it now. She finished by suggesting I contact GP CS if I had any questions. While very professional, her entire tone suggested that I was some kind of con-artist trying to put one over on Hyatt.
When did I go from being a valued Diamond member to a second-rate con?
Part 1 - Why I didn't investigate the missing charge immediately:
My family went swimming in the Lake Tahoe resort pool on Thursday night around 7:30PM for about an hour, followed by showers (and a bath for the little one). By 10:30 we had all developed a rash in varying degrees of severity. By 1AM, it was so bad I got dressed and went downstairs to tell the front desk and to ask them to have someone check the PH balance in the pool. The night clerk seemed remarkably unconcerned.
The next day I went back to check in for my sister's room and asked what had happened with the pool. The my GREAT surprise, the desk manager had no idea what I was talking about. She said that if the pool had caused it, we would be covered head to toe, instead of just breaking out in more sensitive areas. By then I had called my pediatrician for advice on mitigating the problem (my son is only two and had woken up in the night crying about his rash), and I politely let her know that our doctor didn't agree with her diagnosis. (Our doctor did recommend a baking soda bath, which worked wonders! ^ )
At this point the manager directed me to the "SECURITY" office to file a report so the hotel could pay my medical bills! Excuse me??
I stated again that I just wanted someone to check the PH balance on the pool. I've got a pool at home and know that if you go swimming too soon after a "shock" treatment, or when the balance is off, it can cause problems. Uncomfortable, but not dangerous! Our family likes to swim and we still had two days at the resort... we just wanted to feel like we could use the pool again! After that, she said she would send someone from engineering out to check the pool. I said "Thank You"... case closed. ^
In all fairness, when initially describing the problem to the front desk manager, I used the words "chemical burn". At the look of alarm on her face, I immediately apologized for a possibly inflamatory description and clarified that the rash was itching and burning and likely caused by a chemical imbalance in the pool. This might account for her suggestion that we file a report with security.
The next day is when my real problem started. As is my habit, I stopped by the front desk for a printout of my room charges. I was surprised to note that my last night hadn't been charged, but we were rushing to get to the snow, so I didn't stop to find out what happened. When the charge still hadn't shown up 2 days later, I assumed the manager must have waived the room charge since we had such an uncomfortable night. Not necessary, but a nice little surprise. I missed the bonus points and the stay credit I had been expecting, but wasn't about to complain.
Part 2 - Where Hyatt empties my mother's bank account:
Monday afternoon I got a call from my mother. She wanted to know why the Hyatt in Lake Tahoe had billed my room rate to her atm card and overdrawn her account!
WHAT?!?!
It turns out that back in March she called the Sacramento Hyatt to reserve a room for me for my birthday. At the time, she gave the hotel reservations desk my name, her name and atm credit card number (to pay for the room), and mentioned that I have status with Hyatt. She explained that it was my birthday present and asked them to upgrade me if possible. She didn't have my GP number, so they looked it up and added it to the reservation. Unbeknowest to either of us, someone apparently was trying to be "efficient" (Consumer Affair's description) and also UPDATED my GP Profile with her atm/credit card number!!
The next month when I made reservations for LT and was asked if I wanted to guarantee it with the card in my profile, I said "Sure", never realizing that my card number had been deleted and hers added. When I checked out on Saturday, apparently Hyatt charged the room rate to her atm card and the incidentals to the card I provided at check-in.
After calling GP CS to have my mother's atm number removed, being directed to the hotel for the atm credit and a recharge back to my account, then sent back to GP CS to handle the missing room rate points and stay credit that were now due, I finally ended up at Consumer Affairs to address the issue of the $39 overdraft fee their actions had cost my mother. I spoke with a very professional woman named Linda (who coined the "efficient" description).
She agreed to credit the $39.00 overdraft charge back to my mother's account and to call her bank and explain to them that the charge was Hyatt's error and not the result of any irresponsible action on my mother's part. (Mom just bought a car, hence the small balance in her account and her panic at discovering she was overdrawn).Thank you very much... case closed.
As a postscript, I even got a very nice e-mail from Linda thanking me for my "courtesy" during our conversation. I offer this as proof that I was not unreasonable, I did not scream or try to throw a tantrum, and I did not ask for any consideration other than what I have described here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Dear Ms. Forcemejure,
Thank you for the courtesy displayed in our telephone conversation
this afternoon. I spoke to someone at the Credit Union after your
mother gave them permission to speak with a third party speaking on
her behalf and they will note your mother's records that this error
and subsequent overdraft was due to an error on Hyatt. Please call me
personally if any additional assistance is needed for this.
I have sent a request to our Accounting Department to issue a $39
credit to your mother's ---- card. This may take several business
days to show on her statement.
If you would like to discuss this or any future experiences with
Hyatt Hotels, you may contact me directly at -------------,
extension ----. My office hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. central time. In the event my office hours are
inconvenient for you to contact me, please feel free to speak with
one of my colleagues anytime between the office hours of 6:00 a.m. to
11:00 p.m., central time, Monday-Friday.
Linda -----------
Hyatt Consumer Affairs
----------------------------------------------------------
Part 3 - Where I get a very surprising e-mail, some would even say insulting:
Imagine my surprise when I opened up my e-mail Tuesday morning to find this:
-----------------------------------------------
Dear Force, (addressed to my first name only)
My name is Gloria Hightree and I work with Linda -------- in Consumer Affairs
for Hyatt Hotels. Unfortunately, Linda will be out of the office for the next
few days.
I spoke with your Mother, Karen this morning regarding the billing of her Visa
card from the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. I called the General Manager of the
hotel and he called me back. His accounting staff did the credit yesterday and
I believe they advised you of such.
In researching this matter, we found that your mother's Visa card is on your
Gold Passport profile, which automatically drops on the reservation when your
Gold Passport number is added. Therefore, if this card is used to hold your
booking and a deposit is required, your Mother's card will be charged. We
believe this is what happened in this case.
If you want to prevent a problem like this from happening in the future, I would
suggest that you call the Gold Passport office and add another card to your
account. If I can be of assistance in any way, please let me know.
Best regards,
Gloria Hightree
Consumer Affairs
----------------------------------------
*Bolding and Italics are mine
----------------------------------------
EXCUSE ME??? Why would my mother's ATM/Visa number back on my GP account again? Why is it suddenly my fault this happened? And what is this about reminding me that LT already sent the credit back to my mom's account???
I called Gloria immediately to find out what was going on and was told that the e-mail above was a "courtesy". She then admitted that she didn't actually have access to my GP account and couldn't say what was going on with it now. She finished by suggesting I contact GP CS if I had any questions. While very professional, her entire tone suggested that I was some kind of con-artist trying to put one over on Hyatt.
When did I go from being a valued Diamond member to a second-rate con?
Apr 20, 2005, 10:08 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Programs: Bar Alliance Gold
Posts: 16,271
Miss(es) Hightree might also just be reporting old information.
Did you contact HGPCS to see which number was currently assigned to your account? If it is your number, then I'd just disregard Miss(es) Hightree's note.
If it is still your Mother's, then I'd make the change though your personal profile on hyatt.com (I think it shows the number, or at least the last four digits) to make sure it sticks.
Did you contact HGPCS to see which number was currently assigned to your account? If it is your number, then I'd just disregard Miss(es) Hightree's note.
If it is still your Mother's, then I'd make the change though your personal profile on hyatt.com (I think it shows the number, or at least the last four digits) to make sure it sticks.
Apr 20, 2005, 1:20 pm
#4
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,864
As I read this, the bit about the swimming pool has nothing to do with your "real problem." I gather that the real problem has to do with an apparent $39 overdraft charge which you believe was caused due to a mistake by Hyatt. Furthermore, Hyatt did immediately reimburse you for this charge.
I am by no means an apologist for Hyatt, but I see nothing in their correspondence as you have published it that is even vaguely insulting. Both notes sound polite and responsive, as was the action taken. Based on the evidence you've presented, it seems inappropriate to draw the conclusion that you are being treated as a "second rate con."
I am by no means an apologist for Hyatt, but I see nothing in their correspondence as you have published it that is even vaguely insulting. Both notes sound polite and responsive, as was the action taken. Based on the evidence you've presented, it seems inappropriate to draw the conclusion that you are being treated as a "second rate con."
Apr 20, 2005, 4:30 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: STL
Programs: WN, DL, AA; Hyatt or Wyndham
Posts: 1,083
Originally Posted by RichardInSF
As I read this, the bit about the swimming pool has nothing to do with your "real problem." I gather that the real problem has to do with an apparent $39 overdraft charge which you believe was caused due to a mistake by Hyatt. Furthermore, Hyatt did immediately reimburse you for this charge.
I am by no means an apologist for Hyatt, but I see nothing in their correspondence as you have published it that is even vaguely insulting. Both notes sound polite and responsive, as was the action taken. Based on the evidence you've presented, it seems inappropriate to draw the conclusion that you are being treated as a "second rate con."
I am by no means an apologist for Hyatt, but I see nothing in their correspondence as you have published it that is even vaguely insulting. Both notes sound polite and responsive, as was the action taken. Based on the evidence you've presented, it seems inappropriate to draw the conclusion that you are being treated as a "second rate con."
Agree. I saw two unrelated problems in the OP, the financial one of which appeared to be resolved with professionalism.