On 18 Oct Orbitz collected $475.12 from me for a hotel reservation in Goa, India begining on New Year's Eve for 2 rooms, 2 nights (Lazylagoon Sarovar Portico Suites, Orbitz record locator: PBORB5031731314). On or about 29 Dec, while elsewhere in India I emailed the hotel with a Q about check-in. The hotel responded that they had record of the resveration but they never been paid for it and after repeated reminders to the travel agent who booked it, they canceled it. I proceeded to spend approx 5.5 hrs on the phone, primarily on hold, with Orbitz customer service over the course of 2 days and 3-4 phone calls. The calls would automaticlly terminate at just after the 1 hour mark, which was very frustrating.
I explained on the calls that I could not be reached by my cell phone since I was in India and gave contact info for my present hotel and also reminded them of my email address (which was of course also included in my initial serveration on Orbitz.com). I also sent 3 emails to Orbitz, one of which was responded to. However, the response provided no solution, it only asked me to call back. On the phone, Orbitz customer service told me they were searching for another room but could not find one available. Goa is a resort destination popular around the winter holidays, and it was now within 1-2 days of NYE. On my own internet search of other sites such as hotels.com, I found hotels available, although they were far inferior rooms at jacked up prices—as happens with late bookings before holidays. Eventually an Orbitz cutomer service representative discussed providing me with a refund and a $50.00 Orbitz travel certificate. Neither were ever provided, and it now being 31 Dec and my flight to Goa from Chennai about to leave, I booked an inferior room for $385.35 and paid an additional Rs1,000.00 in cash for a cot to replace the 2 rooms I had booked through Orbitz. The room was inferior, without functioning AC and with numerous critters in the room including a snake, gekkos, spiders, a praying mantis and many mosquitos not all deterred by the mosquito net over the bed. I missed one day of the wedding I had traveled to Chennai to attend, and experienced a great deal of consternation wondering if I would have to cancel 4 airline tickets to Goa and 4 more from Goa over the episode, or whether we would have a safe place to stay in a foreign country. I am shocked that I have not been provided a refund at a minimum. I consider this fraud (whether intentional or negligent) and conversion. Assuming it is simply negligence, the customer service response has been terrible. While the representatives I've spoken to have been friendly and appear to want to help, there have been no solutions proposed, repeated lengthy waits on hold, no continuity from phone call to phone call (I've retold this story half a dozen times) and repeated dropped calls. If I was told on the first call or even the second that nothing could be done but I would be refunded my payment, I would have been upset but moved on. As a result of this dragged out process where I was lead to believe a solution would be forthcoming, I missed a wedding and two days of my time and probably was further disadvantaged in booking a replacement hotel by having to wait until the absolute laste minute. A week later, I'm shocked that I haven't even been provided with a simple refund. Before sending this claim, I have called Orbitz customer service again from the U.S., again spent 30 minutes on hold, again transferred 3 times, and again told that further investigation was required by a higher-up supervisor before a solution could be proposed.
In reliance on the Orbitz hotel reservation, I had booked 4 airline tickets (total cost: $233.28) for myself and traveling companions to Goa from Chennai and two airline tickets to Delhi from Goa (total cost: $626.59)—I can provide receipts for both. Rather than cancel these, I booked one of the few remaining hotels in Goa, doing a lot of last minute research, paying a last minute, jacked up price, and having a rather unpleasant stay in an inferior room that I would not have booked otherwise. We also stayed in one room rather than two as planned. Under the circumstances, I think I did my best to mitigate my damages. I also missed a wedding I had traveled to India for, and experienced loss of time and aggravation that should not have been necessary. I understand that mistakes may happen, but the response to the issue caused more damage to my trip than was necessary. As a result, I think it is fair that Orbitz refund me the $475.12 I paid months ago for the hotel which was not provided and compensate me for the replacement hotel I booked for $385.35 Rs1,000.00. I can provide a receipt for this booking. I calculate this total sum as $475.12 $385.35 $18.40 (conversion of s1,000.00) = $878.87.
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