I have just discovered this website and have already submitted a complaint against AMEX and I'm so happy this website exist!
Let me post a past complaint I had filed with the company/agency itself called Cancun Mexican Bureau of Travel & Tourism (CMBTT.com) which is probably related to Travel Comm, whom I had bought a vacation package with back in 2006 and then they went out of business without notifying me.
Despite them denying they have any relationship with Travel Comm (whom, according to the BBB, is in the middle of a huge law suite), CMBTT has the same phone number as Travel Comm and CMBTT has my contract??? That's too much of a coincident.
While my credit card company did give me temporary credit while the rebuttal is being settled, I'll share my experience nonethess, so no one else out there will waste their time with the agency. I also filed this on BBB.org, which tried to contact the superivors mentioned below and the BBB never got a response from them. My file was kept on file because CMBTT never answeed to BBB's inqueries. I also filed this to the state of Florida, which has much higher jurisdiction. On a positive note, I do trust my credit company to do its job and credit my account permanently.
Below are email threads between myself and CMBTT; the latest thread is on top: it's a long read but well worth the time... Enjoy:
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Dated: Friday, November 14 4:17 PM
Subject: RE: My Experience with Cancun Mexico Bureau and Travel Tourism Agency
For those of you who have been on the edge of your seat and DYING to hear the news;
I regret to inform; despite my willingness to come to a compromise; we failed to find a resolution.
I was very diplomatic during our phone conversation. I restated and focused on both of our goals:
Ms. O'Malley's: to clear up her agency's name
Mine: to redeem credit for which I've already paid for
Ms O'Malley claimed my statements are wrong and threatened to sue me for not telling the truth.
So let me be fair and tell it from her side of the story:
1. The company I booked my package went out of business. Her agency is doing me a FAVOR by booking my hotel. Her agency did not receive any monetary credits for taking up my contract.
2. I did not stick to the deadlines and guidelines of the contract.
3. She has recorded everything I said and that I had verbally accepted the hotel in Cancun.
4. The extra $300 is non-refundable.
Have I missed anything else Ms. O'Malley?
Let me break this down:
1. Doing a client a FAVOR means getting results done even if it means going above and beyond your guidelines. It's result that matters not what you say. I have searched the hotel and guess what? There are vacancies:
NH Krystal Cancun Top of Form
Check-in: Check-out: Guests: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rooms: 1 2
Get rates
Hotel address: Lote 9Y 9A Boulevard Kukulcan, Cancun, Mexico 77500
Area served
Cancun, Mexico
Area airports
Cancun International Airport - 11 Miles
Description
Paseo Kukulcan km9 lotes9 y Cancun, 77500, MX, Zona Hotelera
Amenities
Internet Access
Wireless internet
Free Parking
Fitness room
Restaurant
Meeting/banquet facilities
Handicapped rooms/facilities
Concierge
Pool
High Speed Internet
Room service
Conference Facilities
Health Club
Business center
User score 3.8 out of 5 See all reviews
Lote 9Y 9A Boulevard Kukulcan, Cancun, Mexico 77500 of Cancun
Now granted, she probably has a limited number of reserved rooms for her agency but you still have 5 other hotels and having been "in business for a long time", I would think you would have good rapport with your business partners and can pull a string or two, arrange and re-arrange, negotiate things to make it work. THAT IS DOING A FAVOR.
This is not even a 4 star hotel...
2. You mean to tell me you receive clients' personal info (names, phone numbers, and addresses) without any monetary credits being exchanged between the two parties? I find that hard to believe. And even if it were true, do you see anything ethical about receiving clients' info just like that? For free? Conducting business with another party and gathering clients' personal info for free? THAT sounds like grounds for a law suit to me.
3. Now trying to sue me for expressing my frustrations? It's called a customer complaint/consumer rights. If you don't have processes/procedures to handle this, I suggest you implement one. I'm sure I'm not the first and won't be the last.
Maybe this method of complaint may be better suited for you:
Complaint Submission Complete
Thank you for submitting your complaint to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Please review the additional information below.
Just because I'm more efficient and effective in getting my complaint across doesn't make me any different than any other client. If you've done nothing wrong, why the threatened law suit? Why worry? You already have my money. And calling me a "bully" because of a complaint isn't very professional or mature is it?
If everything is recorded, your rep told me I had until the end of this year to use my package. So try to be kind and rewind, see if you can hear that. If I had waited too long to book hotel, your rep should just simply refuse to book me, but knowing I'll have to put that extra $300 to book a hotel, you went ahead. I see that as being money hungry.
4. That extra $300 is approved under the condition that the hotel is in PVR. It's an upgrade for PVR... NOT Cancun. This is now between you and my credit card service.
I also noticed that your company is not registered with the Better Business Bureau; having been "in business for a long time"... Why not registered? Rest assured; something's coming your way. I also noticed you have no physical address on your website; so if I were to write a physical compliant, where should I send it? And all your email addresses have a gmail domain? Hmmmmm
So while I would love to retract what I've stated earlier and I honestly tried to be diplomatic and sensitive to both our needs, the fact is, I have paid for services for which I am not receiving and will not receive. Keep the money and try to implement a Client Relationship session within your org.
As for suing me, that would be a violation of my first amendment, right to free speech.
And please don't ever contact me againeven if you have a room.
Best of luck to your business.
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Sent: Wednesday, November 12 1:56 PM
Subject: RE: My Experience with Cancun Mexico Bureau and Travel Tourism Agency
Good Afternoon Ms. O'Malley
Thank you for showing professionalism with your return phone call in regards to my situation.
I would be happy to retract every word I've written if we can make something work as I have tried yesterday.
This is my first long awaited vacation for the entire year so you can understand the frustration. I was miss-lead to believe that the hotel was in PVR, as I have always stated in my conversation and in written confirmation that PVR is my destination. I've given your rep the role to book a room for me, having told her that my destination is PVR.
I have a 2 hour in 10 mins but would be happy to talk to you via phone thereafter. If I cannot reach you today, I will try tomorrow.
Again, I am more than willing to work towards a resolution and would happily retract every word I've written if we can come up with a solution.
I appreciate the follow up and thanks much for your time.
Sent: Tuesday, November 11 3:33 PM
Subject: My Experience with Cancun Mexico Bureau and Travel Tourism Agency
Importance: High
Hello Friends (and there are about 40-45 email addresses being blind carbon copied; including professional co-workers, friends, relatives, etc.)
I'd like to share my extremely frustrating and disappointing experience with the Cancun Mexico Bureau and Travel Tourism agency located in Florida. Rather than posting this on a forum, I'd like to directly share what has been a tremendously time-consuming if not confusing but definitely frustrating ordeal for a simple task: booking hotel to Puerto Vallarta as part of a package for which I have already paid for.
My package is good for a year and a half when I bought it last year. When I called in to book my hotel, I was told it would expire by the end of this year. So naturally, I would like to use it over the Thanksgiving holiday.
I called in to ask for a room at the The NH Krystal Vallarta (as listed in their site below and as suggested by the rep who answered my call). Having been passed to Dee (@gmail.com) who will be handling my hotel accommodations, Dee told me it was all booked and suggested another hotel, Sandos Caracol, of which I found to be in CANCUN, I repeatedly said my destination is PVR.
Somewhere along the line, I was told there were 2 hotels by the same nameunder this assumption, I obviously believed Dee to book the hotel in PVR and to my surprised, Dee booked the one in CANCUN!
So I called in and explained that obviously there has been a miscommunication between both parties. I was passed around from rep (Dee) to manager (Patricia: @gmail.com) and got no where. The manager put me on hold to check for room at the NH Krystal hotel againONE HOTEL, she checked ONE HOTEL out of the 6 listed on the website. Being in her industry and having all those hotels listed on the website, she checked ONE.
She then goes on to state that Dee is one of her best agent. Well guess what? I'm also one of the best here within my group, and I too make mistakes. Both agent and manager could not do a thing for me and then I was passed back to Dee who said and I quote, I can't do anything for you; I have other clients to book. Ever heard of customer satisfaction? They also told me to modify my flight from PVR to Cancun yes, it is that simple huh?
I then contacted the Director (Ms. Maggie Omalley: @gmail.com); who did treat me with respect and gave me some form of comfort by giving me alternatives. I grant her that. She offered that I keep my credit and use it at another time but WOULD NOT REFUND THE EXTRA $300 I had put in since it's peak seasonI'll take half the hit for the miscommunication and was about to take the offer to keep the credit but I demanded the $300 refund back because I am PAYING for peak season to a hotel that I WILL NOT BE STAYING IN; neither PVR or CANCUN (does that not make any sense?). She then goes on to sugar coat it and said the $300 could be used for credit for taxes or other dues that may be due when I actually use my credit. I am NOT making the same mistake again, so I said, I'll pay for the fees/dues when I get to it; of which, she still would not refund my money. Having been passed around, wasting time and getting no where, I asked one last question. There's absolutely nothing else you can do? No I'm done.
So let me summarize this painful experience,
1. I faxed in my confirmation letter with highlighted letters that I was going to PVR and crossed out Cancun.
2. I called in and specifically said, my destination is PVR; I was booked to a hotel that appeared to be at two different locations and unfortunately, neither was in PVR.
3. I called in to clear up the miscommunication and got no where from rep to manager to director. Ladies; as managers and directorsat your positions, you cannot do a dam thing for a one person occupancy for one hotel accommodation within 6 hotels? Not 1 but 6 hotels. What are your roles good for? You're in the travel / tourism industry; you cannot pull strings or go out of your way for one person occupancy?
I may lose the money you stole from me, but I'll make sure others I know won't. You may gain my money, but you've lost potential clients
What you did and did not do was unethical and unprofessional.
And ladiespure simple business economics: PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CLIENTS' SHOES
SATISFIED CLIENTS = REPEATED BUSINESS = REFERALS
That is not a misscommunication.
Http://www.cmbtt.com/shop/index.php? CPath=64&osCsid=368f7b92c1c1549fa2d113fab22eef19
I discourage anyone from using their services or any connections with the above.
Lesson well learned on my end.
Thanks for reading and ladies, feel free to respond.
Fightbacksf!!!
Pacifica, California
U.S.A.
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