My attempts to get lodging or a refund due to cancellations of travel booked at hotels.com are often met with the following message. It doesn't even appear that hotels.com reads the emails I've sent.
Forwarded Message
From: "[email protected]" [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thu, July 21 12:00: 33 PM
Subject: Re: Complaint - Case ID: [REQ: M-1060666]
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for taking the time to contact Hotels.com customer service.
We apologize, however at this time we are unable to arrange for airport transportation to and from your selected hotel. This is better arranged with our hotel partner directly.
Please contact your selected hotel to arrange for airport transportation, or to get their preferred method.
Most hotel partners that offer Airport Transportation or Shuttle Service will disclose it in the property description on our website.
Once again, thank you for choosing Hotels.com for your travel needs. If you need further assistance, please call 800-246-8357.
Hotels.com Customer Care Team
800-246-8357
Original Message
From: [email protected]
To: "travel@travel. Wwte1.com", "Packages@travel. Wwte1.com", hotels_na
Subject: Complaint
Sent: Jul 21 11:00: 32 AM Thank you for using the Better Business Bureau's Online Complaint System.
Your complaint has been assigned case # 91186899.
Correspondence regarding this complaint will be emailed to: [email protected]
Please print a copy of this for your records.
Filed on: July 21
Filed by: Elizabeth VonRentzell
Filed against: Hotels.com
10440 N Central Expy Ste 400
Dallas TX 75231-2228
Complaint Description:
Itin# 11468075638: Thu, July 21 6:20: 05 AM Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for choosing Hotels.com Packages. We have received your e-mail about your trip. We are truly sorry that we have not lived up to your expectations of "excellent customer service". We try as much as possible to provide not only excellent customer service but we try to exceed what is expected of us. However, we know that there are some instances that our guaranteed excellent customer service is not met and we would like to apologize for that. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any additional questions, please call our Customer Support Desk at 1-866-610-4770. Sincerely, Melanie Hotels.com Packages 1-866-610-4770 www.hotels.com packages@travel. Wwte1.com — Original Message — From: Elizabeth vonRentzell Sent: 7/20 1:41: 45 PM To: [email protected] CC: packages@travel. Wwte1.com Subject: ugh. Seriously. - Case ID: REQ: 62622421 I have spent countless hours of my life on the phone with people from hotels.com, their Canadian package booking organization, and other people that I can't understand when they seemingly try to tell me for what organization they work. United is stupid. Sunny, who is in India and who has never, I'm sure, heard of Bismarck, kept telling me that he apologized and understood how frustrated I am, but I'm certain he has no idea of how frustrating it is to deal with United or any of the other travel organizations involved in this horrid trip. I'm sure he has no comprehension of what it would be like to sleep outside in Bismarck because nothing is open 24 hours and there are seemingly no hotel accomodations to be found within a 160 mile radius of the town. I'm sure he doesn't understand how humid and mosquito filled it is here or that having no hotel or place to stay means that I will surely get on the plan tomorrow, as long as it's not cancelled, too, dripping in sweat, feeling gross, and smelling. I think United, Expedia, and hotels.com are more interested in hiring parrots than they are in hiring anyone who actually helps customers who have been screwed by ridiculous cancellations and other poor management consequences. I don't know how many times I had to tell people itinerary numbers, my name, my email address, etc., only to hear them repeated back to me with no further information or assistance given. I already know all the information I'm providing—why does anyone, any individual or any company, think that repeating something back to the provider is at all helpful, especially when it's almost 2am and no actual questions are being answered by the customer service rep? Far less are any solutions actually being put forth by them. The only people who could speak fluent English were the ones in the group that handled my initial hotel cancellation, but of course, they couldn't help me with finding a place for tonight. I just was passed on to other phone numbers, with wait times of 30 minutes on average, only to be then answered by one of several foreigners who not only could not understand me, but also managed to disconnect the phone line a surprising number of times. Then when the phone line didn't disconnect right away, I would mention the prior disconnections, which not being met by a solution or address of the real lack of hotel for tonight, would instead incite multiple excuses and recaps of policies that hanging up or disconnecting was not intended and would never be done by one of these call answerers. Of course it was done, whether by malice or incompetence, I don't care. I witnessed every disconnection. It's ridiculous, and despite the passing of at least a full day since the cancellation notice of my flight back to Denver, despite hours spent on the phone, at the airports, both in Denver and in Bismarck, and despite emails to hotels.com and the package booking agency, I still have no place to stay tonight and no true
Your Desired Resolution:
I expect a refund and coverage of additional costs incurred due to cancellations by hotels.com, WWTE, and United, all booked and confirmed through hotels.com. Not only did I have cancelled hotel reservations, but I also had a flight cancellation, the cost of additional hotel stay, cost of additional transportation when new hotels did not provide shuttle services that had been agreed and guaranteed at initial hotel booked and confirmed, and damage to luggage.
This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. It is our policy to allow the business 30 working days to respond to your complaint. You will be notified when the business has responded.
What would you like to do next?
View the status of your complaint
Return to the BBB Homepage BBB Privacy Policy
Forwarded Message
From: "travel@travel. Wwte1.com"
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thu, July 21 6:20: 05 AM
Subject: Re: ugh. Seriously. - Case ID: [REQ: 62622421]
Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for choosing Hotels.com Packages.
We have received your e-mail about your trip.
We are truly sorry that we have not lived up to your expectations of "excellent customer service". We try as much as possible to provide not only excellent customer service but we try to exceed what is expected of us. However, we know that there are some instances that our guaranteed excellent customer service is not met and we would like to apologize for that.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
If you have any additional questions, please call our Customer Support Desk at 1-866-610-4770.
Sincerely,
Melanie
Hotels.com Packages
1-866-610-4770
Www.hotels.com
Packages@travel. Wwte1.com
Original Message
From: Elizabeth vonRentzell
Sent: 7/20 1:41: 45 PM
To: [email protected]
CC: packages@travel. Wwte1.com
Subject: ugh. Seriously. - Case ID: [REQ: 62622421]
I have spent countless hours of my life on the phone with people from hotels.com, their Canadian package booking organization, and other people that I can't understand when they seemingly try to tell me for what organization they work.
United is stupid. Sunny, who is in India and who has never, I'm sure, heard of Bismarck, kept telling me that he apologized and understood how frustrated I am, but I'm certain he has no idea of how frustrating it is to deal with United or any of the other travel organizations involved in this horrid trip. I'm sure he has no comprehension of what it would be like to sleep outside in Bismarck because nothing is open 24 hours and there are seemingly no hotel accomodations to be found within a 160 mile radius of the town. I'm sure he doesn't understand how humid and mosquito filled it is here or that having no hotel or place to stay means that I will surely get on the plan tomorrow, as long as it's not cancelled, too, dripping in sweat, feeling gross, and smelling.
I think United, Expedia, and hotels.com are more interested in hiring parrots than they are in hiring anyone who actually helps customers who have been screwed by ridiculous cancellations and other poor management consequences. I don't know how many times I had to tell people itinerary numbers, my name, my email address, etc., only to hear them repeated back to me with no further information or assistance given. I already know all the information I'm providing—why does anyone, any individual or any company, think that repeating something back to the provider is at all helpful, especially when it's almost 2am and no actual questions are being answered by the customer service rep? Far less are any solutions actually being put forth by them.
The only people who could speak fluent English were the ones in the group that handled my initial hotel cancellation, but of course, they couldn't help me with finding a place for tonight. I just was passed on to other phone numbers, with wait times of 30 minutes on average, only to be then answered by one of several foreigners who not only could not understand me, but also managed to disconnect the phone line a surprising number of times. Then when the phone line didn't disconnect right away, I would mention the prior disconnections, which not being met by a solution or address of the real lack of hotel for tonight, would instead incite multiple excuses and recaps of policies that hanging up or disconnecting was not intended and would never be done by one of these call answerers. Of course it was done, whether by malice or incompetence, I don't care. I witnessed every disconnection.
It's ridiculous, and despite the passing of at least a full day since the cancellation notice of my flight back to Denver, despite hours spent on the phone, at the airports, both in Denver and in Bismarck, and despite emails to hotels.com and the package booking agency, I still have no place to stay tonight and no true offer of help from anyone involved in the reservations, confirmations of reservations, or booking agencies.
While many of the messages repeated to listeners waiting on the customer service lines state the companies' goals of serving customers well, it's explicity apparent that none of them actually know how to serve the customer well, and I'm fairly certain through this experience that once they had my charge card number, they didn't care to actually follow through on any promises.
0 comments