Anyone work for a hotel or credit card company?

behsco90 · September 2014

This is regarding a dispute.

So back in July FI and I stayed at an all inclusive on Mexico that we booked thru Expedia and booked a standard garden view room. When we got to the hotel, the guy checking us in sold us on an upgrade where we'd get an upgraded view, free room service, etc etc.

Long story short, they stuck us with a garden view room, that had no working phone (and no one ever came to fix our phone the whole stay even though we told them right away).

Anyways at checkout they refused to refund us the $300 for the upgrade we didn't get and so I filed a dispute with my credit card.

So we've gone back and forth and now my credit card is basically saying their hands are tied because we "accepted" the room they gave us. Yes we did because they had no other rooms!!! Are we supposed to sleep in our car????

Anyways, I'm just wondering if any of you have any advice as to where I can go from here. The dispute is still open FYI.

any advice? I do not want to be stuck paying $300 for something we didn't get...

OliveOilsMom · September 2014

Did you call the hotel immediately when you realized you were in a garden room view? What did they say? If the first time you complained about the room was during check out, then I would think you are stuck paying the $300. But if you complained the moment you arrived and realized it was a garden room, you should go back to the hotel. Did you try contacting their corporate office?

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

I need a little clarification. This is an "upgraded" garden view room right? You did not get the standard? Was it really the only room available? Why are you paying 300 dollars - for the "free" upgrade? And the phone sucks, but I don't think that matters right now (I need more information).

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

Wait, you accepted the upgrade but were given the standard room, and now you're being charged for the upgrade you never received?

If you didn't complain from the second you walked into the room, you might be stuck. But Idk why they are charging an upgrade fee?

Fran1985 · September 2014

So if I am reading this right, you checked in at the front desk. Front desk guy was like for 300 we can upgrade you! You said yes, went to the room, thought "its not an upgrade" but didn't go back down to the desk until checkout? Did you get the free room service and everything? I am having trouble following the timeline.

misshart00 · September 2014

behsco90 said:
This is regarding a dispute.

So back in July FI and I stayed at an all inclusive on Mexico that we booked thru Expedia and booked a standard garden view room. When we got to the hotel, the guy checking us in sold us on an upgrade where we'd get an upgraded view, free room service, etc etc.

Long story short, they stuck us with a garden view room, that had no working phone (and no one ever came to fix our phone the whole stay even though we told them right away).

Anyways at checkout they refused to refund us the $300 for the upgrade we didn't get and so I filed a dispute with my credit card.

So we've gone back and forth and now my credit card is basically saying their hands are tied because we "accepted" the room they gave us. Yes we did because they had no other rooms!!! Are we supposed to sleep in our car????

Anyways, I'm just wondering if any of you have any advice as to where I can go from here. The dispute is still open FYI.

any advice? I do not want to be stuck paying $300 for something we didn't get...

Agree with PPs. Did you complain about the "upgrade" as soon as you got to the room? Why did you wait until checkout ?

lyndausvi · September 2014

besides the phone did you complain about the room's view? Did you escalate the complaint to higher management?

It's harder to get a refund once you leave the property. It's always better to get the problem fixed right then and there.

I would suggest writing a letter to the GM of the property. If that does not work and they have a parent company write a letter to them. You can always write a bad review on Trip Advisor. That often gets them to listen. I would try the GM first though.

behsco90 · September 2014

Yes, every problem that arose we told them about immediately. At checkout I fought with the guy for like 30 minutes. They told me I could send a LETTER (not an email) to their corporate all the way in Spain. I followed up that letter with an email and went back and forth with one lady who basically told me they could upgrade me for free the next time I decided to throw money at their hotel again (not in a million years!) but they couldn't refund me a damn penny.

behsco90 · September 2014

Okay sorry for the confusion guys.

At check in, we paid the $300 for the upgraded room (where the, view should have been an upgrade from a garden view). So the first room they took us to had a view of a building under construction. So we complained and they took us to a 2nd room. That room had a view of the garden. At this point we were exhausted having travelled 24 hours so we took it.

A few hours later we realized the phone didn't work (which would be needed for the free room service we paid for with the upgrade) so we went to the front desk and complained about the view and phone. They said they had no other rooms and someone would be out to fix the phone. No one ever fixed the phone.

lyndausvi · September 2014

Did you contact the GM at the time about the problems when nothing was being done? When they said there were no other rooms why didn't you ask for a refund?

Sometimes they really are sold out, but it's rare it would be for the duration of your stay. I've had to say something like "I understand you are disappointed, I have a room opening up tomorrow if you would like to move".

Unfortunately you are dealing with foreign companies here. That is going to limited your rights.

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

I would totally not pay 300 dollars. They can shove it.

mschristie123 · September 2014

This is absolutely an issue between you and the resort- NOT with your credit card company. My H works for a bank and deals with this a lot. This is not an issue of fraudulent charges, etc so the CC company isn't going to handle this. You have to take it up the ranks with the resort.

misshart00 · September 2014

mschristie123 said:
This is absolutely an issue between you and the resort- NOT with your credit card company. My H works for a bank and deals with this a lot. This is not an issue of fraudulent charges, etc so the CC company isn't going to handle this. You have to take it up the ranks with the resort.

This is what I was thinking.

Couggal12 · September 2014

I see it as you "accepted" the room by not making them change you again even if the room still was a garden room. It is not your credit card company's fault that the room was not up to par and I can see why they are making you pay for the charges. You should have demanded a refund upon not having your phone fixed and the room not being what you paid for.

What I would do is write a letter/email filing a complaint and write a negative review. A lot of times if resorts/hotels value their name and reputation they will do something to rectify the situation. I.e. offer you a credit, refund you some money, etc. This doesn't always happen but, it's worth a shot IMO.

ETA: Sorry just saw your comment that you went this route. A lot of resorts are very corporate and have strict rules about refunds. I'm sorry they're not being more understanding.

behsco90 · September 2014

mschristie123 said:
This is absolutely an issue between you and the resort- NOT with your credit card company. My H works for a bank and deals with this a lot. This is not an issue of fraudulent charges, etc so the CC company isn't going to handle this. You have to take it up the ranks with the resort.

From what I understand, I can dispute a charge on my credit card if the merchant fails to perform their services for whatever reason, after I have unsuccessfully attempted to resolve it with the merchant directly.

behsco90 · September 2014

Couggal12 said:
I see it as you "accepted" the room by not making them change you again even if the room still was a garden room. It is not your credit card company's fault that the room was not up to par and I can see why they are making you pay for the charges. You should have demanded a refund upon not having your phone fixed and the room not being what you paid for.

What I would do is write a letter/email filing a complaint and write a negative review. A lot of times if resorts/hotels value their name and reputation they will do something to rectify the situation. I.e. offer you a credit, refund you some money, etc. This doesn't always happen but, it's worth a shot IMO.

I did all this and nothing. Yes it is not my credit cards fault, but if I win the dispute then my credit card company does not pay the merchant.

dolewhipper · October 2014

How do you know that the view of what you received in the second room was not the upgraded room? Who's to say the construction view is the standard view? Or possibly a view of a parking lot? I worked at a hotel once where the standard room was a view of the parking lot and there was another rate for: garden view, pool view and villa view. What kind of view did the agent state you were getting? Was this outlined in your folio/room bill at the end of your stay? Did you write down the agents names who you spoke with, the date and around what time? Did you tell them everyday that your phone was not working? If you have all this information it will help your case.

Without any of this information, as someone who has worked in hotels for over a decade, you will have little to show the CC company and will have to fight with the resort unfortunately. Trip Advisor, Google, Expedia-make sure to put your reviews out there.

Anyone work for a hotel or credit card company?

Re: Anyone work for a hotel or credit card company?

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