You have no doubt heard of unfortunate experiences some people have with online travel sellers. Here is one example of how booking a trip online can end up costing do-it-yourself vacation planners money, headaches and even the trip. (Thank you to my colleague Christopher Elliott)
PLEASE copy the info below. It could come in handy if you find yourself trying to fix what you thought was the perfect vacation.
"I need your help with a vacation to St. Kitts that was missing a key component: our airline tickets. I booked and paid Expediocity $2,521 for the package, which was supposed to include hotel, transfers and airfare. But when we arrived at the airport, I discovered that our tickets hadn’t been issued. I had received an email from Expediocity the day before, confirming our reservations. I called their customer service department, which asked me to buy new tickets. They agreed to reimburse me the difference between the package price and the tickets, which came to $871. Three months later, I still had no credit....."
Contact the travel seller as soon as you can. And start with their customer service department. Go through channels to show you gave the company an opportunity to fix your problem. Above all - be nice and hold back on anger and attitude. Know what rules they have broken by reading their contract's fine print.
Send copies of your complaint to other relevant people. See below for some examples. Be specific as to what the problem was and what fix you expect. Send your complaint and expect a 6-8 week response time. If you were turned down over the phone, ask them to send you the NO in writing. If you receive another NO from your written complaint - go to the next level - VP of customer service. Their names and contact info will be on the contact page of the company's website. Try this Contact info if you hit a dead end.
If you are turned down again, try this before considering the court option- send a courteous letter, with copies all your support material, via overnight express to the CEO of the company. This usually guarantees that someone close to the person with the power to do something will read your case.
Now, wouldn't it have been easier to use the services of a professional travel consultant in the first place?
Airline complaints should be copied to the Department of Transportation’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division.
Aviation Consumer Protection Division, C-75 contact
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Car rental complaints should be copied to the state attorney general in the state your rented the car in (not your home state) and, if it involves a questionable insurance claim, that state’s insurance commissioner. A list of attorney generals is available from the National Association of Attorneys General Web site. A list of state insurance commissioners can be downloaded here
If your complaint is against a hotel also copy the attorney general if the state in which the hotel is located.
If you had a problem on a cruise, copy the Federal Maritime Commission, which can sometimes mediate disputes on your behalf.
The Federal Maritime Commission
800 North Capitol St. NW
Washington, DC 20573
[email protected]
If your complaint involves a sanitation issue on a cruise ship, copy the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30333
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