The GECCO
Tue Aug 23rd, 2011, 02:33 PM
So, I've booked flights and a hotel room for a trip later this year (November). Leaving on a Monday, coming back on a Friday. The return flight I booked was scheduled to depart at 5:06pm Friday which fit my schedule.
About 3 weeks after booking I get an email from Orbitz saying that my itinerary has changed - my return flight has been canceled and they have booked me on a flight leaving Friday at 11:30am. Crap, I can't leave that early!
So, I call and wade through the menus to try and get an actual person. When I finally do, I explain that I can't make that earlier flight. The conversation goes something like this:
Me "Any other flights available that evening"
Cust Serv Rep "No, sorry"
Me "What about coming back on the next day (Saturday)?"
CSR "Yup, there is a flight available"
Me "OK, put me on that flight and add a night to the hotel reservation"
CSR "Hold, please, while I make some calls"
Me "OK"
a few min pass...
CSR "OK, I got you on the other flight and added a night to the hotel stay"
Me "Great"
CSR "The additional night at the hotel will be $XXX.XX" (more than the rest of the nights because it's a weekend)
Me "OK" (I didn't expect to not pay for the additional night, it just sucks that it's about 50% more than the other nights, but oh well)
CSR "The fare difference for the new flight is an additional $85, plus an airline change fee of $150, and a hotel change fee of $50"
Me "Wait a minute...the fare difference is one thing, and I'm not sure I should have to pay it, but why should I have to pay change fees?"
CSR "All customer initiated changes have to be charged these fees"
Me "But I didn't initiate the change, the airline did when they canceled my flight"
CSR "And there were no change fees for that"
Me (not out loud) "Well, duh" :slap:
You can imagine how the rest went :wait: The CSR said he didn't have the ability to waive the fees, so I spent the better part of the next hour getting transferred, and then dropped, then calling back and starting nearly from scratch, before I finally got someone who had the authority to cancel the change fees (and the fare difference).
What ever happened to common sense? The people I talked to were nice enough, don't get me wrong, but why have CSR's who don't have the tools and discretion to make things "right"?
About 3 weeks after booking I get an email from Orbitz saying that my itinerary has changed - my return flight has been canceled and they have booked me on a flight leaving Friday at 11:30am. Crap, I can't leave that early!
So, I call and wade through the menus to try and get an actual person. When I finally do, I explain that I can't make that earlier flight. The conversation goes something like this:
Me "Any other flights available that evening"
Cust Serv Rep "No, sorry"
Me "What about coming back on the next day (Saturday)?"
CSR "Yup, there is a flight available"
Me "OK, put me on that flight and add a night to the hotel reservation"
CSR "Hold, please, while I make some calls"
Me "OK"
a few min pass...
CSR "OK, I got you on the other flight and added a night to the hotel stay"
Me "Great"
CSR "The additional night at the hotel will be $XXX.XX" (more than the rest of the nights because it's a weekend)
Me "OK" (I didn't expect to not pay for the additional night, it just sucks that it's about 50% more than the other nights, but oh well)
CSR "The fare difference for the new flight is an additional $85, plus an airline change fee of $150, and a hotel change fee of $50"
Me "Wait a minute...the fare difference is one thing, and I'm not sure I should have to pay it, but why should I have to pay change fees?"
CSR "All customer initiated changes have to be charged these fees"
Me "But I didn't initiate the change, the airline did when they canceled my flight"
CSR "And there were no change fees for that"
Me (not out loud) "Well, duh" :slap:
You can imagine how the rest went :wait: The CSR said he didn't have the ability to waive the fees, so I spent the better part of the next hour getting transferred, and then dropped, then calling back and starting nearly from scratch, before I finally got someone who had the authority to cancel the change fees (and the fare difference).
What ever happened to common sense? The people I talked to were nice enough, don't get me wrong, but why have CSR's who don't have the tools and discretion to make things "right"?