I recently attenpted to book a Eurostar/Hotel package with Eurostar, and was charged but did not receive the package!
This is an outline of our experience, based on our complaint letter to Hospitality Line:
Our booking was originally requested 10 November 07 for a weekend Eurostar journey and accommodation for two people. This booking was changed 12 November 07, to include an additional person. We had several telephone exchanges as a room for three people was not available. The booking was confirmed by email 14 November 07.
We received a telephone call later that week, advising that there were no trains available to complete the return journey on the date requested. (Yes, this was after the confirmation email.) Other dates were not suitable, as one of the party was a family member visiting from New Zealand. It was agreed that the booking would be cancelled and that payment would not be taken.
Payment for the booking was debited 19 November 07. We contacted Hospitality Line by telephone and were advised that a credit was in process. We were also advised that this may take several days due to banking systems. It was not made clear that these delays were due to Hospitality Lines own systems.
Payment had not been received by 26 November 07 and we again contacted both the bank and Hospitality line. We received confirmation from our bank that a credit had not been received from Hospitality Line, and that First Direct’s procedures are to clear credits within the same day. Hospitality Line assured us that payment would be received within 5 working days of 19 November. This has not been the case.
These are our complaints:
• The booking took several days to confirm. We accept that we changed the initial booking, however, the initial booking was on a Saturday and the extension made on a Monday. Confirmation was not received until the Wednesday.
The Hospitality Line website advises that:
“You will be contacted within one working day* from the time your booking has been requested
We will process your booking providing we can get the train times and dates that you have requested on your booking form and your credit card will be debited accordingly”
• We should not have been advised that the booking was confirmed if it was not possible to travel on the dates requested. Nor should payment have been taken from our accounts. Our experience clearly contradicts the information posted on your website:
“If your trip is not available:
You will be contacted within one working day* from the time the booking was requested to inform you of the nearest available alternative. Your credit card will not be debited until you confirm whether or not you would like to proceed with the alternatives offered
If we are unable to offer you an alternative which meets your approval you can cancel your booking and a full refund will be issued without having to pay a cancellation fee”
• That payment was taken illegally, as the requested service was unavailable. We confirmed directly with Hospitality Line that other dates were unsuitable and that the booking should be cancelled before the payment was taken from either bank account. We are concerned that although the cancellation had been confirmed, their processes were not good enough to prevent billing us for a service that they knew they could not provide. This is a serious breach of law, and a careless misuse of the personal information provided.
• It has been five working days since cancellation and the credit has not yet been received.
• We have experienced a lack of clarity and transparency. It has become clear through discussions with our respective banks that the delay has been due to Hospitality Line’s procedures rather than the banks systems (First Direct have confirmed that they provide same day clearance of credits). We expect companies to be upfront and honest about the causes for any delay.
• At several stages Hospitality Line has not met the standards as outlined on their own website. We believe that this constitutes a breach of our statutory rights.
Due to the delays, we were unable to make a booking through another service. We have posted this as we are very concerned that other consumers do not have the same experience.
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Wow, I am sorry this has happenied to you , but can%26#39;t your credit card company just cancel this for you? Have you contacted them?
I have never booked a package deal like that, but it does seem very shady.
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