Beware of Our Laughing Place Travel

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[Lorix2]

sorry you had to experience that Francine, hope you'll get you're credit soon. Thanks for the caution flag! Lori

[YCgirl]

Sorry you have to go through all this aggravation. It doesn't sound very professional. I know things are a mess over there right now and the travel agents all left. I'd stick with travel agents who know what they're doing. Dreams Unlimited has been around for quite a while. I'm not sure if they just do airfare, but they get great reviews at planning Disney vacations. I hope you get your money back soon. If you don't, you can always contact the Better Business Bureau.

[BethR]

Hi Francine! WELCOME TO THE DIS! So nice to see you here!
I am so sorry that you are having this trouble trying to get all of the credit that you were supposed to get. :(
So many Agencies have troubles and glitches occasionally. I am sure that this was an honest mistake.
Thank you for sharing your experience so that others can be aware. Hopefully all will be cleared up for YOU soon!

:)

[fine-lee-goin]

Have you contacted your credit card company to file a dispute? I used to work at a hotel in the accounting dept. and I would get lots of these, we had to prove the charge was legitimate or the credit card company would credit the card holder and debit us. Maybe this would work for you.

I agree to contact BBB if you don't get results. Good Luck!

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[cascadecupcake]

Now I'm getting scared because we booked through OLP. Does anyone know if Karen P is still there? Will be reservation be screwed up when I get to POFQ? Will CRO deal with me directly if I have my ressie number do you think if I try to call in the morning and get some info and peace of mind?
:(

[Sammie]

Let me get this straight. You left OLP Travel and you are now on this site complaining about them. I am sorry, but sounds like this is a personal issue between you and them and better settled in personal emails.

I am surprised that the professionals here at DIS would allow you to use their forum to express this.

Did you post any warnings about using the service before you left?

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[Kaa]

I want to thank those of you that have brought this thread to our attention and explain why I haven't taken action on it. There was a legitimate problem. Francine was trying to get help to recover her money. If you want to help her, please do so. If not, please do not attack Francine for trying to get help in solving her problem.

As for any warning about using OLP's services, that is strictly a personal choice. You may take heed of the warning or choose to ignore it. Francine has given you her reason for the warning and you can make your decision based on the information presented.

Thanks again everyone!

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[robinb]

I'm glad to hear that things are being resolved to your satisfaction. I hope that you will stick around DIS and contribute more of your expertise to the community!

[Lewisc]

The money is taken out of your checking account. With a credit card you can dispute a transaction and not pay until the issue is resolved. If you have a budget issue you can write a check to your credit card company and mail it before you even receive a bill.

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[jsmith]

Actually this should be a lesson learned for all of us. Anytime you use a credit card to "hold" a reservation at a hotel or airline tickets or anything else there is a 'hold' placed for the funds to cover the transaction on your account-the business and your credit card company to ensure that you do not exceed your credit limit before the transaction is completed. If you have a "hold" on air reservations that puts you at or near your credit limit you will find you can not charge anything else to the account until the transaction is completed or canceled. If you cancel the hold without completing the transaction the funds are released. Because you used a debit card there was no way to 'hold' the funds without actually taking the money out of your checking account. OLP and Summit Travel-in all probabilty, handled this the same way as any other credit hold transaction because they can not tell that the number you are giving over the phone or internet is not a standard credit card and they were probably as surprised as you that your card was"charged". I learned this the hard way when I used my debit card to reserve a hotel room and my checking account was charged immediately for the first two nights of my reservation-the hotel had simply placed a credit "hold" but the only way the bank could process it was to take money from my account.-the lesson would be use a credit card not a debit card for reservation "holds" or be sure you have the money to cover the hold in your account and time to wait for a refund after you cancel the hold.

[jk1]

What specific airlines require a credit card to place a courtesy hold on a reservation? All the ones I am familiar with place a 24 hour courtesy hold with no other information other than the passenger names. Once you give the airline a credit card, they go ahead and book the flight.

[Marismomma]

:wizard:

[KarenP]

cascadecupcake, I did try to contact you to let you know that I am no longer with OLP Travel but unfortunatley I don't have a current email address for you. Both of the ones I sent you were returned. Someone else at OLP will now be handling your reservation and you can contact them directly on their site.

If you have any questions or concerns that I can help you with, I can be reached at piltz@stargate.net

It was such a pleasure helping you plan your trip. I hope you have a magical vacation! You are going to love POFQ!!

[cascadecupcake]

Thank You, KarenP, for taking the time to reply. I sure to appreciate everything that you did to help me plan the trip! If you've moved to another agency, I hope you'll let us know! I got your name from someone on these boards back in the spring when I first contacted OLP and you came VERY highly recommended! :)

[Sammie]

Sorry if my post went against the grain. Just my opinion as I saw it. As to my agenda, sorry don't have one, except to read them as I see them.

I did feel the first post was a legitimate warning by a customer not happy with the situation, however the later post stating they received no sympathy and they were now the enemy for leaving the company, seemed more personal.

Again no attack, intended, just my opinion. I just think when you voice a complaint about any company including the one associated with this site, Dreams Unlimited Travel, you should always remember there are always 2 sides to everything. Unless we are privy to both sides, we don't have all the information needed to know the situation.

Sometimes the situation, as Beth stated, is just a temporary misunderstanding. I hope your ticket situation is remedied soon and wish you the best health wise.

[KarenP]

cascadecupcake, thanks so much for your kind words. I really love working as a travel agent and it's people like you that made it so enjoyable for me. I have not moved on to another agency as of yet, but I will be glad to let you know if I do. The DIS was the first Disney site I came to years ago, and in the meantime, I will be hanging out here quite a lot. Hopefully I will be able to put my expertise to good use by helping folks here with their planning. Hope to see you around, and again have a great trip!!!!

[tink2dw]

I got caught by a Hotel,I canceled the Hotel ressie,Because I found a cheaper 1st night hotel in Orlando!! My TA also confirmed the Cancelation to the Hotel.

But when I returned from my Vacation,Guess What!! I was charged for that night,even tho I didn't stay there!!

But as it was on my Bank Card.....Oh,well

Lesson Learned- BE SURE BEFORE YOU MAKE RESSIES!! AND DON'T GO WITH ANYONE WHO WANTS A CARD NO#!!

[jgates]

I didn't read thru every page, but wanted to note:

RE: Debit Cards.

IF YOUR CARD DISPLAYS A MASTERCARD OR VISA LOGO, YOU CAN FILE A DISPUTE. IF YOU USED A DEBIT CARD WITH AN ONLINE MERCHANT, THE CHANCES ARE YOU HAVE MC OR VISA ON THE CARD. CONTACT YOUR BANK WITHIN THE TIME FRAME AND FILE THE DISPUTE.

Our policy is immediate but provisional credit which means we would credit back your checking account for the disputed amount and would not recharge you unless it was not settled in your favor. You would have immediate access to your money.

Check with your bank IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!