What to do when you pay for dining but do not get it?

[thymed]

I am not sure where to ask this question but I am very curious. We booked a trip to WDW through a travel agent it WAS NOT SMALL WORLD. The only reason I booked with this agent was that they offered a good deal that included the dining package. Normally we would buy passes and book our own rooms etc. Since we had never tried the dining package we were anxious to give it a try. When we got to the resort and tried to use the dining plan we were informed we did not have it. I called the front desk and told them we had purchased the dining plan but they insisted it was not on our reservation. It was the weekend and late but I called the travel agency and left a message but no one ever got back to me. Needless to say we had to alter our plans and it did put a CRIMP in our vacation.
I contacted them upon our return and was told too bad you did not contact us we could have fixed it (although I did AND I stated on my message I was unhappy and why and still no one called us) I was also told the best they could do was refund the cost of the dining plan. To me that seems a little unfair am I wrong?

 

[java]

They are willing to refund the cost of the dining plan. I think that's the best they can do.
Yeah it stinks - but unfortunately that's what happens sometimes with certain travel companies.
Don't use them again. And who was it? so we know not to use them.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

Sorry that happened to you but while it made the vacation a little less magical they refunded your money. What else can they do?

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

I think personally I'd be wanting the cost of the meals you had to pay out of pocket for but would have been covered by the dining plan if they'd done it correctly, because with DP credits you tend to get a better deal than paying in cash (who'd buy it otherwise?) Obviously not the cost of all your food but the ones that you would have had covered by DP if it had been applied correctly.

 

[8disneyfans]

I agree with PP I think the should refund you the DP and the cost of your food. I am sorry you had to go through this. Can you please tell us who you used so we can stay clear of them?

 

[FoundMyPrince]

I assume you had all your paperwork with you from the travel agent when you checked into Disney? Was there anything on there that said you had the dining plan?

I think the Travel Agency owes you for the price of the Dining Plan, that's all.

 

[KAMLEM]

I agree with PP I think the should refund you the DP and the cost of your food. I am sorry you had to go through this. Can you please tell us who you used so we can stay clear of them?

Why should they do that? Then the OP would be eating for free. I would say one or the other.

 

[thymed]

Why should they do that? Then the OP would be eating for free. I would say one or the other.

Actually THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DEAL. We were to receive free dining with our package!! I used Small World Travel and I was disappointed that we never got the dining and they never bothered to return my call while I was at the resort.

As far as the paperwork goes. I had the ressie number and a few freebie things like a free 5X7 etc that were included in what they sent me, their paperwork stated "if you have free dining it will show up on your key to the world" I had no reason to think that it would not.

Last month I finally got a rebate for the cost of the dining plan.

I have not been online much in the last two months but right before Christmas I was looking into booking another trip myself and saw that one of WDW offers for the time frame we had been there was "Free Dining" so I know that they just let my reservation slip through the cracks.

 

[Traveliz]

I am confused as your first post says it was NOT SMALL WORLD and your last post says it was Small World.

Which is it?

Liz

 

[livndisney]

Actually THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DEAL. We were to receive free dining with our package!! I used Small World Travel and I was disappointed that we never got the dining and they never bothered to return my call while I was at the resort.

As far as the paperwork goes. I had the ressie number and a few freebie things like a free 5X7 etc that were included in what they sent me, their paperwork stated "if you have free dining it will show up on your key to the world" I had no reason to think that it would not.

Last month I finally got a rebate for the cost of the dining plan.

I have not been online much in the last two months but right before Christmas I was looking into booking another trip myself and saw that one of WDW offers for the time frame we had been there was "Free Dining" so I know that they just let my reservation slip through the cracks.

Now I am confused. If you thought you had free dining-why did you think you had paid (and therefore be due a refund). When the Travel Agent did not return your call, did you follow up with them on a business day?

There have been several "free dining" promos lately. But some where limited to a certain demographic.

 

[thymed]

Now I am confused. If you thought you had free dining-why did you think you had paid (and therefore be due a refund). When the Travel Agent did not return your call, did you follow up with them on a business day?

There have been several "free dining" promos lately. But some where limited to a certain demographic.

I misspoke when I said it was "free dining" (I saw that offer on mousesavers the other day when I was looking at the site) Our package was a quick trip to WDW after a Disney Cruise and the only reason I booked through a travel agent was that the offer included Disney Dining (which we had never tried).

Here is the quote direct from her email:

I have great news for you!

GREAT RATES and Holiday Traditions!!! Disney just released a discount on Magic Your Way Packages, valid most nights Sept 28 – Dec 23. It’s an incredible offer! But hurry packages must be booked by September 24, 2008 to take advantage of this great offer.

I was able to place a courtesy hold on a Standard View Room at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort for you. I have priced out a Disney's Magic Your Way Package with 4-day Theme Park Tickets with Park Hopping Option plus Disney Dining.

We checked in on Saturday, and I called the travel agency Saturday unfortunately after hours (which was when I discovered the error) and Sunday. Monday by business hours we were already in the parks and it was the last of our 3 days which would have been eligible for the dining plan. I did not intend to stay in the room and waste Park time trying to track down a travel agent after 2 of our 3 days were gone. I also mistakenly assumed that when she got the messages I had left on Saturday and Sunday that she would have called the resort to straighten it out. That assumption was wrong.

I have since seen on the Mousesavers site that they were offering "free dining" during the time we were at WDW and that makes me even more unhappy. Was my vacation ruined, no, we always have fun at WDW. It just cost me more than I had budgeted for and it was a big diappointment because we were actually looking forward to trying the dining plan. I usually just book everything myself but decided to try this package BECAUSE it had the free dining.

Bottom line is I felt I paid for something I did not receive. It did cause us to go over budget and it did put a crimp in our vacation plans. I felt that since they made the mistake and they did nothing to follow up there should have been something more offered as compensation.

 

[smithmom]

Well, it sounds to me like you have a very legitimate gripe. You probably wouldn't have taken the vacation if it weren't for the Free Dining. And to go over budget for a vacation you weren't really planning on taking is a huge inconvenience. I would think, under the circumstances, and especially after reading the soliciting email from the travel company, they would offer you something extra if they wanted to continue to do business with you.

I would take the refund check and not use them again.

As a side note, GOOD FOR YOU to go ahead and enjoy your vacation anyway. It takes a lot to look past a situation like this and enjoy yourself fully... I know that's what's best, but it is NOT always easy to do. Cheers to you!

So was it Small World Vacations or someone else. We are currently booking a trip through them and I'll be sure to get EVERYTHING in writing if it was. I guess it's a good idea no matter who you book with.

 

[Allison]

I'm confused.

 

[PrincessMama605]

Don't feel bad about the free dining deal, it was only for Disney Visa cardholders, you had to put the deposit on your card. When the promo code came out, I got a quote from a travel agent (not Small World) and there seemed to be a lot of confusion about it. So I went ahead and booked myself with Disney over the phone and the CM who took our ressie used the wrong code. It got fixed after a couple more calls.

I am glad you didn't let it ruin your vacation. Other than give you a refund, I don't see what else they could do though. Just don't use them any more.

 

[Happy99]

I misspoke when I said it was "free dining" (I saw that offer on mousesavers the other day when I was looking at the site) Our package was a quick trip to WDW after a Disney Cruise and the only reason I booked through a travel agent was that the offer included Disney Dining (which we had never tried).

Here is the quote direct from her email:

I have great news for you!

GREAT RATES and Holiday Traditions!!! Disney just released a discount on Magic Your Way Packages, valid most nights Sept 28 – Dec 23. It’s an incredible offer! But hurry packages must be booked by September 24, 2008 to take advantage of this great offer.

I was able to place a courtesy hold on a Standard View Room at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort for you. I have priced out a Disney's Magic Your Way Package with 4-day Theme Park Tickets with Park Hopping Option plus Disney Dining.

We checked in on Saturday, and I called the travel agency Saturday unfortunately after hours (which was when I discovered the error) and Sunday. Monday by business hours we were already in the parks and it was the last of our 3 days which would have been eligible for the dining plan. I did not intend to stay in the room and waste Park time trying to track down a travel agent after 2 of our 3 days were gone. I also mistakenly assumed that when she got the messages I had left on Saturday and Sunday that she would have called the resort to straighten it out. That assumption was wrong.

I have since seen on the Mousesavers site that they were offering "free dining" during the time we were at WDW and that makes me even more unhappy. Was my vacation ruined, no, we always have fun at WDW. It just cost me more than I had budgeted for and it was a big diappointment because we were actually looking forward to trying the dining plan. I usually just book everything myself but decided to try this package BECAUSE it had the free dining.

Bottom line is I felt I paid for something I did not receive. It did cause us to go over budget and it did put a crimp in our vacation plans. I felt that since they made the mistake and they did nothing to follow up there should have been something more offered as compensation.

Just a quick question on what you listed above. Do you mean that only the last 3 nights of your reservation would have been eligible for the free dining? If so then you would have had to book two totally separate reservations. One for the first part of your stay and then another when the free dining began. If your check in date was before the free dining and you wanted to keep one reservation you wouldn't have been able to get the free dining for just a portion of it

 

[Happy99]

I am not sure where to ask this question but I am very curious. We booked a trip to WDW through a travel agent it WAS NOT SMALL WORLD.

Actually THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DEAL. We were to receive free dining with our package!! I used Small World Travel and I was disappointed that we never got the dining and they never bothered to return my call while I was at the resort.

Did you or did you not use Small World?

 

[disneyjunkie]

I'm confused.

So am I

 

[wvdislover]

I googled and found Small World Vacations and also found A Small World Travel company (never heard of this one before). Maybe this second one is the one she had a problem with I've never heard of anyone having problems like this with Small World Vacations. OP, I hate that this happened to you. It's always a bummer when things don't go as planned, especially on vacation! At least they did refund your money, though.

 

[RMulieri]

I think that though the travel company should have had better customer service, they refunded the dp and that is about the best you can expect from the situation.I always double and triple check all the pieces and inclusions of what I booked vs what the travel docs state.The Dp whether free or not should be documented on the travel documents you recevied from the travel agency.I would think that if it is documented on your copy of the travel docs, and presented to them at check in , Disney would have to accomodate you.Did your travel documents state that you pruchased or got free the disney dining plan?

 

[debster]

Huh, very interesting. The story doesn't seem to match up. OP keeps contridicting themselves.

Was it Small World or not? Did you have FREE dining, or Regular dining?

I know when I get my confirmations the whole package is listed down even separate line items for Table Service, Counter Service, and Snack. You mentioned that you checked your paperwork over and rechecked. Surely you didn't assume you had something that wasn't listed.

I believe FREE dining ended in the last week of September didnt it? I know they had the Free Dining for Disney Visa but wasn't that also released late September? And you traveled the first week in October correct?

Mousesavers says that Small World is a Disney Specialized agency and books direct with Disney. I would be surprised if the agency was exclusively offering Free Dining, that is quite a bit of money just to get clients in.

I hope the OP does come back and explain because there seems to be some untruths to this and to post it on the web is very damaging. There are a few Disney Specialized agencies out there that get praises from customers all the time and I have read many on Small World also (and I have booked with them in the past along with Dreams Unlimited).