AAA travel agent giving me the run around {vent}...long

[thelittlemermaid]

DH and I booked our Disney package through AAA. We also booked some other hotel rooms {for the trip down and then back}. I called yesterday to talk to her about some concearns about the hotel room we had reserved at Ramada Inn at 5858 International Drive, but was told she was out on vaca. When we booked our trip she kept talking about how she was going on vaca the next day. Then when I went in the pay off our balance, she was on vaca again. I am really getting tired of having to do business with someone else I didn't book with. I know they can handle what I need done, but that isn't the idea. As far as I know this woman has been on 3 vacas in the last 4 months. Could be more for all I know. Do AAA travel agents get a bonus for how many trips they book for clinets


Anyways when I talked to this other lady I told her I had some questions and wanted to finalize things, but my main concearn was the Ramada Inn room. I told her about the reviews that I read on tripadvisor.com about this hotel and was not happy. That I wanted to switch to the other Ramada Inn on International Drive cause the reviews were alot better. She told me she would look into it and call me back. I never received the call, but got a voice mail from her saying that she could cancel the reservation that we have now and try to get me the manager's special for the hotel that we want for $60 { I have already paid $55 for the other hotel}. If she couldn't get that, the price would be $75.
I called her back and she was on the phone with someone and I never received a call back. So I went online to do my own research. According to Ramada Inns OWN website, I could get a room at the hotel that I want for $66.60 without tax. Could she be telling me the whole price, the $75, and that have tax included along with the $66.60?

I also checked some other websites and found on Cheaptickets.com that I can get the same room for $74.59 {all taxs and fees included} and on Hotelkindgom.com the room for $61.36 {I don't think that includes any taxs or fees}.

For the experinced DISers, do you think once I do finally speak to this lady just to tell her to cancel the reservation and try for her to get the manager's special at $60 or just tell her to forget it and I will take care of it myself? I am just worried about the $55 I have already paid and when I might see it back in my checking account {I used a debit card} before reserving another room.
I figured if she could get the room at $60, why they just couldn't put the $55 toward that since it's still a Ramada Inn. Anyone know if that is possiable?

I am totally lost!!!! I told DH if we go back, I am going to take care of everything myself, with help from fellow DISer's. I am tired of having to call AAA to get things cancelled or changed and not hearing from them as quick as I like. I'm sure they are busy and if they are so busy maybe they should hire more people to help before letting their staff go on vaca.

Sorry, I just had to vent!!!

 

[hookedup]

As an ex AAA employee I strongly suggest you complain to the office manager. AAA has very high standards for their agents and you should not receive this level of service. It is unacceptable that you have received such lame treatment. If you decide to cancel your booking a book directly make sure you let them know (not just the agent but the manager - or better yet write or e-mail AAA national) it's service like this that is making travel agents an extinct species when customers can get it done better (or cheaper) themselves.
It's not unheard of for hotels to have better deals online directly or through a clearinghouse site, what you are using a travel agent for is SERVICE, good agents know that and will take good care of you. The benefit to book with an agent is to have someone take care of the details for you and cousel you with advice to help make your trip plans best meet your needs and budget.
Good luck and I hope you get this resovled and have a great trip!~

 

[brivers222]

I am also a AAA Member.

Seeing how you are looking at Ramada Inn's, I would suggest that you sign up (FREE) for their Trip Rewards program and see about reservations through Triprewards.com. Not only do you get Points per nights stayed, you also save more than you would via AAA, Travelocity, and/or Orbitz.

Its worth a shot, we just stayed at Kings Island and I saved $15 more than my friends who booked via Orbitz because I book via TripRewards.

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Thanks for the heads up on the Trip rewards!

I also read on the Ramada website about a promotion that they have going on "Best Rate or it's Free". I know that on Hotel Kingdom.com that I can get a better rate then what they offer on Ramada's site. They say that if you can find another website that offers a better rate then what they can offer, that you can get your hotel stay free after you file a claim with them 24 hours of booking and 24 hours prior to arriving at the hotel . But they don't offer the guarentee for sites like Expedia and there was another one listed.

It has to be a site where they can see that it's for the same hotel and the same type of room.

Does anyone think this would be something to look into to? I didn't read anywhere that you have to be staying a certain amount of nights.

It would be so nice to be able to get at least one thing for free on this trip besides a breakfast. LOL!!!

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Thanks for the advice!!

The lady I have been talking to since the lady I booked with is on vaca, is the office manager.

This is the first and looks like the last time DH and I will be booking a trip with AAA.

Thanks again!!

 

[CarolA]

My expereince with AAA is that the standards are slipping. I booked tour through them last year to Turkey and if I had not known what I was doing who knows what would have happened. This agent was clueless!

 

[HenDuck]

No offense to anyone who is a travel agent. My mom used to be one too.

BUT I think you could do better yourself. You are already plugged into the best source of information for your Disney vacation.

We like to do it all ourselves. Yes, mom's experience as a TA is valuable. But overall, it's just more comforting to have control over your arrangements. You know whether something has been done or not.

I wouldn't hesitate to "fire" any service person if they were not giving me proper service.

Good luck!

 

[thelittlemermaid]

Time went on and I never heard back from the travel agent, so I called her. I guess the reason of not calling me back is that she lost my number. The cleaning people come in on Thursday and "threw" my number in the trash. AAAHHH!!!

Anyways, when I finally did talk to her, she was so sorry for not getting back to me and for me having to call her twice.

She told me again that we could cancel the other reservation, but the payment that I already made won't be refunded back into my checking account until 5-7 days later. Something about the money went to a tour agency that they use sometimes, that it didn't go to Ramada yet and that is why it couldn't be applied to the other Ramada hotel. She told me that she was going to try and get the Manager's special at the rate of $59.95, without tax, but if she couldn't get that, the rate would be $75. I told her to try for the manager's special, but if she couldn't get it, to let me know cause I found a website were I could get it at $61.36 instead of paying the $75. Needless to say when she called back, she was able to get the manager's special for me. LOL!!
I figured I should just let her know that if she couldn't get that rate that I was more then willing to get a cheaper rate on my own. I would love to know what manager's special that is, is that for the manager of the hotel or did she use "her" discount to get me a room after I told her about the reviews I read about the other hotel and was not happy. Especially reading about holes in the ceiling and walls, not to mention the cockroachs and ants.

Can a travel agent do that and get a clinet the rate that they might get if they booked the hotel for themselves? She's the manager at that office, so I imagine she knows what she can and can not do.

 

[Amberle3]

Some hotel chains guarantee that they'll match any rate you find. This means that if you book yourself, or through a travel agent, either way you should be able to get the same rate. It used to be that sometimes a hotel would post a rate on the website and then not make it available to travel agents.

Be sure to find out the details and restrictions on the "Managers special". Sometime these rates require payment ahead of time and can't be cancelled.

 

[hookedup]

Originally posted by thelittlemermaid
Can a travel agent do that and get a clinet the rate that they might get if they booked the hotel for themselves? She's the manager at that office, so I imagine she knows what she can and can not do.

I doubt she got her "travel agent discount" rate for you. She probably got the hotel to match the rate you found or perhaps she is taking less of her commission from the hotel and passing it along to you via a cheaper rate - if you are buying a "package" from them find out what tour wholesaler she is buying it from - that is always good to know.

 

[Laz]

I have been with AAA for over 30 years, and I will tell you that you recieved horrible service. Make sure you contact your main office, which is in your nearest large city.

Even with the best travel agent, you have to do your homework. Sometimes AAA can get you a better deal, sometimes you can do better on your own. I always find the best deal on my own, and then have my travel agent match or beat it. If agencies can't beat the deals the public finds themselves, they either must adapt or go out of business. Good Luck!

 

[mtblujeans]

I am sorry, but the run around you got is typical of our AAA travel service in Montana. I have called on several occasions and asked to have them call me back with info about a Florida trip and NO ONE EVER CALLED ME BACK! Everytime I have gone in to talk to them in person they are busy and sometimes a short line of people are waiting for their services. I have never used AAA to book a trip because if I can't even get an answer to one question, I am not going to give them the chance to book at $3,000 trip for me!!