Caution: Cancelling Web AP rate

[SuzanneSLO]

I just called to cancel a room booked with an AP rate online. Although both the terms and conditions before I booked online and my e-mail confirmation said that I could cancel without penalty 6 or more days prior to arrival, the CM said that was in error and that the REAL cancellation policy was 45 days prior. After speaking with a supervisor, I was able to cancel the room without penalty, so there was a happy ending.

At the end of the call, they asked me to fax my confirmation e-mail to Research. So there may be a change in the policy back to the 45 day penalty, so read your T&C and e-mail confirmation carefully!

-- Suzanne

 

[CanadianGuy]

Did it used to be 45 days and change to less for AP bookings?

J

 

[bytheblood]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am glad it all worked out.

 

[CarolA]

I was surprised when I booked my AP on the web that it was the 6 days. (No biggie since I knew I wasn't cancelling, when you book the week before you are generally pretty sure you are going LOL!) But my confirmation does say the shorter policy!

 

[Andy123]

We ran into this same problem a few months ago... we ended up going anyway, but I called because the web confirmation was different than what I got in the mail. They of course have to honor the 6-day cancellation. I'm suprised it hasn't changed on the website yet...

 

[fla4fun]

This came up in a thread a few days ago. The room only reservations without any discounts have the same 6+ cancellation as reservations made by phone. But any time I've booked either AP or Fla. Resident online, the terms and conditions say 6+, but my confirmations always say 46+, just like the package cancellations. I usually only book my last minute trips online, so I haven't had a problem, but several people told me this policy had changed. I guess it's still a problem for now.

 

[CarolA]

I just checked my confirmation... I did not get the 45 day cancellation when I booked on line so if I had wanted to cancel I would have been very upset that I had WRITTEN confirmation that they emailed me that they did NOT want to honor.

 

[MermaidsMom]

This happened to me yesterday! I had booked 2 rooms online with the AP rate, and the terms and conditions said it was 6 day prior cancellation for a full deposit refund and to pay the balance at the resort. With a package you have to pay 45 days prior and have a penalty for cancellation, so clearly this was not a package.
There is no way that people can GUESS what the rules are, you can only go by what is printed there. I never knew that AP rates weren't refundable. When did that start? They used to be years ago.

Of course they did it without a problem but it was a stomach dropping moment!

 

[WickedWench]

Is this problem coming about because you are booking online or because you are booking the AP rate? Or is it because you're doing both? I booked over the phone, I hope to change to the AP rate when it comes out for my dates.. would this effect me?

 

[DaisyD]

Is this just for online AP bookings? I know it is only cancellation when booking over the phone for an AP rate.

 

[fla4fun]

It's the online bookings for AP or Fla Res discounts. Room only without a discount, booked online, has the 6+ cancellation policy. If you book AP or Fla Res over the phone, you also get the 6+ cancellation policy.

I don't think it's fair to put one thing in the terms and conditions and another on the actual confirmation. However, I sort of understand why they would have a stricter cancellation policy - maybe to prevent multiple bookings that guests plan to cancel at the last minute when they decide which hotel they want.

My new beef with the online system is that if they say a discount is available through, say, 4/20, and your check out date is 4/20 (meaning your last night at the resort is 4/19) it keeps giving me the message that I can't check out that day because the discount isn't available. If I change it so I'm checking out the 19th (last night in resort 4/18), then it's OK. That doesn't seem right to me either, and it really makes it a bear when you just want to check availability. It doesn't say there's nothing available - it says the dates are invalid.