Cypress Pointe overbooked-we were bumped out!!!

[dgdbloe]

Just a thought- this problem might be because the unit promised you is a timeshare unit and the person had that week and unit deposited(in error) to be rented or traded. Know this doesn't solve the problem but Hotel Kingdom might have rented that to you based on info they had. We traded our timeshare for a diff unit and week close to 1 yr ago for July travel. Got a call lastweek from timeshare company that the 3 bdrm we were confirmed in was put up for grabs in error- the owner wanted to use their unit and week and wanted us to give up the 3bdrm. It wasn't realized till unit owner was trying to make plans. I took a 2bdr and comps.
I'm not defending HK or anyone by any means- but just wanted to let you know a possible reason for problem

 

[leila]

OMG!! We also booked through HK for Cypress Pointe for March 28th through the 31st. I haven't received a phone call yet. I guess I need to call & confirm too. I can NOT believe they can actually cancel you after receiving payment and providing a confirmation. HORRIBLE!!!

 

[DisneyMomto3]

Just to reinterate, it was an error on the part of VRI and they have worked with us to get us better accomodations at the same rate we originally paid, and all is well that ends well. Hotel Kingdom on the other hand, are being total buttholes about refunding the $120 deposit I paid because I canceled my orginal booking, and everyone I have had to talk to there has been rude and condescending. I am finished with them.

 

[riu girl]

I'm so glad to hear that it all worked out for you. Also, glad to hear that the customer service at VRI was ok since we booked two weeks direct with them later on this year for the Fort Myers area!!!!!

have a great vacation!!!!

 

[horseshowmom]

I saw on two of your posts that you filed a complaint with the BBB about VRI and HK.

I know you said that you were satisfied with VRI's response and are settling your complaint with the BBB as far as VRI goes. I agree with you, it looks like they're trying to correct the situation.

What about Hotel Kingdom? Has the BBB been in touch with you concerning your complaint with them? I don't see where they have a leg to stand on. You booked with them, and they didn't deliver what was promised. In fact, they tried to give you a lesser resort for more money and behaved badly while they did it.

Please keep us up to date concerning the BBB complaint. Thanks!

 

[DisneyMomto3]

I saw on two of your posts that you filed a complaint with the BBB about VRI and HK.

I know you said that you were satisfied with VRI's response and are settling your complaint with the BBB as far as VRI goes. I agree with you, it looks like they're trying to correct the situation.

What about Hotel Kingdom? Has the BBB been in touch with you concerning your complaint with them? I don't see where they have a leg to stand on. You booked with them, and they didn't deliver what was promised. In fact, they tried to give you a lesser resort for more money and behaved badly while they did it.

Please keep us up to date concerning the BBB complaint. Thanks!

I will. In the meantime, I do NOT recommend anyone use HK. They stink.

 

[ScoobyDoo84]

yea i was bumped out of a condo room 2 years ago. I was staying at The Ritz Beach Resort in the Bahamas and the day before my check-in, I received a call from the condo saying that they overbooked that day. I was so furious. I hope that never happens again. I will defiantly make sure I call the resort acouple days before to re-confirm

 

[newmommie77]

Update. I called Dustin at Hotel Kingdom, and big surprise he was rude. I cancelled my reservation at Blue Tree (where they re booked us) and told them to cancel my parents at Cypress (where they left my parents) and he said he could not cancel their reservation (even though we had paid for it) since it was in my dad's name, and he would still be charging us the $20 cancellation charge for their room. And he said all of this quite rudely...I have already written a letter to HK detailing the horrendous CS I received.

In beter words though. We rebooked a 3 bedroom place at Ginn Reunion Resort, which is quite a bit more expensive, but it looks so darn nice.

 

[5mins2disney]

In beter words though. We rebooked a 3 bedroom place at Ginn Reunion Resort, which is quite a bit more expensive, but it looks so darn nice.

Reunion is probably one of the nicest resorts in the area, I'm sure you will love it! I think Windsor Hills is a gorgeous 5* resort, and we own homes there, but I have to admit, Reunion is even nicer (although not as close). Of course, you do get what you pay for, I tell guests in WHR this all the time, Reunion doesn't come cheaply! hehe

If you're a golfer though, it's the shiznit! Only way to play their 2/3 championship courses is to stay there. (Not sure if the 3rd is done yet).

 

[ReallyFunMom]

Hearing that a second person has had the same problem, I'm even more nervous now. When we went in February, it was off-season, but going in May, Memorial Day weekend at that, I'm scared to death now. Part of me wants to make a backup reservation at another hotel just to be on the safe side. Am I being paranoid?

I'm nervous too since I booked Mem weekend but have only used HK and CPR during more offseason visits. It's not a weekend when I want to scrounge last minute accomidations. This stinks, I've recommended HK to so many people.

 

[WHIT1]

I will. In the meantime, I do NOT recommend anyone use HK. They stink.

I also booked through hk for nov 24-29 and they took out the full amount in feb.So I thought everything was cool and made the rest of my plans. Well today I got my credit card statement and I have a credit for the full amount of the 2br villa and that was done in mar. But no one got in touch with me and said it was cancelled. I have a call into them and will be on the phone early tomorrow also .But what I want to know does it sound like they cancelled me?

 

[DisneyMomto3]

I also booked through hk for nov 24-29 and they took out the full amount in feb.So I thought everything was cool and made the rest of my plans. Well today I got my credit card statement and I have a credit for the full amount of the 2br villa and that was done in mar. But no one got in touch with me and said it was cancelled. I have a call into them and will be on the phone early tomorrow also .But what I want to know does it sound like they cancelled me?

In November? I have no idea, unless it is peak time in late Nov./Thanksgiving week. I'd call and check on it asap.

Apparently what happened with us is that VRI had some new employees that double booked the rooms that were also sold through Hotel Kingdom and other various internet agents. Obviously there weren't enough rooms to go around and some were cancelled. We heard about this all 14 days before our trip. I am not sure how long HK knew about the cancellation. VRI worked to make things right, but I had to make plenty of noise to get what I got. HK refused to refund my downpayment because I booked directly with VRI for the other room. Their only option was to book me across the street at the Blue Tree for $50 more per night, which was not acceptable. As a result I will tell everyone who asks me, my story and recommend that you DO NOT use Hotel Kingdom anymore. Throughout this entire experience, everyone I had the misfortune to deal with at HK was rude and obnoxious. Their customer service is a joke. We were ripped off. They could not deliver the minimum standard in providing a comparable room at no extra cost to me, and refused to refund my deposit. I hope that $121 was worth it, because they have lost this customer and as many more as I can warn about their practices.

 

[CindyCan]

We had trouble 3 years ago with hotelmartusa.com. We weren't "cancelled", but I'm an obsessive planner so I called the resort a few days prior to our arrival (within the window hotelmart said our reservation would be there), and it was WRONG. We had booked a 2BR & they had us down as a STUDIO! Uh, no, we have 3 KIDS!

I spent MANY phone calls, plus the entire drive down calling, with hotelmart telling me it was fixed, then calling Cypress Pointe to confirm (no, you're still not in our system). It took right up until our check in TIME (3pm the day of check in) to get it straightened out. It ruined the 1st part of our trip.

Anyway, at the time, I had heard really good things about HK. We used my mom's timeshare last time, but after your stories I won't use HK if I'm looking for something.

 

[WHIT1]

Would someone pm me the phone number to vri. I called this am to hotelkingdom and cypress pointe also. they said I am still in the system.The person at hotelkingdom said he would call vri and see what is going on. No phone call yet so will call them again tomorrow. I was very nice,dripped in honey and will try not to lose it if they don't have any answers. I like to have all my vacations plans done early and time is ticking. Anyways thanks for the help.

 

[user]

Hotel Kingdom was notified on that Thursday at 4:45 pm that rooms were going to be cancelled. We received a fax from VRI on Friday with the reservations that were going to be cancelled. Hotel Kingdom.com started to contact guest with in 1.5 hours of receiving the fax, after they checked with comparable hotels in the area. Once they found a hotel that could take the displaced guest they negotiated the rate with Blue Tree. Hotel Kingdom had a total of 16 rooms that were cancelled and only a 10 room allocation across the street at Blue Tree. If we would have switched guest from Cypress to the Blue Tree that were not cancelled then there would not been enough rooms to go around. VRI tells Hotel Kingdom how many rooms they can sell and for what rate. Hotel Kingdom does not control the rates of the hotels in any way. Any guest that did not stay at Cypress Point Resort or Cypress Point Grand Villas were given a full refund with no questions. If VRI did work out the guest reservation and the guest stayed at either phase then the down payment was kept because the guest was able to keep their reservation. The Hotel Kingdom staff worked with these guest and VRI to solve the problem. Many guest do not realize but every time they received a call from VRI it was because Hotel Kingdom was on the phone with VRI as well trying to work this situation out. Once Hotel Kingdom found out about the situation they stopped booking rooms at Cypress Point until the situation was resolved. VRI cancelled the reservations not Hotel Kingdom.

 

[DisneyMomto3]

Hotel Kingdom was notified on that Thursday at 4:45 pm that rooms were going to be cancelled. We received a fax from VRI on Friday with the reservations that were going to be cancelled. Hotel Kingdom.com started to contact guest with in 1.5 hours of receiving the fax, after they checked with comparable hotels in the area. Once they found a hotel that could take the displaced guest they negotiated the rate with Blue Tree. Hotel Kingdom had a total of 16 rooms that were cancelled and only a 10 room allocation across the street at Blue Tree. If we would have switched guest from Cypress to the Blue Tree that were not cancelled then there would not been enough rooms to go around. VRI tells Hotel Kingdom how many rooms they can sell and for what rate. Hotel Kingdom does not control the rates of the hotels in any way. Any guest that did not stay at Cypress Point Resort or Cypress Point Grand Villas were given a full refund with no questions. If VRI did work out the guest reservation and the guest stayed at either phase then the down payment was kept because the guest was able to keep their reservation. The Hotel Kingdom staff worked with these guest and VRI to solve the problem. Many guest do not realize but every time they received a call from VRI it was because Hotel Kingdom was on the phone with VRI as well trying to work this situation out. Once Hotel Kingdom found out about the situation they stopped booking rooms at Cypress Point until the situation was resolved. VRI cancelled the reservations not Hotel Kingdom.

Yes, I realize all of this. This does not negate the fact that Hotel Kingdom reps- EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THERE- were unhelpful, rude, and obnoxious. And what exactly does the bold part mean? That makes no sense.

And did I mention that none of this was MY doing? I simply booked a trip for my family. I did not canel my reservation for MY convenience. Hotel Kingdom got caught in the middle, but BECAUSE THEY TOOK MY MONEY AND COULDN'T DELIVER WHAT WAS PROMISED, THEY SHOULD HAVE REFUNDED IT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT TRY TO RAILROAD ME INTO ANOTHER RESORT THAT WOULD HAVE COST ME $4OO MORE FOR THE WEEK! I assume you work for them or why would you feel a need to defend such shady practices, but rest assured- I will continue to tell my story to whomever will listen.

 

[curlyjbs]

Yes, I realize all of this. This does not negate the fact that Hotel Kingdom reps- EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THERE- were unhelpful, rude, and obnoxious. And what exactly does the bold part mean? That makes no sense.

And did I mention that none of this was MY doing? I simply booked a trip for my family. I did not canel my reservation for MY convenience. Hotel Kingdom got caught in the middle, but BECAUSE THEY TOOK MY MONEY AND COULDN'T DELIVER WHAT WAS PROMISED, THEY SHOULD HAVE REFUNDED IT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT TRY TO RAILROAD ME INTO ANOTHER RESORT THAT WOULD HAVE COST ME $4OO MORE FOR THE WEEK! I assume you work for them or why would you feel a need to defend such shady practices, but rest assured- I will continue to tell my story to whomever will listen.

YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!
~Connie

 

[ReallyFunMom]

Yes, I realize all of this. This does not negate the fact that Hotel Kingdom reps- EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THERE- were unhelpful, rude, and obnoxious. And what exactly does the bold part mean? That makes no sense.

This is key. Had they explained the situation, apologized, moved you to comparable place and swallowed the cost difference themselves for the affected guests and treated you nicely, you would be singing their praises. Since I have used HK successfully many times; I'm going to assume they have learned their lesson and will continue to use them. It should be a reminder that even when something goes wrong on someone elses end, VRI, HK is responsible to take care of their customer in a polite manner. (HK can go cop an attitude with VRI for putting them in this position.) The HK contacts you spoke to may have decided they didn't care if this small number of people didn't like how they were treated, this VRI thing rarely happens, small loss. But now they SHOULD realize that forums like this exist and can turn from singing their praises to warning people away based on their experiences. I really hope HK learned a lesson that its worth the financial cost and effort (being nice) to make it right with affected guests. Maybe something good came of this if HK goes over their procedures for the rare times something like this happens.

 

[horseshowmom]

Yes, I realize all of this. This does not negate the fact that Hotel Kingdom reps- EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THERE- were unhelpful, rude, and obnoxious. And what exactly does the bold part mean? That makes no sense.

And did I mention that none of this was MY doing? I simply booked a trip for my family. I did not canel my reservation for MY convenience. Hotel Kingdom got caught in the middle, but BECAUSE THEY TOOK MY MONEY AND COULDN'T DELIVER WHAT WAS PROMISED, THEY SHOULD HAVE REFUNDED IT UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, NOT TRY TO RAILROAD ME INTO ANOTHER RESORT THAT WOULD HAVE COST ME $4OO MORE FOR THE WEEK! I assume you work for them or why would you feel a need to defend such shady practices, but rest assured- I will continue to tell my story to whomever will listen.

This would also be my perspective. When they didn't deliver what was promised, they should have refunded all the money since the poster did not want Blue Tree (particularly at a higher cost). Even though it was VRI's "fault", HK should have given a full refund.

Maybe HK was "there" when VRI was working it out. If that was the case, the rooms should have been provided via HK. Since they weren't, HK should have refunded all of the money. I'm like the OP, this would have left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Based on user's post, it doesn't sound like HK sees their culpability in this (assuming user is affiliated with HK), and that's unfortunate.

 

[aaronandterri]

notice they havent posted again(if it was them )....pherhaps they have nothing else to say...


Should use this lesson when training there people in customer service skills!