Problem with Travel Agent 5 days before trip!!!!

[mistydoodles]

So we are 5 days before our trip and I have a problem with the travel agent.

I sent her an e-mail in regards to not receiving our Disney Magical Express tags yet. ( I have been after these for over 2 weeks now and she keeps saying they are coming.)

Anyway, shortly after sending this e-mail to her I get a call at work. It is the travel agent. She talks to me about the DME tags then proceeds to tell me that our party of 9 still owe her $1300.+ .

I asked her how can that be. She said when we were in to make our final payment they miss calculated something and undercharged us. She said that with all the changes I made, (I only asked for one change and that was to change my package to the discounted one that came out in October from Disney World), there was some confusion and they deducted our paid airline twice from the total package.

She then proceeds to tell me that the much lower price should have been a red flag to me that this total she was giving me was incorrect and therefore I am responsible for this mistake.

I was just outraged.

I told her that I don't know what we were going to do but I highly doubt that anyone would be able to come up with this money especially since we are just 5 days away from the trip.

She told me to talk to everyone and call her back. I spoke to my husband and my mother (I don't dare tell my sister about this right now) and they both agree that this isn't our fault. We have receipts stating we are paid in full and now it is up to her.

So I sent her an e-mail saying that I didn't know how we could take care of this and I really don't understand how this happened. I told her it was highly unlikely that we would have that kind of money by the end of the week. I also asked her why it took her 50 days to realize this error.

She said that we could come in and sign something stating we would pay her when we returned or she could cancel our dining package.

Well that just set me on fire!!!!!!. I asked why she would think we would want to cancel our dining package? If we didn't have the money to pay her how did she think we would then be able to pay for our meals??? I told her that they need to take the blame on this and rectify it. Not us.

My question to everyone is, We will be okay at Disney? My husband called and confirmed with the airline that our airfare has been paid for but he is unable to confirm anything with Disney. They are saying that this info has to come from the travel agent.

Are we going to get there and have our reservations be no good? and do you think we should be held responsible?

 

[LoriZH]

I would just bring ALL your receipts with you, that state your package details as well as your "paid in full" receipt.

Now, you need to STOP telling the agent (especially in writing) that you can't afford to come up with the money (regardless if it's true or not) that is NOT the problem here, the problem is that your agent made a huge error and that is their fault. You need to just state to her that, it was their error and it has nothing to do with you and if you didn't call to find out where your ME tags were then it would have never been known. You have the proof in writing that you were paid in full and unless you signed something that states you would pay them if they make a mathematical error, then they have no recourse and their reputation and license is on the line here. Don't let them bully you into this 5 days before your trip, and certainly don't sign anything under pressure. Tell them you will contact a laywer and you can sort this out in court if your trip is interupted in any way shape or form.

Call Disney direct and speak with the resort themselves and let them know the circumstances that your travel agent is now trying to charge you an extra 1300 dollars and you are not going to pay it. BTW, the nerve of this woman stating that you should have known by the price, first that's her job, second why on earth would you even bother to call her, email her and whatever if you were trying to get away with something?!

GOOD LUCK and let us know how this works out! OH and I'll see you in the world, I'll be there friday

 

[mistydoodles]

Exactly. I was thinking the same thing. Had I not contacted her about my DME tags for the third time then she may have never called me about this mistake.

I did say in my e-mail back to her that I was disatisfied on how she suggested we rectify her mistake. I told her under no circumstances should any aspect of this trip be changed or altered in any way. This was not our mistake and therefore we are not going to be held accountable for it.

I also told her that if need be we were fully prepared to obtain legal representation and also contact the Better Business Bureau as well as the local newspapers.

I then ended the e-mail stating that I trusted that her and the travel agency would correct this situation before further action was needed to be taken by us.

I really believe we are in the right but I am so afraid something is going to go wrong when we get to Disney. I better do what you said and call the hotel directly. That will be the best way to ease my mind.

Thanks so much for your input. I will keep you posted.

 

[thelionqueen]

stop dealing with your travel agent asap. Ask to deal with her supervisor. If you don't get anywhere with that, ask for the Manager. If nothing, keep going until you get the district manager. At some point, someone will have some helpful information.

If you have documents that say your package is paid if full keep it with you at all times!! I would keep trying a "higher up" at the travel agency until you get a resolve. I wouldn't threaten with them with reporting to the BBB or local news agencies, that would only fuel their fire.

Rather, be as cordial as you can, do not deviate from your story in any way (except don't talk about your finances anymore) and demand resolution. I would strongly suggest meeting with a manager in person immediately!

Last resort would be to contact the resort directly. I have found that they usually will not get involved in any transaction that was done outside Disney Travel Co. They are completely different reservation systems and they cannot access or change any portion of a travel agents itinerary. However, Disney is a pretty accomodating company, so I would at least try as a last resort.
Good luck, let us know how it goes!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

When did the TA intend to notify you about the problem if you hadn't contacted her first? That's the first thing I would mention. She's wrong and needs to acknowledge that she made a mistake.

 

[Donna]

I would also advise her that you will contact your loca media to have this story aired so that it doesn't happen to anyone else (something tells me it has). Usually, local news stations do human interest stories or call-for-action stories like this. If they are even close to a professional, they will "eat" this mistake that they made. I would be BEYOND livid! they could stand to lose alot MORE than this amount they're trying to get you to pay, by you going to the media with your story and i would be SURE to let her know that! Please post what happens on this. Sounds like someone dropped the ball in their office, BIG TIME!

 

[goofie4goofy]

What has me confused (about the TA) is the agency would not get the docs unless the package was paid in full. WDW would have contacted the agency if enough money was not paid for the reservation. If the reservation went unpaid it would have been automatically cancelled. So what is she talking about???

I would stop saying you do not have the money to pay...I would just not pay. She also does not have the right to cancel your dining plan. Bring all your receipts stating paid in full so when you check in you will not have a problem.

As far as DME, you have 2 options: You can call WDWTC and ask what to do if you do not have the tags...they might tell you how to label them yourself or you can just call Tiffany town car and pay for it.

A travel agency should have errors and omissions insurance to take care of this kind of thing. Why would it take her 50 days to figure this out....pretty scarry.

I would put her off as much as possible however, and let her think you will pay after your trip so she does not cancel anything. Then tell her you need 50 days to think about it .

 

[scanmom]

This is a terrible situation... And I totally agree that the TA should be the one to make it right. I would even make copies of the receipts that say paid in full and fax them to the TA....but be sure to keep the originals. And I would take the originals with me to Disney, as well as an extra copy. Good luck and have a great trip. I wish I had a definate trip planned!!! Maybe soon!

 

[runner26.2]

I am perplexed that a travel agent could (a) make such a stupid error and (b) either not realize it or simply failed to tell you about it until days before you leave. That is inexcusable and I certainly wouldn't be dealing with that travel agent again.

Having said that as things stand now your party is getting its vacation package for $1300 less than the original price you agreed to pay. In saying that I assume that you were told the total price when you booked and then when you went to pay the final balance the error was made and you paid the balance then. IF on the otherhand the only time you what the total cost would be was the day you went to pay the final balance, I say it is their error and you've paid what you agreed to pay ... and you can disregard what I've written below.

If the situation was reversed and you had been overcharged and the bill was marked paid in full I wouldn't expect the travel agent would be able to keep the overcharged amount simply because the invoice was stamped paid in full. you would be entitled to be refunded the amount paid in error.

Don't get me wrong. This is entirely the travel agents fault but I think there is probably some middle ground here. Perhaps you pay half the error over the next 6 months and they eat the difference. That way you are still getting a $650 reduction from the price you originally agreed to.

 

[mistydoodles]

I am perplexed that a travel agent could (a) make such a stupid error and (b) either not realize it or simply failed to tell you about it until days before you leave. That is inexcusable and I certainly wouldn't be dealing with that travel agent again.

Having said that as things stand now your party is getting its vacation package for $1300 less than the original price you agreed to pay. In saying that I assume that you were told the total price when you booked and then when you went to pay the final balance the error was made and you paid the balance then. IF on the otherhand the only time you what the total cost would be was the day you went to pay the final balance, I say it is their error and you've paid what you agreed to pay ... and you can disregard what I've written below.

If the situation was reversed and you had been overcharged and the bill was marked paid in full I wouldn't expect the travel agent would be able to keep the overcharged amount simply because the invoice was stamped paid in full. you would be entitled to be refunded the amount paid in error.

Don't get me wrong. This is entirely the travel agents fault but I think there is probably some middle ground here. Perhaps you pay half the error over the next 6 months and they eat the difference. That way you are still getting a $650 reduction from the price you originally agreed to.

I totally see your point and intially felt the same way until I e-mailed her telling her that it would be extremly difficult to come up with that amount of money 5 days before we left. So I wanted to know what we could do. When she didn't accept any of the responsibilty and started blaming me I got really upset and decided that it shouldn't be up to us to correct this.

I would have been more than happy to split the error amount in half and if she gaves us a couple months to pay it that would have made me even happier.

We were given a total in the beginning but that total changed once the package was discounted.

When we came to make our final payment she was difficulty coming to the total because we had airline vouchers for a portion of our airfare. She then called her manager over and they came up with the total together.

I thought it was slightly lower than I was expecting (my portion was $300 less than the figures I had computed) but I thought I could have possibly made an error or maybe the special was lower than I thought.

It wasn't like one person was paying for the whole party so no one noticed a $1300 total package difference.

To be hit with this 5 days before we are leaving is a big shock. I don't think it is right to spring this on us like this.

We went there to pay our final total and we depended on her to give us the correct figure. After all, she is the travel agent.

I truly appreciate your input. Thanks

 

[mistydoodles]

stop dealing with your travel agent asap. Ask to deal with her supervisor. If you don't get anywhere with that, ask for the Manager. If nothing, keep going until you get the district manager. At some point, someone will have some helpful information.

If you have documents that say your package is paid if full keep it with you at all times!! I would keep trying a "higher up" at the travel agency until you get a resolve. I wouldn't threaten with them with reporting to the BBB or local news agencies, that would only fuel their fire.

Rather, be as cordial as you can, do not deviate from your story in any way (except don't talk about your finances anymore) and demand resolution. I would strongly suggest meeting with a manager in person immediately!

Last resort would be to contact the resort directly. I have found that they usually will not get involved in any transaction that was done outside Disney Travel Co. They are completely different reservation systems and they cannot access or change any portion of a travel agents itinerary. However, Disney is a pretty accomodating company, so I would at least try as a last resort.
Good luck, let us know how it goes!!

You are 100% correct. I will call tomorrow and ask to speak to the manager and if I don't get anywhere with that I will ask to speak to a District Manager.

Thank you for your suggestion.

 

[mistydoodles]

When did the TA intend to notify you about the problem if you hadn't contacted her first? That's the first thing I would mention. She's wrong and needs to acknowledge that she made a mistake.

That's exactly what I was wondering. Was she going to spring this on us the night before our flight out. Why did she wait 50 days to notify us of this. At least I would have had more time to come up with this.

 

[mistydoodles]

What has me confused (about the TA) is the agency would not get the docs unless the package was paid in full. WDW would have contacted the agency if enough money was not paid for the reservation. If the reservation went unpaid it would have been automatically cancelled. So what is she talking about???

I would stop saying you do not have the money to pay...I would just not pay. She also does not have the right to cancel your dining plan. Bring all your receipts stating paid in full so when you check in you will not have a problem.

As far as DME, you have 2 options: You can call WDWTC and ask what to do if you do not have the tags...they might tell you how to label them yourself or you can just call Tiffany town car and pay for it.

A travel agency should have errors and omissions insurance to take care of this kind of thing. Why would it take her 50 days to figure this out....pretty scarry.

I would put her off as much as possible however, and let her think you will pay after your trip so she does not cancel anything. Then tell her you need 50 days to think about it .

We picked up all the vouchers for Disney and the flight over a month ago. This should have all been paid for before those items were issued.

I believe it was 2 weeks after we made the "Final" payment she allowed us to pick up this information. So you would think these companies have been paid.

Maybe this means that the travel agency is just looking to be reimbursed????? I have no idea. I just really hope this doesn't effect our reservations.

 

[runner26.2]

Good luck with the travel agency's management. Hopefully they see the error of their employee and are far more reasonable and you can come to some resolution before heading on holidays. I know I would want this resovled so I wasn't fretting about it while at WDW.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Enjoy POFQ and hope the weather is great for you.

 

[goofie4goofy]

I hope this is a large travel agency...since TS's are becoming a thing of the past, many are home based or 1 or 2 person operations. 1300 could literally put them out of business...I was under the impression that their insurance "errors&omissions" would cover such a thing, but then again insurance is not mandatory for a TA.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Also, I am under the impression once you "pay in full" you cannot be charged for an error. I do remember reading on WDW paperwork, once a reservation is paid in full, they cannot charge you if there is a mistake...paid in full means exactly that.

 

[InstImpres]

We picked up all the vouchers for Disney and the flight over a month ago. This should have all been paid for before those items were issued.

So you would think these companies have been paid.

Maybe this means that the travel agency is just looking to be reimbursed????? I have no idea. I just really hope this doesn't effect our reservations.

Not sure how you paid but if the documents are all in your packet except ME, than Disney is paid in full and you'll fine. Read the confirmation page carefully now, making sure it lists the correct dates, tickets, dining, etc. If so, than all is well, Disney will honor it.

If you paid by CC, I would check your online statement now for charges. If you paid by check, there back office probably was reconciling your account and that's how they caught the mistake.

Have a great trip....
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and no rain (since we arrive Friday too!)
Sandy

 

[Lewisc]

Sounds like 9 people 6 nights. 6 Adults and 3 children is $1404 for dining. Is it possible they booked your trip without dining and now want $1300 (the cost of dining less their commission) to add it?

If your confirmations don't show dining you're going to have trouble proving you paid for dining.

 

[mistydoodles]

I hope this is a large travel agency...since TS's are becoming a thing of the past, many are home based or 1 or 2 person operations. 1300 could literally put them out of business...I was under the impression that their insurance "errors&omissions" would cover such a thing, but then again insurance is not mandatory for a TA.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Also, I am under the impression once you "pay in full" you cannot be charged for an error. I do remember reading on WDW paperwork, once a reservation is paid in full, they cannot charge you if there is a mistake...paid in full means exactly that.

I sure hope you are right.

This is a pretty large travel agency. They have over 200 locations in the Northeast.

I would think they could afford to correct this error without jeopardizing my trip.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I hope to get this resolved soon. I can't take the stress of it all.

 

[mistydoodles]

Not sure how you paid but if the documents are all in your packet except ME, than Disney is paid in full and you'll fine. Read the confirmation page carefully now, making sure it lists the correct dates, tickets, dining, etc. If so, than all is well, Disney will honor it.

If you paid by CC, I would check your online statement now for charges. If you paid by check, there back office probably was reconciling your account and that's how they caught the mistake.

Have a great trip....
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and no rain (since we arrive Friday too!)
Sandy

We paid for the airfare in July by check. Called UsAir today and confirmed the flight and they state everything is paid.

Made our final payment with our Credit card. No new charges pending. This was paid Oct 15th.

I am looking at my Prepaid Hotel Voucher right now and it says Magic Your Way DTD Dining. Not sure what DTD means but I am guessing this means we have the dining we requested. All the dates are correct and I went to the Disney Website and entered my confirmation number in and my info comes up.

Hopefully nothing changes in the next few days.

I am hoping for good weather for both of us as well. NO RAIN!!!!

Have a good trip yourself.

Thank you for your help.

 

[mistydoodles]

Sounds like 9 people 6 nights. 6 Adults and 3 children is $1404 for dining. Is it possible they booked your trip without dining and now want $1300 (the cost of dining less their commission) to add it?

If your confirmations don't show dining you're going to have trouble proving you paid for dining.

Maybe that happened. My Prepaid Hotel Voucher says Magic your way DTD Dining.

That should mean we paid for it, right???