Rebooking-How do I get this to work?

[collections]

A night that I waitlisted in early July showed up as available earlier today. (I have been checking the website many times a day for availability)
I immediately called member services to cancel my existing reservation and book the night I had waitlisted. I needed the points from the night I was canceling to book the new night. I read on the board that MS can hold the new reservation while canceling the old one.
After 20 minutes on hold I got through to MS. I explained what I wanted to do, but he told me there was no way for him to hold the new booking while canceling the old. I asked him if he could please verify this with a supervisor, after some resistance , he said he would but then said "That night isn't avaliable anymore" .
Then he said "I'm sure it's being held for your waitlist" I asked him if he could please verify that , he said yes and put me on hold. After about ten minutes he came back and said "Sorry, another member must have grabbed it".
My question is there any way that I could have handled this situation differently so that I would have been able to book that night without risking having no reservation at all?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

There really isn't anyway unless you had other points available or if the points used worked out so that you could have borrowed points and then banked what you freed up after cancelling the other reservation.

 

[collections]

There really isn't anyway unless you had other points available or if the points used worked out so that you could have borrowed points and then banked what you freed up after cancelling the other reservation.

I was afraid of that. Unfortunately, I don't have any more points for my current use year and I'm past my banking deadline. So I can't borrow and bank.

 

[disneynutz]

A night that I wait-listed in early July showed up as available earlier today. (I have been checking the website many times a day for availability)
I immediately called member services to cancel my existing reservation and book the night I had waitlisted. I needed the points from the night I was canceling to book the new night. I read on the board that MS can hold the new reservation while canceling the old one.
After 20 minutes on hold I got through to MS. I explained what I wanted to do, but he told me there was no way for him to hold the new booking while canceling the old. I asked him if he could please verify this with a supervisor, after some resistance , he said he would but then said "That night isn't avaliable anymore" .
Then he said "I'm sure it's being held for your waitlist" I asked him if he could please verify that , he said yes and put me on hold. After about ten minutes he came back and said "Sorry, another member must have grabbed it".
My question is there any way that I could have handled this situation differently so that I would have been able to book that night without risking having no reservation at all?

Makes you mad doesn't it.

MS CM can't hold inventory, supervisors and managers can.

I have found that anything other than booking at 11 months online has a good chance of being a problem. That's why we saved and saved to buy contracts at the home resorts that we love. Dealing with MS has been a problem for us and so have wait-lists.

The best way to handle the situation in the future is to book at 11 months and don't change your plans.

Bill

 

[bobbiwoz]

But, if you had wait listed the night, and the wait list came through, and you had checked " cancel and replace an existing reservation" that implies to me that it was going to be done. The room would be held while something that was booked was cancelled, and the new room booked.

I have only had a few wait lists ever, and a 1-2 have come through without me doing anything.

Bobbi

 

[collections]

I'm the OP and after writing this post yesterday, I did some searching on the board and found this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3153954&highlight=holding+a+reservation

When the room I was trying to book showed up as available again tonight, I used nalajms method for rebooking using my PC and Ipad. It worked great!

 

[Breyean]

I'm the OP and after writing this post yesterday, I did some searching on the board and found this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3153954&highlight=holding+a+reservation

When the room I was trying to book showed up as available again tonight, I used nalajms method for rebooking using my PC and Ipad. It worked great!

Glad it worked out.

I did something similar recently and did it a little differently, and it worked as well.

I wanted to switch one night from a 2 bedroom to a GV. I needed the 2 bedroom points so I couldn't book it on line since it was part of a longer reservation.

I was on line and saw the GV was available. I clicked Book This Night and that put a hold on the room. I then called MS, told them what I wanted to do and that I had the GV on hold in my account on line.

The CM checked it, saw it there, cancelled my 2 bedroom (freeing up the points) and then cancelled my GV hold and booked it immediately for me.

Now, could I have lost it in that minute or so it took for her to cancel and book it? Yes, but at least I decreased the time it was showing as available by holding it myself.

Of course, if you have a long wait before you get through to MS this becomes a problem. I start entering my booking data while I wait so the system sees activity and holds the room for the up to 60 minute limit (only 20 minutes if you just let the screen sit there).