Reservation Trouble

[mdelliott76]

Hey everyone... need a bit of advice here about how to handle a situation.

We received a PIN code for 30% off moderate resorts a week or so ago and since I haven't seen anything about free dining posted we wanted to ask a few questions. So we called the number from the email with the PIN code...

So we wanted to know if we went ahead and made reservations if free dining was offered if we could switch to the free dining without any charges. Also we wanted to know if we could switch resorts without any charges should we decide to go to another resort.

Alright... my wife calls and starts the reservation process:
- Starting 12/5
- 6-night, King Bed
- 6 day Park Hopper (no water parks)
- Quick Service Dining
- 2 Adults, 1 Child (3 yr)

We had been looking online and basically it was coming up to around $2,300.

Gave the PIN code and the guy on the phone said it would be 1,700 even. He said that this deal would be better than the free dining. While hearing this we talked and asked him to check what the same package would be at the Poly and Contemporary (which were not available, but Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge were available with the PIN which my wife has written down the pricing, but we decided that the food court was more important - plus there will probably be 2 other families going with us who may not want to spend the extra money for a deluxe). Anyway he also said that we could change to the free dining, but again that we probably wouldn't want to based on the price of the package we were receiving. So at $1700 we went ahead and made a deposit.

Well, when he came back from the running the deposit ($200) he said that the balance would be $1800. The he immediately said, thats not right it should be $1500 he put her on hold and said he would be right back. After a few moments he came back and said that we would be receiving 2 emails - the first one would be where the balance was $1800 but the second one would be correct at $1500 (balance). Well within about 30 minutes the first email came and the balance was $1800. We waited about 4 hours and no second email.

So my wife called Customer Service to ask and the Representative said that the one email we received was correct. This individual said that she couldn't figure out what was done to see a price of $1700. This lady also said that free dining had been extended through our trip - which is not showing up online that I'm aware of and when we made our reservations it wasn't mentioned - even when my wife specifically said that we may want to switch to it if/when it was offered. They offered to put us through to a supervisor. The supervisor said that it looked like he had priced the package with a 2 yr old and then asked if "the age of the child had changed during the conversation." They offered to review the record but it would be Monday or Tuesday before they could call us back. We were also told that we couldn't cancel the reservation without loosing the entire record of what had happened. Basically the supervisors, supervisor wouldn't be back until Monday to help. They also said that it was possible that the price was without any tax included.

Naturally we have the feeling that this is going to end up being a he-said she-said. Its easy for me to say that I was sitting right beside my wife while she was on the phone, but I feel like we're the one's having to provide proof when all we have is the original email we were sent and hand written notes.

We understand that the price we received via email probably is a 30% discount on the room, BUT we were quoted $1700. On top of that the 2nd person she spoke with said that Free Dining was available through December 20 (Quick Service at Value, Regular Dining at Moderates),

Does anyone have any advice as to what we should do? We're expecting a phone call sometime Monday or Tuesday evening.

Thanks in advance -

Mike

 

[nicksmom87]

Get on the website, click "resort only" (not vacations or tickets) pull up your dates and the resort you were discussing with the CM on the phone. Whaterver the price that comes up, multiply it by 0.7. This will give you the price of your room, minus taxes and trip insurance, which add a couple hundred to the price. This should give you a pretty good ballpark idea of what your room cost would be. Go from there for your dining plan and tickets. We upgraded from a value to deluxe with a 40% PIN. Still ended up costing us more, but it was worth it for comfort at the end of long days.

 

[mdelliott76]

Thanks for the suggestion, we actually did this immediately after getting off of the phone (2nd time) to figure out for ourselves. It appears that the one email we received is the 30% off - but where is the one where we were quoted a balance of $1500? There is my issue, if the guy made a mistake, thats fine but let us know up front rather than telling us we would receive a second email which would show a balance of $1500 and it never shows up.

What would you guys do if you were told on the phone that it would be $300 less?

We want to do what is right here, but at the same time can't help but feel that we were misled when we made our reservations.

 

[Broncobilly83]

Free Dining ends on 10/2 as of right now, how can it apply on a 12/5 trip?

 

[juliemcalister]

If I knew what the starting price on the room was and what discount I have, I would ultimately accept the price sent to me in the email. I empathize with your situation and would certainly present my case when speaking to a supervisor, but would be ready to let it go if that didn't work. Make sure to let us know how it works out for you.

 

[Sandisw]

Thanks for the suggestion, we actually did this immediately after getting off of the phone (2nd time) to figure out for ourselves. It appears that the one email we received is the 30% off - but where is the one where we were quoted a balance of $1500? There is my issue, if the guy made a mistake, thats fine but let us know up front rather than telling us we would receive a second email which would show a balance of $1500 and it never shows up.

What would you guys do if you were told on the phone that it would be $300 less?

We want to do what is right here, but at the same time can't help but feel that we were misled when we made our reservations.

If you know that the $1800 balance is what it should have been, given your 30% discount, I would simply accept that as the price and make a decision on whether to cancel based on the real price. People do make mistakes and it sounds like the CM who took your call did.

As far as free dining, it is not out yet for the GP, but I have heard that some have gotten pin codes...maybe, you have one attached to your name that will be arriving soon.

Good luck!

 

[mousefan1972]

2 adults and a 3 year old can't stay in a King bed room. The child must be 2 or under (and thus "not count" towards occupancy) in order to book a King room. So I'd bet the CM put that your child is 2, not 3, in order to get you in that room. Thus, you're not paying for a park ticket or the DDP for your child. That would account for the discrepency in the price. If your child will be 3 when you go on your trip, you can't stay in a King bed room as you will be over the occupancy limit.

 

[vinotinto]

Is your 3-year old currently 2-years old. Like the PP, I bet the difference in price is based on the child as a 2-year old instead of a 3-year old. My first reservation was about $445 cheaper than what I had calculated. I was delighted! Then, I realized they had booked my (current 2-year old, but who would have turned 3 by the start of the trip) as a 2-year old. When I called back, they fixed it. Make sure they're counting the 3-year old as a 3-year old, otherwise you won't have a park ticket or dining, or possibly the correct room category.

 

[mdelliott76]

Oddly enough we received our call about an hour ago. They said that our phone reservation was not captured by the system. They said that since the difference was a little more than $300 they would split that cost with us.

We haven't received the confirmation email yet (about an hour later), but we're hopeful that this situation has been resolved. Overall we're satisfied and are anxious to go on our trip.

 

[kittycat9]

Thanks for the suggestion, we actually did this immediately after getting off of the phone (2nd time) to figure out for ourselves. It appears that the one email we received is the 30% off - but where is the one where we were quoted a balance of $1500? There is my issue, if the guy made a mistake, thats fine but let us know up front rather than telling us we would receive a second email which would show a balance of $1500 and it never shows up.

What would you guys do if you were told on the phone that it would be $300 less?

We want to do what is right here, but at the same time can't help but feel that we were misled when we made our reservations.

It sounds like, if the supervisor mentioned the initial CM priced your child as a two year old first, then that is where the price difference was (in the child's meal plan and tickets). The corrected price you were emailed was probably with the child as a three year old. Unless I just misunderstood what you wrote.

Also, if you have friends going with you, depending on your pin terms, you should be able to put a room package on hold for them, in their name, with your pin. Then they call in and pay the deposit and fees. I was told by a CM (and supervisor) that my pin allows me up to 3 rooms at a time, including 'guests'. I asked them specifics on this, and was told that I could share my pin with friends/family - as I mentioned above.

The other thing you're discussing about free dining - you wouldn't be able to use that with your pin. You can't stack the discounts, and your room discount, if you're staying at a Mod or Dlx, is likely going to save you more money. Just something to keep in mind. HTH