The Costco rep I’m on the phone with is horrible

[emmabelle]

Having been a cs rep I bet he’s gotten a lot of people who were unhappy with long waits. Or maybe he had to pee. I find nothing much wrong with him giving you clear expectations and a way out of you didn’t really want to wait.

Trust me he was hoping I would say, oh, I'll call back later then. It had nothing to do with worrying that I would be on hold for too long. I work in customer service too.

 

[Shanti]

You did. You just might not have come across it. Had you needed to make any changes to the booking, any room or date changes, you would have needed to call Costco travel during their hours, not dcl during their hours.

Costco Travel actually has longer hours than DCL Monday-Friday, and a schedule similar to DCL's on weekends, so this really isn't an issue.

I can only tell everyone how great the return is by using Costco...The only hard time I get is from travel agents who try to give a bad review of Costco or try to minimize their Cash card amount by saying "they dont provide full personalized service"....and the funny thing is many travel agents who call themselves 'Disney experts' actually know nothing about DCL...

The other issue is that some customers, such as myself, don't particularly even want "personalized service" from a travel agent. When it's personal, with one individual managing my booking and profiting from it, I feel a bit guilty about asking for changes, downgrading the cost, or making a cancellation. Whereas when you call a customer service line to speak with someone who's getting paid by the hour, there is no such guilt involved. I prefer that.

 

[Shanti]

Costco seems to give full-value cash card for all reservations, transferred or booked directly through them. I don't know if they have a separate contract with DCL regarding commissions that differs from other TAs. Most TAs do not receive full commission on transferred reservations, DCL changed this commission structure a couple of years ago. Therefore, most TAs will reduce their OBC for transfers.

I suspect that Costco gets the same amount of commission from Disney for transferred cruises as other agencies, but they continue to give customers back the same amount as for an original booking just because Costco can afford to, as they are a much higher-volume business than most travel agencies.

 

[TestingH2O]

I suspect that Costco gets the same amount of commission from Disney for transferred cruises as other agencies, but they continue to give customers back the same amount as for an original booking just because Costco can afford to, as they are a much higher-volume business than most travel agencies.

Higher volume and they aren't giving cash. They are essentially doing a trade of service for merchandise. The merchandise already has a significant markup which softens the blow to the company.

 

[Billinaz]

Higher volume and they aren't giving cash. They are essentially doing a trade of service for merchandise. The merchandise already has a significant markup which softens the blow to the company.

Many people trade the cards for cash at the warehouse.

 

[Shanti]

Higher volume and they aren't giving cash. They are essentially doing a trade of service for merchandise. The merchandise already has a significant markup which softens the blow to the company.

I'm using my cash card on Costco's gasoline, which is cheaper than any other gas station I've seen. It's a great deal.

Most products at Costco are cheaper than buying the same amount of product elsewhere, btw.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I'm using my cash card on Costco's gasoline, which is cheaper than any other gas station I've seen. It's a great deal.

Most products at Costco are cheaper than buying the same amount of product elsewhere, btw.

I wish we had a Costco gas station! The closest one is still pretty far. Apparently Costco sells 10X the amount of gas compared to its competitors. And I totally agree that most products are cheaper - however - I have also come to realize that sometimes I don't need that 5 gallon jar of pickles

 

[Billinaz]

Not sure "illegal" would be the proper term, but not all states allow cashing in cards.

• Colorado, Maine, and New Jersey allow gift card refunds, but the balance has to be under $5.
• In Rhode Island and Vermont the balance has to be under $1.
• Massachusetts allows refunds, but the balance has to be under $5 and 90% or more of the card's original value has to have been used
• Montana allows refunds for cards with a balance under $5, but the card's original value has to be higher than that.
• Washington refunds gift cards with balances under $5, but you have to purchase something that dips your card total below $5.
• Finally, Oregon does offer refunds, but the gift card balance has to be under $5 after a purchase (and a few other stipulations).

The rest of the states either have policies that don't allow cash refunds, or they just don't have any state gift card refund laws at all.

I believe it is more of an individual warehouse decision. The rules say no cashing it in, but several I have read have done just that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I believe it is more of an individual warehouse decision. The rules say no cashing it in, but several I have read have done just that.

View attachment 325468

I'm not doubting that individual Costcos might cash in the cards, even though it specifies that they cannot be. I'm just pointing out that they aren't required to, by law. Except in some states.

 

[Billinaz]

I'm not doubting that individual Costcos might cash in the cards, even though it specifies that they cannot be. I'm just pointing out that they aren't required to, by law. Except in some states.

Some people do it to apply the money to the next cruise. I just go for the 55 gallon drum of peanut butter and year long supply of TP.

 

[CamColt]

Hey guys, lets remember to play nice and keep this thread on topic. Thanks!