*VERY* Annoyed at AAA...

[*NikkiBell*]

Hi All,

I have been an AAA member for years and even a Plus AAA member more recently. As some of you may know, we are planning a Hershey Park weekend trip and leave next Friday. Because AAA has arranged my Disney vacations with excellent ease and discounts, I thought they may have some sort of deal regarding admission tickets to the park.

I emailed my agent three weeks ago about this. No response.

I called AAA over the weekend and left her a voice mail message. No response.

I called this morning and the phone just rang. Okay, getting annoyed now.

I searched online and found out that AAA has discounted park tickets. It would save $8.45 per ticket and we have four people going. I was going to simply purchase them here but they do not have the "print your ticket" option for Hershey Park, yet they have it for Sesame Place. Regular shipping costs $4.95, goes out the next business day which would be Monday, and does not arrive until four to five days. Obviously, since we are leaving Friday, this would not work. Express shipping is $18.95! That is almost as much as I would save!

I called the main operator at my AAA Travel Center and asked if my agent was in. I was told yes but that she was on the phone. I then said that I have not heard back from her after leaving an email and voice mail and would like a return phone call. My number was taken down and I have not heard back. It is now 40 minutes later.

I am extremely annoyed. I do not believe my agent can print the tickets either so this means I now am going to lose out on $24.00 because of her unprofessionalism. If I were her, I'd get those tickets shipped to me for free and way before we left. I really feel this is ridiculous

What would you do?

 

[dis4me]

Did you check the old bridge office. We always go there to get our tickets for Disney.They usually keep tickets in stock. If not call the Rec in town sometimes they have tickets available

 

[helenabear]

I'd just call the office to see if they have the tickets, then go and pick them up myself. I never use an agent when I am just buying theme park admission

 

[jellymanoffspring]

I usually go into the office....

Did you call back and ask to speak with someone.....does it have to be the same agent? Ask for a manger.....

 

[Rajah]

I never have AAA do my trip planning, but that's just me -- I love planning trips and AAA has never done it to my satisfaction.

As for tickets, I just go down to my AAA office in person and ask for them, or call and ask for them and go pick them up.

 

[kimber79]

As the others have said...go to any AAA office any get the tickets. We went to Cedar Point earlier this summer, and got our tickets at a AAA office (not our agents office! ).

Good luck ~ I find it odd that they aren't returning your calls?? Hang in there, I'm sure you will get your discounted tickets!

 

[mom2boys]

I would go pick up the tickets. I would also report that agent to a supervisor & not use her again. AAA does not tie you into a specific agent. Whenever I stop in, I get whoever is available at the moment

 

[golfgal]

Do you have to get the discount tickets at AAA? Can you use your AAA card at Hershey Park and buy the discounted tickets there? I know at Camp Snoopy and Valleyfair in Minnesota it works that way. I would check the Hearshey website or call them directly and see if they offer the discount there.

 

[puffkin]

I go to Hershey at least once a year, and I am pretty sure that you can't get the AAA discount at the gate. Whenever we go, I just stop by the office and pick up the tickets myself. They have a special counter at ours that just sells discount tickets to all sorts of places (Disney included) so you don't have to wait for one of their travel agents or anything.

Your TA probably isn't in a hurry to call you back because she figures you can just stop by and get them, so why are you bothering her. It isn't like she is going to get a commission off of this. Not the best customer service in my opinion, but if she is busy, I wouldn't be surprised if that is part of the reason.

 

[shortbun]

Yep, go there. Why would you let someone being busy keep you from saving money? Take matters into your own hands and go get the tickets.

 

[Christine]

My Diet Pepsi can that I'm drinking out of now has a $5 discount. Maybe if you can't get your AAA discount, you can buy some Pepsi.

I don't belong to AAA; however, of the people I know that do, they always go to the AAA office and get the tickets themselves.

 

[Jennifer S]

I bought tickets for Busch Gardens through AAA and they said they cannot mail the tickets- you have to go pick them up in person.

 

[LisaNJ25]

you can get them for only $1.00 more than what AAA is at the Giant Supermarket right in Hershey.

 

[laurajetter]

It seems like the majority of advice is to just go down to an office and get tickets that way, but considering how annoyed I'd be in your situation, I would keep calling back exactly every 5 minutes, asking if your agent is available. Eventually they will get annoyed enough to make sure that agent takes your call as soon as she possibly can.

You may very well end up having to go down to an office and pick them up just to make sure you get them in time, but I would want to address the issue of your agent's rude lack of response. At least for a little while, I would continue hounding them because this situation is ridiculous. I mainly would want her/them to know how unprofessional this agent has been and let them know how inconvenienced you have been.

Laura

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Thanks for the advice all. I had NO idea you could just directly get them from the cashier at AAA Travel Center. I finally got a return calling from my agent saying she had been out sick all this week. She never explained why she had not returned my email from three weeks ago though.

Anyway, I was all ready to go off on her when she told me that she put tickets with my name on them at the front desk and I can pick them up immediately. They're $31.50 each so that is close to a $9.00 savings.

I am glad this is overwith! lol

As a side note, I will continue to use AAA to arrange my Disney vacations. I was a planner die-hard like you guys, but the savings are far too great to miss out. I also love not having to call Disney non-stop.

 

[DD2Disney]

Glad everything worked out with the tickets.

Tricia