Where I definitely will be not staying during DIS Con!

[BarryHom]

A while back, two Extended Stay Americas in Orlando charged me for a one night stay when I had cancelled them well within the cancellation policy. After many correspondences and finally a letter to the company president, I finally got a refund and a certificate for a free weekend stay.

I had reviewed my credit card statements this weekend and a property in Orlando and New Jersey had charged me for a one night's stay. I have the e-mail confirmation that I cancelled these well within the cancellation policy. In fact, I had cancelled these reservations about 2-3 weeks in advance. Yet, I got charged!

I gave them a chance previously to correct the problem and all they did was to ignore me. This time, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy. I am going straight to my credit card company to disallow the charges. I'm also going to report this to the Better Business Bureau for further action. I shouldn't give the company the courtesy of a complaint letter, but I will write one regardless.

I will be using the free weekend stay certificate during a future stay. I even chose one of the most expensive properties in the area. However, I am tempted to just rip it up because I am disgusted by how Extended Stay America has treated me.

 

[tammyh-oregon]

Sometimes these companies just don't get it.

Go after them Barry or they will never learn.

 

[Towncrier]

This is the kind of crud that I really hate to have to track down and fix. It's just like dealing with healthcare insurance claims. Good luck Barry. Sock it to em.

 

[Pumbaa_]

Sorry to hear about the lousy rip off company
And John, I am not even going to say what I do for a living!

 

[luvdsny]

Oh this is just the kind of crap that boils my blood. It's bad enough that you have to 'right the wrong' one time.....but when you have to do it AGAIN....Grrrr! This stuff is so time-consuming. And for some reason, they make you jump through many hoops before giving in.

Sorry Barry.

Want me to write a letter too? I'm a MAJOR letter-writer.

 

[perfectmatch300]

Sorry you are having to go through this, Barry! Go get them! Oh, and tell them that 40,000 of your best friends won't be staying with them, either after what they're doing to you!

 

[BarryHom]

Here's the letter I wrote to them:

August 13, 2002

Robert A. Brannon
President and Chief Operating Officer
ESA Services, Inc.
101 North Pine Street
Suite 200
Spartanburg, SC 29302


Dear Mr. Brannon:

You have lost a customer forever.

Earlier this year, I had noticed two charges for cancelled reservations. Many letters and e-mails went unanswered. After a letter to you, I finally received a credit on the mistaken charges. You had sent me a free weekend stay certificate and a letter dated January 14, 2002. In the letter, you stated, “Every effort will be made to prevent further problems of this nature.”

Mr. Brannon, two of your properties have mistakenly charged me again.

The first mistaken charge was made by Studio Plus in Orlando, Florida. I was charged for a one-night stay on June 20. I was quite surprised since I never made a reservation for that time. I was never in Orlando during those days in June. I did make a reservation at the property from July 19 to July 21, which was cancelled well within the allotted time.

The second mistaken charge occurred at Crossland in Maple Shade, NJ. I had made two reservations and they were cancelled well within 24 hours of my arrival time. Yet, my credit card was charged for a one-night stay.

I am not sure why I was charged for these nights, but I feel very annoyed that I was. I had followed your cancellation policy, but even though that I had cancelled the reservation weeks in advance, someone decided to ignore it and charge me anyway. I feel this is a horrible business practice. I had sent an e-mail yesterday explaining the problem, but I have yet to receive a reply.

I do not expect a reply and I will not play games like I did before. First, I will be contacting my credit card company for disallowment of these charges. Next, I will share my story with the Better Business Bureau; the State Attorney’s Office of Florida, New Jersey, and New York; the American Automotive Association; and local and national media. Finally, I will be contacting my lawyers to pursue any possible legal action. As a moderator for the discussion boards on the website www.wdwinfo.com, I have already posted my experiences with your company. I have also shared these experiences with the members of the Florida Coaster Club.

The next time that I book a hotel, I never again consider any Extended Stay America, Studio Plus, or Crossland properties again. I will not recommend your properties to any of my friends, family, co-workers, or business associates.

It appears to me that your company is more concerned with taking the money from my wallet than providing quality customer service.

Sincerely,



Barry Hom

Enclosures

 

[luvdsny]

Wow! You're a MAJOR letter-writer too. Good Job.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Wow Barry - GREAT letter - I know where to come for help on writing any complaint letters in the future - you're pretty scary

Just such a shame that it had to come to that in the first place

 

[Pumbaa_]

For someone who doesn't talk much, WOW!!! Great letter, hope you get a quick response.

 

[BarryHom]

I got this e-mail today:

Dear Mr. Hom:

Thank you again for contacting us regarding the difficulties you continue
to experience with your Website reservation cancellations. Regrettably, we
once again find ourselves in the position of apologizing to you for the
inconvenience and aggravation caused to you by our errors. I do so now,
with embarrassment as I agree that the service you have received from us in
this matter is unacceptable.

I will try to explain the process briefly. Because our Call Center and
Website Reservations System are not directly linked with our individual
hotels' on-site property management system, reservations and cancellations
received thru these sources are sent by computer file download to each
respective hotel's fax machine each day. The reservations and
cancellations are then re-entered into each hotel's local system. As a
back-up, all reservations are re-sent to each hotel on the morning of your
expected arrival day. Unfortunately, it appears there has been a
communication breakdown in this process in regards to your cancellations.
I will be forwarding a copy of this email and reviewing the matter with
both our internal departments involved with the process here at our
Corporate Headquarters and with our Regional Offices. Again, every effort
will be made to correct the problem.

Credit for both charges have been requested and issued to your Visa and
MasterCard's respectively. These credits should appear on your accounts
within 3-10 business days. I have also attached file copies of these
credits below for your reference.

Mr. Hom, please be assured of our continued commitment to deliver the
quality service you expect and deserve. You are a valued guest and we
appreciate your patronage. Again, I extend my apologies and hope that you
will once again allow us an opportunity to regain your confidence by
sending you another complimentary weekend coupon valid at any of our 450
locations nationwide. I will send this by mail to the address we have on
file for you.


As a side note, their reservation system is prone to a lot of errors. If they keep this up, I will have enough coupons to pay for all my Orlando stays!

 

[Smee]

Good for you, Barry!
Corinne

 

[Pumbaa_]

The squeaky wheel...yada yada

Good for you! Glad they will be refunding you (now if they only do it timely!) Free is always a good price! More vacations for you!