Dear ABC News Fixer: Battling Expedia Over Our Anniversary
Dear Karyn: There were a lot of problems here, none of them your doing…
Oct. 8, 2013 — -- Dear ABC News Fixer: On Aug. 1, we booked a 35th wedding anniversary trip to Bermuda through Expedia for May 2014.
Four days later, the hotel called us to say they were being sold and would be closed for renovations next May, and that I had better contact Expedia.
I have attempted to resolve this several times with Expedia. I was on the phone for hours; then they would hang up or disconnect. They offered to book us at a different hotel. They said give it 72 hours for approval, but after three weeks, I still hadn't gotten approval for a different hotel – and when I called later I was told no reservation had been made.
They refuse to refund our $5,648.26, and we can't book with another company because our money is tied up with them. Please help. We want our anniversary to be special!
- Karyn Benton, Chesterfield, N.J.
Dear Karyn: By the time the ABC News Fixer got on the case, Expedia had given you a partial refund of $4,507, which covered the doomed lodging portion of the trip. But you were still looking for the remaining $1,141 for airfare, ground transportation and insurance.
It seemed clear that there were a lot of problems with this transaction, none of which were your doing. First, the booking at a hotel that wasn't available, then the offer to re-book somewhere else that wasn't followed up on. And of course, the annoying disconnected phone calls with customer service.
We got the ear of someone higher up at Expedia, and they quickly made this right. They refunded the $983.18 for the airfare and $158 for ground transportation and insurance, for a grand total of $1,141.18. (A side note: They told us they found out your airfare was meant to be a non-refundable fare, but had been incorrectly labeled as "refundable" due to a website error. But they refunded it anyway because of that error.)
They also offered their apologies for the hassle and a $100 coupon to try to make up for it.
Best wishes for a happy anniversary – wherever you end up celebrating.
- The ABC News Fixer
Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.
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