Can I get a hotel with that burrito?

AuthorRundles, Jeff
PositionRUNDLES WRAP-UP - Personal account

OK, I've had it. Officially steamed. Boiled. Cut to the quick. Flummoxed. P-O-ed.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

And even more so when I realize there's absolutely nothing that can be done.

I travel a lot on business, and like most people I know I do my best to save as much money as I can. I also do the best I can to work with vendors--airlines, hotels, rental car agencies, websites--that offer me the best service. This latter list gets smaller by the trip. And I shouldn't only pick on companies associated with travel; just about anybody in the customer service business these days is walking on thin ice as far as I am concerned.

For instance, I booked a trip to California that involved switching planes in L.A. The recommended itinerary from my airline--which, to be fair, only promised me friendly skies--had me leaving one plane in one terminal and catching another in a separate terminal in 25 minutes. I tried to explain to the, ahem, "customer service agent" that was impossible.

But inasmuch as this agent, like all CSAs, was in the Phillipines and had never actually experienced LAX, or America, in person, the only resolution to the problem was a $100 reservation change that gave me an hour to catch the connection. No appeal. No supervisor. And, of course, no service.

As it turned out, a few days later I had a death in the family and had to cancel my California business trip. The airline ticket was nonrefundable, which I understood, but I was assured that I could apply the purchase price to future travel. Au contraire! When you go to book future travel, that constitutes a reservation change and triggers another $100 fee. No appeal. No service. Oh, and let's not talk bereavement fares. I was wrong about them in that I thought you were bereaved before they quoted you the price.

I also booked a hotel in California, online through one of the ubiquitous cheap hotels sites, and since I knew that the reservation was not cancelable, I was prepared to eat the $129 charge. OK. But as a courtesy I canceled anyway, since I wasn't going to go, and they charged me a $25 cancellation fee. I would have saved money by being a no-show.

Then there's the car rental firm, one I chose because I am on a budget. The CSA on the phone couldn't have been nicer, and assured me both coupons I wanted to use would apply, and sent me a confirmation e-mail noting both coupons and the rate quoted. The clerk in the actual rental car office, however...

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