This post has been updated beginning with its conclusion.
After tweeting incessantly about my horrible experience, and hash-tagging Expedia, I got a tweet back asking me to send my email and itinerary number in a direct message. Fewer than 15 minutes later, I checked my email and saw a cancellation confirmation. At about the same time, the rep I was on hold with came back on the phone to tell me she was still waiting for a supervisor. My call time read 53 minutes, and then some. I hung up when she put me on hold. This time, I actually got a call back within the minute. She said she finally had a supervisor for me, and I stayed on the phone just to let them know I had gotten it resolved a different way. When she kept me on the phone for another two minutes, I hung up again. This time, I got another direct call from the supervisor. She apologized for the dropped calls, and I let her know this time I was the one who hung up since I already got the resolution I need.
I think it's sad, yet a beautiful thing, that social media has become the most effective way to get proactive actions or resolutions. I'm never one for public shaming, which is why I waited my due diligence hoping to get things resolved by speaking to humans. I cannot believe that after more than 3.5 hours combined waiting on hold or talking to several customer service agents and supervisors, it took a series of tweets to get a confirmation within 15 minutes. Please read on, for my initial post summarizing my experience.
Three days ago, I called Expedia to cancel my flight to Brazil amid growing concerns about the Zika virus and overall safety in Rio. After 2 hours and 3 dropped calls, I was finally told my flight was canceled and I'd receive an email confirming the cancellation. I was also given a $50 credit to use on a later booking.
After tweeting incessantly about my horrible experience, and hash-tagging Expedia, I got a tweet back asking me to send my email and itinerary number in a direct message. Fewer than 15 minutes later, I checked my email and saw a cancellation confirmation. At about the same time, the rep I was on hold with came back on the phone to tell me she was still waiting for a supervisor. My call time read 53 minutes, and then some. I hung up when she put me on hold. This time, I actually got a call back within the minute. She said she finally had a supervisor for me, and I stayed on the phone just to let them know I had gotten it resolved a different way. When she kept me on the phone for another two minutes, I hung up again. This time, I got another direct call from the supervisor. She apologized for the dropped calls, and I let her know this time I was the one who hung up since I already got the resolution I need.
I think it's sad, yet a beautiful thing, that social media has become the most effective way to get proactive actions or resolutions. I'm never one for public shaming, which is why I waited my due diligence hoping to get things resolved by speaking to humans. I cannot believe that after more than 3.5 hours combined waiting on hold or talking to several customer service agents and supervisors, it took a series of tweets to get a confirmation within 15 minutes. Please read on, for my initial post summarizing my experience.
Three days ago, I called Expedia to cancel my flight to Brazil amid growing concerns about the Zika virus and overall safety in Rio. After 2 hours and 3 dropped calls, I was finally told my flight was canceled and I'd receive an email confirming the cancellation. I was also given a $50 credit to use on a later booking.
After 3 days waiting with no email, I contacted them today to ask for a confirmed cancellation email. I was hung up on my first call, but not before I was sent two confirmation emails alerting me that my flight was still confirmed to go. I called back a second time, and after going through a similar experience, I was "transferred" to a supervisor. Instead I got a "Welcome to Hotels.com. For bookings..."
My 3rd call back (by this time, now increasingly annoyed and a tad bit irritation coming through in my voice,) I was put on hold for 36 minutes to speak to a supervisor. The average wait time I was told was 30 minutes. Fine. Whatever it takes to get my refund (which by the way the airlines had already approved per two customer service reps I spoke to on Day 1.) Four minutes into my conversation saying it was getting tiresome repeating my itinerary number and phone numbers (for call backs if disconnected) knowing that I haven't gotten called back after every dropped call. The phone gets dropped again!
I have now called for the 4th time, and have begun another presumably 30-minute wait for another supervisor all in a bid to get my flight officially canceled. It's been several years (long enough that I can’t actually recall the last time I used this booking service) since I booked anything through Expedia, and it’s painfully clear that I wouldn’t do it again. I found a really great deal to a country I have been dying to visit and thought that I could take advantage of it. Sadly, even the $50 credit I was allegedly given (couldn’t find any record of it in my account) or anything else I may get, isn’t enough to make me book through this service again. For what would amount to a few more dollars at best, I’ll gladly going with anyone else.
At the conclusion of this, I’m still on hold waiting for yet another supervisor, who I hope won’t hang up on me again. I hope to add an update later saying I have finally reached a resolution and gotten my refund. But I am chronicling this episode, because as a frequent traveler, I love to share my experiences, good or bad, so people may have an equally good or better experience on their turn. I'm sure others may have had good experiences with Expedia, and I think if you book through them and follow through with it, then you will be fine. But I think it's important to note that you may not have the best experience when it comes to customer service issues; particularly cancellations.
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