Here to help
Cindy Iverson’s Valentine’s Day weekend was ruined and she needed a little help salvaging it. And guess what? Our fearless advocacy team did it.
Today’s report from the trenches is a problem solved through our forum — someone who came to us for help and got it, in real time.
Read more “Bonus! This Best Western Plus case just got solved by you”
Steve Rabin’s name might be familiar to some of you, especially if you’re active in the comments. He’s a faithful reader of this site who turned to me for help a few weeks ago after he booked a room at the Best Western in Pasadena.
Read more “Instead of honoring a “best rate” guarantee, they sent him a gift card”
One question remains after trying — and failing — to mediate Gregory Bergman’s case with Hotwire: Why do we keep falling for it?
Why do we continue to book anonymous hotels that may or may not meet our expectations?
I don’t know. But I’d like to hear your theories.
Read more ““Their bait-and-switch tactics count on us having a short memory””
Best Western guarantees you’ll find the lowest rate on its website. Unless your name is Russ Thomas.
Read more “A “best” rate guarantee with the worst service”
Patricia Lenhart’s husband woke up one recent morning covered in bug bites. Bedbug bites. He and his wife were guests at the Best Western Beach Dunes Inn in Marina, Calif., and when they mentioned the probable infestation, a woman at the front desk said the hotel “hadn’t had a problem” with bedbugs before.
Then they checked out TripAdvisor, and discovered that wasn’t true.
“I found two recent reviews complaining of bedbugs,” she says. “Both people state that they notified the front desk. One of them was over a month ago! Unfortunately, they were both posted after I made my reservation. I don’t have any faith that the hotel will follow through on their promise to fix this.”
I contacted Best Western on her behalf, and as you’ll see in a minute, it reacted quickly. Question is, did it do enough?
Read more “Best Western offers free night after bedbug attack, but is it enough?”
Question: I am having a tough time getting my money back from Best Western, and I need your help.
My husband and I stayed at the Best Western Northtown Inn in Wichita Falls, Texas recently. He’s a truck driver and was stuck in Wichita Falls for one night waiting for his delivery spot to open. It was a spur-of-the-moment, short and sweet one-night stay — or so we thought.
I reserved the room with my Visa Check Card but paid for the room in cash. When we received our bank statement, we noticed that the card had also been charged $71 for the night. Because we don’t use that account often and weren’t expecting an extra charge, it resulted in a $35 overdraft fee.
We have tried for months to get our money back from Best Western or the bank, to no avail. A hotel stay that should have been $71 is now $177 — and it was definitely not a five-star hotel! Please help. — Angela Williams-McGill, Garland, Texas
Answer: Best Western should have refunded the extra $71 immediately. Come to think of it, the hotel should have never double-billed you.
Why did it charge you for two nights? There’s no telling. Hotel billing systems and the people who operate them routinely make errors, which is why it’s so important to check your credit card after your stay. Or, in your case, your Visa Check Card. Waiting a few weeks made it more difficult to resolve this case.
Read more “Billed twice for one night”
