Travel Thread

[shoeshine boy]

Yeah I'd let my CC company handle it. Dispute the charge right away even before talking with her.

update: Hyatt CS has been great to deal with. the local hotel GM sucks at her job though. I left her a message Tuesday. she never called me back. this morning I called Hyatt corporate and after they called and talked to her she would still only cancel ONE of the three reservations. the first 2, when the system glitched went through at EXACTLY the same time. the third one, which went through 9 minutes later was the one I was expecting. Hilton corporate is working hard to make it right. talked to my CC and they said I need to wait until the hotel actually charges me before disputing it. I was actually a little surprised that they haven't already charged me, since it's a pre-paid rate. I guess they'll run the charge sometime between now and Saturday.

[tifosi77]

If you are dealing directly with the hotel, they aren't going to charge your card until your stay. Reservation companies (like Trivago and whatnot) are charging you for their service, so your card will be run at that time.

[nocera]

Right. I've never heard of pre-paying for a hotel, though I've always dealt directly with the hotel. I've heard way too many horror stories about third party reservation companies.

[count2infinity]

I do hotwire and priceline all the time. Never had an issue.

[shoeshine boy]

If you are dealing directly with the hotel, they aren't going to charge your card until your stay. Reservation companies (like Trivago and whatnot) are charging you for their service, so your card will be run at that time.

The rate was 20% off because it was a “pre-paid” rate. I imagine they’ll charge the card Saturday. I’m confidant that corporate will resolve my issue.

[tifosi77]

"Pre-paid" in this context just means you're authorizing the CC hold now, X number of days/weeks/months out, instead of at check-in. It's sort of like the $1 charge on your CC when you get gas. (I think)

[robbiestoupe]

I had a similar issue. Family going to Yellowstone, our plans were to fly into Jackson Hole, spend the night and the next day at Grand Teton NP, then drive up to Yellowstone the next night.

Our plane was delayed at DFW so we missed our connecting flight. Stayed in Dallas on AA's bill, and went straight to Yellowstone the next day.

The hotel we booked on Expedia for that night in Jackson Hole refused to reimburse us. We did the same, took the cheaper rate for paying now vs. later. That hotel earned themselves some nasty reviews online. They didn't care.

A quick, courteous call to American Airlines, and all 4 of us received $300 vouchers for the inconvenience.

[NTP66]

I've ordered through Goldbelly in the past, and may do it again now that I found out that Joe's KC is on there, and I can get burnt ends and sliced brisket delivered right to my doorstep: https://www.goldbelly.com/joes-kansas-city-bar-b-que

[nocera]

The hotel issues all seem to come from booking through the third party. I have a buddy who is the sales manager at a large hotel chain and he told me that any time a reservation is made through a third party, it needs to be modified/cancelled through that third party. According to him, it's a giant pain in the ass. They will also match the price if you call the hotel directly.

[NTP66]

In the past 10 years, only once have I ever found better pricing through a 3rd party site (hotels.com). Every other time, I've been able to find discount codes or something else to make booking directly with the hotel cheaper. Hell, most of the time the hotel direct price is cheaper.

[Freddy Rumsen]

I used to always book through Travelocity or Expedia until I discovered what NTP66 notes.

I became a Choice Hotels member and always find it cheaper that way.

[RonnieFranchise]

I only booked through a 3rd party once, at the LaQuinta in Erie which was the only place available booking late on a summer weekend. Turns out there was some mistake and it should not have been available. They moved us free - at that point we had a 4 year old and a baby- to some slum in Edinboro after sitting in their lobby a couple hours. Should have just gone home. Only did that because it was some incentive point deal through my employer where you could use points to book hotels.

Agree that I've never seen a travel booking site with better rates than hhonors.com or ihg.com. Accidentally booked a prepay Holiday Inn Express room on their app when I didn't intend to once- one phone call and it was taken care of.

[the wicked child]

I've ordered through Goldbelly in the past, and may do it again now that I found out that Joe's KC is on there, and I can get burnt ends and sliced brisket delivered right to my doorstep: https://www.goldbelly.com/joes-kansas-city-bar-b-que

This is something that my wallet didn't need to know existed....

[NTP66]

I've ordered through Goldbelly in the past, and may do it again now that I found out that Joe's KC is on there, and I can get burnt ends and sliced brisket delivered right to my doorstep: https://www.goldbelly.com/joes-kansas-city-bar-b-que

This is something that my wallet didn't need to know existed....

As a repeat customer, I feel the same way.

[nocera]

$90 for 4 cap & cheese sammiches from Primantis? Yikes.

[Dickie Dunn]

I think it's intended for yinzers with a craving getting it shipped across the country, not for jamokes living in town.

[NTP66]

I think it's intended for yinzers with a craving getting it shipped across the country, not for jamokes living in town.

This. And I’ve never (and won’t) paid full price. Until they open a location closer to home, I’ve got no other choice.

[nocera]

I think it's intended for yinzers with a craving getting it shipped across the country, not for jamokes living in town.

I'm aware. Still seems obtuse.

[tifosi77]

I think I might be misreading something here. This Goldbelly thing is a service, sort of like Door Dash or Grubhub, that will do cross-country delivery of................. sandwiches?

[NTP66]

I think I might be misreading something here. This Goldbelly thing is a service, sort of like Door Dash or Grubhub, that will do cross-country delivery of................. sandwiches?

You misread nothing - that's precisely what it is. They ship everything with frozen ice. Primanti's puts together vacuum-sealed bags for every individual ingredient. All you need to do is cut the bread and heat up the meat, and assemble.

[NTP66]

Speaking of DoorDash, I apparently get DashPass for free with my Chase Sapphire card. Might actually take advantage of that in the future.

[nocera]

My experience with DoorDash has been absolutely awful. I've had more than one order cancelled (without my knowledge) due to not having any drivers take the pickup. I've had at least one order sit at the restaurant for over an hour because a driver was late. They've been pretty good about crediting the account, but also extremely difficult to contact when needed. I've had similar experience with Grubhub. Really only Uber Eats has been consistent.

[tifosi77]

Move out of the sticks, fellas.

We order through Grubhub/Door Dash/Uber Eats/Eat24/etc probably 3-4 times a week.

[NTP66]

There are times where I just really don't want to make dinner or go out, so I plan on giving it a try for that. I wonder if the restaurants you're ordering from play a part in this? I'm going to try actual full-service restaurants and not fast food type places, if that matters. May start with Cheesecake Factory since it's close by and they sell delicious cheesecake.

[nocera]

Move out of the sticks, fellas.

We order through Grubhub/Door Dash/Uber Eats/Eat24/etc probably 3-4 times a week.

I live in the city. Door Dash sucks in Pittsburgh for whatever reason. Uber Eats is the only reliable service we've used.