Experience with VH 4 years ago

Four years ago we last visited Florida on a two-week break. The plan was to spend one week in Orlando and the second week in Clearwater Beach.

Everything apart from the week in Orlando had been booked through Virgin Holidays. The flights (VS075/6:D) rental car and the hotel in Clearwater (the Adam's Mark Clearwater Beach). The week in Orlando was a timeshare swap.

When we arrived at the hotel they checked thier computers and they didn't have a booking for us[:0] At the time I was travelling with my parents and my dad was furious. My dad was checking us in while we sat in the swealtering car, and came out 20 minutes later with the story. They gave us a room because we had shown them the official paperwork confirming our booking.

VH weren't going to get away with this [:(!]and we had a few hours until we could enter our room so we decided to complain to their reps at their office. Now, VH had given us false directions to their office in Clearwater from the roundabout and ended up driving through a residential area before ending up at a dead end. We eventually found the office and it was shut[:(][:(!]

When we got back and went into the Thomas Cook office, the girls there were shocked and couldn't believe what had happened. We didn't complain in the end because the hotel gave us a room after showing all the paperwork that VH had sent us. If they had turned us away and ended up in the motel across the street, we would've complained.

In conclusion we were left with a very bad impression with VH and will be thinking twice before booking a holiday with them to Florida, as well as anywhere else they sell holidays to.

I'm not openly criticising VH here I just felt that I would share our experience with you in this thread. Has anyone else had any other similar experiences?

Errrm - yeah - I agree its a bad experience.

However this happened 4 years ago - if you have not used VH since then I can understand why but I think its unfair to make these remarks now when you have not used their service in recent months. I had an appalling flight on American Airlines 6 or so years ago but it seems pretty pointless posting that now because I do not have a clue what their current service is like!!!

Agreed, I'm not sure what your motivation was to post this..

[Neil]

There have been a lot of topics recently about VH, both good and bad, surely this would of been better posted during one of those, but with both Mark J and AndyK, why have you decided to post this now[?], it seem very strange[:?]

Neil:)

Originally posted by VS075

When we got back and went into the Thomas Cook office, the girls there were shocked and couldn't believe what had happened.

I too cannot understand what the motive was in posting this now. And what does the Thomas Cook office have to do with anything [?]

Did you contact VH to give them a chance to explain things or compensate you? If not its a bit unfair to knock them back 4 years later.

Have to agree with all the other posters on this, 4 years is a long time.... Bookings do go astray all the time, the fault for this could have been either VH or the hotel itself. However, the bottom line was that VH gave you the hardcopy paperwork backing up the booking which secured you a room. Seems to me like problem solved.

The reps office was most likely shut as they would have been out and about at the different resort hotels.

When you receive your tickets and holiday info, VH give you a contact card where you can call the local rep office, or failing that give an emergency contact No, this would have probably been a better option than driving to the office.

Used VH twice last year, have to say the service was very good, no issues whatsoever. Using them again in a weeks time, lets hope they are still up to standard [y]

Jon B

OK OK!

I posted this because I had noticed that some people had posted things about VH and how some things hadn't gone as well as hoped. I was merely sharing my experience with you guys, which granted its poor timing and obviously to no-ones interest because it was 4 years ago.

To reiterate what I've already said I was in no way criticising them and I would like to make it crystal clear that I would gladly use them again, its just that we've not been somewhere since that would've brought VH into the equation.

The Thomas Cook office was brought into it because they were the travel agents used and they couldn't believe what had happened. We were there anyway to (pointlessly) collect a free alarm clock given late to us by Keith Prowse for booking our Orlando Flextickets through them which in the end had to be replaced by Universal Studios because the X-ray machines had worn off the barcodes. Fair enough considering the high security levels.

We didn't complain in the end because the hotel gave us a room anyway because we showed them all the paperwork confirming the booking. Case closed as far as we're concerned at the time.

I know its 4 years ago but from what I can remember the only contact details VH gave us was that of the local office, no emergency contact number.

If I'd thought that no-one would be interested and would only be criticised for posting it for all of the reasona above I would never have posted it, I was wrong.

[Neil]

VS075 - I don't think its that people are not interested, just that it did seem are very strange time to make such comments especially when this could of been posted in one of the many threads already started about VH's customer service (or lack of it at times[V]).

Everybody has different opinions and views on certain things, but everybody who replied agreed with you that the VH service you received was very poor, but just felt your timing/thread selection was slightly wrong.

Neil:)