Lack of Customer Services at VH

Advice please from what I’m sure are many, many people who will be able to help.

I have been e-mailing Virgin Holidays on a fairly constant basis now since the beginning of July with what is a fairly innocuous question. All I have had in reply is a bog-standard …..’we’ll get back to you as soon as we can’ …….. type response. The reason for e-mailing is that when I initially phoned, I was on the dreaded 'hold# for around 40 mins and that was mid-morning on a weekday – allegedly one of the quiet periods!! Still, more profit for VH I guess:D

All I want to know is if I’ll incur a drop off charge if I pick up a car at BOS and drop it off somewhere near Copley Square. But having read the hassle V-flyers have been having with VH I wonder if it is worth taking further the question of their total inaction and obvious complete lack of customer service – and if to how??

Any ideas guys?

[Scrooge]

I would say yes you will be charged,how much im guessing would depend on the rental company you end up going through.

[mitchja]

Treelo

Not sure about car hire in BOS but I didn't have any extra to pay when I picked up a car in MCO and dropped off at MIA.

According to the VH web site, towards the bottom of the page and I quote:

'One-way drop-off fees may apply for rentals which are not being returned to the originating depot; for further details please call our reservations team.'

...which is not really what you wanted to hear sorry

Regards

[Nottingham Nick]

I would have thought you would be better off asking the car rental company, which I assume is Dollar.

I don't know how booking through VH works, but I assume you have some sort of locator reference that you can quote to Dollar.

We are currently using a Dollar car, and there is no drop off charge between LAX and SFO.

Nick

[preiffer]

We did a one-way (drop off at different location to pickup) with Dollar last month. The fee was $100 (and appeared to be a "standard" fee if anything - it wasn't specifically calculated).

Thanks for the replies, guys. I too have used a one-way drop off but only in California so was not too sure about the rules and regs in other parts of the US. I'll give Dollar a ring and get their slant on it for Mass.

What really peeves me though is the absolute lack of a response from VH[n] Doesn't it really p&** you off?[V]

I can also confirm that Dollar does not charge for one way drop off's between California, Arizona & Nevada, eg. collect from Phoenix and return to Vegas.

Agree whole heartedly with your comments on VH customer service, I spent many hours trying to talk to someone and never actually managed. In the end I had to write a letter and they wrote back apologising and took £50 off my booking! I still never managed to talk to anyone, despite trying the Upper Class number in the brochure (they say "sorry, we only take new bookings", also the Frequent Virgins Club number - that still goes into am everlasting holding queue and of course the normal number which connects you to India - again a typical 50 minute wait and then talk to someone who has no idea how to help you.

We're so looking forward to our holiday, and I'm sure all will be fine, but after spending £k's on this one and getting zero customer service we will definitely not be using VH again.

I tend to agree Vegasrazy. This time I think I'll give VH a bodyswerve and book direct with VS and get a car through Dollar, or Hertz, or Alamo, whatever. Pity 'cos I used VH many times in the past without any major hiccups, it only appears to be in the last 20 months or so (for me anyway) that problems seem to have arisen.[y]

Agree, for me it has only been this year that VH have let us down (and many others from what I read on this Forum) so badly. Last year and prior years was fine.

Glad its not just me that has this opinion. Problem is, what can be done about it and bring back the customer-service orientated VH we knew in the past? Any mileage in hoping that some of the VH hierarchy read or at least are told about the posts here[?]

Only a week to go but still no tickets. Held in call queue for 35 minutes (this was using the Frequent Virgins line as the other is impossible to get through on) and finally got to speak to someone. She said "our despatch department has a large backlog, today they are sending out tickets for 10/09 departures, you should expect yours by Monday next week". No apology offered, when I said I was extremely worried that they are not even planning to send my tickets until 48 hrs before we leave (we go on the Wed), she said "I'm afraid so is everyone else who phones up, we are very busy and the despatch team are trying to keep up".

I am so unimpressed, as stated before we have spent £000's on this trip, upgrading to UC and staying in nice hotels. All the way through the service has been appalling and when I complained they just sent me a standard letter and credited the booking with £50. Now, we're so close to going but rather than concentrating on being excited we are on tender hooks not knowing if the tickets will arrive in time. Goodness knows what they do with people who have booked through travel agents, no way would there be time for the agent to forward on the tickets to clients through the post.

HELP PLEASE

As suggested elsewhere, I e-mailed to [email protected] to complain about the lack of response from both VH and VS (the former was a simple question about car hire and the latter about brochure discounts). The advice to e-mail to that address is also on the Virgin.com website. Guess what - no response[:(!][n]

I have re-sent the e-mail but, assuming a non reply, what next? Any ideas folks?

You could try calling 0871 222 3828. That's their UK call centre number, so should bypass the Indian one altogether; I find I get better customer service that way.

You could try emailing the Frequent Virgin Club (if you belong) at [email protected]

You'll get an automated response saying due to heavy workload they will endeavour to respond within 5 days - generally they do. They've had that same automated response set for many months.....not surprising considering we are talking VH!

Thanks, jad - might give that one a whirl.

Vegascrazy - could possibly try that route. However, what I don't want to do is pull in yet another addressee who is going to totally ignore correspondence. Judging from the amount of disgruntled people on this site who are absolutely peed off with their dealings with VH, I'm very surprised that this feeling has not been communicated to SRB:D[}:)]

Just to keep you up to date with the latest instalment in my long running saga of non-replies from VH and VS. I have not had a reply from my second e-mail to the [email protected], nor from the one I sent to the FVC as suggested by Vegas crazy, so I have written to SRB's office outlining my grievances and dropping him copies of my 2 latest e-mails. Will post an update - assuming I receive a reply[:(!][n]

Latest Update:

Have had a response from Customer Relations:

"Thank you for your valued comments to Richard Branson. As much as Richard would like to respond to his correspondence personally, he does rely on this department to respond on his behalf.

Your letter has been passed to our team of Customer Relations Executives who will endeavour to respond to you within 28 days.

In the meantime we would like to thank you for your patience."

Progress? Perhaps, but as I wrote my letter of complaint to the Virgin Group, and it was about VH and VS, how come the only reply has been from Virgin Atlantic[?] Curiouser and curiouser!

Will notify any further updates.

Must spell check!!

You should get a positive response as letters passed on from that office have to be dealt with and the end result ( copy of their reply ) sent back to Richards management office.

EGG,

Thanks for that snippet - I look forward to the reply.

Who says that VH and/or VS staff do not read these forums (or should that be forii?). I have received an e-mail from the Sales and Operations Director at VH apologising for the inordinate delay in replying to my queries. Not bad considering I've only been waiting since June.

He offered me the opportunity to contact him as:

"Clearly we're missing all your expectations
on service delivery and that is completely
unsatisfactory"

I responded by saying that I was awaiitng a reply from the Virgin Group (to whom I had written) and in the meantime felt it inappropriate to discuss the matter. Right response[?]

Anyways - rest assured, your points are being read and discussed:D[

[preiffer]

Hmm... Personally, if the Ops Director of VH has taken the time and effort to assist you, I would say it's only fair to give him the opportunity to do just that.

(I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have brushed him off completely - the Virgin Group point is a valid one to make, but his assistance and support would surely be extremely valuable?)

Essentially, no - I would say it was the wrong response. However, that's just my opinion...[B)]

Originally posted by Treelo
Who says that VH and/or VS staff do not read these forums (or should that be forii?). I have received an e-mail from the Sales and Operations Director at VH apologising for the inordinate delay in replying to my queries.

...almost worth buying a Membership kit for, wouldn't you say? [:p]

WouldnÕt say I had Ôbrushed him off completelyÕ, and how come it has taken until now for the Ops Dir of VH to have Ôtaken the time and effort to assistÕ me. I just find it terribly coincidental that the offer of assistance throÕ this forum should have come after my letter to the Virgin Group Ð or am I just finding conspiracy theories where there are none?

Membership Kit? ÉÉÉÉ IÕll consider it;)

The VH Sales & Ops director has also contacted me personally to enquire about my progress with my recent holiday problems. He read my postings here on VF.

Being a fully paid up member here at VF I can HIGHLY recommend it to you [^]

Regards

John

[Decker]

Originally posted by Treelo
Who says that VH and/or VS staff do not read these forums (or should that be forii?).

Fora

[}:)]

Thanks for that Decker.

It was actually an attempt at rhetorical humour - a failed one obviously[:o)]