Insensitive to Hurricane Irma Evacuees! Don't book here!
13/09/2017 Tracey C,
The night before Irma took a turn and was headed for a direct hit to our area, and we all thought central Florida would be safe, we scrambled to make a reservation to get out of our home in Pasco Coun... more
The night before Irma took a turn and was headed for a direct hit to our area, and we all thought central Florida would be safe, we scrambled to make a reservation to get out of our home in Pasco County. I booked this hotel through Priceline, with a no-cancel policy. We were okay with that. However, when I booked it, the dates defaulted to Sept. 16th instead of Sept 9th. Since I was in a panic over losing my home, my pets and possibly our own lives, I didn't noticed that the system sneakily defaulted to a different date until AFTER it was booked. In a matter of seconds my husband called Priceline and they said they would refund us if the hotel approved it. The Priceline rep contacted this hotel and spoke to Elise. They came back and told us that they explaiined the situation, but Elise was not willing to negotiate and would not refund us for the 3 nights. When we called the hotel ourselves, no one ever answered the phone...for about an hour. We had to give up because we had to vacate our property due to evacuation orders. We ended up going to family in Lakeland, but we now have 3 nights at this hotel that we don't need next week because Priceline and this Best Western Orlando Gateway would not refund our money. If the Priceline system was not so sneaky, and if I wasn't in a complete panic and saw the date change, this wouldn't have happened. However, when businesses all over the state are being kind, donating supplies and helping citizens, you would think that this hotel could have understood and simply refunded us for these three nights. This is an example of horrible service. If you have horrible service before you even step foot into the hotel, imagine what you get once you're there? Shame on you, Best Western for takiing advantage of people when we are scared about losing everything. less
Bill J, General Manager at Best Western Orlando Gateway Hotel, responded to this review
Dear Tracey,
I apologize that you have had issues getting through to a manager. I am not sure who you spoke with but I can assure you that we have authorized Priceline to issue you a refund as we WILL not charge them. It is completely under their control as it relates to issuing you a refund as you paid them and not us. That is why I always recommend you book directly with whatever hotel you are going to use and you'll more than likely be able to save a dollar or two as well.
Again, please contact Priceline as we have not and will not charge them for your reservation. They will need to issue you a refund. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me directly,
Best Regards,
Bill Jones
General Manager