Help, they canceled all of my Travelzoo vouchers

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By Christopher Elliott

Christina Conte’s mother tries to cancel a voucher she bought through Travelzoo, but the company refunds all of them. Now it won’t reinstate them, despite repeated calls to the company. What can she do?

Question

Travelzoo ran this deal a few weeks ago that offered two nights in Palm Springs, Calif., including dinner for two.

My mother bought three vouchers and I purchased one so that our entire family could take a three-day trip to Palm Springs together.

One of my brothers found out he had to work, so my mother called to cancel one voucher with Travelzoo within the time period allowed.

Last week she received her credit card statement and realized that Travelzoo had not just canceled one voucher, but all three. She called the number on the Travelzoo voucher and a representative admitted that it was their mistake as the cancellation said it should have been a “partial refund.” She told her she would receive a call back from Travelzoo in three to five days.

After not hearing back from Travelzoo after five days, my mother called them yesterday. She spoke to the person, and they looked into the issue, but they hadn’t done anything, and they told her it would be another three to five days before anything would happen. This time, they told my mother to call Travelzoo after this period of time.

I loved Travelzoo … until now. I can’t believe that they have such poor customer relations! Could you possibly help? — Christina Conte, Los Angeles

Answer

Travelzoo shouldn’t have canceled all of your mother’s vouchers, only the one she had requested. And when this was brought to its attention, the company should have reinstated the vouchers right away, instead of making your mother wait and call back repeatedly.

My advocacy team and I always advise travelers to put their grievances in writing, but I can understand why your mother didn’t.

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I tried to find an “email us” page on Travelzoo at the time I helped you mediate this case a few months ago, but couldn’t. It seems the company prefers to be contacted by phone. (In fairness, Travelzoo offers a “suggestions” form, but it specifically says it is “unable” to address questions about trips purchased through the site.)

I’ve encountered this kind of strong preference for calls with cellphone companies, too. Seems they would prefer to keep their customer interactions by phone, which the company can easily tape, but which you don’t have any record of. That kind of arrangement only benefits the company but puts customers like your mother at a disadvantage. (Here’s our guide to fixing your own consumer problems.)

What do I mean by that? Well, show me proof that Travelzoo promised a resolution in three to five days. Or even that it agreed to reinstate the vouchers. You don’t have it, because you called Travelzoo.

We receive occasional complaints about Travelzoo. I contacted the company on your mother’s behalf, and it reinstated the vouchers.

Update (8/29): Travelzoo asked me to include an update on its customer service initiatives, which it has implemented since this case was resolved.

Here is what has changed with the customer service department since we last emailed with each other in 2011:

– Customers can reach us via phone or email.

– Travelzoo’s Customer Support Team is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (CT) on 1-877-665-0000.

– Customers may also email via [email protected] or through the website under Help > I have a question regarding a Local Deal > http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/support/

– They aim to respond to all email inquiries within two working days. However, if they need to research an inquiry, then it may take a little longer; they will inform the subscriber if there is a delay.

– In March 2012 Travelzoo moved to a completely new call center and customer service team dedicated to assisting Travelzoo customers.

– Their customer relationship tool is brand new as of late- November 2011 give them the capability to track and manage customer inquiries and escalations.

– The refund system has been re-vamped as well to allow for an automated process in issuing refunds, eliminating the manual process of the past that was prone to human error. (This is the origination of the issue with Christina Conte’s vouchers.)

– Since March 2012, they consistently meet or beat their service level target of answering 80% of calls in 30 seconds; current average wait time is 40 seconds or less.

– Process improvements, self-service options and improved first call resolution rates have significantly lowered call ratios by 30% since January, a measure of quality that indicates customers have fewer reasons to call.

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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