Expedia travel package not complete

  • By Christopher Elliott
  • Thursday, April 10, 2014 1:11pm
  • Life

Question: I’m Writing You About Our Problems With A Vacation Package We Booked On Expedia To Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

A few weeks before our departure, we confirmed our accommodations and rental car with Expedia. But when we arrived, both the Dollar car rental location and our hotel, the Hostel Tamarindo Backpackers, emphatically denied doing business with Expedia. Both businesses claimed Expedia is notorious for overbooking reservations.

We ended up paying out-of-pocket for a week’s worth of hotel ($620) and car rental insurance. Per the Dollar Rental person, the government of Costa Rica requires that the tourists buy the car rental insurance in the country and they will not honor car rental insurance from abroad.

We reached Expedia from Costa Rica and when we returned home. After hours on the telephone, numerous hang-ups, and even finally getting a fax number where supposedly we should send our receipts and an explanation of what happened so that an Expedia supervisor could resolve the issue (we are requesting a full refund of our hotel), the only response from Expedia was to issue a $164 refund, which Expedia claims should account for the entire portion of the money we paid in advance for our room and $99 for the rental car insurance.

Could you please put some pressure on Expedia to reimburse us for the total cost we paid for the room, which comes to $455?

— Gladys Martin, Berea, Ohio

Answer: Obviously, Expedia got its wires crossed with both the Hostel Tamarindo Backpackers and Dollar. In a big way.

Expedia should have made sure that you had a confirmed reservation with the hotel and not just a rental car, but also a rental car at the rate it promised you.

Expedia should have fixed this problem while you were still in Costa Rica, finding you a room and a rental car. I’m disappointed that it didn’t. By the way, you did the right thing by phoning Expedia. You needed a real-time resolution, but unfortunately you didn’t get it. After that, corresponding with Expedia by fax and email worked better, because you had a much-needed paper trail.

In the future, you might want to contact the hotel and car rental company directly, even if you have a confirmation from your online travel agent. Just to be safe.

Fortunately, this type of glitch appears to be very rare. I contacted Expedia on your behalf, and it reviewed your case again. Its records show that a refund of $455 was already in process. I’m happy that Expedia eventually did the right thing without having to be asked.

Christopher Elliott is the author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money and Hassle)” (National Geographic). He’s also the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chris@elliott.org. Christopher Elliott receives a great deal of reader mail, which he answers as quickly as possible, but because of a backlog of cases, your story may not be published for several months.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.