UNpleasant Experience with Pleasant Holidays.
Apr 1st, 2005, 12:28 PM
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UNpleasant Experience with Pleasant Holidays.
rhazell - 04:44pm Mar 31, 2005 EST
Just returned from 2 weeks in Hawaii. Very dissatisfied with Pleasant Holidays!!! We booked this trip last May (2004) through AAA who use Pleasant Holidays and thought everything was going to be perfect - unfortunately it didn't work out that way!
When we received the final itinerary from Pleasant Holidays, we noticed that my friend and I had been scheduled to return to the mainland on different flights. We questioned this and were told that it was not their doing, that American Airlines had changed it around due to rescheduling. After my AAA Agent trying desperately to straighten this out over several days, unsuccessfully, I decided to call American Airlines myself, since I fly with them all the time. American told me that they had only changed their schedule by 2 minutes and that Pleasant Holidays had never told them that we were travelling together or cross referenced us in any way. By that time all seats on the plane were taken and nothing could be done to rectify the situation. My AAA agent, her boss, and AAA at the national level were trying to work something out with Pleasant to compensate for this. The evening before we left we were told that Pleasant Holidays was going to upgrade us to a better hotel but that we wouldn't know which one until we got to Honolulu. Upon our arrival in Honolulu and being met by their representative, we were told that we were going to be staying at the Ilikai in Waikiki. Their bus dropped us off there, and the hotel was gorgeous - we were very happy with this upgrade until we went to check in and they knew nothing about us! The desk clerk called Pleasant Holidays and they then said we were not staying there, but going to the Island Colony which was the original hotel we had booked at and they would send someone to pick us up. We waited on the sidewalk for 1 1/2hrs and still no-one came. They called again for us and were told they would pick us up when they came from the airport - we waited another 45mins and finally gave up and got a cab to Island Colony. Upon arriving there we were told there were no rooms available and they were already overbooked, so they sent us to the Beachcomber. The room was dark, noisy and mold in the shower, overlooking construction, instead of the Ali Wai canal view we would have had from Island Colony. We went to the Pleasant Holidays orientation breakfast the next morning and booked a submarine tour and a Polynesian Cultural Center Tour totalling over $300. At the end of the presentation I told the representative what had happened and she said she would sort things out and called us later in the day of offer us up to $80 each towards a tour. Since we had already booked the tours we wanted we asked for a credit and were told they wouldn't do that - it had to be another booking. We did eventually come up with another tour, but it was not one we really wanted.
At the end of our first week we transferred to the Islander on the Beach in Kauai. Right before we left home Pleasant Holidays confirmed that the pool would be open on March 11th (they were remodelling to sell as condos). The pool eventually opened on March 23rd - two days before we left! The beach at the Islander is too dangerous to swim in - we had to sign a waiver if we were going to swim there!!!
All in all Pleasant Holidays messed up just about everything and couldn't care less about what happened to us. We will never use them again, and would advise anyone who does to be extremely cautious.
Just returned from 2 weeks in Hawaii. Very dissatisfied with Pleasant Holidays!!! We booked this trip last May (2004) through AAA who use Pleasant Holidays and thought everything was going to be perfect - unfortunately it didn't work out that way!
When we received the final itinerary from Pleasant Holidays, we noticed that my friend and I had been scheduled to return to the mainland on different flights. We questioned this and were told that it was not their doing, that American Airlines had changed it around due to rescheduling. After my AAA Agent trying desperately to straighten this out over several days, unsuccessfully, I decided to call American Airlines myself, since I fly with them all the time. American told me that they had only changed their schedule by 2 minutes and that Pleasant Holidays had never told them that we were travelling together or cross referenced us in any way. By that time all seats on the plane were taken and nothing could be done to rectify the situation. My AAA agent, her boss, and AAA at the national level were trying to work something out with Pleasant to compensate for this. The evening before we left we were told that Pleasant Holidays was going to upgrade us to a better hotel but that we wouldn't know which one until we got to Honolulu. Upon our arrival in Honolulu and being met by their representative, we were told that we were going to be staying at the Ilikai in Waikiki. Their bus dropped us off there, and the hotel was gorgeous - we were very happy with this upgrade until we went to check in and they knew nothing about us! The desk clerk called Pleasant Holidays and they then said we were not staying there, but going to the Island Colony which was the original hotel we had booked at and they would send someone to pick us up. We waited on the sidewalk for 1 1/2hrs and still no-one came. They called again for us and were told they would pick us up when they came from the airport - we waited another 45mins and finally gave up and got a cab to Island Colony. Upon arriving there we were told there were no rooms available and they were already overbooked, so they sent us to the Beachcomber. The room was dark, noisy and mold in the shower, overlooking construction, instead of the Ali Wai canal view we would have had from Island Colony. We went to the Pleasant Holidays orientation breakfast the next morning and booked a submarine tour and a Polynesian Cultural Center Tour totalling over $300. At the end of the presentation I told the representative what had happened and she said she would sort things out and called us later in the day of offer us up to $80 each towards a tour. Since we had already booked the tours we wanted we asked for a credit and were told they wouldn't do that - it had to be another booking. We did eventually come up with another tour, but it was not one we really wanted.
At the end of our first week we transferred to the Islander on the Beach in Kauai. Right before we left home Pleasant Holidays confirmed that the pool would be open on March 11th (they were remodelling to sell as condos). The pool eventually opened on March 23rd - two days before we left! The beach at the Islander is too dangerous to swim in - we had to sign a waiver if we were going to swim there!!!
All in all Pleasant Holidays messed up just about everything and couldn't care less about what happened to us. We will never use them again, and would advise anyone who does to be extremely cautious.
Apr 1st, 2005, 01:26 PM
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Hazell: What a nightmare!
The Illikai and Colony Surf are two of my favorite Honolulu hotels. I once spent one night at the Beachcomber and it was horrible - I really feel for you.
Perhaps you could write the Ombudsman at Conde Nast Traveler. They are good at sorting these trip disasters out.
The Illikai and Colony Surf are two of my favorite Honolulu hotels. I once spent one night at the Beachcomber and it was horrible - I really feel for you.
Perhaps you could write the Ombudsman at Conde Nast Traveler. They are good at sorting these trip disasters out.
Apr 1st, 2005, 02:41 PM
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I'm not a fan of Pleasant Holidays either but did not have your disaster. When my friend and I got to our hotel in Honolulu they had us booked at their sister hotel on the BI!!!!!!! They did have room for us in Honolulu thank goodness but I was less than thrilled. I actually don't think I'd use them again.
Apr 1st, 2005, 03:29 PM
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Geez, Hazell, what a way to start and end a vacation...in paradise, at that.
I hope you have sent them a nice lengthy letter and made a phone call to let them know of all that happened.
And now, other than Pleasant Holidays screwing it up from the beginning for you,,,,what kind of fun did you have?
I hope you have sent them a nice lengthy letter and made a phone call to let them know of all that happened.
And now, other than Pleasant Holidays screwing it up from the beginning for you,,,,what kind of fun did you have?
Apr 1st, 2005, 03:38 PM
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After reading many complaints here, yours is one of the few that seems like you actually were treated rotten - and not only was it not your fault, but you also acted responsibly when trying to fix the situation.
I hope you are reporting all this to some corporate power, but I fear all you will get is some credit towards another trip with the same company - which I imagine you would not be eager to use.
I would read fine print in original agreement and see if anything there was violated - but I also doubt you will find anything. At least take some satisfaction that no one here will be using them anytime soon.
I hope you are reporting all this to some corporate power, but I fear all you will get is some credit towards another trip with the same company - which I imagine you would not be eager to use.
I would read fine print in original agreement and see if anything there was violated - but I also doubt you will find anything. At least take some satisfaction that no one here will be using them anytime soon.
Apr 1st, 2005, 03:38 PM
#8
Hazell sorry for such a series of awful mishaps, but thanks for posting. I always plan my own trips, and posts like this only serve to remind me why!
My parents used AAA & Pleasant Holidays for a family celebration on Maui a few years back, and things went smooth, guess we just got lucky.
I was in Honolulu last month, booked extremely cheap airfare directly with Hawaiian Air and my fav hotel in Waikiki with the hotel direct. Maybe next time consider you just do it all yourself? I can guarantee you WILL do better than what they did for you!!!!
My parents used AAA & Pleasant Holidays for a family celebration on Maui a few years back, and things went smooth, guess we just got lucky.
I was in Honolulu last month, booked extremely cheap airfare directly with Hawaiian Air and my fav hotel in Waikiki with the hotel direct. Maybe next time consider you just do it all yourself? I can guarantee you WILL do better than what they did for you!!!!
Apr 1st, 2005, 08:00 PM
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OK! NOW, I am SCARED!
My husband & I are returning to Oahu in July with our daughter & to get the Hilton Hawaiian Village Rainbow Tower at a reasonable price, I went thru a travel agent who went thru Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays! We have an automatic upgrade to Deluxe OceanView. HOPEFULLY!
I think the way to make sure nothing goes awry is to confirm EVERYTHING before you depart. I'm talking airfare, hotel AND car!
I usually do all of this on my own without going thru a travel agent. I hope I haven't made a mistake!
Also, keep all of your e-mails, ANY correspondence, & your itineraries!
Hopefully, this is just 'one of those things' type of ordeal. That is so terrible that it happened at all!
I would demand they give you SOMETHING for all your heartache! Write to the Better Business Bureau? You do need to be compensated, tho!
Aloha!
My husband & I are returning to Oahu in July with our daughter & to get the Hilton Hawaiian Village Rainbow Tower at a reasonable price, I went thru a travel agent who went thru Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays! We have an automatic upgrade to Deluxe OceanView. HOPEFULLY!
I think the way to make sure nothing goes awry is to confirm EVERYTHING before you depart. I'm talking airfare, hotel AND car!
I usually do all of this on my own without going thru a travel agent. I hope I haven't made a mistake!
Also, keep all of your e-mails, ANY correspondence, & your itineraries!
Hopefully, this is just 'one of those things' type of ordeal. That is so terrible that it happened at all!
I would demand they give you SOMETHING for all your heartache! Write to the Better Business Bureau? You do need to be compensated, tho!
Aloha!
Apr 1st, 2005, 10:17 PM
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Yes, we had a bad experience with Pleasant about 3 years ago. While in Hawaii we decided to check out of the hotel we were staying at and decided to visit another. We purchased the travel insurance. Pleasant held our refund money (over 3 k) hostage for almost 6 months. They kept saying "it will sjow up on your next credit card statement" and it never did. I finally had to send a written notice that I was going to sue in small claims court and file a complaint with the BBB, then our money was returned within 2 days of the notice. I made a big mistake by booking my vacation via the internet without a ta. Will never do that again.
Pleasant Holidays no longer have the great deals they used to, the hotels are no longer giving them consolidated rates. Be sure to check around with prices before using this company. And then use a ta when you're ready to book. This way there will be a go between if a problem arises.
If you do an internet search you will find out a lot about this company. Like many large corporations they are ruthless with their employees.
Pleasant Holidays no longer have the great deals they used to, the hotels are no longer giving them consolidated rates. Be sure to check around with prices before using this company. And then use a ta when you're ready to book. This way there will be a go between if a problem arises.
If you do an internet search you will find out a lot about this company. Like many large corporations they are ruthless with their employees.
Apr 2nd, 2005, 04:29 AM
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I was just pricing out trips today for a friend who wants to stay at Turtle Bay on Oahu. Pricing all the factors separately and then through Pleasant Holidays, Pleasant Holidays was almost twice as expensive! I have yet to find a package deal that is cheaper than doing it yourself.
Apr 2nd, 2005, 08:31 AM
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Interresting Maggi, we were able to save about $70/nt by using a consolidator for them last year, it was classiccustomvacatrions.com. Again, since occupancy is so high Turtle Bay may not be discounting any more.
Might I suggest Hawaiianairlines.com for hotel priceing? On a trip to Oahu next month they actually had a hotel for $500 less than I could find anywhere, including Pleasant. I never knew it before but I guess they sometimes get negotiated rates from hotels also.
Might I suggest Hawaiianairlines.com for hotel priceing? On a trip to Oahu next month they actually had a hotel for $500 less than I could find anywhere, including Pleasant. I never knew it before but I guess they sometimes get negotiated rates from hotels also.
Apr 2nd, 2005, 10:22 AM
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Hazell, sorry for your bad experiences with Pleasant Holidays.
We used them three years ago, when we made a last minute decision to go to Waikiki for our Anniversary. Their airfare and hotel package was more reasonable at 7 weeks out, than if we had planned our own trip, which is what we usually do.
We Paid for Ocean View at the Hyatt Waikiki, and that's what we got. Bus took us there after lei greeting and returned us to airport at the end of our stay. We did not do any activities with them.
Very good service.
8-)
We used them three years ago, when we made a last minute decision to go to Waikiki for our Anniversary. Their airfare and hotel package was more reasonable at 7 weeks out, than if we had planned our own trip, which is what we usually do.
We Paid for Ocean View at the Hyatt Waikiki, and that's what we got. Bus took us there after lei greeting and returned us to airport at the end of our stay. We did not do any activities with them.
Very good service.
8-)
Apr 2nd, 2005, 12:18 PM
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Thanks, travelinwifey, for the tip. I did check Hawaiian and the hotel price was in the ballpark (but not cheaper.) Ditto for classic vacations. I'm willing to be "converted" to packages, just waiting for the right price.
Apr 4th, 2005, 03:17 PM
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I usually put together our own trips, but have used Pleasant several times (probably about four or five times) when they were able to beat the price I came up with. I have had absolutely no problems with them. Not refuting the original poster--just want to be fair.
Apr 6th, 2005, 08:01 AM
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WOW. Hazell sorry to hear about your trip. I've been a AAA member for years & have done a package tour through them before that went beautifully (not to Hawaii). Please be sure to let AAA (at the local and national levels) know of your problems too, I'm sure they would want to know.
-Sandra
179 days til
-Sandra
179 days til
Apr 6th, 2005, 08:15 AM
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Oh Hazell,
I am so very sad for your experience to this enchanting land. I would pursue getting compensated for this in some way, there are times when you just have to let things go and then there are times like yours, when really it is such a disappoinment is is pathetic. I like gualalalisa's idea, contact Ombudsman @ Conde Nast!
Stand up and be heard, you and your friends deserve the magic of the islands as we all have, I really am sorry, T.
I am so very sad for your experience to this enchanting land. I would pursue getting compensated for this in some way, there are times when you just have to let things go and then there are times like yours, when really it is such a disappoinment is is pathetic. I like gualalalisa's idea, contact Ombudsman @ Conde Nast!
Stand up and be heard, you and your friends deserve the magic of the islands as we all have, I really am sorry, T.
Apr 9th, 2005, 12:21 PM
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Thank you all for your input. Both AAA and myself have wrote to Pleasant Holidays this week (basically the letter was the same as my original post here). I am going to be away until the end of April, and which time, if I have not had a satisfactory solution to this problem from Pleasant Holidays, will write to the Conde Nast Ombudsman. In fairness, I must give them time to respond.
