Canadian Packages to Hedo

[we2are469]

I literally just tried to get my 3 free days with Air Canada Vacations. They are clueless and/or have no idea how to do this to the benefit of the customer. I suspect that Air Canada Vacations ripped you off. Here is why.

For seven days, the online price was $3,082 total. I called to speak to the agent to get started on the back and forth that I knew would be required because air canada vacations and hedonism II do not understand how to use a "promo code" apparently. The agent tried to push that bull about them booking my hotel for 4 days and the flight for 7 which would allow me to deal directly with the resort for my 3 free nights. Not only is it terrible customer service for a travel agent to unload responsibility for critical details of a trip to the customer, but they then effectively raise the price because you are not booking a full seven days with them for the hotel. After the agent made the 3 days reduction, i was quoted $3,070 for the 4 day hotel and 7 day flight scenario. Effectively, what they did was jack up the price for the first 4 days to rob me of my 3 free nights. As a customer, you should not accept that they are unloading tasks to you because they do not understand or deliberately have no idea how to make and use a promo code. This is a scam by ACV to rob you of your 3 free nights and pocket the money that you should be pocketing. They also attempt to confuse you by claiming it is because they get great rates and it is a package.

I am not sure how many have asked for a quote beforehand and then got a price after the "workaround" of you booking 3 nights and them booking 4 nights, but i suspect they jacked the per night cost. The fact that the solution is so simple that any professional with maybe 3 credits of University, or even community college, could figure out makes me believe they diberately are doing this to rip you off and make it complicated.

I wrote and email to the director of customer service and I plan to voice my concern to Kevin when I arrive that these companies are screwing his customers and robbing the resort of the marketing promotion that should be benefiting his repeat customers. Instead, the big vacation agencies are stealing his promo offerings. This is a deceptive scam, not a work around. As I said, this literally happened to me yesterday. I ended up booking with Tom's again after they went out of their way to find me a room and actually do what travel agents are supposed to do.

Even the smaller travel agents such as Tom's Have this down. The TRAVEL AGENT calls the resort, confirms the 3 nights and applies it as a credit to the customer. They dont send the customer off to email and deal directly with the resort and do all the work. A travel agent gets paid to hande logistics...it is the entire reason to have a travel agent.

They even have a promo code field on the website...I just shake my head. I will bad mouth ACV forever on this as they deserve it. Idiots.

Not wanting to side with ACV here, but in all fairness, they are offering 7 and 14 day packages. They may have a deal with the resort for packages at a specific rate, for those 7 or 14 days. Once the obligation has been met of 7 or 14 days, (and this may be H2's requirement), the airline may change the flights however you want. When I called ACV, they were willing to change the pre flight or the post flight, for virtually no difference in price. Have you tried, just for giggles, booking a 7 day package then asking for a deviatation at the end, of three days, just to see the response. Westjet wouldn't play ball here but ACV was certainly willing to change the flights for me.
I've never considered an airline as a travel agent, per say. To me they book flights that I request, and resorts/hotels that I request. If I want a real travel agent, I walk into a local bricks and mortor shop here in town.

I'm interested in AC's response to your query. The differance between my request, above, and yours is that I went for 14 days, not for less than 7.

Tom's booked your H2 stay and maybe booked a flight separatly, but I wonder if they would act as your TA and book you on a "Canadian Package" with ACV or WJV.

I don't think you're going to get any satisfaction from Kevin. He's the hotel manager, not the travel co-ordinator.

Ray

[Papa Smurf]

Ian&Brooke, just wondering what the price was to get Tom's to set the holiday up for you. How did it compare to the ACV price, which I assume was in Canadian dollars. I assume Tom's would deal in US dollars. Wondering the cost after conversion. As a Canadian I always book through Ontario based TA and pay in Beaver Bucks. Just wondering how a US based TA compares.
Thank Papa Smurf

[Cdn_cpl]

Ian&Brooke, just wondering what the price was to get Tom's to set the holiday up for you. How did it compare to the ACV price, which I assume was in Canadian dollars. I assume Tom's would deal in US dollars. Wondering the cost after conversion. As a Canadian I always book through Ontario based TA and pay in Beaver Bucks. Just wondering how a US based TA compares.
Thank Papa Smurf

This is the reason why it's extremely cost prohibitive for us Canadians to book with a group. They all use US agents and obviously want to be paid in US dollars. Back when the dollar was at par we booked through Wild Women and it cost us a little more but not much. Now with the dollar at $1.30++ it just drives the price through the roof. We'll continue to book with Westjet Vacations but hopefully someday our dollar will get closer to the US dollar and we can try out some groups.

We2are469, totally agree, AC Vacations and Westjet Vacations aren't travel agents in the true sense. They exist only to sell their flights and packages and aren't interested in doing anything that lessens the amount of money you're going to spend with them, nor do they have any sort of relationship with Hedo that would allow them to do this sort of thing. If you want that kind of service you need to deal with a traditional travel agent and unfortunately we don't have any legitimate Canadian ones that specialize in Hedo.

[driller]

I'm booked for 2 Hedoween. Oct 23-Nov 1. I'm thinking now I can't go. Too late to cancel it but travel agent will change the names on it. Wondering if anyone wants to buy it off me cheap? Its Ocean View Nude side for two people.

[marcncleo69]

We have always tried to book with the Kitten and Angel group TA but was always way more expensive than we could get with my TA who happens to be the best TA in the world hehehe. This year packages in Canada are much more expensive due to the soft dollar, but tonight just booked a 10 day vacation from Sunquest for the price of a 7 day. And of course my TA knocked off a chink of that. Only thing is we are flying through Toronto this time and not direct from Halifax.

[Efestian]

Ian&Brooke, just wondering what the price was to get Tom's to set the holiday up for you. How did it compare to the ACV price, which I assume was in Canadian dollars. I assume Tom's would deal in US dollars. Wondering the cost after conversion. As a Canadian I always book through Ontario based TA and pay in Beaver Bucks. Just wondering how a US based TA compares.
Thank Papa Smurf

as in my original post, the ACV 1 week price with flight was $3,082. 4 days was $3,070.... Tom's does not book a flight. The total hotel cost with Tom's for 4 days was $1,304USD or about $1,700CAD. The flights are about $1,100-$1,200, but we just used airmiles since ACV is incompentent. No, I will not cut them any slack. ACV and Westjet, as soon as they offer a vacation package, loose the shelter of "they are not a travel agent" in my book. Either way you look at it, they suck for Hedonism because they steal your free nights.

i did receive a response from them and they just spout the common defelcting nonsense and show no interest in actually improving the system. I don't want anything free, I already booked my trip. What I do expect from ACV is to do what they claim to want: to serve their customers. Just in this thread alone, there are several people that do, have or would use ACV or Westjet to book Hedo trips. They are doing us all a disservice by ignoring this issue that any first year computer science student could fix...or anyone that can string a bunch of characters together to produce a promo code. I can assure you that if this change would save them $200 per trip, they would do it. The issue is that it doesnt cost them anything to ignore it because they pay for it with my credit from hedo by jacking the price That just illustrates their motives. I am not poor so I spend my money with companies that actually provide proper service. I know that the price per night for a 4 day stay is higher because the hotel runs the risk of not renting that room for the other 3 days that week. That is why this is so aggrevating, I actually have the room for the whole week! It creates a false signal to the resort that the room is not booked when it is and completely messes up the metrics. They should book 7 days with a promo code that says "14/3discount" or some crap so the resort knows it is a full booking. The resort discounts by 3 days, done deal. Rant Over.

[Newfie Screech]

^ Valid point.

[marcncleo69]

We had a free three night stay back in the days of Hedo III. It would have cost us and extra 1250 bucks to use it based on ACV logic. We had already booked a 7 night vacation flights included, and they said that coming home 3 days later would cost an extra 1250, Needless to say we were able to use the 3 nights free.

[we2are469]

as in my original post, the ACV 1 week price with flight was $3,082. 4 days was $3,070.... Tom's does not book a flight. The total hotel cost with Tom's for 4 days was $1,304USD or about $1,700CAD. The flights are about $1,100-$1,200, but we just used airmiles since ACV is incompentent. No, I will not cut them any slack. ACV and Westjet, as soon as they offer a vacation package, loose the shelter of "they are not a travel agent" in my book. Either way you look at it, they suck for Hedonism because they steal your free nights.

i did receive a response from them and they just spout the common defelcting nonsense and show no interest in actually improving the system. I don't want anything free, I already booked my trip. What I do expect from ACV is to do what they claim to want: to serve their customers. Just in this thread alone, there are several people that do, have or would use ACV or Westjet to book Hedo trips. They are doing us all a disservice by ignoring this issue that any first year computer science student could fix...or anyone that can string a bunch of characters together to produce a promo code. I can assure you that if this change would save them $200 per trip, they would do it. The issue is that it doesnt cost them anything to ignore it because they pay for it with my credit from hedo by jacking the price That just illustrates their motives. I am not poor so I spend my money with companies that actually provide proper service. I know that the price per night for a 4 day stay is higher because the hotel runs the risk of not renting that room for the other 3 days that week. That is why this is so aggrevating, I actually have the room for the whole week! It creates a false signal to the resort that the room is not booked when it is and completely messes up the metrics. They should book 7 days with a promo code that says "14/3discount" or some crap so the resort knows it is a full booking. The resort discounts by 3 days, done deal. Rant Over.

Sounds like it all depends who you get when calling ACV. Very specifically for next April, ACV (thanks Cdn_Cpl) was willing to accomodate my 14/3 package with a three day deviation (delay in returning home), for basically no additional charge. When I checked the flights, the return air wasn't much different. Westjet on the other hand wanted hundreds more, even though the return flight (on a Monday) would have been cheaper.
I do agree though that the system needs fixing, because even though others hear kept claiming Westjet was on board with the deviation, three calls to their call center showed it wasn't.
Needless to say, we are going to give it (ACV) a try if 2017 is in the works for us.
A true travel agent will find you the best deal for the package you want. As stated, WJV and ACV, are not true travel agents as they only hawk their respective products. Try booking a Sunwing vacation through either one of them!!!
We have mostly used a local travel agent at "Flight Center" here in Vancouver, but she usually books through Go Classy. She said she is willing to book the ACV or WJV next time, and arrange the 14/3 for us. We'll see how that goes in 2017.
This sinking beaver buck is really becoming a pain.

Ray

[PNK]

We use an independent T/A for all our trips to Jamaica. She has never had a problem booking a package to Hedo (usually with Sunquest) and flights (with Westjet) but returning a few days later so we can use the comp certificates. She will book an ACV trip if we want, the same way, but their flight times do not work as well as the mid-afternoon WJ or the 10:15 am WJ. She steers us away from Sunwing as she has had too many 'problems' with them recently.
My T/A is with RedTag formally BelAir. She seems to be able to make the system work for us.
It can be done -- easily.

PNK