Vacations Made Easy Charged my account for booking vacation but did not book trip.... Springfield Missouri

 Wednesday July 10th, 2013 called Vacations Made Easy and booked my trip through a lady named Ashley. She was very nice and when I told her my location was in Searcy, Arkansas, she made the comments that she played high school basketball and actually came to a basketball camp at Harding University several years ago.

I explained that I was planning the trip for my wife and we wanted to stay at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and go to the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday August 7th, 2013 for the Jana Kramer show. I told her that I wanted the best tickets available and that I was not worried about the price. She said that since I had called so early getting the best available seats would be no problem. I asked her to put a note on my file that if better tickets became available to get them for me. I booked the Grand Ole Opry tickets and the 4 night stay at Gaylord Opryland Hotel. This was immediately placed on my credit card for $1,908.95 I print off the order number and go home to surprise her with our anniversary trip.

I get a call from Catrina on Monday, the 15th of July stating that the Gaylord had been booked-up the night before my order was placed and that Catrina wanted to talk with me about changing hotels. I immediately called Ashley back. I called her 3 times that day and not a single call was returned and still to this date I have not had a return call from Ashley. I next talked with Joshua and he merely said that he couldn't help me and wanted to switch me to Ashley. I explained that I had tried her but she was not returning my calls. He then sent me to the voicemail of Catrina, the lady who had called and wanted to switch the hotel accomodations. I left another voicemail and she did not return my call.

I have talked with Heidi, Joshua, and Jana, all of which were very nice on the phone, and I am sure this is part of the training, but saying that I had to talk with Ashley or Catrina. I call back and get Heidi on the phone. I explain that no one has called me back and that I need to get the trip issues resolved. I tell her that everytime I am switched to the person supposedly handling the situation, I get another voicemail and no one returns the call. Heidi, being helpful I think, says wait a minute I will go to her desk and have her call you back while I am on the phone. She goes to her desk and then gets back on the phone and says she tried, just this minute, to call you but your line was busy because you are on the phone with me. I said " Heidi, I am talking with you on my office phone, and my phone is laying next to me and no one has called." This completely caught her offguard and she said "she just got back on the phone with another caller". I am now to the ultimate "scam artist" Jane. She will sound so precise and make everything sound as if it is your ( customer's) fault that the unfortunate situation happens. I tell her to refund my money for the hotel that they never booked but had planned to "bait and change", and she said that it would be done. She asked if I wanted to cancel the tickets to the Jana Kramer event and I, not wanting to disappoint my wife further said "no" but that I wanted the tickets immediately sent to me. She said that she could not do this and that it would take 24 hours to do.

As soon as I got off the phone with her I called the Grand Ole Opry, ordered the tickets and have them in 5 minutes, Section 20 Row B seats 6 & 7. I call back for Jane and obviously do not get her but leave a voicemail that asks her to cancel the entire order with them. Then, after her telling me that she can't get the tickets, I get an e-mail at 5:57pm stating that the tickets have been purchased. I call back today and get to talk with Anna and Tia from the famous and I am sure "busy" senior customer service representive team stating I will be charged and that I never called Jane back and I am stuck with the $88 charge.

Now like Paul Harvey, here is the rest of the story, I call the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and make the reservations for Wednesday and Thursday, then make reservations for Friday and Saturday at the Union Station Hotel and save over $524.95

The best tickets for the Grand Ole Opry, $122. Gaylord Hotel $604, Union Station $568 for a total of $1,384

Never book with Vacations Made Easy or deal with any of these people there. Ashley, Catrina, Jane, Anna, Tia. I would not say anything bad about Joshua, Heidi, or Jana. It appears they simply work for the wrong people.