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Flight Cancelled or Bumped From Your Flight?

2011-07-07T22:51:22Z

I don't remember ever having my flight cancelled but my recent experience was a great brush-up on the skills required to cope and move forward through a (basic) maze of travel arrangements.

So you get bumped or your flight is cancelled. Do you just sit there and wait for some agent to call your name, hoping for the best? ABSOLUTELY NOT. I don't know about you but I'm not about to passively allow someone to take control of my day, or my life for a day, by sitting on my hands.

1) Your flight is cancelled, you're bumped, the flight is rescheduled (or whatever)

2) Wait for the first announcement. You'll probably hear something like, 'We are sorry for any inconvenience (really?) and we are working to re-schedule every passenger. Please come forward when your name is called..." With information this vague, this is your cue to go into action.

3) Call the airline's central reservations number and explain you're flight was cancelled and ask them to re-route you. Be patient. This person on the phone is your best bet to getting your issue resolved, promptly, before you end up at the end of the line behind all of the other passengers. At very least (and if they have limited control over booking flights so close to departure) you can hear what the various options are...write those down. While your at it, ask the agent why the flight was cancelled, just to make sure the "computer story" reflects the story the gate agents are telling. If the story differs notably, that's your opening at a later date in the event there is some personal financial fall out as a result of the cancellation. In my case, the stories matched (equipment maintenance). I was able to verify the story a third time by asking the co-pilot of my plane what was going on while, by chance, we were standing in the same line to eat during my wait-and-see period.

4) Call the rental car agency to give them an update on your arrival. Remember car rentals are on a 24-hour basis. In my case, I was booked through an opaque third-party (Priceline) but I could still cancel my car reservation in the event of a cancelled flight, provided I could prove the flight was cancelled. In fact, they offered on my call to cancel right then but I had to tell them I didn't know if was going to get out or not. I can't stress enough that you need to know the basics of your contractual obligations, or where to find the details.

5) Call the hotel and let them know you might not be able to check-in due to your cancelled flight. Ask them to clarify their policy for your circumstances. Let them know you will call them with an update.

When I finally got called to the counter, more than an HOUR after the original departure time, I was instantly given two boarding passes to connect through another (major) airport. I told them that didn't work as I had to be at an event way before the ultimate arrival time and asked them to put me on standby for the earlier (non-stop) flight. THIS is why you want to know your options before you get called back to the counter, so you're educated and have some control, instead of putting your life in some stranger's hands.

That said, I updated the hotel as well as the car rental agency that I MIGHT get on my flights and gave them the updated ETA. I promised to follow-up with both of them in the event I could not get on the standby flight.

Bottom line is be prepared, pay attention, and show kindness and good faith to all concerned parties. After 30+ years in hospitality, I know kindness and a sincere attitude will always get you farther (with significantly less stress) than being irrational or unreasonable. It's amazing what hospitality people WON'T do when someone is nasty and even more amazing what hoops hospitality people will jump through to make you happy when you act appropriately and let them do their jobs. They know the system, you don't.

WELCOME!

2010-07-27T04:38:01Z

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Have You Heard of Credit Rescoring?

2010-07-27T03:00:00Z

Excerpt from the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, July 25, Author: Kenneth Harney...

Ignore the online and junk mail "credit repair" come-ons that promise miraculous FICO-score improvement overnight. They are often rip-offs and may not even be legal in some instances.

However, an experienced mortgage broker or retail loan officer can get your credit file into a "rapid rescoring" program that just might get you the legitimate lift you need to qualify. Rapid rescoring performed by independent credit reporting firms use procedures approved by the three major credit bureaus to make direct changes to the information contained in credit files.

If there are documented errors in the file or omissions that are dragging down your scores behind your back, the rescorers connect you, your creditors and the three national bureaus to get problems fixed. In some cases, rescorers can even spot steps you can take, such as cutting your usage percentage on a particular account, that will boost your score immediately.

Most rescorings take three to five days and cost an average of $30 per "tradeline" or credit account per borrower. A typical rescoring costs from $90 to $200. Though extensive rescorings can push FICO scores up dramatically, the average increase is more like 25 to 32 points.

If you've been an irresponsible deadbeat rescoring your files won't help much or at all.

Considering the ongoing environment where otherwise honest and diligent bill-paying people have lost their jobs, or have been sucker-punched by abusive retail credit practices and are now nursing abysmal credit scores (roughly 43 million Americans), you have to wonder EXACTLY who or what is now a deadbeat?

Like Airlines, Hotels Can be Equally Opaque With Hidden Charges

2010-07-25T23:47:00Z

Know what's included in your room rate. ASK for the bottom line price--exactly what the hotel expects you to pay when you check out. Look for occupancy taxes, early check-in or check-out fees, late check-out fees, amenity fees (for the use of towels, gym, etc.), resort fees, parking fees, and energy surcharges. Some hotels add gratuities as well. Additionally, some of those aforementioned "fees" are nothing more than part of the room rate meaning you should expect to pay that same occupancy tax on top of that add-on fee. AND, be sure you know what you're getting when the hotel is "all-inclusive."

Finally, make certain you understand cancellation policies, fees, costs for extra persons, as well as rollaway beds.

I can't stress enough how important it is to require the hotel, or the booking agent (such as Hotwire, Priceline, Expedia, etc.) to provide all of these specifics in writing. However, beware of the generalization of written terms when booking somewhere other than the hotel's own web site--you won't get a lot of specifics, nor will you have much leverage when there is a problem, when booking through a third-party site.

How Do You Chose An Airline Seat?

2009-05-10T04:53:00Z

OK. So you don’t fly 100,000 miles every year, on the same route, on the same planes, week-in and week-out. How would you know what’s a good seat?

You start with a little research. Then you go to SeatGuru.com.

FIRST. The equipment (type of aircraft) you’ll be flying we’ll be available when you pull-up your itinerary, on-line. If you have problems figuring it out, you can always call the airline reservation number and ask.

SECOND. At SeatGuru.com, you can easily navigate the site. Click on the alphabetical airline box, click on the airline, chose your aircraft! There will be a brief description of the plane, as it relates to the airline’s configuration and a straight-forward, easy-to-understand diagram of the plane cabin.

For each class of seats, you can learn the seat pitch, width, and the amenities (video, audio, etc.). By using colors, the diagram shows you the good seats, seats to be aware of, and poor seats. You can learn where power ports are located as well as lavatories (bathrooms), closets, galleys (kitchens), and exits.

This is all just very, very cool and I feel like a kid when I use this site.

BEWARE! I suggest checking your reservation 48 hours to a week ahead of time. You never know when and if the airline might change the originally scheduled equipment. If the equipment does change, start over again and find a new seat.

SPECIAL NOTE: Frequent flyers are the ones who usually get upgraded, as they check-in for the flight. If you want a different seat, chances are the seat a frequent flyer just got upgraded from is better than the one on your boarding pass—check at the gate.

Have a great flight!

Buying Tires

2009-05-10T04:44:00Z

Not long ago, I gave a client a recommendation for replacement tires on his Toyota. I did quite a bit of research, checking on-line customer reviews, periodicals, manufacturers web sites, and verifying the original Toyota specifications for the vehicle. I also did the foot work and price-shopped for a tire dealer in his vicinity. Although it was a national brand, the tire store had a great reputation and the client was very happy with his purchase as well as the improved performance of his Toyota.

Recently, one tire lost a chunk out of its' sidewall, and had to be replaced because of the potential safety issue. The client took the car in and much to his surprise (and mine) this particular tire, a MAJOR BRAND, had no replacement warranty. I was dumb-founded as I had never heard of a passenger car tire not having a warranty, of any kind. I assumed, as did the client, there was a warranty on her every-day passenger car tires. If I even thought it was possible the tires might not have a warranty, I would have recommended the second choice for tires to the client, from the start.

Lesson 1: Make certain the tire your buying comes with some kind of replacement warranty.

Lesson 2: A good vendor or retailer can bail you out, especially if you're perceived as a loyal customer.

Since the original purchase, the manufacturer has added a replacement warranty for these particular tires and, although the client was charged for the tire, the dealer added-on the replacement warranty for all four tires which was worth at least what the tire cost (about $15 per tire). The dealer didn't charge for any mounting, stem or other ancillary charges on the tire as well. Why? Because the dealer was building the relationship and saw my client (their customer) as a long-term customer.

As much as I think I've learned over the years, there is always more to keep me on my toes!

Will That Ticket You Buy Today Be Worth Anything Tomorrow?

2009-05-10T04:43:35Z

Last year I wrote if I could bet that a major airline would go out of business I'd take the bet. At that time crude oil speculation was out of control and, frankly, until our lawmakers get off their seats and reel in crude oil speculation (and as long as the middle east is in turmoil which I wouldn't count on changing anytime soon) we can count on prices going through dramatic swings with the potential for intense pressure on airlines profitability.

Any of us could be stuck with a worthless ticket or worthless frequent flier miles in a blink of an eye. So, what about that travel insurance some airlines offer when you buy your ticket? That will cover you, right?

As reported on AirFareWatchdog.com, most of these policies will not protect you if an airline goes out of business. This exclusion can be found in the fine print of any airline-peddled insurance policy. However, by purchasing from a travel insurance company, it is possible to be protected. In other words, the same insurance company policy sold to you by the airline doesn't protect you as thoroughly as when you buy that policy directly from the insurance company itself. Who knew?! In this age of "anything goes" in the airline industry, the insurance might just be worth the investment. Check out www.TravelGuard.com, an insurance company mentioned on AirFareWatchdog.com.

Remember, credit cards still offer a line of defense. You can always dispute a charge within 60 days of it appearing on your statement. Happy flying (if your flight gets off the ground with you in it)!

Broken Cell Phone? You Don't Need To Buy A New One!

2009-05-10T04:24:00Z

I stopped paying that monthly "insurance" (now $6-7 a month) for my cell phone after a customer-service-deficient experience when I needed to replace a phone a few years ago; It wasn't my fault SOMEONE pushed me into the pool at a fundraising event to get a laugh. Since then, I've had my share of visits to the AT&T store for help in replacing a phone. Of course the phone company is all to happy to give you a phone or sell you one for $300 less than the "retail" price, provided you extend your contract for another two years.

As you might know from your own experience, dropping any phone is not really good for it. Although newer phones are heartier than those we started with many moons ago, I still manage to (eventually and consistently) break mine. So, of course, I go to the AT&T store and the guy can't figure out how to fix my recently broken phone. I don't have insurance and I'm NOT signing a contract extension to get a new one.

Distraught about the perception others might have when they see me using a phone that looks like it came from the trash at a second-rate motel, I go back to my office and begin my internet search to find a solution. I found two sites that looked credible. Happily, the one that was the most professionally presented was also a company in California. (Anytime I shop on the internet, I always favor the business that is geographically closest to me. This means a quicker turnaround and lower shipping costs.) Here's one of the best discoveries I have found in a long time...

CellullarDR is located in Glendale, California. Navigating their web site is relatively simple and straight-forward. There is plenty of useful information which walks you through the whole process before you even start. You pick-out the service that fits your phone problem on their web site, pre-pay, get an order i.d., and send your phone to them. From start to finish, I had my like-new phone back in my hands within 6 working days. Their site promises step-by-step status updates but all I got was an acknowledgement of the receipt of the phone when I sent it. I had to call a few days later to get a status report. That said, they delivered what I expected and I was very pleased. The $39 fee certainly beat spending gads of time and twice the price trying to buy a used, activated phone to replace mine on eBay. When you start the order process you're also given the option of having CellularDR make a CD or printout all of your phonebook, and they can save your pictures as well. Think your water-damaged or screen-destroyed phone can't be fixed? Give CellularDr a try! www.CellularDr.com