North Texan struggles for hotel reservation refund during power outages – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

When her parents faced a prolonged power outage during the February storm, Sholunda Osby-Board booked a hotel room for her mother and father in Arlington through a third-party website.

Osby-Board said his parents traveled the snow and icy roads from Fort Worth to the hotel. When they arrived they learned that there was no electricity and they did not check in.

Osby-Board contacted NBC 5 Responds after requesting a refund for the one night reservation.

“When I reached out to try and get a refund because they hadn’t used the services and it wasn’t because we wanted to cancel, I was disappointed in the decision not to repay those dollars under these circumstances, â€said Osby-Board.

NBC 5 Responds has contacted the third-party website, Reservations.com, regarding Osby-Board’s refund request.

In an email to NBC 5 Responds, Reservations.com customer service wrote: “We have reviewed this matter and can advise you that the customer was fully reimbursed today. In order for a refund to be processed, we had to get approval from the hotel, which may delay processing. The hotel eventually approved a refund, which is why we were able to issue a refund.

NBC 5 asked the Crowne Plaza Suites Arlington-Ballpark-Stadium hotel about the refund request. The general manager said the hotel does not hold customers to the cancellation policy during the winter storm or pandemic. The hotel’s general manager said he does not charge third-party sites for customers who did not check in during power outages.

If you have trouble getting a refund, the General Manager recommends confirming the charges directly with the hotel. Then send an email to the third-party site and copy the hotel’s accounting department to the email to keep everyone on the same page.

Osby-Board has received confirmation that the amount of $ 154.30 will be reimbursed.

“There wouldn’t have been the current result – for which I’m getting a refund – if I hadn’t contacted channel five,†Osby-Board said. “I had already received a final decision that it was not going to be refunded based on the cancellation policy.”

Osby-Board said for her it wasn’t just about the money. It was about the value of being heard after a major disaster.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to investigating your concerns and getting your money back. Our goal is to provide you with answers and, if possible, solutions and resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or complete our customer complaint form.