Screwed by Pelican Stay
First,it is important for me to note that neither myself or my family have gotten sick to date, and our hearts go out to all the persons and families who have. Our woes to date pale in comparison to all those directly stricken by this insidious illness. Our hearts and blessings go out to you.
Back in January of 2020, the four of us had booked a trip to Seattle to visit the city, catch some baseball, and generally get away from winter in AK. Over the years w have all traveled regularly to Seattle. We decided to use a hotel where we had never stayed before, centrally located, to accommodate our plans. And then, like a lot of folks, our plans evaporated when COVID-19 struck.
As all know, Seattle was hard hit, and shut down. Games “postponed” (status yet to be determined), restaurants and venues closed, and travel restriction mandates all but prohibited even getting to the city.
Surely, the businesses that we had diligently given our money to would take the situation into account, and refund our money.
Alaska Airlines - good of course. Full credit for flights, to use later as seen fit. Kudos!
Vivid Seats, Ticketmaster, Mariners/MLB - wavering. No refunds yet, but not looking promising.
Seattle City Pass, outstanding! Immediate refund in full.
Now we come to Pelican Stay Hotel. After the runaround, as documented by others, Hotels.com, with whom we booked through as Pelican Stay’s booking agent, eventually in essence told us, not their problem. The hotel charged us, got their money, and would not give a refund. Thanks for nothing Hotels.com. (Recommend taking them off your lists, they only contacted me after receiving my complaint to the BBB).
Consequently, I contacted Pelican Stay and spoke to a person. He commiserated with me but did not have the authority to do anything. He agreed to pass a message on to have a supervisor/manager call me the next day. That was two weeks ago. Crickets.
I understand, and was advised on booking, that the reservation was non-refundable. I have had travel plans change in the past, and understood, and had no problem with the fact that, since my plans changed, I should not, nor did I expect a refund. That being said, when booked back on January 30th, COVID-19 issues were not even on the radar. I think a majority of people agree that this is a unique and significant circumstance. The basis of my complaint is that I paid for a service that can not be used in any way. It seems to me that this property could care less about what trials people world-wide are having to deal with. In essence, I don’t believe it is too much to say that Pelican Stay took advantage of a circumstance in which there was no recourse for the consumer. Greed and avarice. Additionally, not that I want or need a response from them anymore, it’s no surprise now that their customer relations is pathetic.
Oh, and by the way, not only did they charge for the rooms, they also took a cleaning fee and security deposit, which technically wasn’t supposed to occur until checkin. Do you think I’ve seen that refunded? Of course not. To me that is actually theft.
Take a look online and see how other hotels/chains are responding to this. Under similar circumstances, many are recognizing the unique situation, the impact on customers, and providing refunds to said customers. Make note of who these are give them your patronage. Use this as a cautionary tale.
Avoid Pelican Stay. The chain is world-wide.