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I was traveling on government travel orders to Georgia in March of 2010 with another government employee. On 2/26/2010 my co-worker / co-traveler contacted our local Leisure Travel office to reserve two separate rooms in the same hotel for our trip. The Leisure Travel office asked for a credit card to secure the reservation so I gave them my government credit card to reserve both rooms since my co-traveler did not yet have a government credit card.
We checked into the hotel at the same time on 3/2/2010. They did not have a room secured under my name but they had an additional room under my co-travelers name so they put me into that room. When I checked out two day later, I paid the final bill ($100) to the hotel and turned in my key. I returned to my work place and filed the travel settlement paperwork and I was reimbursed for my expenses by the government pay office.
A month later in my government credit card statement, I received a $413 fee from Government Vacations Rewards. They had charged both rooms (co-worker and mine) to my government credit card even though I had paid the hotel directly at checkout. My co-worker had also paid his bill directly when he checked out of his room.
Now Government Vacations Rewards refuses to reimburse my government travel card for the additional $413 charge and told me to contact the hotel directly to ask them for reimbursement. When I talked to the hotel, they have no record of the $413 charge for my stay.
I am continuing to fight this charge because, 1) I never authorized anyone to charge my credit card, 2) I never wanted to pay for my co-travelers room, 3) I have already paid for the hotel room and I have been reimbursed by the government for the receipts for my travel.
This travel agency is not helpful and just keeps telling me sorry but they cannot reimburse me for this erroneous charge. I don't know what else to do to get this charge removed and now the government credit card is showing me late with a balance of $413. I have all documentation to support every statement I have made. This organization is NOT reputable. AVOID USING THEM AT ALL COSTS!
On September 17th, I reached a settlement with this company and they have reimbursed 1/2 of the original charge (my share) and they have now provided a receipt for the other traveler’s hotel fees that were charged to my card. (I found out later that my co-worker apparently was NOT charged for his room stay when he departed the hotel). This receipt will enable my co-worker to claim his room expenses for reimbursement and he will in turn reimburse me.
Lessons learned – Never use your credit card to even reserve travel for another traveler. If you use Government Vacation Rewards, you will be charged prior to the trip start. Reimbursement for any erroneous charges is very slow. Receipts for charges are hard to get. In the end (5+ months later), I am satisfied with the arrangement and my out of pocket expenses should be reimbursed soon; however, I will not use this company again for travel arrangements.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer's satisfaction.
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Whats the deal with this company? They have been calling me every week trying to get me to use my Military Star Card for some rewards program... I have been refusing this request and I am going to cancel my account with them... I thought there service was free! I have found that there so called discounts are not much different than the regular discounts most hotel chains give you.
I signed up and then found this out too. No real discounts. They get hotels through Priceline and other online companies. You cant earn hotel points directly with the hotel either. Cancelled my subscription within 30 days. Of course I forfeited the initial payment I'd made but I got off lucky compared to what some others had to endure.
I too have been burned by this company. I used my military star card to reserve a hotel room over the Christmas break. It was a two night reservation that I scheduled several months in advance. I even called a week before my trip to confirm my reservation. I called both the hotel and Gov. Rewards. This company assured me everything would be okay and that I would have no problems upon check-in on the day of my arrival. The service rep even went so far as to assure me that she was faxing my reservation information to the hotel earlier than usual. I even received a confirmation email with a paid-in-full receipt. Too good to be true right? Right!
On the day of arrival, I went to check in at the hotel lobby. The hotel had a reservation for me, but it was a regular reservation that was not paid. Gov. Rewards did not fax anything to the hotel. In fact, the hotel staff did not even know who or what Gov. Rewards was. I had to explain that and also provide a number for them to call and confirm my paid-in-full status. Gov. Rewards then proceeded to authorize another payment on my card for the room. The hotel staff was going to run my card again and fax the receipt to Gov. Rewards. Well, I stopped that in a hurry, and then I cancelled my reservation with the hotel. I was not about to pay twice.
So, here I was thinking since Gov. Rewards dropped the ball on me that a refund would be promptly rendered back to me. Wrong!
I have called several times, and I keep getting the run around. When I ask to speak to a manager about the refund, I always get a refusal or a lame excuse as to why I cannot speak with one. And the story changes every time I call. The last time I called, I was told to call back on a Monday. Then, come to find out, the ones handling the refund are out on Mondays. See where I am going with this.
It has come to the point that I will never use Gov. Rewards again for any of our travelling needs. I plan to cancel my account with them after I receive my refund, if I ever receive it. After all the hassle and having to deal with all the incompetent middlemen, I am starting to wonder if it is even worth it. Yep, closing my account and warning others to beware of this company is definitely the right answer. I hope my situation saves someone a bunch of unnecessary heart ache. I say go with what you normally use for travel discounts and the like. Go with the company that does not give you a lot of hassle because this one sure will.
I am a member of GVR as I found that it would fit our traveling lifestyle. They did a good job booking 3 trips thus far with only one issue that caused me some frustration. When I paid for my daughter and her friend to fly home for holiday break from college, my card was charged by GVR right away. While checking my bank charges on-line I noticed I had been 'double charged' for the (2) round trip tickets. When I called GVR they said sometimes the airline company will run the cost as a pending debit as well. GVR was nice enough but said they couldn't remove someone else's pending debit and I would have to call the airline directly. Going back and forth with my bank and the airline, the 'pending debit' was finally removed after 8 days total. I was told Virgin Air has a 7 day expiration on their pending debits. You do not have access to your own money while that pending debit is still showing in your account. It was obvious to the bank and to Virgin Air that the tickets were already paid for but i could not get Virgin Air and my bank on the line at the same time to remove the pending debit (I would need to create a 3-way call and with both the banks and Virgin Airs auto system, it was nearly impossible.).
I don't know who I blame for the mess, but I won't let GVR charge my card if another airline, hotel, or rental company are also going to hold my funds for a week after the travel has already been paid for. If GVR is going to charge me, then there is no reason why a airline needs to re-charge my card. Either let me purchase directly through the airline and GVR does not charge my card or the other way around but I feel wiser to this situation now that it has happen to me.
I did see in black and white the deals that I received by going through GVR. We saved over $80 on airline tickets off the lowest we found on-line and through the carrier themselves. And, on another trip, a hotel would not give me (a retired military spouse) the govt rate, which I received through GVR, a savings of around $46/night. I think that GVR is okay as an organization but just needs to iron out some of these crazy charging deals.
I just tried to use the so called price match guarantee ... Guess what ... They don't guarantee price match on packages . My air fair was the same cost through Expedia but the cost of the hotel was $50 cheaper. But since it was a package deal they wouldnt guarantee the difference. They also charge you a 25 dollar fee for using your star card so keep that in mind when using it... So if I had used Expedia I would have saved 75 bucks already. Did I mention they have no customer service email on the web sight . I trusted this company due to their affiliation with my Star Card ... So far it's costing me money.
This is THE WORST company EVER! My huband and I booked a group to go on a Royal Carribean cruise and was quoted three different room types and prices for the rest of our party. We booked our room that day and passed the info to the rest of the party. When they made reservations, they were charged 400 more! We were told that we would all get an extra seven day trip to Mexico at no charge, also a lie- they failed to tell us it depends on the type of room you book. We were also expecting from 50-100 of onboard credit, also a lie! Weve been trying to get this straight for weeks and our "rep" never calls us back. When you call in everyone passes you around and tells you that you need to deal with the original rep. Impossible when they dont call you back. Im so frustrated, if you are military this is your warning, we learned the hard way.
I have been going through hell with GVR for 2 months now.They contacted me about upgrading and so I did. They charged me a $149 deposit and my monthly payments were going to be $121 per month. After thinking it through, I called them back the next day and asked to cancel everything but of course they "negotiated" with me and lowered my monthly payments in order to keep my business. Now almost 2 months later, I'm finding myself in a tough financial situation and went ahead and called them back today to cancel again and they gave me tons of reasons why I shouldn't cancel. I told them I just can't afford any type of payments at all. I requested my $149 to be refunded but they said they can't because it's been over 10 days since I upgraded. But yet, when I tried to cancel the first time (within the first 10 days), they pressured me into it all and made everything sound awesome! They knew exactly what they were doing. If I would've cancelled the first time, they would've had to refund me the $149. I blame myself for most of this because I could've easily said NO from the beginning, but I didn't. So everyone, Beware! They will throw a bunch of information at you and lure you into everything they have to offer to you. But remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it definitely is!
Be careful with making a reservation with GVR. Its very difficult to contact them for assistance and the employees are not very knowledgeable. I agree with all of the complaints here. I was given the run around and passed around. My credit card was charged 3X and my reservation was not booked. One transaction went through with an authorization and the other 2 declined. I will never do business with this company again.
I only used this because Government Vacation Rewards because I thought it was affiliated with the military. This is actually a private travel agency be careful.
everyone has BAD experiences in Life that doesnt mean the company is bad. it may have been a mistake or you misunderstood. i used the company and have great experiences and continue to use them.
This company is a total scam period! How can a company be so great when they lie?! My husband is active duty and works hard to protect people however these people want to take his hard earned money and not care that they falsify information on resorts! Guess you’re the only lucky one out here that didn’t get conned out of $$$$’s!
Just a quick thanks to all of you for your thoughtful warnings and informative comments– it saved me from another potential victim. :)
Nothing but good comments Here. I am a select access member and I have booked 11 vacations with Gov Vacation Rewards so far and no problems in fact nothing but praises seeing as how 3 of those vacations have been free so far with more to come.
Anyone can post on this sight.. Even ex employees? If you guys think that anywhere you buy does not have complaints then your delusional. Disney, on of the wealthiest vacation properties in the world have pages of complaints from people like you. People who are disgruntled with the fact that they can't have the world. I have had the best time with them. The staff has answered all of the questions I have had and 3 free vacations so far. I still have 60k in points left and I'm going to go to cancún while you guys sit here and stew over the fact that FREE VACATIONS AND FREE POINTS do not fit your lifestyles.
OMG-I have never been so frustrated with making vacation plans! We are trying to book a cruise at Christmas time but the agent that does the cruises can not do the airfare. So after going through the possibilities and choosing a departure port (I didn't actually book because I wasn't sure how much the airfare would be) I was transferred to airfare agent. The airfare was ridiculous so I had to pick a different cruise, which of course had no flights with the right timing for cruise departure. This going back and forth is making me crazy and their computers are constantly slow or not working at all so I sit on hold for what seems like ages. Another thing, if you opt for monthly payments on the "select access" you can't use any of your points until it's completely paid for. The travel prices are not any different than going directly to the cruise ship website or expedia.com. The only benefit I can see to this membership is that they have last minute deals that are pretty cheap, we are not usually able to take advantage of them though.
Company is a Scam. Disreputable., AVOID
This complaint sounds more like miss communication and error on your part, than the travel company. You booked your room with a third party and a room for your companion as well, yet you thought you wouldn't be paying for the room you booked for them? I've never booked a room and not paid up front for it. I'm shocked at a lot of these comments. I probably wouldn't have bought an upgrade had I seen these before. I upgraded to select in 2012. I got a free cruise when I upgraded my membership. I originally called to price out a cruise and after going through the upgrade options or "sales pitch" as I would call it, I found that it was the same price to upgrade membership as it was for the Alaskan cruise I was planning. I bought the upgrade and the guy on the phone said he was giving me points enough to over the cruise. So I booked the cruise immediately after paying him. I went to Alaska with my husband about 9 months later and all we paid were taxes. Let me just say, if you have a chance, take a cruise to Alaska. It was breathtaking. Anyway, I vacation often and I've found they always give me pretty good discounts. they have this thing on their site that gives you specials for last minute planning, not something I can do often but my brother has booked $50 and $100 dollar weeks at resorts for his kids during the summer on my account. I've been told they also price match but I haven't used that either. I got a call this weekend from my account manager, didn't know I had one, saying that they had a special to reload my points that I used when I went to Alaska. So I bought new points for less than I paid before and now I think I'm going to book a cruise to the Mediterranean for our anniversary. I was also given a "veterans day bonus" of a week in Mexico. It has to be used within a year, so I'll likely gift it for Christmas, Sorry to be blunt maybe some of these comment are from people that are just angry employees as mentioned above or just some jerks that didn't listen when booking things. I couldn't be more happy about using this company to plan my vacations.
Got a cold call from GTR about a Select Access plan I was now eligible for. Price sounded good for $19.99 a month for 2 years, but I don't know if he misspoke or I didn't hear salesperson right but it turned out to be $1, 999.00 for the ten year plan, then I stopped the process of signing up and decided to investigate this company which lead me here. Doesn't seem to be a good value for the money or hassles involved. I call the salesman right back and told him not interested anymore and he immediately offered to reduce the plan by $500 dollars, probably still not worth it. This might not be a total rip off but I think someone should research before buying, which I almost didn't do if it wasn't for my wive nagging me to get off the phone with the salesman, see wife nagging saved me $1, 999.00.
These people have stolen my points. They said they worth a particular amount but when it came time to use them they weren't worth half of what they stated. They also withdrew several hundred dollars from our bank account and couldn't understand why we were upset about it. They put it back saying it was a mistake but we still went for four days with no money and the possibility of overdraft fees and returned charges. In short. DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE!
This is the worst company ever to deal with. I can't believe that the military promotes or supports this organization. My family members who are in their 70's were given this company to book their airline tickets since ITT doesn't book travel anymore. Upon booking the tickets and realizing that the times were super early my mother-in-law called in twice to get both times changed. She was charged $70 the first time and told the second time that it would be a $200 fee for the second change. However, we just found out that there shouldn't have been a charge at all if it was within that first 24 hours. They tried to sell them additionally vacation rewards . I do not agree with this as it seems they are preying on the elderly. I have called several times to help my mother-in-law and they transfer you all over. You have to repeat your story to everyone. Although, they claim that they record everything. They told us they would have a supervisor call us and then I call back to find out that it was never documented. Then, the final straw was today when I spoke to Amy- who claims that she is a Flight Specialist with privileges She was rude, basically called my mother-in-law a liar, stated that I wasn't the one on the phone originally so I only have third party information. She equated that everyone would like to go to Walmart and get a specific price and a host of other things. When I requested again that a Manger call us, I was told : Be aware : that there are 150 specialist and only 4 managers so it could 2-3 business days before contact is made. Then, she hung up on me before even confirming our information. Be very aware! My family will never use this company again.
This company is a scam. Do not believe what they say. If you have questions they will not call you back. I am having trouble with them at this time and have had 2 people who said they will call me back. no one has called me back . only a big manager called me back who I did not call, who wanted to cheat me first out of $2400. dollars and when I said no he then dropped it down to 999.00. but I had to do it today. beware of this company. they only call you when they want money. believe all the scam info as the good reports are probably from their own staff or managers.
Hello, i have paid this company hundreds of dollars just to find out it was for nothing. I have a membership that cost of $2900 and still cant book a hotel or cruise. Everytime i try to book they keep asking for more money. I was told as of today that the $2900 has expired and i would have to purchas another package.
Hello Rebecca, we are sorry to hear you are having difficulty booking. You can email us at Social.Media@GovVacationRewards.com and we will be happy to have someone look into this for you and assist. Thank you.- Tasha, Community Manager
From: Government Vacation Rewards
The Government Vacation Rewards (GVR) team would like the opportunity to assist you directly. Please email us at Social.Media@GovVacationRewards.com and we will reply promptly.
I have called three times now and have gotten excuses each time. A check for $175 was supposed to be mailed to me in September as I cashed out my points to fly home with my daughter for a funeral for my 13 year old niece that passed unexpectedly of cancer. I am starting to believe this company is a scam.
This company is a scam! My account expired on November 29, 2019. This company has called me many times asking to renew my account. I have expressed my disapproval of this company and intention NOT to renew any contract. Today, December 29, 2019, I was notified via email of a renewal charge that I did NOT authorized. This company is a scam!
I agree with all the negative comments here. I won't go into details. (Way to long and just a repeat)
As far as I can see this is a crooked company, with a capital "C". They have no empathy for the current situation or personal problems. Because I felt very uncomfortable making travel plans, they cancelled my points and kept my money. They got my money and I got nothing.
But I know where they live. I will be visiting them soon at 7720 N Dobson Rd., Scottsdale, AZ. It is just an hour away and I can see what crooks look like and give them a piece of my mind. I am going to make their life as difficult as possible.
All these folks apparently never understood how this works... i have been a member 12 years, booked flights, hotels, and cruises, even in Europe, and never a hitch; even made out with extra points for extra nights stays. On average, I have saved over $500 per year, or $6, 000 over what memberships have cost me!
On July 11, 2023 I picked a minivan and was processing it with my husbands credit card when it stopped working, when the system came back up the mini van was double in cost.
I'm trying to log on to the website but it's not working. The date is July 18 on Thursday.