Of all the frequent travel programs to pick on I’m not sure why exactly, but I seem to pick on Hyatt the most.
Take America Back – Boycott Hyatt!
Hyatt’s At it Again
Fly On the Wall: Hyatt Social Media Team Meeting
I guess they’re just so darn fun to pick on. And they have a passionate customer base who tend to let loose on me in the comments section, so that’s pretty fun too.
Anyhoo, I was browsing the Milepoint forums and came across a thread started by tom911 in which he shares how he is finding it consistently difficult to use Hyatt Gift Cards at Hyatt hotels:
Last week at a Dulles area property the front desk clerk told me her computer did not have a gift card option and only displayed “Gift Certificate” as an option. …
Back on January 7 I had a stay at a Manhattan property and used an e-gift card. This time on check-out the clerk selected “Gift Certificate” and typed my 19 digit card number on the invoice. Been over three weeks now and they still have not deducted the funds from the e-gift card. …
Back in December I had a stay at a property in Washington, D.C. On check out the clerk used the option for “Hyatt Gift Card Commissions” for my plastic gift card. A few weeks later a charge appeared on my credit card for the entire stay.
tom911 posted this on January 31. Over the next several days other Milepoint members commiserated and shared their experiences with Hyatt Gift Cards – some having better luck than others.
But then on February 3 Todd Tomlin, Manager of the Hyatt Gift Cards and Certificates program – joined the conversation:
You are our valued guests and Hyatt Gift Card/Certificate holders, and should not be having these issues with the products you purchased from us. … @tom911 I got your message on “that other site”, and we are going to get you taken care of.
How’s that for customer service? The manager of the program responding directly on the forums and promising to take care of the problem. Hyatt is really on top of this social media thing.
Then tom911 posted this on February 9th:
Been over a month now and the funds are still on my e-gift card and have not been deducted. I have not received a call from from the property or Hyatt to resolve this.
And this on February 12th:
Had an e-mail from the Hyatt New York City property that had still not debited my e-gift card from January 7.
Um, Todd, bubsy … you didn’t used to work at Worthy Rent-a-Car by any chance did you?
You know how to make the promise, you just don’t seem to know how to keep the promise. And that’s really the most important part of the promise – the keeping of the promise. Anyone can just make ’em.
I kid, I kid.
Read the thread in its entirety: Are Hyatt gift cards always this difficult to use?
Greetings Mikel – Todd Tomlin from Hyatt Gift Cards here. As of today this issue was resolved. My team has been diligently working with the hotel in question that tom911 had issues with. I want to assure you and your readers that myself and the entire Hyatt Gift Card team value each and every one of our gift card and certificate holders and do our best to resolve manners in a timely, effective manner. In this particular situation we did have two issues beyond our control that caused a delay in follow-up. We have put measures in place following this incident that will route issues to an different escalation point at Hyatt to ensure a quicker response.
If you review other social media travel sites and blogs you will find that over the years we have been extremely responsive to Hyatt Gift Card and certificate holders needs and issues. This will not stop, as we continue our efforts to provide the best guest service Hyatt guests expect.
Thank you for bringing this to light, but I assure you this is one exception that we have learned from.
Safe Travels
Todd Tomlin
Director – Hyatt Gift Cards and Certificates
@Todd – great stuff, and I’m sure your customers appreciate your help with these matters. Please accept my apologies for poking a little fun at your expense. In all sincerity, I think it’s great that you participate on Milepoint and the other forums and social media channels. Though I have some fun with Hyatt from time to time, you really do earn your customers’ loyalty and passion.
i emailed customer service about a similar problem and received a response in less than 30 minutes. I have always been impressed with Hyatt’s customer service.
@Mikel – No worries at all! I appreciate any and all feedback so we can continue to improve. Safe travels!