Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

[pwdeb]

Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I posted a few weeks ago that I had won two rt flight vouchers from Orbitz and I asked you all if I'd be sorry. I didn't want to get scammed and I really drug my feet about returning the affidavit. But I finally decided to trust that Orbitz was a reputable company and that they wouldn't scam me.

I WAS WRONG! They scammed me.

The voucher they sent me are useless to me. The airline has plenty of flights to where I want to go UNTIL I put in the voucher info. Suddenly, none of those flights are available, but a whole bunch of other flights that weren't there show up. To get from here to Orlando should be about two and a half hours non-stop, up to five with a connecting flight. I was ok with the connecting flight. BUT all they offered me once the Orbitz info was supplied were ten hour flights, with two layovers, and arriving after midnight in Orlando. Just not even possible for me to consider. My dh is disabled and goes to bed at 7:30. We might as well not even try to go on vacation if just getting there is going to do him in.

Live and learn, I guess. I knew it was too good to be true. No respect for Orbitz from me, that's for sure.

Deb

 

[zwriter]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

so sorry to hear about that.
did you try to email the contest people?

 

[pmeek]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

:wave: So sorry to hear that you are having a bad time redeeming your prize. For immediate assistance, call the Customer Service Center at 1-888-656-4546. Explain to them that it was suppose to be a prize not a surprise and the problems that you have told us. I think you may get what you want. Good Luck and keep us updated.

 

[loren_brothers]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I kept my mouth shut during the previous post.  But I feel compelled to post now.

I WAS WRONG!  They scammed me.  The voucher they sent me are useless to me. [SIC]

Dictionary Definition:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
scam   /skæm/  noun, verb, scammed, scam⋅ming.
–noun 1. a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, esp. for making a quick profit; swindle.
–verb (used with object) 2. to cheat or defraud with a scam
Origin: 1960–65; orig. carnival argot; of obscure orig.

So... how did they "scam" you??


Did they ask for money?  NO

Was the Voucher able to be redeemed for a flight?  YES

Was the Voucher useless?  NO


Your decision to assume, from the very start before you received anything (as reflected in your previous posts) that this was going to be some kind of a rip-off is not their problem.  I fail to see how they have done you any wrong by giving you a free flight.  Orbitz has acted entirely in good faith.  I'm sure that the rules AND the vouchers PLAINLY state that restrictions and blackout dates apply.


Maybe you should stick to entering contests that only have cash prizes. 

I wish you the best of luck in the future and hope you win something you can be happy with.



(nothing personal ... I just don't agree with your comment)


(ps: maybe you can swap vouchers with that other person that refuses to go to Italy???)

 

[blackleatherrain]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Another option is to be more openminded about where you go - if it's an open-ended voucher, you can go anywhere in the United States! See what cities fit with the dates of travel and travel times that you prefer.

New experiences are great things. You haven't been scammed - take this opportunity to visit somewhere you may have never considered before. :headbang:

 

[starryeyes]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I suggest try calling them and actually speaking with someone. Sometimes it is too easy to get frustrated with the internet.

Keep in mind that when you use vouchers (or airline miles) sometimes there are only a few seats set aside for those types of payment and the rest are for cash paying customers. So that means you have to book well in advance, sometimes up to 6 months on. And with the holiday season within a couple months, booking a flight right now would be tough anyway.

Try talking with them before you give up. I hope things work out for you.

 

[miki]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I'm sorry you won't be able to use them. Can you use the vouchers for anywhere else?

 

[tharedhead]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I do not know what the regulations are on Orbitz Vouchers but the last time I won something airline related like that I donated it to the Make A Wish foundation

http://www.wish.org/help?s_kwcid=make%20a%20wish%20donation|917755891

"Currently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® does not have formal partnerships with airlines not listed above; however, Make-A-Wish® chapters can use transferable airline vouchers or tickets on a case-by-case basis. To find out more about airline voucher or ticket donations, contact the national office or your local chapter."

 

[zwriter]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I do not know what the regulations are on Orbitz Vouchers but the last time I won something airline related like that I donated it to the Make A Wish foundation

http://www.wish.org/help?s_kwcid=make%20a%20wish%20donation|917755891

"Currently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® does not have formal partnerships with airlines not listed above; however, Make-A-Wish® chapters can use transferable airline vouchers or tickets on a case-by-case basis. To find out more about airline voucher or ticket donations, contact the national office or your local chapter."

Now that is a novel and awesome idea!

 

[jjerky22]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I am sorry that you think this is a scam, but it is not! You must be very flexible when using this type of airline voucher. I won 2 Northwest tickets from Orbitz a couple years back and wanted to use them to for a cruise out of Florida, but that was not an option during the middle of June. There were other places I could go, Detroit, Houston, Boston, etc in June, or I could of waited until November to get to Florida for free. The Northwest reservations agent told me to check back each week to see if something opened up or even maybe a flight could be added to the destinations I wanted to go. Nothing opened up and I decided to sell the vouchers online. After all was said and done, I made enough money to buy non-stop tickets on a different airline.

Don't get frustrated. Call Northwest and see what your options are, different cities, different month, etc.
If it doesn't work out sell the vouchers or donate them.

 

[lidarkside]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Nothing opened up and I decided to sell the vouchers online. After all was said and done, I made enough money to buy non-stop tickets on a different airline.

There's several problems in doing that. First, the vouchers themselves have no value; second, per the rules we agree to when entering, the prize is "non-transferrable"; and third, even if you sold or gave them away, you are still liable for paying the taxes on the price of the tickets even if someone else used them, because the prize is still in your name.

 

[pwdeb]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I kept my mouth shut during the previous post. But I feel compelled to post now.

So... how did they "scam" you??

Did they ask for money? NO

Was the Voucher able to be redeemed for a flight? YES

Was the Voucher useless? NO


Your decision to assume, from the very start before you received anything (as reflected in your previous posts) that this was going to be some kind of a rip-off is not their problem. I fail to see how they have done you any wrong by giving you a free flight. Orbitz has acted entirely in good faith. I'm sure that the rules AND the vouchers PLAINLY state that restrictions and blackout dates apply.


Maybe you should stick to entering contests that only have cash prizes.

(ps: maybe you can swap vouchers with that other person that refuses to go to Italy???)

Wow, guess I need to choose my words more carefully next time.

It was a Disney contest -- I expected to be able to use the vouchers to go to Orlando, not an unreasonable expectation. But to get to Disney (with the voucher) I have to go to through four different airports (Harrisburg - Detroit - somewhere in TX - Atlanta - and finally Orlando) just because I put in a voucher code just strikes me as wrong. Without the voucher it is Harrisburg - Atlanta - Orlando. And they can get me home that way, just won't get me there. They are deliberately discouraging me from using the voucher. (My husband is disabled -- which they knew, I had to put it on a supplemental affidavit that they e-mailed me -- and would never be able to endure a grueling trip like that.)

You are right -- lesson learned, I am sticking to cash prize contests from now on.

Oh, and according to the rules, yes there are blackout dates but the dates I was putting in were not blacked out. There was also plenty of statements like "other restrictions not disclosed herein may apply without notice" effectively protecting them from any complaints on my part.

And the voucher is non-transferable.

Deb

 

[pwdeb]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Another option is to be more openminded about where you go - if it's an open-ended voucher, you can go anywhere in the United States! See what cities fit with the dates of travel and travel times that you prefer.

New experiences are great things. You haven't been scammed - take this opportunity to visit somewhere you may have never considered before. :headbang:

Nice idea -- I tried that. Remember, I could get from Harrisburg to Atlanta without the voucher, but had to go through several other airports if I used the voucher. No matter what destination I chose, this is what happened. A flight would be nonstop to somewhere until I used the voucher number, then I toured half the country and spent at least time in at least two additional airports to get to the same destination.

Deb

 

[brassa]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

(ps: maybe you can swap vouchers with that other person that refuses to go to Italy???)


[/QUOTE]

As i explained before , I CANNOT go to Italy from Chicago for personal reasons, NOT that i refuse. I did enter the contest to go, Things changed and with no animosity from myself to the sponsor at all.....

 

[jjerky22]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

There's several problems in doing that. First, the vouchers themselves have no value; second, per the rules we agree to when entering, the prize is "non-transferrable"; and third, even if you sold or gave them away, you are still liable for paying the taxes on the price of the tickets even if someone else used them, because the prize is still in your name.

1)My vouchers each had a value of "one ticket up to $600". So the prize could be $1200 total.
2)My vouchers did not have my name on them or any mention that the prize was non-transferable.
3)Even with the taxes I paid I came out ahead. I bought two tickets on another airline and had enough to pay for the taxes. But then again, that was when you could fly cross country for only $200.

To the OP, I'm sorry that your vouchers are non-transferable. I was just giving you my two cents on what worked for me. Just keep and open mind about it, you never know when you might need to fly somewhere

 

[lidarkside]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

1)My vouchers each had a value of "one ticket up to $600". So the prize could be $1200 total.
2)My vouchers did not have my name on them or any mention that the prize was non-transferable.
3)Even with the taxes I paid I came out ahead. I bought two tickets on another airline and had enough to pay for the taxes. But then again, that was when you could fly cross country for only $200.

Even though the vouchers might not say "non-transferrable" or have your name of them, the rules we agree to when entering sweepstakes and signing affidavits still states it. Since it is a legal agreement, selling them would be in violation of that agreement.

The vouchers have no face value and are not the actual prize. You can turn them in for the tickets, which is the actual prize for up to the stated value. However, in order to pay taxes on them, you would have to know the face value of the actual tickets that the vouchers were turned in for. If you sold them, I don't understand how you would be able to know what to pay taxes on.

We had five vouchers that we could turn in each for a ticket up to the value of $500.00 each, $2,500.00 total. The four tickets we did use four of the vouchers for came to a total of $825.00. So, that was the amount that we were responsible for paying taxes on.

 

[ping1970]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

I don't know where you are flying out of , but is there another airport near you that maybe you could fly out of? If so, it could possible open up a direct or one lay-over type scenario for you that would be more suited to your husband...

I hope that something works out for you. I had to turn down a trip win 2 summers ago and I still hate it, but there wasn't another option available. When I entered for the trip the time of concert and trip was clear, but when I actually won things had changed and my husband was scheduled for surgery so I had to decline. I was glad that someone else did get to enjoy the trip though...even if it wasn't me

Once again ~ good luck!

 

[loren_brothers]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Deb,

I really am sorry that it wasn't as easy as you thought it would be.

You should keep on checking back at the site to see if you can use them in a more convinent fashion. The restrictions do change on a frequent basis. Maybe you'll get lucky and make it to "Dizzy World"

Best of luck, and don't give up. :sunny:

(I still remember the Mickey Mouse hat (with those big black ears) that I got at Disneyland in 1962 as one of my favorite childhood memories! I still have the picture of the 4 of us kids lined up in front of my dad's '57 Buick Roadmaster (he never flew anywhere) all wearing our 'ears'. Boy! Did we look dorky or what??? I loved the submarine ride and the hologram of Lincoln ....

"M. I. C. ... K. E. Y. M. O. U. S. EEEE .... " :sunny: )


APPENDIUM: IF YOU TALK TO AN ACTUAL LIVE PERSON AT THE AIRLINE (or Orbitz) AND CAREFULLY EXPLAIN TO THEM THAT YOUR HUSBAND IS DISABLED AND CAN'T MAKE SO MANY TRANSFERS, YOU MIGHT BE AMAZED BY THE FACT OF HOW FAR THEY WILL BEND THE "RULES" TO ACCOMIDATE (SP) YOU... IF THE BOOKING CLERK SEEMS HESITANT, ASK TO SPEAK TO A SUPERVISOR. GIVE IT A SHOT .... LOREN Let us know if you try and what happens.

 

[hairbandgirl]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Nice idea -- I tried that. Remember, I could get from Harrisburg to Atlanta without the voucher, but had to go through several other airports if I used the voucher.

I am going to assume you mean Harrisburg, Pa?? Are you able to travel out of Philly, Pittsburg or BWI?? Harrisburg isn't a major airport, so therefor you are going to have more lay-overs or transfers.

Can you call someone from Orbitz and have them make the reservations for you??

 

[jjerky22]

Re: Orbitz "win" -- Will I be sorry? YES

Even though the vouchers might not say "non-transferrable" or have your name of them, the rules we agree to when entering sweepstakes and signing affidavits still states it. Since it is a legal agreement, selling them would be in violation of that agreement.

The vouchers have no face value and are not the actual prize. You can turn them in for the tickets, which is the actual prize for up to the stated value. However, in order to pay taxes on them, you would have to know the face value of the actual tickets that the vouchers were turned in for. If you sold them, I don't understand how you would be able to know what to pay taxes on.

We had five vouchers that we could turn in each for a ticket up to the value of $500.00 each, $2,500.00 total. The four tickets we did use four of the vouchers for came to a total of $825.00. So, that was the amount that we were responsible for paying taxes on.

1)Once again my vouchers WERE transferable.....I checked with Northwest reservations before I transfered them.
2)Orbitz sent me a tax form in January of the next year for $800 even though the vouchers were good up to $1200. I sold the vouchers for more than $800.

Sorry that this doesn't sit well with you. Like I said before I was just trying to give options to pwdeb, hoping that this would help her. Really don't know what your help is?????


pwdeb.....Check back every couple days because we all know that the airlines have changed the way they do business about every week or so.