Honeymoon with hitches a heartache for couple

It was supposed to be a dream honeymoon on a Caribbean island at a brand-new resort: A suite with two Jacuzzis, pool view and room service.

But Cobb County newlyweds Lindsey and Cody Williams say it turned into a nightmare that forced them to return to Atlanta after less than a day.

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Bob Andres/bandres@ajc.com

Lindsey (right) and Cody Williams booked a honeymoon at a new resort, but then it turned out to be not ready to open. Things got even worse from there.

SPOTLIGHT: BY ALISON YOUNG

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“My honeymoon,” 23-year-old bride Lindsey Williams wrote in an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “could go down in history as one of the worst experiences ever.”

The Williamses’ expensive odyssey is a cautionary tale for travelers, consumer experts said: check out travel agents, scrutinize changes in itineraries and be flexible, yet persistent, when things go wrong.

The couple married Nov. 15 in Dallas, Ga., and celebrated with 175 friends and family at the Marietta Country Club.

Two days earlier, they received news that could have been a red flag for their honeymoon: The resort hadn’t opened as scheduled.

In September, the couple bought an all-inclusive air and hotel package for $3,693, records show, through a travel agent recommended by friends: Ken MacVicar at Unique Choice Travel.

“We thought, that will make it easier,” Lindsey Williams said. “Planning a wedding and planning a honeymoon is a lot to do.”

MacVicar was glad to help. About a year ago the Cobb County retiree bought an online travel agency through YourTravelBiz.com of Wood River, Ill.

“It’s just a way to supplement my income,” MacVicar said.

He said he doesn’t advertise and handles 20 or 30 trips a year, largely for family and friends.

YourTravelBiz, also known as the YTB Travel Network, was sued in August by the California attorney general, alleging it operates a “gigantic pyramid scheme.” It’s a “travel card mill” that provides people willing to pay about $1,000 a year with credentials “purporting to identify them as professional travel agents,” the suit says. YTB calls the allegations baseless, and MacVicar said the suit has nothing to do with him.

A year ago, the International Air Transport Association, a travel industry group, revoked YTB’s accreditation.

But Lindsey Williams said she didn’t know any of this in September when she chose MacVicar to handle her honeymoon.

MacVicar said he just helped Williams navigate the YTB travel booking engine on his Web site, which is similar to those found on sites such as Expedia. “She made all the decisions,” he said. “I just walked her through it.”

The bride booked a six-night air and hotel package in the Dominican Republic’s Punta Cana area. She said she picked the 600-room Majestic Elegance for its posh amenities, particularly Jacuzzis and free room service.

The hotel’s Web site says the “Majestic Jr. Suite” she reserved is: “located on first floor with direct access to the swimming pool and small garden.” Williams said she liked that the resort was scheduled to open in October, so it would be brand new.

Then on Nov. 13 — two days before the wedding — MacVicar delivered unexpected news: The Majestic Elegance hadn’t opened. The couple were being offered equivalent accommodations at the nearby Gran Bahia Principe Punta Cana.

The couple decided to go ahead with the trip after being assured they’d get the same amenities. “My expectation was that everything would be taken care of and honored,” Lindsey Williams said.

The trip was horrible, the couple say. To start, Delta Air Lines lost their luggage on the Nov. 16 flight to Punta Cana. “But hey, it’s our honeymoon. We’ve got a Jacuzzi and we’ll just wear our robes,” Lindsey Williams said.

But the room at the substitute resort didn’t have the two-person Jacuzzis they’d looked forward to, just a jetted bathtub for one. There was mildew in the bathroom and some linens were stained, Lindsey Williams said. The room was in a part of the resort that didn’t offer room service, and it overlooked a construction site. “We were supposed to at least have a pool view,” she said.

When they complained, Williams said, hotel staff said the couple could pay for an upgrade. “Of course we’re not going to pay again for something we already paid for,” Williams said.

They e-mailed MacVicar for help. His wife called the hotel, without success. Lindsey Williams e-mailed MacVicar: “it’s been the honeymoon from hell and we would like to forget it and try again somewhere else in the world at another time.”

That night MacVicar

e-mailed Travel Impressions, an American Express-owned vacation wholesaler that was the actual seller of the package. “I expect them to receive a FULL refund,” he wrote, and sent a copy to Williams.

The couple left the island the next day. During a layover in New York, MacVicar told them Travel Impressions would refund only $1,968, a little more than half their cost, because they had used their airfare.

In an interview, Lindsey Williams said nobody ever told them they would lose nearly $2,000. “There was no advisement to stay and find another hotel,” she said.

Williams and MacVicar appealed to Travel Impressions, but the company said the case was closed, Williams said. “They said our travel agent … should have advised us they were not allowed to refund the airfare.”

After the AJC contacted Travel Impressions spokeswoman Sallie Rawlings, the company changed its mind. “They will get a full refund,” she said, saying earlier refusals were made without examining the case’s “gory details.”

Diana Martinez, vice president of U.S. sales for Bahia Principe, said she couldn’t comment on the couple’s experience. In general, she said, when one hotel sends guests to another, it’s the referring hotel and consumers’ responsibility to ensure rooms are equivalent.

The Majestic Elegance finally opened Nov. 21, Ricardo Espinosa Muñoz, a Majestic Resorts vice president, said in an e-mail. The delay was unexpected and guests who were transferred will get a complimentary stay at the new hotel.

A YourTravelBiz.com spokeswoman said the full refund is testament to the “tremendous job” done by MacVicar.

But Lindsey Williams said in the future she’s going to book her own trips and check out all the companies.

“You have to do your own research,” she said.

PREVENT TRAVEL NIGHTMARES

Verifying all details and checking out travel vendors are critical steps to heading off problems, said Fred Elsberry Jr., president of the Better Business Bureau covering metro Atlanta, Athens and northeast Georgia.

• Pick an experienced travel agent. “It’s certainly OK to have a referral, but don’t stop there,” said Elsberry, who spent 30 years in customer service at Delta. Check them out with travel agent associations and bbb.org, he said.

• Know who is really making your arrangements. Is it the travel agent? Or are they simply acting as a middleman for larger brokers?

• Trust, but verify. Whether you use an agent or book on your own, get written confirmation of flights, reservations and any special requests. Then call each vendor directly to double-check the paperwork. “You can invest about 30 minutes of your time and save yourself several days and lots of headaches,” he said.

• Ask about construction and renovations. If the hotel is new or undergoing extensive renovation such as after a hurricane, Elsberry advises knowing the details of a backup plan 30 days before departure. Even at established hotels, other experts advise asking in advance about any potential construction noise.

• Scrutinize hotel switches. If you’re being moved to “equivalent” accommodations in another hotel, get the details. What room category will you get in the new hotel and how do its amenities compare? Just because the new hotel may have the same amenities, doesn’t mean your “equivalent” room category includes them.

• Buy travel insurance. It can provide reimbursement under certain circumstances.

• Give the hotel a chance to fix things. Ask for a manager. “You just want to make a lot of noise,” Elsberry said.

• Document everything. If the trip goes badly, take pictures and keep records. If it was paid for with a credit card, dispute the charges.