You can't fix stupid

[bumbershoot]

I overheard someone trying to meet up with their driver at the Portland airport. He was in Oregon. The driver was in Maine.

For some reason that's the most painful for me. Don't know why!


DH was traveling from South America through Panama to Mexico. His particular flight from his origin city happened once a day, if I'm remembering correctly. It left at something like 1am. So of course you get there at 10 or 11pm the day before.

There was a big mixup with everyone involved that resulted in him showing up at 10ish pm on the DATE of the flight...which you can understand was nearly 24 hours AFTER his flight.

This could have just been put on him, except that the following flight she booked was totally wrong for the flight he should have been on. He was going to end up with 24 hours somewhere without a hotel booked, which the TA should have caught. None of us did.

It all worked out...he was routed through Houston for the 24 hour stay, and we have friends there who were available, and all was fine... But it taught us to really read through his itineraries, to become more involved in what the TA was booking, and it got back to the TA as well, since she didn't catch that she was giving him 24 hours without a flight OR hotel (or a head's up).

 

[edk35]

This thread got me thinking made me double check our reservations for our upcoming trip in a few days.

 

[jerseygal]

That is certainly not pleasant!

I am always a little "paranoid" and double and triple check...

Thank goodness that it was just 1 night of points!!!!

 

[mercydisney]

When Pop 1st opened I showed up a day early for my hotel stay. The CM was very accommodating and let us stay the night. They did not charge us for the xtra day we were not staying.

 

[BecBennett]

I packed for a week away, but forgot to pack underwear...

 

[jagson]

Doggone, I don't feel so stupid now. If such an erudite group like this can snafu, I feel in good company. I had no idea this happened to others so frequently. The one-year early arrival post above gives new meaning to early check-in.

 

[crisi]

My sister in law's office manager managed to confuse Sioux Falls, South Dakota with Sioux City, Iowa and booked her in the wrong city for a convention. My SIL was equally confused as she flew to the wrong city before figuring out she was not in the convention location.

We did that one year for the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha. We live in Minneapolis - so we drive. SOMEHOW, my husband managed to book a hotel in St. Louis. We put the address into the GPS and didn't realize we'd made an error until we the GPS didn't tell us to take a right in Des Moines. Lucky for us, we were able to snag cancellations - that is not a weekend to show up in Omaha without a hotel room.

 

[OhioDVC]

I have a week at Old Key West, then a week at Wilderness Lodge followed by a week at Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

But after OKW I went to Bonnet Creek one week early to check in.

OOOOPS

 

[bigtony777]

We have a friend who was to book a return one way flight home after a cruise. They were driving a rental to Florida. On the day they were leaving he realized he book the flight in the wrong direction. They had tickets going to Florida instead of departing from Florida. Flights were sold out coming home so had to rent and drive home in a passenger van and missed a day of work and school. His wife was not happy and he is no longer allowed to book travel.

 

[Figamento]

Sub

 

[gmboy95]

I made a reservation at VB for 7/29, I thought, for an overnight stay following a Key West vacation. I thought the 29th was Wednesday, so I walked in Wednesday, and up to the reservation desk. To my surprise, I was told I was a day too late. Apparently, Wednesday was the 30th, not the 29th. I was certain the desk clerk was wrong when she told me it was the 30th, again not the 29th; until I saw the date on the activities-for-the-day bulletin was dated Wedneday the 30th. Its something only a guy would do. The desk clerk didn't offer to change my reservation, and I didn't ask, knowing what I'd done was shear stupidity, and got what I deserved. Dumb question, but has anyone ever done this, or something similar, before?

so what happened?

 

[DMKEDM]

Fun thread!

I've had all sorts of variations on this theme happen to me (usually my error), but my favorite was the trip to Ames, IA for a huge convention (Odyssey of the Mind World Finals) at Iowa State University...around 10,000 people, all arriving within 2 days of each other and most leaving (or wanting to) on the same day, too--and about 75% of the people there were kids between the ages of 8 and 16...

I was taking a group of seven kids, all aged 11-12 (all good kids; it was a ton of fun), by myself...

Shepherded them all to the airport on departure morning (with the other 9,992 people leaving DesMoines, IA that day), w/not a seat on any flight to any city available that day...everyone but me, my DS and one kid got on our flight...the 3 of us--who'd been booked by DS' friend's father, had tix for the next day! Never noticed the date til we tried to board the (totally full) flight...

So, we trotted off to the hotel across the road from the airport (considering it a grand adventure) and spent the day/night there and traveled home next day. Friend's father STILL hasn't lived it down (and he paid for our hotel room, too)...but I've always felt so very grateful that it wasn't MY mistake!!! I totally sympathize w/the "you can't fix stupid" feeling...I've had plenty of those myself, but those stories aren't as good!

Yes, stuff happens!

 

[jagson]

so what happened?

I was offered another room for points, of course. I was too embarassed to ask reimbursement of the lost points; and she didn't offer them back. I declined the room, got back in my car and drove back to Jacksonville. It wasn't too bad a drive. In the future I'll just drive it without an overnight break in Vero. Instead of driving a straight through 9-10" pace, I'll take breaks and stretch it out to 11-12' drive.