(This is the fourth installment on the problem I'm having getting a hotel room in Jacksonville for this year's Super Bowl. For the others scroll down below.)
There's more news in this unfolding nightmare. After I had the great conversation with Best Western's Paul Alben, I checked my cell phone voicemail, only to find a nasty message from my friend's friend who was supposed to have the room at the Best Western Executive Inn.
I had specifically instructed his accountant not to run my credit card until I called him. What I really did was use one of my debt cards that didn't have money on it, until I found out I actually had a room.
Well, on Wednesday I called to express concern that I didn't have the proper hotel confirmation. Well, his accountant seemed to understand my fear. But the guy who runs this brokerage firm in New York didn't. He basically started yelling at me that "He was only doing this as a favor," and "He wasn't making money on the deal anyway."
I tried to make light of the conversation by simply laughing or basically calming him down, but in my mind I was more nervous that ever. So, I kept calling Best Western until I received call backs starting Thursday.
Anyway, it turns out that they decided to run my card, without my permission. So, of course it came up declined. Now get this, the hotel rep I talked to when I called to report the cell phone message told me that some other firm seemed to have control of the rooms. There are 61 of them.
So if I placed $700 on that card's account, I may not have had the room anyway! The very fine print of the credit card authorization reads "All orders on on a try to fill basis." Plus, the document refers to tickets and not hotel rooms. Geez. A ticket broker trying to move hotel rooms.
Whew!
I hope Best Western comes through.
If reputable broker says they will get you a room, they will. I suggest you use a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers www.NATB.org. As you stated, there is a shortage of rooms, just as (not for you, but for others) there is a shortage of tickets... That is why tickets sell for more than what the NFL charges. Brokers will buy rooms, just as the buy tickets. Why not put the two together and throw it back at the broker?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you could trade a $500 or $600 superbowl ticket for a very nice room either via a ticket broker or directly on craigslist or something like that. The MARKET VALUE of the ticket on the open market is probably more than the market value of the room, so if you have NFL contacts, ask them for an extra pair of tickets, pay the price and you'll (indirectly) get your room from the NFL... Hey for 2 superbowl tickets, I'd be motivated to find you a room.
The concern I have is that I may not get a true room confirmation. Best Western officials said that rooms should not be gotten in this way. Moreover, it reads like there's a kind of "old west" hotel room climate in Jacksonville for the Super Bowl.
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