Collis P Huntington Railroad Historical Soc

Sept 26, 2017We do not accept the alleged resolution (“easily” sell the tickets ourselves) because it is not reasonable for the following reasons:1) We did NOT MAKE a last-minute cancellation, but rather cancelled within a week after the arbitrary deadline and weeks before the trip dateIt is not unreasonable for customers shelling out $179/ticket to expect at least a grace period after that date Grace periods are a business practice.2) We did NOT request a full refund, but would settle for a partial refund A minimum of 70% would not be unreasonable.3) When we first contacted the railroad company, their website showed one ticket still available for the weekend in question, which means they were still selling ticketsAll they would have had to do is change the “1” to “3”, to include our two unwanted tickets, and they would have most likely re-sold them by now.4) We would expect a partial refund, PLUS a tax-deduction certificate for the non -refunded amount, showing that we were making a donation to this non-profit organization.5) New River has demonstrated that their fundraiser, which depends on the kindness of customers, is all about them with no due consideration to paying customers who may have unforeseen developments preventing them from the trip “Customers coming first” is apparently not a mantra in this organizationThank you [redacted] ***

As the customer stated, they did purchase tickets on July 24, The customer purchased these tickets of his own free will, online, knowing there would be no refund given after September 1, In order to purchase tickets online, a customers must read and agree to the terms and conditions of our cancelation policy which is clearly stated in all our ads, website, brochures, confirmations, and before you submit the order onlineThe customers has no basis to be surprised when we did not give him/her a refund when they called after the appropriate date and know when way in advanced what our cancelation policy isWe receive a few cancelations throughout the year and have no issue refunding money for any reason, minus the fee, before September It always seems like within 5-days after the deadline we get more cancelations than ever, including this customerIt doesn’t take anything for a customer to make up a long drawn up story to get their money back then blame the business on something that it they already knew aboutIt seems that the customer’s story changes every time they talk to someoneWhen the customer called about 6-days after the cancelation deadline, they said there were family issues but did not tell us what the issues wereWe don’t need to know their business and if its private, that is perfectly fine however, they did tell us their son had lost his job and they had to come back from Canada where they were visitingWhen the customer called to cancel their tickets, they were told, again, about the cancelation policyOur representative decided IF and only IF we could resell the tickets which could take between and weeks to resell, then we could issue the customer a refund minus the feeThey accepted these terms however the customer called back in less than weeks and expected us to give a refund stillHe didn’t understand why we couldn’t issue a refundWe explained to him the several reasons whyThe customer claims that it won’t be a hardship on our group to re sell the tickets when in fact, we have already stopped advertising, already assigned railroad cars, and have counted on this reservation to fill capacity on our annual fundraiser, to which we explained to the customerWe don’t send physical tickets to passenger until October for several reasonsPeople loose their tickets, or they try to tell us they lost their tickets, when they really didn’t, just to receive two sets of tickets in order to get free seats for more peopleAnother reason is, we have to assign every person on the train (which is about passengers per day) to specific railroad cars and this takes timeIf everyone that canceled did the same thing, it would be a hardship on our groupIf we make an exception to one person, then we have to make it to allI don’t quite understand how a customer can know how much of a “hardship” or “non-hardship” it is for our group to resell the tickets when he knows nothing about how to manage a train excursion we have been putting on for yearsBefore submitting payment, the customer clearly knows all tickets for the excursions will not be mailed until the the first part of October and knows all the cancelation policies from wording online and from the email confirmation he receivedThe customer said “This is not Christian”We are clearly not a church and we do not endorse or use religion to base business decisions onBecause he submitted his order online, he did receive an email confirmation which acts as his receipt and has all the trip information on itThey could easily sell the tickets to a friend or family member with the informationAs told to the customer, we would only need the new names of the passengers riding the train, and where to send the ticketsI will also like to add, we were not mean, loud, didn’t raise our voice, did not use explicit language to the customer and they decided to hang up the phone in mid sentence during our conversation because they did not want to listen to what we were explainingThe customer states it isn’t their responsibility to sell their ticketsIn actuality when the customer agreed to the terms and conditions of purchasing the tickets, they took the responsibility from that point onThank you

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowI feel that the resolution of a 20% discount on future train trip with an expiration date of July 1st of is a insult to me and my familyYou know as well and I do and any one who reads this complaint that I will never do with business your company so the offer of a discount is muteIn your response you have stated that my statements were not 100% accurateI ask you were you on this train during this trip, Because I was and I stand by my statements and facts of this caseI am again requesting a refund Regards, [redacted]

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowSince MD Construction did not come up with a resolution such as a refund for work not done at all or inadequate work I have the following requestIn addition, MD Construction staff did not complete the driveway fill and seal, build a gate, put up the dog kennel or repair the leak MrM [redacted] did not refund the $after several request for work he admits has not done I expect the $returned If needed I can obtain letters from my neighbors, and friends who seen the other people put up the gate and will testify he stopped working on my home to work on my neighbor’s home and never completed my workAs per our agreement, he was to put in two drainage systems on each side of my backyard I asked him for the refund and he refuse to return $since he only placed one drainage system in my backyard This drainage system is not performing the job he stated it would do I will add photos, if I am able to after I get another cord for my camera to show how much water is pooling up These pools of water were there before and after he complete his work The area near the fire ring had never flood, but is now flooding since he complete his work The dogs are not diggersThe topsoil he put along the edges of the house was not neededThe pools of water was close to the sides and center of both sides of the backyard He instructed the driver to back the truck in the driveway, after the driver attempted to dump the topsoil at the beginning of the driveway The driver had no clue he was not the homeowner MrM [redacted] of MD Construction interfered with the driver's task and caused my driveway to be damaged Based on my lowest estimate for driveway repair of $1, I am requesting the following $for the backyard drainage system half way put in and other side not working; $for work never performed (gate, kennel, or driveway); $1,for the driveway repairs Total amount $MrM [redacted] stated he had over years of experience I have been questioning, if he truly knew what he was doing Regards, [redacted] Photo maybe added, if needed, since we have been having a lot of rainHe refuses to provide the company's tax ID number so a can be given to them for the work at my home or my neighbors

The complaint in which the customer has is not 100% accurate. The matter in which the Air Conditioning broke is correct however it broke en route on our way back from our turn around point. As soon as the train manager found out about the situation, he made sure cases of water were given to all... passengers on board the that car. It did take a few minutes to get cases of water through a moving train at 65 mph with passengers walking through cars and standing around their seats. We had 1200 passengers and 150 crew members on board the train that day, with only 50 passengers on board that particular car and not 100+ as the customer states.Also, the ride home was only a 4 hour ride home, in which 3 hours of it was in daylight. After sunset, the car did cool down as there was no sun to heat the car up. The car was a little over temperature and not blaring hot. Temperatures outside did not exceed 72F. The issues occurred after we departed our turnaround point, so charting a bus last minute would not have worked. Trying to find a bus company, waiting for them to show up would have taken much longer than riding the train back to Huntington.We operated on a mainline railroad through places in West Virginia that are not accessible by vehicle, especially a bus. The customers sounds like they were trapped in that car with no other choice. We did not have any vacant seats available onboard the train as we do sell out months in advanced, however any passenger did have the option to walk through other cars with no issue to get cool if they were that uncomfortable. Our volunteers are exactly that, volunteers who don’t know 100% of how the operations are, and even when they do are told not to discuss operations of the train with passengers. This is our policy because of volunteers not knowing the correct information, telling passenger false information, and customers getting upset over something that isn’t true. Also, they only volunteer 4 days a year, so knowing exactly where they are en route is a bit hard to remember.As stated, we did provide cases of water to the 50 passengers on board the car with warmer conditions. This customer is the only customer out of the 50 others to complain. The train does not take 5 hours to return to Huntington and only takes 4. The car was warmer for only about 2 1/2 hours as weather conditions in the Gorge can be up to 10F cooler than other places close by, as well as the sun setting which helps. Ends doors on the car were propped open to help circulate air. Ordering busses to pick passengers was out of the question as access to the train was impossible and when it was possible, the car was cooled down, and the train was almost back to our starting location. Asking for a total refund for their trip is ridiculous as we did try to accommodate the best we were able to do, due to the situation we had at hand. As stated in each passengers confirmation, back of their ticket, brochures, ads, flyers, online ordering, and stated over the phone on each call, we do not give any refunds after September 1, 2017. We did offer a 20% discount on 2018’s New River Train if they would like to ride with us again which will stand until July 1, 2018. The customer has not taken that opportunity as of yet. Thank you.Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc,

Business response taken over the phone by Revdex.com staff (**)
MrM*** sates the following:
The consumers uncle destroyed her driveway when his business delivered the topsoilThe driver for the uncles company was advised not to pull into the consumers drive because of the weight
Consumer
purchased all of the materials including the topsoil and seeds and therefore business cannot attest to the quality or cost of the materials
The puddles referenced in her complaint is caused by all of the dogs she owns
Company leveled top soil higher in one specific area to avoid flooding and ruining the backyard completely
Business has performed all the work he was suppose to perform (except for the installation of the kennel)

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. Since MD Construction did not come up with a resolution such as a refund for work not done at all or inadequate work.  I have the following request. In addition, MD Construction staff did not complete the driveway fill and seal, build a gate, put up the dog kennel or repair the leak.  Mr. M[redacted] did not refund the $380 after several request for work he admits has not done.  I expect the $380 returned.  If needed I can obtain letters from my neighbors, and friends who seen the other people put up the gate and will testify he stopped working on my home to work on my neighbor’s home and never completed my work. As per our agreement, he was to put in two drainage systems on each side of my backyard.  I asked him for the refund and he refuse to return $250 since he only placed one drainage system in my backyard.  This drainage system is not performing the job he stated it would do.  I will add photos, if I am able to after I get another cord for my camera to show how much water is pooling up.  These pools of water were there before and after he complete his work.  The area near the fire ring had never flood, but is now flooding since he complete his work.  The dogs are not diggers. The topsoil he put along the edges of the house was not needed. The pools of water was close to the sides and center of both sides of the backyard He instructed the driver to back the truck in the driveway, after the driver attempted to dump the topsoil at the beginning of the driveway.  The driver had no clue he was not the homeowner.  Mr. M[redacted] of MD Construction interfered with the driver's task and caused my driveway to be damaged.  Based on my lowest estimate for driveway repair of $1,600.  I am requesting the following $500 for the backyard drainage system half way put in and other side not working; $380 for work never performed (gate, kennel, or driveway);  $1,600 for the driveway repairs.  Total amount $2480 Mr. M[redacted] stated he had over 20 years of experience.  I have been questioning, if he truly knew what he was doing.   Regards, [redacted]   Photo maybe added, if needed, since we have been having a lot of rain. He refuses to provide the company's tax ID number so a 1099 can be given to them for the work at my home or my neighbors.

This customer obviously has no concept of running a business. We CLEARLY stated the cancelation policies on our website, ads, brochures, email confirmations, an a checkout. This customer was well aware that NO money would be returned after September 1st and clearly does not like our policies and should not have bought tickets if that was the case.The cancelation was done after the date we accept cancelations. We have already stated the reasoning in our policies which we don't have to give a reason. You CANNOT get a tax deductible certificate for items which you receive something in return, nor for a fee.If the customer did not understand or want to accept the policies, why did they make a reservation?

The complaint in which the customer has is not 100% accurate. The matter in which the Air Conditioning broke is correct however it broke en route on our way back from our turn around point. As soon as the train manager found out about the situation, he made sure cases of water were given to all...

passengers on board the that car. It did take a few minutes to get cases of water through a moving train at 65 mph with passengers walking through cars and standing around their seats. We had 1200 passengers and 150 crew members on board the train that day, with only 50 passengers on board that particular car and not 100+ as the customer states.Also, the ride home was only a 4 hour ride home, in which 3 hours of it was in daylight. After sunset, the car did cool down as there was no sun to heat the car up. The car was a little over temperature and not blaring hot. Temperatures outside did not exceed 72F. The issues occurred after we departed our turnaround point, so charting a bus last minute would not have worked. Trying to find a bus company, waiting for them to show up would have taken much longer than riding the train back to Huntington.We operated on a mainline railroad through places in West Virginia that are not accessible by vehicle, especially a bus. The customers sounds like they were trapped in that car with no other choice. We did not have any vacant seats available onboard the train as we do sell out months in advanced, however any passenger did have the option to walk through other cars with no issue to get cool if they were that uncomfortable. Our volunteers are exactly that, volunteers who don’t know 100% of how the operations are, and even when they do are told not to discuss operations of the train with passengers. This is our policy because of volunteers not knowing the correct information, telling passenger false information, and customers getting upset over something that isn’t true. Also, they only volunteer 4 days a year, so knowing exactly where they are en route is a bit hard to remember.As stated, we did provide cases of water to the 50 passengers on board the car with warmer conditions. This customer is the only customer out of the 50 others to complain. The train does not take 5 hours to return to Huntington and only takes 4. The car was warmer for only about 2 1/2 hours as weather conditions in the Gorge can be up to 10F cooler than other places close by, as well as the sun setting which helps. Ends doors on the car were propped open to help circulate air. Ordering busses to pick passengers was out of the question as access to the train was impossible and when it was possible, the car was cooled down, and the train was almost back to our starting location. Asking for a total refund for their trip is ridiculous as we did try to accommodate the best we were able to do, due to the situation we had at hand. As stated in each passengers confirmation, back of their ticket, brochures, ads, flyers, online ordering, and stated over the phone on each call, we do not give any refunds after September 1, 2017. We did offer a 20% discount on 2018’s New River Train if they would like to ride with us again which will stand until July 1, 2018. The customer has not taken that opportunity as of yet. Thank you.Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society, Inc,

Sept 26, 2017We do not accept the alleged resolution (“easily” sell the tickets ourselves) because it is not reasonable for the following reasons:1) We did NOT MAKE a last-minute cancellation, but rather cancelled within a week after the arbitrary deadline and 7 weeks before the trip date. It is not unreasonable for customers shelling out $179/ticket to expect at least a grace period after that date.  Grace periods are a normal business practice.2) We did NOT request a full refund, but would settle for a partial refund.  A minimum of 70% would not be unreasonable.3) When we first contacted the railroad company, their website showed one ticket still available for the weekend in question, which means they were still selling tickets. All they would have had to do is change the “1” to “3”, to include our two unwanted tickets, and they would have most likely re-sold them by now.4) We would expect a partial refund, PLUS a tax-deduction certificate for the non -refunded amount, showing that we were making a donation to this non-profit organization.5) New River has demonstrated that their fundraiser, which depends on the kindness of customers, is all about them with no due consideration to paying customers who may have unforeseen developments preventing them from the trip.    “Customers coming first” is apparently not a mantra in this organization. Thank you.
[redacted]

As the customer stated, they did purchase tickets on July 24, 2017. The customer purchased these tickets of his own free will, online, knowing there would be no refund given after September 1, 2017. In order to purchase tickets online, a customers must read and agree to the terms and conditions of...

our cancelation policy which is clearly stated in all our ads, website, brochures, confirmations, and before you submit the order online. The customers has no basis to be surprised when we did not give him/her a refund when they called after the appropriate date and know when way in advanced what our cancelation policy is. We receive a few cancelations throughout the year and have no issue refunding money for any reason, minus the fee, before September 1. It always seems like within 5-6 days after the deadline we get more cancelations than ever, including this customer. It doesn’t take anything for a customer to make up a long drawn up story to get their money back then blame the business on something that it they already knew about. It seems that the customer’s story changes every time they talk to someone. When the customer called about 6-8 days after the cancelation deadline, they said there were family issues but did not tell us what the issues were. We don’t need to know their business and if its private, that is perfectly fine however, they did tell us their son had lost his job and they had to come back from Canada where they were visiting. When the customer called to cancel their tickets, they were told, again, about the cancelation policy. Our representative decided IF and only IF we could resell the tickets which could take between 2 and 5 weeks to resell, then we could issue the customer a refund minus the fee. They accepted these terms however the customer called back in less than 2 weeks and expected us to give a refund still. He didn’t understand why we couldn’t issue a refund. We explained to him the several reasons why. The customer claims that it won’t be a hardship on our group to re sell the tickets when in fact, we have already stopped advertising, already assigned railroad cars, and have counted on this reservation to fill capacity on our annual fundraiser, to which we explained to the customer. We don’t send physical tickets to passenger until October for several reasons. People loose their tickets, or they try to tell us they lost their tickets, when they really didn’t, just to receive two sets of tickets in order to get free seats for more people. Another reason is, we have to assign every person on the train (which is about 1200 passengers per day) to specific railroad cars and this takes time. If everyone that canceled did the same thing, it would be a hardship on our group. If we make an exception to one person, then we have to make it to all. I don’t quite understand how a customer can know how much of a “hardship” or “non-hardship” it is for our group to resell the tickets when he knows nothing about how to manage a train excursion we have been putting on for 51 years. Before submitting payment, the customer clearly knows all tickets for the excursions will not be mailed until the the first part of October and knows all the cancelation policies from wording online and from the email confirmation he received. The customer said “This is not Christian”. We are clearly not a church and we do not endorse or use religion to base business decisions on. Because he submitted his order online, he did receive an email confirmation which acts as his receipt and has all the trip information on it. They could easily sell the tickets to a friend or family member with the information. As told to the customer, we would only need the new names of the passengers riding the train, and where to send the tickets. I will also like to add, we were not mean, loud, didn’t raise our voice, did not use explicit language to the customer and they decided to hang up the phone in mid sentence during our conversation because they did not want to listen to what we were explaining. The customer states it isn’t their responsibility to sell their tickets. In actuality when the customer agreed to the terms and conditions of purchasing the tickets, they took the responsibility from that point on. Thank you

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. I feel that the resolution of a 20% discount on future train trip with an expiration date of July 1st of 2018 is a insult to me and my family. You know as well and I do and any one who reads this complaint that I will never do with business your company so the offer of a discount is mute. In your response you have stated that my statements were not 100% accurate. I ask you were you on this train during this trip, Because I was and I stand by my statements and facts of this case. I am again requesting a refund. 
Regards,
[redacted]