Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/12/17) */
[redacted] did not have a reservation with our company upon arrival.
[redacted] arrived in a bus with a large group of people, which one of her members of her party, [redacted] attempted to make the reservation, by using other peoples...
credit cards that declined. He attempted to do this through a third party company Booking.com, which that company emailed him his cancellation emails for one of the cabins, not Scenic Wonders. [redacted]'s group made multiple reservations with other companies, booking other cabins in the area.
They all arrived in a large bus, which is not permitted in Yosemite West community, which is a violation.
Being late at night, our company tried to accommodate them, offering our nicest units, at a discounted last minute price. We explained to them over and over again how they did not have a reservation for the second cabin, they must use their own valid credit card to pay the booking. We offered them alternative lodging where their entire group may stay down south, for the two nights. But because they reserved other cabins in the area, to accommodate a bus full of people, they refused to move.
We only had one cabin available for the two nights, which this was a definite reservation, and another for one night that they reserved upon arrival. [redacted] used [redacted]'s credit card to make the one night payment. We offered to assist him with the move the second day, which he agreed to, and thanked us.
Upon departure, we discovered the guest had smoked in the unit, which is another violation, these are non smoking cabins, and in our policy if you smoke in a unit, you can be fined up to $500, which they were not charged for. They also damaged the second cabin, breaking the new cabinetry in the kitchen, and left wine bottles all over the cabin.
They did not follow the rules of our community, and made damages to the cabin!
We work hard to please our customers. We understand sometimes the communication within group members, are not always clear with one another. One member will make the arrangements, and the others did not understand the situation. We spoke directly to [redacted] who spoke english, not [redacted].
We tried to help them feel at ease, even though they damaged the unit, and did not follow the rules & policies. We have photographs of the bus, damaged cabinet, and wine bottles left everywhere. We are very sorry they feel dissatisfied, we tried our best to please them, but unfortunately they do need to take responsibility for their damages. Sincerely, Management Scenic Wonders
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/12/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
First of all, we DID make a reservation, and we have the confirmation email if Scenic Wonders would like to see it!
I would also like to address that our reservation for Serenity Pines (which was upgraded to River Rock Retreat on September 23 according to our confirmation email, not on the date of arrival like what Scenic Wonders said) was charged for a total of three nights instead of two that it was supposed to, we have an email proving that the reservation was made for two nights (checking in on 10/22 and checking out on 10/24). The overcharge of the third night was the cause of the insufficient funds on the card, which in turn causes the declination of the credit card that was also used to book Yosemite Summit. It was a mistake made by the party who handled the payments that caused the inconvenience of the whole situation. I think we deserved an explanation regarding this.
We made reservation for Yosemite Summit on September 23rd, and we received an email on later September 23rd saying the Credit Card Declined. We contact Scenic Wonders through booking.com on September 28th and confirmed that the Yosemite Summit was still available and we can contact booking.com to pay for the reservation. We then used [redacted]'s parents' credit card (they were also travelling with us) to pay for the reservation and the booking status changed to confirm.
The next email that we had received in regards to the declination of the reservation payment was in the nighttime of 10/22, the check-in date, which states that the booking was still confirmed for 24 hours; despite the fact that the payment handling party overcharged the reservation for Serenity Pines causing the declination of the reservation for Yosemite Summit and that a late notice was sent the very same date our group was supposed to check in (I am referring to a late notice because the "Answers To Our Most Frequently Asked Questions" on Scenic Wonders' website states that balances are paid 30 days prior to the arrival as shown below, should any credit card issues arise, they would have been caught way before the arrival date), belongings of our group were relocated without permission before the end of the 24 hour period our reservation was still confirmed for. If another declination email on the updated credit card was sent to us far before our arrival date, please provide a screenshot showing the date and time the email was sent or other means of proof so we know what went wrong. In Scenic Wonder's respond, they said [redacted] agreed to let them assist with the move on the second day. That is definitely not true, who in the world would agree to let the stranger to move their luggage especially while there are some valuable items inside the luggage?
During my phone call with [redacted], the contact person from Scenic Wonders, she mentioned that we should have checked in a day in advance to avoid any incontinence. She also mentioned that we needed to contact them directly in regard to the payment issue. That's totally opposite to what they listed on their website. Please noted that the bullet point are the "rules" from Scenic Wonders' website.
What time is check-in and check-out? What if I arrive late? Can I arrive early?
Check-in is anytime after 4 p.m. and check-out is anytime before 11 am. If you should arrive late after check-in hours and need help, there is a 24-hour manager at our office with an intercom box to assist you. Sorry, due to the size of our properties, and the complexities of cleaning and maintaining them, we cannot allow early check-ins or late check-outs. Please respect your fellow travelers vacation experience.
When do I pay my remaining balance?
Balances due are automatically paid 30 days prior to your arrival by credit card; everyone is paid in full 30 days prior to your arrival. You do not need to call us, unless we contact you for issues with your credit card. We do not accept checks.
As for the large group issue that Scenic Wonders mentioned, we had never exceeded the number of guests stated on our reservation nor the maximum occupancy until the second night where we obtained your consent in allowing 14 guests in River Rock Retreat and this inconvenience and discomfort of over-occupancy were due to the mistakes caused by the payment processing party. In addition, the "Answers To Our Most Frequently Asked Questions" page on your website states that we must provide our own transportation as shown below and that only RVs were the only type of vehicles mentioned that is not allowed to be parked in your property. When we made our entrance, we were friendly guided by the on-site staffs on where to park our bus so if parking buses was an issue, it should have come to the staffs' attention right away.
Is there public transportation or a shuttle bus service to Yosemite West?
No. Due to our remote location there is no public transportation or shuttle bus services to or from Yosemite West. You must have your own transportation.
In regards to the smoking issue and cabinet breakage, you mentioned that someone in our group smoke in the first cabins. I had spoke with our group member and found out one of my uncle did smoke once at the first night. I had to sincerely apology for that. Thank you for not charging us for the $500 fine. However, I think $333 for a cleaning fee is too much especially when Scenic Wonders said cleaning fee is FREE on their website. As far as the cabinet goes, it was only lightly pulled as one of us mistakenly thought it was a drawer, I am in doubt that the property was fully inspected prior to our rental as it would have taken deliberation and a decent amount of pulling force to dislocate the cabinet panel. We refuse to assume FULL responsibility for the dislocation of the cabinet panel.
I had received the photos from booking.com regarding the bus, damaged cabinet and wine bottles. Again, if parking a bus is an issue, it should have come to the staffs' attention right away. If the cabinet can be damage that easy, we should raise a doubt for the quality of the house. We drank two bottles of wine the night before we checkout. We put it on top of one of the cabinet and we forgot to throw them away. If that consisted to be "wine bottles left everywhere", we are so sorry for that.
Lastly, Scenic Wonders said they tried their best to help and please us. In fact, they had never tried to contact us to solve any problems. I tired to contact them a couple times and I can hardly get any response from them. I had sent them an email on October 28th, and I had still not received a reply from them! They charged us an additional $300 dollar without any notice. I had to call them to find out what the cost for, and we do not agreed to pay for that!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/12/24) */
With the price adjustment for compensation, the total costs that [redacted] paid for $333 for Yosemite Summit & Little Summit Cabin for one night.
Her party planner reserved the other two nights in River Rock Retreat, the total costs came to $943.50 for two nights. $300 for the damages for the cabin he reserved and was responsible for. There were no other additional costs but these.
Again, there was no reservation for [redacted] upon arrival, she does not have a reservation made by Scenic Wonders or Booking.com prior to arrival.
Her party coordinator tried to make arrangements through a third party company that caused a lot of confusion, and declined credit cards due to using different cards, as well as
their party coordinator reserving several cabins in Yosemite West area, not part of Scenic Wonders company.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 10, 2015/12/17) */
[redacted] did not have a reservation with our company upon arrival.
[redacted] arrived in a bus with a large group of people, which one of her members of her party, [redacted] attempted to make the reservation, by using other peoples...
credit cards that declined. He attempted to do this through a third party company Booking.com, which that company emailed him his cancellation emails for one of the cabins, not Scenic Wonders. [redacted]'s group made multiple reservations with other companies, booking other cabins in the area.
They all arrived in a large bus, which is not permitted in Yosemite West community, which is a violation.
Being late at night, our company tried to accommodate them, offering our nicest units, at a discounted last minute price. We explained to them over and over again how they did not have a reservation for the second cabin, they must use their own valid credit card to pay the booking. We offered them alternative lodging where their entire group may stay down south, for the two nights. But because they reserved other cabins in the area, to accommodate a bus full of people, they refused to move.
We only had one cabin available for the two nights, which this was a definite reservation, and another for one night that they reserved upon arrival. [redacted] used [redacted]'s credit card to make the one night payment. We offered to assist him with the move the second day, which he agreed to, and thanked us.
Upon departure, we discovered the guest had smoked in the unit, which is another violation, these are non smoking cabins, and in our policy if you smoke in a unit, you can be fined up to $500, which they were not charged for. They also damaged the second cabin, breaking the new cabinetry in the kitchen, and left wine bottles all over the cabin.
They did not follow the rules of our community, and made damages to the cabin!
We work hard to please our customers. We understand sometimes the communication within group members, are not always clear with one another. One member will make the arrangements, and the others did not understand the situation. We spoke directly to [redacted] who spoke english, not [redacted].
We tried to help them feel at ease, even though they damaged the unit, and did not follow the rules & policies. We have photographs of the bus, damaged cabinet, and wine bottles left everywhere. We are very sorry they feel dissatisfied, we tried our best to please them, but unfortunately they do need to take responsibility for their damages. Sincerely, Management Scenic Wonders
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 13, 2015/12/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
First of all, we DID make a reservation, and we have the confirmation email if Scenic Wonders would like to see it!
I would also like to address that our reservation for Serenity Pines (which was upgraded to River Rock Retreat on September 23 according to our confirmation email, not on the date of arrival like what Scenic Wonders said) was charged for a total of three nights instead of two that it was supposed to, we have an email proving that the reservation was made for two nights (checking in on 10/22 and checking out on 10/24). The overcharge of the third night was the cause of the insufficient funds on the card, which in turn causes the declination of the credit card that was also used to book Yosemite Summit. It was a mistake made by the party who handled the payments that caused the inconvenience of the whole situation. I think we deserved an explanation regarding this.
We made reservation for Yosemite Summit on September 23rd, and we received an email on later September 23rd saying the Credit Card Declined. We contact Scenic Wonders through booking.com on September 28th and confirmed that the Yosemite Summit was still available and we can contact booking.com to pay for the reservation. We then used [redacted]'s parents' credit card (they were also travelling with us) to pay for the reservation and the booking status changed to confirm.
The next email that we had received in regards to the declination of the reservation payment was in the nighttime of 10/22, the check-in date, which states that the booking was still confirmed for 24 hours; despite the fact that the payment handling party overcharged the reservation for Serenity Pines causing the declination of the reservation for Yosemite Summit and that a late notice was sent the very same date our group was supposed to check in (I am referring to a late notice because the "Answers To Our Most Frequently Asked Questions" on Scenic Wonders' website states that balances are paid 30 days prior to the arrival as shown below, should any credit card issues arise, they would have been caught way before the arrival date), belongings of our group were relocated without permission before the end of the 24 hour period our reservation was still confirmed for. If another declination email on the updated credit card was sent to us far before our arrival date, please provide a screenshot showing the date and time the email was sent or other means of proof so we know what went wrong. In Scenic Wonder's respond, they said [redacted] agreed to let them assist with the move on the second day. That is definitely not true, who in the world would agree to let the stranger to move their luggage especially while there are some valuable items inside the luggage?
During my phone call with [redacted], the contact person from Scenic Wonders, she mentioned that we should have checked in a day in advance to avoid any incontinence. She also mentioned that we needed to contact them directly in regard to the payment issue. That's totally opposite to what they listed on their website. Please noted that the bullet point are the "rules" from Scenic Wonders' website.
What time is check-in and check-out? What if I arrive late? Can I arrive early?
Check-in is anytime after 4 p.m. and check-out is anytime before 11 am. If you should arrive late after check-in hours and need help, there is a 24-hour manager at our office with an intercom box to assist you. Sorry, due to the size of our properties, and the complexities of cleaning and maintaining them, we cannot allow early check-ins or late check-outs. Please respect your fellow travelers vacation experience.
When do I pay my remaining balance?
Balances due are automatically paid 30 days prior to your arrival by credit card; everyone is paid in full 30 days prior to your arrival. You do not need to call us, unless we contact you for issues with your credit card. We do not accept checks.
As for the large group issue that Scenic Wonders mentioned, we had never exceeded the number of guests stated on our reservation nor the maximum occupancy until the second night where we obtained your consent in allowing 14 guests in River Rock Retreat and this inconvenience and discomfort of over-occupancy were due to the mistakes caused by the payment processing party. In addition, the "Answers To Our Most Frequently Asked Questions" page on your website states that we must provide our own transportation as shown below and that only RVs were the only type of vehicles mentioned that is not allowed to be parked in your property. When we made our entrance, we were friendly guided by the on-site staffs on where to park our bus so if parking buses was an issue, it should have come to the staffs' attention right away.
Is there public transportation or a shuttle bus service to Yosemite West?
No. Due to our remote location there is no public transportation or shuttle bus services to or from Yosemite West. You must have your own transportation.
In regards to the smoking issue and cabinet breakage, you mentioned that someone in our group smoke in the first cabins. I had spoke with our group member and found out one of my uncle did smoke once at the first night. I had to sincerely apology for that. Thank you for not charging us for the $500 fine. However, I think $333 for a cleaning fee is too much especially when Scenic Wonders said cleaning fee is FREE on their website. As far as the cabinet goes, it was only lightly pulled as one of us mistakenly thought it was a drawer, I am in doubt that the property was fully inspected prior to our rental as it would have taken deliberation and a decent amount of pulling force to dislocate the cabinet panel. We refuse to assume FULL responsibility for the dislocation of the cabinet panel.
I had received the photos from booking.com regarding the bus, damaged cabinet and wine bottles. Again, if parking a bus is an issue, it should have come to the staffs' attention right away. If the cabinet can be damage that easy, we should raise a doubt for the quality of the house. We drank two bottles of wine the night before we checkout. We put it on top of one of the cabinet and we forgot to throw them away. If that consisted to be "wine bottles left everywhere", we are so sorry for that.
Lastly, Scenic Wonders said they tried their best to help and please us. In fact, they had never tried to contact us to solve any problems. I tired to contact them a couple times and I can hardly get any response from them. I had sent them an email on October 28th, and I had still not received a reply from them! They charged us an additional $300 dollar without any notice. I had to call them to find out what the cost for, and we do not agreed to pay for that!
Final Business Response /* (4000, 15, 2015/12/24) */
With the price adjustment for compensation, the total costs that [redacted] paid for $333 for Yosemite Summit & Little Summit Cabin for one night.
Her party planner reserved the other two nights in River Rock Retreat, the total costs came to $943.50 for two nights. $300 for the damages for the cabin he reserved and was responsible for. There were no other additional costs but these.
Again, there was no reservation for [redacted] upon arrival, she does not have a reservation made by Scenic Wonders or Booking.com prior to arrival.
Her party coordinator tried to make arrangements through a third party company that caused a lot of confusion, and declined credit cards due to using different cards, as well as
their party coordinator reserving several cabins in Yosemite West area, not part of Scenic Wonders company.