Cheri H.

Where to begin? I was a VERY, very loyal customer of TT for years. Loved how easy it was to use, etc. Then, when our needs diminished (retired, no longer business owners) we no longer needed their all-singing, all-dancing package. So, last year, I didn't update the credit card info and sent a message to say that we no longer wanted the service. What did they do? They charged AN EXPIRED CREDIT CARD. It went through. I used TT since I had paid for it (too much involved to try to do a chargeback, etc). This year, I went to their site and made sure they didn't have my current cc info. I'm still getting e-mails telling me that my card is no longer current and that it needs to be updated. I HAVE WRITTEN, nothing. I called today and got Paresh, clearly from India, whom was probably a nice guy but was impossible to understand. Worse, he wanted more info than was necessary to do a simple cancellation. He wanted the refund amount from last year (who remembers? It's in my files in another area that I couldn't access while on the phone.) Quite frankly, I got frustrated and ugly because all I wanted to do was cancel the service and it was one step away from impossible. There are no e-mail customer service addresses. They lure you in, but you cannot cancel without a special dispensation from God. If they try to charge my card, I will be filing several fraud charges on them because I've called, written, removed info in my account, etc, and still get e-mails telling me that they are about to send me the product. There is something frightening about a company that goes out of its way to make it nearly impossible to extricate yourself from them. I'm not saying this is deliberately fraudulent on their part, but...

I booked a room at this particular franchise as it provided the services we required near a location where we had appointments. Most importantly, we required a handicap-friendly (i. E., roll-in shower accessible) room as my seventy-five year husband, is a below-the-knee amputee with heart issues. Had I been advised of the conditions of the room that we were given, the booking would never have been made.

To be frank, the room was a horror and whoever is responsible for its upkeep should be deeply ashamed. I do not refer to the hotel staff, but to those who control the purse strings when repairs are needed. As you will see below, this room should never have been rented, much less considered an accessible room.

Specifically:

1) Upon opening the door following check-in, a thick smell permeated everywhere. It is difficult to describe, but it was very similar to concrete dust and smoke.

2) There were two electrical switches to the left of the door upon entry. Only one worked.

3) The air conditioning panel didn't work properly. It was either full out freezing or nothing. There was no fan control, nor temperature control. We were told that the system "could" be under the control of a central computer or the hotel guest, but we obviously had zero control other than "off" and "on."

4) The strip light above the sink in the bathroom didn't work. This was reported and maintenance replaced the bulb.

5) There was no working extractor fan in the ceiling of the bathroom. Condensation was rife.

6) Tiles in the shower were slippery when wet. The bench seat tilted at a downward angle when sat upon, giving poor support when water and soap made it slick. Again, this was supposed to be for someone who has difficulty standing in the shower.

7) The shower curtain did not stop water from escaping the shower area. The floor of the entire bathroom flooded, with water seeping out into the entryway. We had to take four towels and make a barrier to prevent this from happening. There was a small plastic "liner" that was supposed to contain the water, but it made no difference. When it was mentioned to maintenance, we were told that the hotel was about to undergo renovations. Evidently, whoever controlled the finances believed it was better to risk a handicapped client slipping and falling on a flooded floor than to spring for a new liner.

8) The cistern/tank of the toilet would not fill and water continued to flow. The white tube that carried water into the tank was trapped and we had to physically move the tube in order for water to fill the tank.

9) Sheets and the duvet cover appeared to be in great demand. Our bed was made in the following manner: a fitted sheet, a duvet without any cover and then a sheet on top of the duvet.

10) The safe was inoperable at check-in. Only after I went to complain was I told that all of the hotel safes had been deactivated for the pending renovation. Due to the items we were carrying, we required a safe. It was one of the reasons why we had chosen this particular hotel—the safe. It took the General Manager's intervention to get it reset so that we could use it.

11) The same dresser that held the safe had drawers that would not close. If shut, they would slowly roll back open several centimeters.

12) The work/computer desk was falling apart. Of the two decorative tiles that should have been in the front, one was hanging by a nail (or however it was actually attached) and one was missing. The in-built power strip did not work for the USB charging point.

13) There was no microwave, although that was one of the features promised. Your General Manager, Jerrod, managed to find one for us. (As you will read later, Jerrod was one of the few bright spots in this stay.)

14) The television control did not work. Eventually, one was found and brought to us.

15) There were only 10 channels available and none matched the guide. Television service, along with everything else, was downgraded until the upcoming renovation. (More on this later)

16) The coffee maker leaked when used.

17) The clock alarm could not be reset.

18) There was an iron, but no ironing board.

19) Our room, #109, was on the ground floor. Curtains were important—especially as there were several "visitors" outside of the window at night to sit and smoke. Unfortunately, the right side of the runner was broken and hung down at a steep angle, thus leaving the curtains approximately one-quarter open. We had to take the heavy curtains and place them on the window sill, using their balled-up weight to keep them closed.

20) The room was right next to a meeting room, the Galleria. Special events were held here—and music was playing full blast on several occasions. We had to call twice on one particular night as we couldn't hear with the noise. The bed was placed up against the wall adjoining this events room. Again, this was a handicapped room.

21) Despite the numerous complaints that we were forced to make, we were never offered an alternative room. Instead, it was initially suggested that we might want to find another hotel—an impossibility for the reasons listed below.

22) The washing machine in the laundry room was out-of-order the entire time we stayed.

23) The pool and fitness rooms were closed for a day and a half with no reason given, just a sign hanging up.

24) There was no notification about the scarcity of room service. I had to enquire at Reception as to why no one collected our garbage, etc. I was informed that housekeeping only came if your stay is over 5 days due to the current health crisis. This would not have been an issue with us as we prefer not to have service other than trash and towels, but we should have been made aware of this policy. At the very least, a little notice and/or advisement at check-in would have been helpful.

Why did we stay? No choice. We live out-of-country and had flown in on personal business. Whenever we're in the States, we take advantage of obtaining items we cannot get where we live. For this visit, we had placed numerous orders with the hotel as our address. There was no way for us to change or cancel these orders. Secondly, CPAC was being held in Dallas and the chances of finding another handicap-accessible room at the last minute were miniscule. We felt our hands were tied.

During our stay, we heard from several sources that the upcoming (approximately in 9 days, or around the 17th of July) renovation was why things were in the condition that they were in. There is absolutely no excuse why this hotel continues to operate with such abysmal standards, charges for services not provided or in a borderline-dangerous condition. Room 109 should never have been rented out.

There was one bright spot in this mess: the staff. General Manager Jerrod did his best to provide the missing items while maintaining a friendly and professional demeanor. He apologized for the conditions pending renovation and promised that he would do his best to make things right for us and we believe that he did absolutely everything he could with what was available to him. He was a star. Additionally, your receptionists were great and one in particular, Vanessa, should also be commended for how well she handled things when I began reporting the problems we encountered. On the first day alone, I had to go down to Reception at least a half of dozen times, if not more. Each time, Vanessa was friendly and professional, despite my clearly being upset.

In a nutshell, this company advertises that you get 1% cashback at the charge and a second 1% when it's paid... FALSE. I check our account daily and immediately pay all charges in full. So, I should see the cashback, right? Wrong. According to their rep, "John" (can any fake name be more obvious?), it's at the end of the billing cycle. Ummmm... that's not what they advertise. If I'm honest, this isn't a huge deal for us as we got the card to build up credit in spouse's name, but that's also not the point. IT'S DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING. Worse, when I went online and chatted with their rep, he gave me the pat answers... FOR ANOTHER CUSTOMER. Oh, it gets better. Then, he not only ignores my initial question about the cashback (after the stock answer), but he STARTS SENDING ME MESSAGES MEANT FOR ANOTHER CUSTOMER that he was clearly chatting to at the same time as me! I now know that "Donna" has been a many-years customer who is not happy and she got another stock answer from him (no point in giving the entire comment). The card isn't important to us, but I won't cancel it because it would affect the credit rating and that's not right. So... I will be sure to pass on our experiences everywhere I can.

Since there is no zero rating, I have to give them a one... which is one more than they deserve. They are thieves because they took eight months of my membership and never answered one of the DOZENS of e-mails I sent requesting assistance. There was a change in their website, so we then had to use our e-mail addresses to log in. As my user name began with a "V," I was one of the last to be changed over from using the user name to using the e-mail address. IT NEVER WORKED. I tried and tried, but I could not access my account and those money grubbers never once responded, despite my using their "help" button... which gives you stock answers and zero assistance. Since I had several friends I enjoyed meeting online in the games, I ended up buying a new membership and lost EIGHT MONTHS that had been already been paid for. 2) The games also changed. While they don't tell you, they mix members with non-members and you end up waiting on people as they have to watch ads... but you don't know this because you, as a paying member, receive no notification. 3) THEIR RATING SYSTEMS ARE A JOKE. I loved playing one particular game, but found I lost points after I had won four in a row. The system was so inconsistent, but it was obvious that it didn't work properly. Too bad. 4) You could be an expert in a game and you would be playing with a partner who was a bare beginner and you had no way of knowing this. 5) There was no way to vote out disruptive players and they didn't give two craps if you complained because THEY DON'T RESPOND TO QUERIES... EVER. 6) The games had bugs and you would often find yourself "frozen" in the middle of a game or even worse, suddenly ejected because Pogo "belched." 7) They have a bad language filter that would bleep out simple, everyday words that were NEVER curses, but you could write a word like t h i s and write anything. Uh, what? Not to mention that the vast majority of players were way over 18.8) The games went from decent, yet simple, graphics to sexist/cartoonish (skintight FA uniform, spades characters looking like stereotypical 40's mob types... including the "heavies" and "woman of questionable integrity" and on and on. 9) You couldn't get rid of disruptive/delaying players so people would be stuck for 20 minutes or so or had to quit just to be able to play. 10) and to reemphasize this: THEY NEVER RESPOND TO ANY QUERIES. THEY TAKE YOUR MONEY AND LAUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK.