Chris C.
What should have been a simple…
What should have been a simple “arriving one day late due to a flight cancellation” turned into one of the most frustrating customer service experiences we have ever dealt with. After our flight was canceled due to maintenance issues, we responsibly contacted BOTH Crystal Coast Oceanfront Hotel and Joy Travel Concierge to notify them that we would simply be arriving one day late. The hotel understood this perfectly when we spoke with them directly. Unfortunately, after we separately contacted Joy with the exact same information, a Joy representative apparently contacted the hotel and incorrectly informed them that we would not be arriving at all. That incorrect communication from Joy caused the hotel to cancel our ENTIRE reservation. Had Joy not miscommunicated our status to the hotel, none of this would have happened. So after an already stressful travel disruption, we arrived at the property only to discover: * our reservation had been canceled, * our original room was no longer available, * and we were forced to scramble with hotel staff for accommodations because of a mistake created by the booking intermediary itself. We were ultimately downgraded from the king room we originally booked and paid for. To the hotel manager’s credit, she acknowledged the situation, waived parking fees because of the inconvenience, and informed us she would approve a refund for the unused first night. Then the situation became even more concerning. After weeks of follow-ups, Joy Travel Concierge informed us in writing that: * the hotel had “denied” the refund request, * the booking was considered “completed,” * and “no funds could be released.” However, shortly afterward, we received an official refund receipt directly from the hotel confirming that a refund transaction for $197.20 had already been processed. So naturally we asked: If the hotel processed the refund, where did the money go? Because the hotel’s documentation directly contradicts what Joy representatives told us. At this point, this no longer feels like simple customer service confusion. It feels like a serious breakdown in communication, accountability, and transparency between Joy, Expedia, and their booking partners. Travel disruptions happen. Mistakes happen. But customers should not have to: * investigate where refunded money ended up, * receive contradictory explanations, * or suffer the consequences of internal communication failures caused by the company itself. We are now requesting escalation with leadership because the handling of this situation has been completely unacceptable.
Response from JoyMay 29, 2026
Thanks for sharing this. We're looking into this and will shoot you an email. Keep an eye on your inbox.