Comments on: Interview with Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/ It's our business where you sleep! Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:44:02 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Howard Cox http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-1871 Howard Cox Thu, 16 Apr 2009 04:37:50 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-1871 Mr. Dara Khosrowshahi ON April 9, 2009 I booked a vacation with Expedia's customer service. While discussing the reservation I articulated clearly my requirements(hotel name, location, room type, service type) and paid $4800.00 over the phone with a credit card. Instead of getting my confirmation immediately emailed it took two days for confirmation which was wrong. This EXPEDIA sales agent deceitfully altered my initial and agreed upon reservations. I have emailed 5 times, called corporate, and left a voicemail today April 15, 2009 for Barbara, assistant to Vice President, but got no returned phone call. This is my HONEYMOON and I leave on MAY 18, 2009! I am extremely aggrivated with the lack of compassion and professionalism. IF this doesn't get resolved by tomorrow I will have an attorney write a letter on my behalf and persue legal action. Howard Cox Mr. Dara Khosrowshahi
ON April 9, 2009 I booked a vacation with Expedia’s customer service. While discussing the reservation I articulated clearly my requirements(hotel name, location, room type, service type) and paid $4800.00 over the phone with a credit card. Instead of getting my confirmation immediately emailed it took two days for confirmation which was wrong. This EXPEDIA sales agent deceitfully altered my initial and agreed upon reservations. I have emailed 5 times, called corporate, and left a voicemail today April 15, 2009 for Barbara, assistant to Vice President, but got no returned phone call. This is my HONEYMOON and I leave on MAY 18, 2009! I am extremely aggrivated with the lack of compassion and professionalism. IF this doesn’t get resolved by tomorrow I will have an attorney write a letter on my behalf and persue legal action.
Howard Cox

]]> By: Chiara Cellerai http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-746 Chiara Cellerai Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:59:51 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-746 Dear Mr. Khosrowshahi, I'm an Expedia, Venere and WorldBy.Com customer (as traveler) and at the same time, a manager of a hotel chain with my hotels published on Expedia, Venere and WorldBy.Com. From your words ("personalizing the travel experience") it looks like the model that is representing the "next big thing in travel distribution" that the interviewer was asking you, is already "alive and kicking" on WorldBy.Com's websites. http://www.tuscany.net/booking/bookings.htm (point number 8.) How do you intend to benefit from the WorldBy.Com model? As hotelier, I like the partnership with WorldBy.Com a lot, and amongst the companies of the Expedia group, we'd love to see more WorldBy philosophy in your Venere and Expedia service in the future. Congratulations for the acquisition, Venere and WorldBy.Com are really great companies. Dear Mr. Khosrowshahi,

I’m an Expedia, Venere and WorldBy.Com customer (as traveler) and at the same time, a manager of a hotel chain with my hotels published on Expedia, Venere and WorldBy.Com.

From your words (”personalizing the travel experience”) it looks like the model that is representing the “next big thing in travel distribution” that the interviewer was asking you, is already “alive and kicking” on WorldBy.Com’s websites. http://www.tuscany.net/booking/bookings.htm (point number 8.)

How do you intend to benefit from the WorldBy.Com model? As hotelier, I like the partnership with WorldBy.Com a lot, and amongst the companies of the Expedia group, we’d love to see more WorldBy philosophy in your Venere and Expedia service in the future.

Congratulations for the acquisition, Venere and WorldBy.Com are really great companies.

]]> By: Marco http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-737 Marco Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:25:59 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-737 Dear JR Fowler, I am replying to your comment on behalf of venere.com (I am not sure I should and if I am supposed to, as you have a complaint against Expedia, but I do it anyway). Before a direct answer, let me add the following: as mentioned on a previous comment, Expedia is taking over Venere, meaning that it will own the shares of Venere; this does not mean that Venere will be merged into Expedia, nor that Venere will change its processes and even its business model, or that Venere will cease being independent as an organization. On the contrary, one of the very reasons for Expedia to acquire Venere is to be able to count on an "additional" way to provide services to hotels and users, this additional way being the Venere "agency" model, whereby users pay on check-out directly at the hotel. If this was to be changed, then why buying Venere in the first place? or forcing integration and reducing autonomy? To your complaint to Expedia, in view of the above comment, I cannot help much, because Venere and Expedia (will) have a shareholding relationship, but they are not the same organization. I am confident that all complaints, following appropriate routing, are dealt with applying the required attention by the teams respectively accountable for. Dear JR Fowler,
I am replying to your comment on behalf of venere.com (I am not sure I should and if I am supposed to, as you have a complaint against Expedia, but I do it anyway).
Before a direct answer, let me add the following:
as mentioned on a previous comment, Expedia is taking over Venere, meaning that it will own the shares of Venere; this does not mean that Venere will be merged into Expedia, nor that Venere will change its processes and even its business model, or that Venere will cease being independent as an organization.
On the contrary, one of the very reasons for Expedia to acquire Venere is to be able to count on an “additional” way to provide services to hotels and users, this additional way being the Venere “agency” model, whereby users pay on check-out directly at the hotel. If this was to be changed, then why buying Venere in the first place? or forcing integration and reducing autonomy?
To your complaint to Expedia, in view of the above comment, I cannot help much, because Venere and Expedia (will) have a shareholding relationship, but they are not the same organization. I am confident that all complaints, following appropriate routing, are dealt with applying the required attention by the teams respectively accountable for.

]]> By: JR Fowler http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-731 JR Fowler Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:20:23 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-731 Dear Mr. CEO: I today requested a refund of the remaining of my reimbirsable travel. I recently booked a vacation to Cancun and needed a date change. I did not request cancellation but a date change.. I only wanted to change the dates of travel. The package reads, "no refunds". I did not request a refund. I wanted to change the dates. the Expedia customer guarantee reads, "You can count on us to provide support throughout your trip. Whether you have questions about your itinerary, have a change in travel plans, or need help resolving a problem with the trip you booked, we're here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our job is to satisfy you! We guarantee that the travel you booked with Expedia will meet the descriptions on our site and in your itinerary (as confirmed on our site within 24 hours of travel), or we will work with our partners on your behalf to find a solution. We’ll take responsibility—at no additional cost to you—if we make a mistake booking your travel. If you need to change your travel plans at any time, just call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-404-728-8787 outside the continental U.S.), and we'll work with our partners to find the best available solution." I sent a letter to you as CEO and then received a response via email after calling the 1-800 customer service number that gave regrets. I was left with no other option but to cancel since I cannot travel on the dates originally scheduled. It was also apparent that you never received the FEDEX and the support staff opened mailed addressed to you. I am told that my refund amount is less than half of what was payed for this trip.Expedia gets to keep over $1000. Your guarantee did not appear in place during this event. Again, I would have been happy to just change the dates. Unfortunately, you have lost a longterm faithful customer. It pays to treat customers fairly. When you make a statement and call it a guarantee, it should be a guaratee. Long live integrity. It's better than money. Learn that! JR Fowler Dear Mr. CEO:
I today requested a refund of the remaining of my reimbirsable travel.
I recently booked a vacation to Cancun and needed a date change. I did not request cancellation but a date change.. I only wanted to change the dates of travel. The package reads, “no refunds”. I did not request a refund. I wanted to change the dates. the Expedia customer guarantee reads,

“You can count on us to provide support throughout your trip. Whether you have questions about your itinerary, have a change in travel plans, or need help resolving a problem with the trip you booked, we’re here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our job is to satisfy you!

We guarantee that the travel you booked with Expedia will meet the descriptions on our site and in your itinerary (as confirmed on our site within 24 hours of travel), or we will work with our partners on your behalf to find a solution.
We’ll take responsibility—at no additional cost to you—if we make a mistake booking your travel.
If you need to change your travel plans at any time, just call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-404-728-8787 outside the continental U.S.), and we’ll work with our partners to find the best available solution.”

I sent a letter to you as CEO and then received a response via email after calling the 1-800 customer service number that gave regrets. I was left with no other option but to cancel since I cannot travel on the dates originally scheduled. It was also apparent that you never received the FEDEX and the support staff opened mailed addressed to you. I am told that my refund amount is less than half of what was payed for this trip.Expedia gets to keep over $1000. Your guarantee did not appear in place during this event. Again, I would have been happy to just change the dates. Unfortunately, you have lost a longterm faithful customer.

It pays to treat customers fairly. When you make a statement and call it a guarantee, it should be a guaratee.

Long live integrity. It’s better than money. Learn that!
JR Fowler

]]> By: Peter Camden http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-688 Peter Camden Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:35:18 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-688 "We are interested in making Venere ten times bigger than it is now"... COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! :D i mean COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! “We are interested in making Venere ten times bigger than it is now”… COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! :D i mean COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

]]> By: Marco http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-676 Marco Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:46:15 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-676 John, I am in favour of "no moderation" policies to blog comments, but it's a real pity that the first comment to this very significant deal in the travel industry becomes an opportunity for an online Jimmmy Jump to get into the court while everyone is watching... I have a lot of sympathy for consumers' complaints: they are always a good way to streamline company processes and to improve communication, and usually a reflection of true customers concern and determination to see their expectations fulfilled. However, there are places and processes to pursue such endeavours; every company (and the laws of every state) have got them, and a welcome interview on the blog of a company that does not even has systems to process customers' credit cards (Venere invoices the hotels after the customers paid their bills on check-out!... very difficult for consumers to get scammed) is probably not very appropriate place for it. John,
I am in favour of “no moderation” policies to blog comments, but it’s a real pity that the first comment to this very significant deal in the travel industry becomes an opportunity for an online Jimmmy Jump to get into the court while everyone is watching… I have a lot of sympathy for consumers’ complaints: they are always a good way to streamline company processes and to improve communication, and usually a reflection of true customers concern and determination to see their expectations fulfilled. However, there are places and processes to pursue such endeavours; every company (and the laws of every state) have got them, and a welcome interview on the blog of a company that does not even has systems to process customers’ credit cards (Venere invoices the hotels after the customers paid their bills on check-out!… very difficult for consumers to get scammed) is probably not very appropriate place for it.

]]> By: John http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/comment-page-1/#comment-674 John Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:38:29 +0000 http://www.venere.com/blog/dara-khosrowshahi-interview/#comment-674 Why Mr Dara Khosrowshahi never give an answer about my case (click on my name to read it) when EXPEDIA tried to scam me (1254.95 U$D and failed.....miserably). I can a answer this question:"How will the new ownership of venere.com affect users and hotels? How will Venere and Expedia customers benefit from the new situation? " Response: a significant number of customers probably are going to be cheated/scammed by EXPEDIA. It is a pity Vener eis now in the hands of scammers. Good luck Why Mr Dara Khosrowshahi never give an answer about my case (click on my name to read it) when EXPEDIA tried to scam me (1254.95 U$D and failed…..miserably).

I can a answer this question:”How will the new ownership of venere.com affect users and hotels? How will Venere and Expedia customers benefit from the new situation?
”
Response: a significant number of customers probably are going to be cheated/scammed by EXPEDIA. It is a pity Vener eis now in the hands of scammers.

Good luck

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