KING, N.C. — Jonathan Gardner and his wife Taylor were super excited about their trip to Texas. The couple and their three kids were planning to visit family and see some of the sights around Dallas.
“I booked everything in advance to make it easy,” Taylor Lamb said.
The five of them boarded the plane as scheduled and arrived in Dallas a few hours later. After collecting their bags, they went to the rental car counter to pick up their car.
“I figured it was already paid for we would get the car and go,” Gardner said.
When they provided the person at the rental desk with their names, they quickly learned the reservation was never made. The 3rd party travel site Lamb booked the trip failed to call to secure the rental car reservation.
“They didn’t have our reservation, they didn’t have anything,” Lamb said.
The next several hours were spent on the phone with the booking agency and securing a rental car for the trip. The couple was told by the rental company they’d have to pay for a new rental and sort out any sort of refund later.
The couple was also told they’d have to bring the car back after 3 days and rebook it because their credit card was maxed out. The return date was Thanksgiving.
“You had a line through the whole airport,” Lamb said.
After wasting about half a day, the couple was able to rebook a car for the remainder of their trip. By now the booking agency was involved but communication was difficult.
“I think I explained my story about 15 times to 15 different people,” Lamb said.
Eventually, the travel booking company told Lamb it would refund her the money she paid for the initial rental car.
Lamb said she waited several weeks but the refund never came. She eventually reached out to WFMY News 2 for assistance.
“She (Gardner’s mom) watches you guys a lot; she was like maybe you should inquire to see if they can help,” Lamb said.
WFMY News 2 immediately contacted the booking agency and explained the situation. We sent documentation that showed the date of booking and the new rental car booking.
It didn’t take long before Lamb received a call from the company and a refund check arrived a short time later.
“It came just like that, within a few days I got the money,” Lamb said.
The couple said they’re glad we could help with this issue and did say the trip while frustrating at parts because of the rental car issues was still enjoyable.
