If Someone From SFX Is Reading Today, Please Help. Can't Check In

[Hoc Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Hoc]

I have an exchange through SFX into Fairfield Alexandria today. When I called this morning, they said that they have no record of my reservation. I tried calling SFX, but they are closed for the three-day weekend. I called the emergency paging number at SFX, but I'm posting this in case I don't get a call back before I get on my plane in a half hour.

Please try to clear this up, as we will be arriving in Washington, D.C. at 10 pm, and pretty much will be on planes all day.

Member name: Steven Hochfelsen
I left my cell phone number on the emergency paging line for SFX, and that is where you can call me (or leave a message for me while I am on the plane). Could you please clear this up with Fairfield, and leave a message on my cell when it's all resolved?

I haven't had any problem with your exchanges before, so I have faith that this is probably Fairfield's mix-up, and that it can probably be resolved by the time I get to D.C. tonight.

Thanks for your help!

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

I have an exchange through SFX into Fairfield Alexandria today. When I called this morning, they said that they have no record of my reservation. I tried calling SFX, but they are closed for the three-day weekend. I called the emergency paging number at SFX, but I'm posting this in case I don't get a call back before I get on my plane in a half hour.

Please try to clear this up, as we will be arriving in Washington, D.C. at 10 pm, and pretty much will be on planes all day.

Member name: Steven Hochfelsen
I left my cell phone number on the emergency paging line for SFX, and that is where you can call me (or leave a message for me while I am on the plane). Could you please clear this up with Fairfield, and leave a message on my cell when it's all resolved?

I haven't had any problem with your exchanges before, so I have faith that this is probably Fairfield's mix-up, and that it can probably be resolved by the time I get to D.C. tonight.

Thanks for your help!

Hi Steve - This was fixed at 8am PST today. Apparently the front desk still had the reservation in the name of the Owner trading out, and hadn't updated with your name. Easy fix and all taken care of.

DC for Memorial Day Holiday Week !!! Wow, great exchange. Have a great time.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Steve,

Did you get a one or two bedroom unit. Great Trade.

Eric

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

Mark, what wonderful service! It is so nice to have your ear when we need it.

Great trade, Hoc, we would love to go to that resort sometime.

I love happy endings.

[bellesgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bellesgirl]

We had the same problem in March when we checked into the Fairfield in Pompano - they could not find our reservation because it was still in the owners name. I had contacted the resort and SFX before we left and was assured this would be straightened out. I had my confirmation from SFX and it was not really a problem at check-in, but it was a bit confusing. They never did quite correct it - when we would call the front desk they refered to us with the owner's name. Maybe it's a Fairfield problem.

[bigrick Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bigrick]

Mark@SFX, you didn't say that you had called Hoc with this info, so I did. I got his voicemail and left a msg with all your info.

What I am most amazed by is that you Mark are watching and responding to queries at all. I got a call from SFX on Thursday saying a unit I wanted would be on hold until Tuesday because SFX would be closed this weekend Friday through Monday. SFX is closed yet you are here, providing quick service to clients. It's nice to know if I am ever in Hoc's situation, I can get service at unexpected times.

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Mark@SFX, you didn't say that you had called Hoc with this info, so I did. I got his voicemail and left a msg with all your info.

What I am most amazed by is that you Mark are watching and responding to queries at all. I got a call from SFX on Thursday saying a unit I wanted would be on hold until Tuesday because SFX would be closed this weekend Friday through Monday. SFX is closed yet you are here, providing quick service to clients. It's nice to know if I am ever in Hoc's situation, I can get service at unexpected times.

Bigrick - thank you for your post (and compliments), it is appreciated. A message was actually left on the members cell phone voice mail before I posted on this site.

For everyone's information, please know there are a number of very strict steps and procedures taken by us before a deposited week is offered to anyone.

Step 1 of the process....The deposit is first verified by a resort, which includes verification of owner name, arrival and departure dates, unit size, maintenance has been paid and the unit has not been deposited with another exchange company. All of these items have to check positive and have a resort managers signature for verification. Only then is the week released into our system.

Step 2: When the week is booked by a Member, the agent then sends the exchange guests name to the reservation center of the resort, and get's acknowledgement the guest's name is received by the reservation center. At that point it's in the center's system. The center typically does not send the guests name to the resort until 3-5 days prior to the arrival date.

Step 3: The Monday before the upcoming weekend, again we send a check-in manifest to each resort for verification and sign-off they have each and everyone of our guests names at the front desks.

Step 4: And with all this, we still make it policy for our Members to call to reconfirm their reservation directly with the resort at least 72 hours in advance. Between 3 & 4 if there is an unforeseen problem, we have time to fix-it.

So at this point, there are 4 cross-checks to make sure all is accounted for.

In this particular incident with Steve, although they did have all the information from us, someone on their end did not update the Owners deposit information with the inbound guest name. This is not an uncommon industry issue, and thank goodness it's easily fixed. I happened to be on primary pager duty this weekend and actually didn't see all this great communication from you guys on TSforums until after the issue was fixed. A cup of Pete's Coffee and a quick browse, and there it was !

With regards the rumor about me staying awake 24/7 eyes glued to TSforums, sorry to tell not quite true. In the event a Member calls our emergency service after hours or weekends, after they leave a message and hang up, our computer system will automatically page a manager that is on weekend problem solving duty, no matter where they are.

If the on-call manager does not respond within 10 minutes, they are automatically paged again. If they do not respond within another 10 minutes, the computer will track down and page the back-up person on weekend duty. This system does not stop paging and calling until an assigned agent logs in and responds to the call.

Of course, if this happens when everyone is sleeping, then the response will be early the next morning.

Have an incredible Memorial Day Holiday weekend

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Mark@SFX, you didn't say that you had called Hoc with this info, so I did. I got his voicemail and left a msg with all your info.

What I am most amazed by is that you Mark are watching and responding to queries at all. I got a call from SFX on Thursday saying a unit I wanted would be on hold until Tuesday because SFX would be closed this weekend Friday through Monday. SFX is closed yet you are here, providing quick service to clients. It's nice to know if I am ever in Hoc's situation, I can get service at unexpected times.

Mark, I think after having to be active 'on call,' you deserve another weekend off

[Hoc Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Hoc]

Thank you, Mark, and Rick. I got Mark's message when I touched down in Dallas for my plane connection, and Rick's message when I got to D.C. Check-in was not a problem.

We got a one-bedroom, but they did not have our type of room available on check-in, so they put us in a one-room deluxe and they said we are going to have to be downgraded today during the day. Went out in Alexandria last night, and found a Spanish Tapas Bar ("Las Tapas") with great Spanish music, decent Spanish wine, but we were too full to try the tapas.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Wow...I do have to say that not only am I impressed that this got resolved so quickly, but that Hoc was brave enough to get on a plane without a reservation.

Have a wonderful time!

[eal Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eal]

But he DID have a reservation - he got on the plane with a piece of paper that said they had better give him a room...

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

But he DID have a reservation - he got on the plane with a piece of paper that said they had better give him a room...

I must have missed that part...I never have my piece of paper with me so I would have been up a creek!

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

I had my piece of paper from DAE with me when I went to RHC Wyndham Nassau Cable Beach this past New Years. Paper did me no good (except for having DAE phone number on it); RHC could care less, it wasn't in their system and they wouldn't make the call(s). Spent quite a bit on international cell phone calls to California where they finally cleared it up, but it was an anguishing 2+ hours trying to check-in.

Hoc if you want to do lunch or dinner, drop me an email or PM.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I agree, a written confirmation is worth what it's printed on. In this case, Hoc counted on SFX and TS4Ms, to get him through -- a risk worth taking!

[LisaH Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LisaH]

Mark,

This is the most impressive response that I have ever read from an exchange company. I wonder how RCI can top this...