![]() ![]() ![]() “This was a very unfortunate and inconvenient experience for me,” she told Christopher Elliott of Elliott Advocacy. Instead, she took a local bus back to Arcata, spent a night in a hotel, and boarded a fresh bus the next day. She was informed that the next bus that could pick them up would be there in around seven hours - plus another six hours or so on the road, getting her to Oakland for around midnight. It pulled into a little town, Myers, so the passengers would not have to wait on the highway. The bus shortly broke down due to a radiator problem. Last year, retired librarian Vivian Pisano boarded a Greyhound from Arcata, California to Oakland, California. Accommodations can range anywhere from food vouchers to lodging arrangements. Apparently, if there’s a cancellation, in some cases (though not clarified which ones) she said that other accommodations are offered by the station, depending on the amount of time the customer will spend waiting for another schedule. The only exception to this rule is when VLP (Valley Transit) or COP (Capital Colonial) is the carrier.” When I pressed the point home - how insane that was - she declined to elaborate. “When there is a different carrier involved, they can reschedule their trip, however, to receive a refund, customers must contact that carrier. “Whenever a schedule is overbooked, customers can either reschedule their trip for the next bus available or they can request a refund,” communications officer Crystal Booker said. I reached out to Greyhound’s media officer for clarification. Instead of $70-ish to get there, his trip ended up being around $450. He rented a car from Hertz, and drove to his mother's house. So the only person who can do that is them.” By now, TK was angry, frustrated, and worried about how he’d get home. “We don’t have your card details or anything like that on file - for security. “You bought this on, and sent the funds to them,” they explained. “We don’t have a say in it.” But they also wouldn't - or couldn't - refund his money. “Greyhound overbooks us all the time,” they said. John called the contracted carrier, a small regional business. “You need to call the third party,” they told him. Nope - because they contacted his ride with a third party that didn't count. He was informed they could refund him over the phone- but only if he had booked with Greyhound. John rang Greyhound’s help line to challenge this. “There’s no way we can give it to you on the spot,” they said. To get a refund, they gave him a paper form and told him to mail it in. John went to the Greyhound counter to complain, and they informed him it wasn't their problem - the bus wasn't their company. “You’ll have to contact Greyhound.” The bus left. ‘But what can I do?” he asked the driver, who shrugged, and told him he could “probably” get on the later bus. To pick who would get the coveted seats, he wrote the passengers names on a scrap of paper, and had John and the others draw straws. “There's nothing we can do,” the driver informed the waiting passengers. When the bus arrived, John and the other people waiting in line were informed it was overbooked. He arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare, and showed the station officers his ticket so as to know where to sit. But - and this is important - he paid Greyhound, booked on Greyhound, and had a ticket issued by Greyhound. His ticket said his bus would be with a third party - a bus carrier that Greyhound contracted with. The bus to his home town in rural Maryland only ran twice a day, and he wanted to make sure he had a seat - he couldn't miss his mother’s cooking! He booked online, on Greyhound’s website. He booked his Greyhound bus ticket one week in advance. Take John T., who in November 2018 was traveling home from Baltimore to his family for Thanksgiving. Four months later, she not received the cheque. She paid $185 for the trip, and they offered her $50. Later, Erica contacted Greyhound for a refund, but was refused a full refund as she had taken the trip to New York. Here, they waited over seven hours for a transfer ticket to New York - their original destination, and were given a $7 food voucher. This bus returned them to Atlanta, where they were shuffled onto another “recovery bus” which drove them to Virginia. Erica and her kids, along with all the other passengers disembarked, and waited three hours on the side of the highway for the recovery bus to arrive. Forty minutes into their trip, the bus engine blew out, and the bus filled with smoke. ( last name redacted for privacy reasons) was traveling from Atlanta to New York on a Greyhound bus with her two toddlers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |