Timothy Luk

Review of Commune Hotels + Resorts

The stay at Fairmont San Fran itself was ordinary,...

The stay at Fairmont San Fran itself was ordinary, but what bothers me is their customer service and how they handled the billing & check-out process.

When checking in, I asked to pay cash (USD) for the overnight parking when checking out. However during check-out, I was advised that they had already billed me the night before against my request. Therefore when the amount was refunded back to my card, I had to pay exchange rate fees for the expensive parking, which should never have been charged to my card to begin with.

Here is where things get bizarre. In chronological order, Fairmont's Customer Service e-mailed me the following in back and forth separate e-mails:

1. Fairmont: "Please allow 7-12 business days for the refund to show back up on your statement."

Me: After waiting 1 month, nothing appeared on my statement.

2. Fairmont: "I am seeing that the refund was processed on our end. If you still have not received the refund in your account I would recommend contacting your bank to find out when the funds will be released into your account."

Me: After checking with my bank, my bank confirmed that nothing was on hold.

3. Fairmont: "Our Accounting department reviewed your folio and account, and found that a gift card was authorized...Our Front Office team did not have a confirmed mailing address on file for this gift card to be sent to."

Me: ...

4. Fairmont: "Unfortunately, we cannot provide a refund to your credit card because the payment was made in cash. In order to refund, we are able to provide a gift card or can write a check. Issuing a gift card is the faster option, as writing a check is a much longer process with our accounting system. "

Me: ??? Yet Fairmont was able to charge my credit card to begin with...

After 4 months, this hotel still has not mailed me anything to compensate for their unauthorized charging and now ignores all of my e-mails.