Cultuzz Media (Hotel rooms) Ebay Nightmare!

silkcutblue

Guys, girls and even grills (a typo I keep making), I really need some advice on this one.

As you probably know, there are a lot of large hotels now selling rooms and packages via ebay. They mostly use a seller called: Cultuzz, based in Germany.

Now, I have been watching these for some time, and each hotel has their own username to deal with. (ie, every hotel is unique and it's not under some huge powerseller)

Okay. Let's get moving:
I bid on this: 2nights stay. Amsterdam Discover + Relax package at Radisson SAS
I paid via bank transfer - direct. I put in the unique reference. It's gone from my bank. It's confirmed. Done and dusted.

A week went by. I didn't hear anything. I emailed the seller to see if there was a problem that I could solve or if it takes a long time for the transaction to go through - no reply.

Another few days. I emailed them again. Nothing. I emailed the hotel direct. Read receipt but no answer (personal email from a hotel contact who deals with this, not a general SPAM holder email)

I emailed from my personal account, because sometimes ebay stuff gets thrown in BULK folders. Naaaaaathing.

I must have sent about 15 emails. The contact details on ebay are rubbish:

Contact Information for radisson_sas_hotel_amsterdam_airport :

User ID: radisson_sas_hotel_amsterdam_airport
Name: Cultuzz- Digital-Media-GmbH
Company: Radisson SAS Hotel Amsterdam Airport
City: Berlin
Street: Friedrichstr. 231
Country: Deutschland
Post Code: 10969

That is the Hotel's name and Cultuzz's address in Germany. (It's a publically available address so I do not have an issue putting it on the web. I'd never put a private addy up. That's nasty)

I have tried everything. Now, we are only coming up to two weeks after the auction end, but my issue is the total lack of comms. This isn't, "Oh, it took them 3 days to reply." This is, "Not one single reply. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. Naaafink. Money gone. One negative popped up on their ebay account now..."

I have opened a dispute, if for no other reason than to get someone somewhere to reply to my emails. *laughs* Of course, I do want my £100 back because at this point I think I'd rather eat my own fingers than stay at a hotel that can't even press REPLY. I mean, I hate to think what their sheets are like

Anyway. Any comments or advice?

P.S. I am a seasoned ebayer (I sound like a steak) and I pick large companies or people with good FB. This goes to show: you can get poo'd on by anyone.

:-(

rdwarr

There is one other feedback for them which says

Poor comms, took 1 month and several emails to get voucher. look forward to trip

I'd bypass eBay and ring Radisson directly. European Customer Services is in Ireland on 00353 17060200. Use Martin's International Callchecker to call Ireland for 0.5p per min.

silkcutblue

Great minds think alike. I did that and managed to speak to the nice man at the Radisson who says Cultuzz deal with all payment and voucher handling. He has put my booking on a tentative hold and is now, himself, trying to reach Cultuzz (he advised me it may take some time)

Since then I have recvd a payment reminder from Cultuzz. I almost blew a gasket (and yes, I have checked the account it went into and it is the correct one)

Looks like it is a waiting game now.

So, a warning for all you people who book official auctions by hoteliers, but using Cultuzz - Cultuzz Media are very bad with communication with their customers. VERY bad.

Shame on them.

silkcutblue

Does anyone know my legal position on this? I don't just want to let it go, because I am basically being treated quite badly by a large company whose business is built around the travel industry.

I have sent an email to the main service@cultuzz.de and CC'd in the UK office, but still...it's as though they simply don't care.

If I charge back through ebay I lose out by £15 because I paid on time and no one at that company will help
(and if I leave neg FB then the hotel suffers, not Cultuzz)

Any advice from a legal standpoint? I'm not trying to bump this up, I am genuinely interested in what I can do to this big company who has decided it is okay to treat the little 'guy' badly.

:rolleyes:

maryjane01

I know it doesn't help you but I got a room in Berlin earlier this year through Cultuzz on Ebay and had no problems at all. I did receive the voucher promptly via email so I had no reason to try and contact them. It was dirt cheao and a great room. Cheaper than a hostel.

ViJay_3

silkcutblue wrote:

Does anyone know my legal position on this? I don't just want to let it go, because I am basically being treated quite badly by a large company whose business is built around the travel industry.

I have sent an email to the main service@cultuzz.de and CC'd in the UK office, but still...it's as though they simply don't care.

If I charge back through ebay I lose out by £15 because I paid on time and no one at that company will help
(and if I leave neg FB then the hotel suffers, not Cultuzz)

Any advice from a legal standpoint? I'm not trying to bump this up, I am genuinely interested in what I can do to this big company who has decided it is okay to treat the little 'guy' badly.

:rolleyes:

Have you considered contacting Trading Standards?

terryw

I know that this is a very old thread but I would just like to give my experiences of Cultuzz and the hotels booked via Ebay.

Last December, I won five separate auctions for one or two nights stays at different hotels in Prague. My bids were very low - on average about £10 for a double room per night with breakfast. Cultuzz sent the vouchers by email within the day and I had no bother downloading the vouchers. I rang two of the hotels, quoted the voucher reference numbers and made the bookings. Last week my friend and I went to Prague and stayed at two of the hotels.....the first was perfectly ok, about good Travelodge standard, but the second was really tip-top - sort of High quality De Vere's standard. Both hotels were off the city centre but easy to get to by the excellent metro system.

No problems whatsoever with booking in or the validity of the vouchers ... I was really impressed that I had managed to obtain an outstanding bargain. I am very pleased with my buys and with Cultuzz and the hotels involved.
I have just booked another trip for later in the year and I have emailed the hotels to book for then. One is the excellent hotel and another is a one that I have not yet been to yet. Within two hours I have received confirmatory emails, and I am sure that trip will be as enjoyable and trouble-free as the last one.

Slightly off-topic, but to give some idea of costs, the Czec crown was 30 to the £ last week. Both hotels charged 40 crown for a pint of high quality full-strength lager,
this was 70 crown in a posh pavement cafe in the main square but as cheap as 18 crown in places off the tourist route.

In conclusion, I am sorry that the OP has had bother but I really don't think it is typical of Cultuzz.

terryw

sparphillip

I have used Cultuzz via ebay for various hotel/holiday deals and to date I am yet to be dissappointed. I went t o Prague twice, Germany,Malta (twice)Amsterdam to mention a few and found Cultuzz to have an excellent customer service approach. They always replied and they sent my vouchers quickly and I can remember once I lost my voucher number and sent them an email to ask for assistance and they re-sent my voucher. I can only confirm that this company is needed on Ebay to give some of us a chance to see the world especially as you get some cheap deals from them. Phillip

cyberbob

Can you hear the creaking?

terra_ferma

sparphillip wrote: »

I have used Cultuzz via ebay for various hotel/holiday deals and to date I am yet to be dissappointed. I went t o Prague twice, Germany,Malta (twice)Amsterdam to mention a few and found Cultuzz to have an excellent customer service approach. They always replied and they sent my vouchers quickly and I can remember once I lost my voucher number and sent them an email to ask for assistance and they re-sent my voucher. I can only confirm that this company is needed on Ebay to give some of us a chance to see the world especially as you get some cheap deals from them. Phillip

Do you work for them?
We tend to be suspicious when we see someone who's never posted before joining MSE just to wax lyrical about a company.....

lindseykim13

this thread is from 2006! thats the second one i've started reading today!