My husband and I were on vacation in Punta Cana October 4-11. We stayed at the Ocean Blue Hotel (HORRIBLE!!!!!!). We had a ton of problems, but the one I need legal help with, I have summarized. On the way there, my stomach started to turn again (we had traveler's diaherra), so began to walk very fast. I got up to the room and, once again, neither room key worked. We had to walk from Villa 5 back to the lobby to use the bathroom and get new keys again. I gave my husband the keys to get new ones while I ran to the bathroom. As I was turning the corner to get to the bathroom, I heard something shatter. When I exited the bathroom and went over by my husband I saw that the glass lobby door was shattered into little pieces and he was standing there with the lobby clerk and three other workers. I yelled at the workers and told them about what had happened (being locked out of room, not making to the bathroom, etc.) I told them we were very unhappy with this resort and would never come back. We took our new keys and went back to our room. Once we got there, I tried both keys and again neither key worked. As we were getting ready to go back to the lobby, we met another couple on the stairs. They invited us up to their room to use their phone instead of walking all the back to the lobby. We went to their room and I tried to call the front desk. There was no answer. I called about three times, and then tried the operator. I explained the situation to the operator; they said just a moment and transferred me to the front desk. Again, the phone just rang and rang. There was no answer. After about ten minutes, finally Nicholas answered the phone. I told him we needed new keys again. He said someone would be at our room door in five minutes to let us in. Two guys showed up in a golf cart and let unlocked our room door for us. We asked for the key, and they told us no, this is the general hotel key. We asked them to call Sr. Almonte (the resident manager we had been talking to earlier in the week). They told us they did not know he was. I pulled out his business card and said I would call him myself. They finally agreed to go and get us new keys.
The next morning, we were sitting in the lobby smoking a cigarette before checking out. The female Apple rep came up to us and said ?They tell me that you broke a door last night.? We told her the story about what happened that my husband flung the door open and the handle hit the wall causing the glass to shatter. We repeatedly told her that we was sorry and that is was a mistake. She said that she was told my husband intentionally broke the door by punching it and we had to pay for the door (approximately $3,000USD before we could leave). We told her that price was ridiculous. She said it was a crystal glass door. We laughed and told her it was not. She said well, it?s tempered glass. Again, we said no it?s not. If was tempered, it would not have shattered. Then she said, well it?s imported. I said he did not punch the door and if he did there would be scratches on his hands. He showed her his hands, there were no scratches. She said then you must have kicked it. Again, he showed her his legs, no scratches. She said, well you have to pay for the door or you cannot leave. We asked what would happen if we did not pay, she said we could not get on the bus back to the airport. I asked what happens if we miss the bus. She said we would have to pay for a taxi to the airport. My husband asked what would happen if we just got on the bus. She pointed to the police car sitting in front of the bus and said we would be arrested and thrown in jail. Isn?t her job to stand up for us and protect us? We tried to walk towards the bus and the police started coming for us. We had no choice, but to pay for the door, which turned out to be $3,036.61 USD. When we were being transferred to the airport, we showed the Apple transfer guy the receipt. He said ?This is for one door?? We told him yes. He basically said we were getting screwed. He told us ?No door in the Dominican is over $350 USD.? (We are contesting this with the credit card company.) Upon getting to the airport and talking to other people, we decided to take pictures of my husband?s hand and legs. No one could believe this happened.
Anyway, I am talking to a lawyer here is the US. My husband has been trying to find one that knows what we should do. Our credit card company says they feel bad for us, but cannot do anything because we gave Ocean Blue permission to charge our account and signed the slip. The Dominican Consulate in Chicago, IL said I should probably get an attorney because they were unsure what they could do. I am at wits end with this. Any help/advice would be very nice. Am I better off calling the US Consulate in the Dominican? A Dominican lawyer?
The next morning, we were sitting in the lobby smoking a cigarette before checking out. The female Apple rep came up to us and said ?They tell me that you broke a door last night.? We told her the story about what happened that my husband flung the door open and the handle hit the wall causing the glass to shatter. We repeatedly told her that we was sorry and that is was a mistake. She said that she was told my husband intentionally broke the door by punching it and we had to pay for the door (approximately $3,000USD before we could leave). We told her that price was ridiculous. She said it was a crystal glass door. We laughed and told her it was not. She said well, it?s tempered glass. Again, we said no it?s not. If was tempered, it would not have shattered. Then she said, well it?s imported. I said he did not punch the door and if he did there would be scratches on his hands. He showed her his hands, there were no scratches. She said then you must have kicked it. Again, he showed her his legs, no scratches. She said, well you have to pay for the door or you cannot leave. We asked what would happen if we did not pay, she said we could not get on the bus back to the airport. I asked what happens if we miss the bus. She said we would have to pay for a taxi to the airport. My husband asked what would happen if we just got on the bus. She pointed to the police car sitting in front of the bus and said we would be arrested and thrown in jail. Isn?t her job to stand up for us and protect us? We tried to walk towards the bus and the police started coming for us. We had no choice, but to pay for the door, which turned out to be $3,036.61 USD. When we were being transferred to the airport, we showed the Apple transfer guy the receipt. He said ?This is for one door?? We told him yes. He basically said we were getting screwed. He told us ?No door in the Dominican is over $350 USD.? (We are contesting this with the credit card company.) Upon getting to the airport and talking to other people, we decided to take pictures of my husband?s hand and legs. No one could believe this happened.
Anyway, I am talking to a lawyer here is the US. My husband has been trying to find one that knows what we should do. Our credit card company says they feel bad for us, but cannot do anything because we gave Ocean Blue permission to charge our account and signed the slip. The Dominican Consulate in Chicago, IL said I should probably get an attorney because they were unsure what they could do. I am at wits end with this. Any help/advice would be very nice. Am I better off calling the US Consulate in the Dominican? A Dominican lawyer?
