You guys, I am so so so ticked off! I hope it can be fixed, but the last CM I talked to was an incompetent twit!! A few weeks ago, I started paying off all the balances on the bookings for our trip this summer, because I needed to do it in smaller payments as I have a $5000 limit on my card. The balance was due yesterday for all 3 reservations, one of which was canceled as my brother's in-laws can't come now.
So, 2 weeks ago, when I tried to make a payment on my brother's booking, the CM told me that because of the new privacy laws, I needed permission from the lead guest on the booking to make any changes, including payments. I said I thought it was weird about payments, because if someone calls and wants to pay for my vacation, I'm not going to say no! But I understood about the privacy laws, and she gave me an email address and phone number for the lead guest to give permission. The email had to come from the account associated with the booking, which is MY email, for all of them, and obviously that wouldn't work since I'm here and they are not and I'm NOT giving out my password so they can log in as me to send the email. But the gal said "I could never encourage you to do something against the privacy laws, but the email does need to come with a typed signature from the email address on the booking." hint hint....so I got permission from both my brother and R to send emails from my account in their names giving me permission to make changes, including payments and in R's case, cancelations to the booking, and I sent the emails and got confirmation that they had noted the permission on the bookings.
Wednesday, I called to pay off my brother's and cancel R's. When I called, the gal asked what I needed and I said I needed to cancel one, and pay the balance of another. She asked me which I needed to cancel, I gave her the invoice number, she asked for the lead guest's name and I gave her all the information, and then she tells me "Well due to the new privacy laws, I would need to get an email from the lead guest on the booking authorizing you...." and I said "Which you have." and she says "If I could just finish...I would need to get an email from the lead guest giving permission to make changes, or to cancel the booking. Only the lead guest can cancel the booking, using the email on file which is ......." I told her I had had him send an email giving me permission to make changes, including cancelations." Only the lead guest can cancel, using the email address listed on the booking. So I said ok, I'll have him email, so I guess I just need to make a payment on the other reservation. She asked for the invoice number, verified the name on the booking, the address on file, email, etc....asked how much I wanted to pay, I said the whole balance, which she read off and it was definitely my brother's, because it was the cheaper of the two because his 3rd person in the room is a 6 year old and R's third person was an adult, so there was the extra adult charge. So I know it was the correct booking that I paid off in full. I got the email with a new invoice, which I forwarded to my brother without looking at. I immediately sent an email canceling R's reservation and received a confirmation email that they received the email.
Now today, I get an email that my brother's balance is overdue. How can that be....I paid it off Wednesday!? I check my credit card online...the payment went through....and I got the invoice! I go look up the invoice....it was for R's booking! She credited the payment to the wrong booking!!! And now I'm in default on my brother's, and I already wrote to cancel R's....so now I don't know how I can fix it! They open in 2 minutes and I'm going to try to get it straightened up, but I'm so angry. She was borderline rude, and she completely messed it up, and she didn't follow protocol.
The various vendors kept increasing the amount of coffee to suit our tastes. 
I also had a fruity Sangria. For dessert she had strawberry shortcake, and I had Key Lime Pie!!
