Complaint Review: Windy City Balloon Port

My husband purchased a balloon ride from this company for us to go on when he comes home on mid-tour leave from Iraq. It was for my birthday and it was as surprise..... and I was surprised all right! Well unfortunately my husband's tour had been extended for another 6-8 months! So we had called, emailed, and left several messages for someone to call us back to let us know what our options were at that point. I had initially spoken with a female named Karina (847-461-5004) from the balloon port and she advised me to email the operations manager she gave me a few names of people to speak with. First it was Ron Lake, then Kent. So I did as Karina told me too and received no response for two weeks from either email or ample voicemail messages left.

On 4/8/09 @ 11:30am I finally got a hold of someone by the name of Gus (which at another date told me his name was Ron Lake. He then proceeded to tell me, that they have yet to address or look at my ticket and reservation information, and I will have to continue to wait until Ron Lake gets in to return my phone call! Ron Lake is the operations manager, he just did not want to deal with my issue at that moment and now I am 100% positive he never wanted to deal with it at all. I told "Gus" about my husbands extention in Iraq and he basically told me tough cookies and that it wasnt his problem, and all he can do is call me back with my options, and at that time I wanted to confirm who I was actually speaking to and he at that time hung up on me! So I then called back from the same number I was on and he didnt answer, so I tried from another number and he answered (they obviously have caller id). He asked me what else I wanted in a stern and unoprofessional tone?! I told him I had a few questions, and he yelled at me telling me he has nothing else to say or tell me about my situation and my air balloon tickets and reservations. I then proceded to ask him what his name was and why he hung up on me. He told me his name was "Gus" and his name does not matter, and he hung up on me because he had nothing left to say to me. Mind you the brainless idiot had no clue that with todays technology on our cell phones, that there is now a feature where you can record phone conversations! And that is exactly what I did. I have him all on recording!

So at that point after he openly admitted to hanging up on me, and I told him that I would be disputting the charges on my credit card for the hot air balloon ride, he then stopped me dead in my tracks and told me "dont yell at me, go yell at your own husband..... oh yeah you cant cause he is in Iraq!" Then hung up on me yet again.

At that point I was in tears and astonished at the cruel and disrespectful way I had just been treated. Is that really something that someone deserves, after my husband fights for this country for no good people like "Gus, Ron Lake and Kent" to live worry free everyday of his life, while my husband gets shot at! People like that will rot and burn in hell, and there is no saving you "Ron, Gus, or Kent."

To make a long story shorter then it is, my husband got wind of this and called (877) 933-6359 to speak with the gentleman that brought me to tears. Well he got "Gus or Ron Lake" on the line and pretended to be a customer interested in tickets, he was as professional as could be and as kind as pie, until my hudband told him his name, then he said "oh yeah I spoke to your wife this morning, and oh boy is she a cun*!" That was all he has to say to set my husband off, so at that point not only was he verbally abussive, and handles his buisnness in a very unprofessional mannor, and hangs up on people that have already paid for there tickets and have not gotten the change to schedule they're ride yet. Well we never will and never will want to ever again, because of this waist of a human being... "Ron Lake." We ended up disputing the charges with Mastercard and they were just as shocked as we were when they listened to the recording of my conversation with Gus or Ron Lake.
I'm still not sure if "Gus" and Ron Lake are both the same people but they sure have the same identicle voices.

On the BBB I found out that the President is Mr. Kent Heitzinger, President - (877) 933-6359 (they have so many different contact numbers, but in reality they all go to one place. And who knows who that is maybe I had been speaking to the president Kent the whole time. BUT JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS KENT THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY IS A LAWYER AND BELIEVES HE CAN JUST SCAM ANYONE HE LIKES, WELL YOU KNOW WHAT BUDDY YOU ARE SCUM AND IM NOT SURPRISED THAT YOU ARE A LAWYER, WELL LET ME TELL YOU....... GOD WILL NEVER LET YOU THROUGH HIS GATES IF YOU CONTINUE TO TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU DO.

SO FOR ALL OF YOU LOOKING FOR A PLEASURABLE, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ON A HOT AIR BALLOON, BEWARE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN BALLOON COMPANY. AND IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME LOOK FOR YOURSELF ON THE BBB WEBSITE. HERE IS JUST A TINY INFO OFF THE SITE FOR YOU TO TAKE A GLANCE AT... OH AND THEY ARE ALSO ON RIPOFFREPORT.COM AS WELL!

Customer Complaint History
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB processed a total of 19 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 19 complaints closed in 36 months, 5 were closed in the last year.
These complaints concerned :
1 regarding Issue Not Defined
1 regarding Advertising Issues BBB Definition:
Advertising Issues - Claims alleging print or electronic media advertised claims or practices misrepresent the service or product offer.
1 - Advertisement misrepresented a service
1 regarding Billing or Collection Issues BBB Definition:Billing or Collection Issues - Claim alleging billing errors, unauthorized charges, or questionable collection practices.
1 - Failure to correct billing errors
2 regarding Contract Issues BBB Definition:
Contract Issues - Claim of alleged failure to honor contract or agreement, work performed without authorization, or invalid contract.
2 - Failure to honor a contract or agreement
1 regarding Customer Service Issues BBB Definition:
Service Issues - Claims of alleged delay in completing service, failure to provide promised service, inferior quality of provided service, or damaged merchandise as a result of delivery service.
BBB Definition: Customer Service Issues - Claims alleging unsatisfactory customer service, including personnel's failure to provide assistance in a timely manner, failure to address or respond to customer dissatisfaction, unavailability for customer support, and/or inappropriate behavior or attitude exhibited by company staff.
1 - Failure to provide promised assistance or support for products or services
4 regarding Delivery Issues BBB Definition: Delivery Issues - Claims alleging delayed delivery of ordered merchandise.
3 - Non-delivery of services
1 - None of the Above - Delivery Complaint Issue
6 regarding Refund or Exchange Issues BBB Definition:Refund or Exchange Issues - Claim of alleged failure to honor company policy or verbal commitment to provide refunds, exchanges, or credit for products or services.
6 - None of the Above - Refund or Exchange Complaint Issue
3 regarding Service Issues BBB Definition:Service Issues - Claims of alleged delay in completing service, failure to provide promised service, inferior quality of provided service, or damaged merchandise as a result of delivery service.
2 - Failure to honor service estimate or agreement
1 - Improper or inferior service

IS THAT ENOUPH TO STEER YOU AWAY FROM USING THIS COMPANY..... I KNOW THAT IF I HAD SEEN REVIEWS PRIOR TO PURCHASING MY TICKETS, THIS WHOLE FIASCO WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.
FAREWELL AND I HOPE THIS IS HELPFUL

Krystle t
Northbrook, Illinois
U.S.A.