Should a dive op give you your money back?

[Harshal]

Even if it was 2 weeks unless it was like live aboard or something $4000.00 sounds a lot.
Yes the Dive OP should definitely return your money back. If you have paid using a credit card, dispute the charge for full amount.
If you have paid a check or some other form I don’t know what you can do take them to court I guess.
Dive Op cannot hold you hostage just coz you paid your share in advance. I don’t think that this makes any sense when they cancel the charter they will refund the money and when you cancel they would not.
I would say make the name of the OP public too so other divers would stay away from them.
Scubaboard is great tool to reach the whole diver community, also post the OPS name on scubatoys forum.

 

[diverrick]

The 4 G's was for two divers, on a liveabaord for 1 week The policy is that we were too close to launch date, so no refunds. (fine print in contract) O.K. sounds like I should take the reschedule offer, and go lick my wounds, being glad it's not worse..

 

[redacted]

After seeing the comments on trip insurance, let me throw this out. Trip insurance is excessivly expensive - good for the sellers and bad for most buyers. The folks usually encouraging it are either making money thru its sale or avoiding problems, or both. True, the travel agent doesn't make much but they do avoid a lot of potential problems and lost time dealing with their clients. Insurance should be purchased to protect you from financial loss that you can not afford. If you can't afford $4000 for a vacation, then don't take the vacation. And, as unpleasant as it might be, you can afford to lose a vacation. Unless there are extenuating circumstances which put you at a higher rist for loss, travel insurance is probably not a good idea from an economics standpoint.

Then again, I guess some folks routinely buy extended maintenance agreements.

 

[diverrick]

The whole trip was around 8 G's It was to be our "big" vacation. That's 4G's per person for two weeks diving, hotels, airfare.
We didn't get there last year, like I said, so we tried again this year. My wife says we were not meant to go, after all that has happened. She might be right.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

hold you hostage just coz you paid your share in advance. I don’t think that this makes any sense when they cancel the charter they will refund the money and when you cancel they would not.
I would say make the name of the OP public too so other divers would stay away from them.
Scubaboard is great tool to reach the whole diver community, also post the OPS name on scubatoys forum.

WHy would you try to steer others away from the dive op? Because they have a policy for cancelling trips? DO most airlines give you money back or make you reschedule? IF i want to go an a carnival Cruise and cancel 1.5 weeks before the ship leaves....would they give my money back? SHould they be bashed or blamed for it?

How about if the Dive Op gives him his money back, then they have to raise the price for everyone elses trip to make up for the loss....then there would be a thread about that....would that be right?

Rick, your talking sensible...it really sucks that your wife is sick...I would take the reschedule.....Im sure if the Dive OP could they would give your money back....but most likely your money is already in the hands of the Liveaboard CO. and your seat is paid for whether you go or not.....

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

After seeing the comments on trip insurance, let me throw this out. Trip insurance is excessivly expensive - good for the sellers and bad for most buyers. The folks usually encouraging it are either making money thru its sale or avoiding problems, or both. True, the travel agent doesn't make much but they do avoid a lot of potential problems and lost time dealing with their clients. Insurance should be purchased to protect you from financial loss that you can not afford. If you can't afford $4000 for a vacation, then don't take the vacation. And, as unpleasant as it might be, you can afford to lose a vacation. Unless there are extenuating circumstances which put you at a higher rist for loss, travel insurance is probably not a good idea from an economics standpoint.

Then again, I guess some folks routinely buy extended maintenance agreements.

So.....$100 dollars for trip Insurance....or Lose a $4000 trip? And I would be foolish to want to lose $100 vs. $4000?? Does buying the insurance always mean you dont have a problem? NO....but in this case, ALOT of money could have been saved......Could he afford to lose $4000...maybe....but WHo wants to lose $4k? I dont know anyone that it wouldnt bother......

 

[redacted]

This forum should not always be used to "blackmail" people into not following what rules they already have in place. THis happens in my eyes, too much on here. Sometimes it is warranted...but other times, it seems like people just want to look out for themselves and take no personal liability in what happened......I dont think bashing an LDS or whomever it is, is the best thing to do nor should it be provoked in this case....Not trying to butt heads AWAP, I just dont agree here

I say that only because the reason diverrick has this problem today is because the dive op cancelled out on him, last minute, last year. Otherwise I agree, he made the contract and he should expect to abide by it.

I also think one of the clear benefits of this and similar forums is so individuals and businesses can get their just reward - both good and bad. Businesses like Scubatoys seem to benefit from that at least weekly. Others seem to just catch the bad side. I think I know why that is.

 

[fairybasslet]

After seeing the comments on trip insurance, let me throw this out. Trip insurance is excessivly expensive - good for the sellers and bad for most buyers. The folks usually encouraging it are either making money thru its sale or avoiding problems, or both. True, the travel agent doesn't make much but they do avoid a lot of potential problems and lost time dealing with their clients. Insurance should be purchased to protect you from financial loss that you can not afford. If you can't afford $4000 for a vacation, then don't take the vacation. And, as unpleasant as it might be, you can afford to lose a vacation. Unless there are extenuating circumstances which put you at a higher rist for loss, travel insurance is probably not a good idea from an economics standpoint.

Then again, I guess some folks routinely buy extended maintenance agreements.

I don't know where you get your information from. I can get trip insurance for my very expensive liveaboard to the Galapagos for about $130. Well worth it IMHO. Also, where do you come off telling someone if they can't afford to lose $4,000 they shouldn't take a vacation? It certainly is a stretch for me to afford that kind of money, but I save and budget to be able to do it. However, for me to simply throw it away...well...that would hurt a whole lot. It is my one big dive trip per year.

 

[Rick Murchison]

The short answer is No, the dive op shouldn't return money they've already spent on your behalf. If they can get any refund, they should return that, but typically vacation spots are reserved and paid in advance - all the way down to the locals providing the services booked. One or two no-shows doesn't reduce the costs to everyone in the chain by much. For example, the difference in cost to a live-aboard between sailing full and with an empty suite is essentially nil, and they shouldn't be saddled with having to bear the cost because the customer bails too late to book someone else, no matter what the reason.
In vacation booking in particular, it is up to the customer to either buy insurance or to sell the spot once the cancellation deadline has passed.
Nobody "walks away with the money."
Rick

 

[redacted]

So.....$100 dollars for trip Insurance....or Lose a $4000 trip? And I would be foolish to want to lose $100 vs. $4000?? Does buying the insurance always mean you dont have a problem? NO....but in this case, ALOT of money could have been saved......Could he afford to lose $4000...maybe....but WHo wants to lose $4k? I dont know anyone that it wouldnt bother......

I suspect that no more than half the price of trip insurance goes into paying claims. It is a fairly unregulated industry that profits from a few horror stories and the fears they produce.

I don't know where you got your cost price from. When I compare prices for a $6000 trip for 2 in July to the Carribean, it runs mostly in the $200 to $400 range.

For most travellers, that is a loosing bet. If you think you are at higher than normal risk (wife having 3 month post-cancer check just before travel) then it may well be a good buy.