Should a dive op give you your money back?

[letsgodiving]

I'm sort of wondering how the CC companies handle it when there's a paper trail with clearly stated refund policies the consumer has signed off on that the consumer is in violation of? If the agreement clearly states a time window that no refund will be available, not to mention trip insurance is offered, how's that fly with the CC company when one tries to dispute payment?

Am-Ex have always taken my side in any claim/dispute, and I haven't had any problems. I used to try and settle things with retailers myself but logging on and canceling the payment is so easy, and I always get my money back. Am-Ex have a legal department, how they go about recovering the funds is their business.

 

[Illini_Fan]

I have purcahsed full price airline tickets and not been refunded for them, and I bought trip insurance - The reason I couldn't go was not a covered reason, as work related cancellations are not covered in trip insurance.

Full price does not mean fully refundable from an airline policy. Without getting into the detail of the various ticket classes, fully refundable fares are issued from a certain inventory and are notated as such on your itinerary. I've never talked to anyone that had a fully refundable fair that ever had a problem. I've used them for business trips occasionally and canceled them occasionally all without incident. Actually, I've never had our corporate travel agency or the airline ever ask me "why" regarding a cancellation or flight change -- I probably wouldn't have told them even if they did ask.

 

[piikki]

Sometimes you wonder if people do not either travel lot or do they just think they are the center of the universe. If you travel a lot, you know you will take travel insurance for trips when its cost is minute fraction of the cost of the trip. Even if the cost of the insurance is in 3-digits.

If you travel a lot, the day comes that something happens and you can’t go, or you get hurt on a trip or something vanishes etc etc. And you won’t be the first one it happens to, and your agent or operator won’t be the first one whose customer bailed or failed on them, and their first thought will not be “oh poor you”. Their first idea won’t be how to help you and how to swallow the loss for you either. Some are more understanding, and some are more polite about it but most of them are trying to make money on you. So lucky you if they think they won’t lose if they let you off the hook because they are doing well enough and can resell your ticket/spot without much extra work. They don’t usually let you off the hook just because they are understanding – but because they know they won’t lose.

I think a lot of insurances in US stink and a lot of cancellation policies I have to accept stink even more but in my right mind there is noway I imagine I would blackmail and sue businesses for protecting their end of the deal. Wouldn’t it be great if I was getting ready for a liveaboard, and week before they called they cancelled it because a family of six had gotten sick and isn’t coming nor paying and thus the ship isn’t sailing? You gotta be able to plan some stuff on both ends a bit beforehand.

I think the only thing blurrying the answer in this case was the history the OP had with the company. There could have been more leverage because of it.

 

[diverrick]

I have some good news. but before I tell. I am with Harshal. The dive operator can with hold all our money, But he is right. I really don't think I will go back, especially seeing as they mixed it up so badly lasy year. Thats two strikes for them. Good news is, that the CC company "Might" be able to step in but thats with a Capital MIGHT, But there's the danger that if we go that route the dive op might with draw its offer for a reschedule. I contacted DAN and it looks like at least her portion of the trip will be covered with a 250.00 deductable, that'll help. I had to cancel because I have to be the nurse at home for the next 5 weeks, plus It would look and be really bad for me to go off diving and leave her here in the condition she's in, so We have some hope here at least.

 

[Rick Murchison]

...If the T&Cs of the contract spelled-out no refund this close to departure, not much you can do...

Of course there's something you can do. Instead of whining about it and trying to figure out a way to "work the system" to modify the agreement after the fact, get out there and sell your trip! It's a great trip, yes? Somebody wants it!
Rick

 

[ReefHound]

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......

Looking with hindsight as if those were the only alternatives, then sure. But that's not how it is. I disagree with pikki, the more often you travel the less you need trip insurance because you have more trips to smooth out the statistical anomalies. It's a fact that insurers sell insurance because it is profitable, over the *long run* the premiums will exceed the claims. It's not fair to evaluate trip insurance on the basis of one arbitrary trip that went bad.

I also haven't been able to find, in the few times I looked for it, $4000 coverage for $100. For a $4000 trip to Coz for my family of 4 last year, the cost was $75 per person, or $300. I didn't get it then, or any trip in the past except one, and have saved thousands in fees.

Let's also consider that there are ways to mitigate one's risk exposure. It's unusual that you are at risk for the entire cost of trip. In this case, the OP recovered their funds from the airline and hotel without trip insurance. If they had been more careful about selecting a dive op they might have had better success there. And they are being allowed to re-schedule meaning they might not lose anything at all in the end. By watching the weather and paying attention to cancellation policies one can reduce their risk exposure. Ultimately it's a personal decision on one's comfort level with the risk though.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I would be very skeptical that trip insurance would ever actually pay up. Their contract has more legaleaze and is less customer friendly than the people you're booking with in the first place.

I've almost bought it for two trips and once I looked at all the things that either weren't covered or the documentation necessary, decided not to.

 

[Cacia]

It's a fact that insurers sell insurance because it is profitable, over the *long run* the premiums will exceed the claims.

hello, took me so long to realize that I was better off saving my money and only buying catastrophic coverage for stuff.

I agree, Am X really goes to bat for you. I let my conscience be my guide on who I contest, but I have never lost one yet.

I think considering the circumstances, they should have met you halfway...they will come out better with most customers if they at least pretend to care.

I would be very skeptical that trip insurance would ever actually pay up.

agree...isn't our government supposed to regulate some of this for consumers? well, they do not, and there is more and more "crap/legalese/scams" out there everyday. Perfect example: An electrical engineer and two electricians read my Stae Farm policy electrical coverage section, and stated "they had no idea" what it said/meant.

 

[Sylvain]

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.

Sorry but I had to cnx one trip my wife had to go to Afghanistan and the 240$ that we paid in insurance was well worth it

 

[Rpeiffer]

It's humorus to see the difference between opinions. Especially those who have owned or been involved with a business vs not.

It seems the OP is being very reasonable for this issue. They have reserved those spots for the diverrick and won't have a reasonable opportunity to resell them. IMHO it's a big step for them to permit a rescheduling.

Now as far as the same OP cancelling the prior trip...AHHHHHHHHH! Seemed like they did make a bunch of good will jestures but that is a terrible business practice. Is it possible they had that in your contract? If so then that makes things quite different.