[Travelandtourism] Break-Ups & Refunds

[Steven Johnson]

Great information.  Thanks.  Guess I will hold off on getting married.

Steve



-----Original Message-----
From: travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peachtree Travel
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 6:32 AM
To: NFB Travel and Tourism Division List
Subject: [Travelandtourism] Break-Ups & Refunds

Cruise NewsletterWhen Jennifer Tomes' fiancé walks out on her, her cruise
line tells her she can't get a refund for her honeymoon. Is she out of luck?

Q: I was supposed to be going on a cruise for my honeymoon. Then my fiancé
-- make that my former fiancé -- walked out on me. I came home to the house
that we both owned together to find all of his stuff gone and a letter not
explaining anything except that he didn't want to get married.

The reason I am writing is that I called Carnival (www.carnival.com) to
cancel the cruise and was told that even considering the circumstances, I
can't get any money back, except taxes. Can you please help me with this? --
Jennifer Tomes, San Antonio, Texas

A: I'm sorry this happened to you. On top of the pain of having your fiancé
walk out on you just before your wedding day, you shouldn't have to worry
about losing your honeymoon.

Carnival is technically correct. Canceling your cruise just before your sail
date means you're only entitled to a refund of your taxes and port fees. Had
your fiancé walked out on you within your cancellation period (usually about
80 days before your departure) then you could have gotten a full refund, no
questions asked.

I wish I could recommend something -- anything -- to prevent this from
happening to other nervous brides out there. Alas, this isn't a relationship
advice column. Trust me, I'm better off sticking with consumer advocacy. But
I can't even offer you any travel advice for your case. Insurance doesn't
cover fiancés who bail out of their weddings at the last minute, so there
was really nothing you could have done to avoid this.

I've dealt with a few cases similar to yours, and even though technically
the travel company is almost always well within its rights to deny a refund,
it often shows some compassion.

I wish companies revealed their softer side more often. There are any number
of events that can happen, which we can't control. Those include -- but
aren't limited to -- divorces, jury duty, job changes, sickness and an
unexpected death of a friend or relative. Insurance doesn't cover all of
these situations, unfortunately.

What's more, we're expected to let travel companies off the hook when they
can't operate a flight or offer us a confirmed room when the weather is bad
or there's a mechanical problem. When a cruise line takes a hard line, it
often smacks of a double standard.

I asked Carnival to review your case. A representative told me a refund was
out of the question, but that it would offer you a $509 credit, which is the
value of your ticket minus a $50 administrative fee.

Sorry for her however, at least she does get credit for a future cruise.
Guess she will have to sue her fiance for the refund.

Reese

Peachtree Travel
Independent Travel Consultant

(phone) 888-389-2723

(website: http://www.peachtreetravel.net.

Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Travelandtourism mailing list
Travelandtourism at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Travelandtourism:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org/blinddog3%
40charter.net