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Peter Answers Your Emails: Round 18 — May 2020
It’s time for round 18! If you don’t see the answer to your travel question in one of the rounds, email peter@petergreenberg.com.
EMAIL: Anne Gheorghiu
Hello Peter,
I hope you are well.
I booked a vacation with United Vacation for my husband and I to Dominican Republic for March 24-April 2nd.
Since we are both over 65 and also receiving a notice from my work regarding traveling outside the country, (I had to stay 14 days on quarantine on my return, with no pay) on March 13th a called United Vacation to see what options I have in order not to travel at scheduled time. I was told that cancellation is my only option because they have not received any new cancellation policy due to corona virus.
United Airlines already had a new cancellation policy at that day but according to United Vacation they don’t follow their rules and I was charged $600 cancellation fee.
United Vacation did come with a cancellation policy 24 hours later after my cancellation.
I filed a complaint with Aftervacation.com, received an answer on 3/20/20 that they will look on my case and will contact me latter.
I never heard from them since although I tried to contact them via email and made several phone calls.
Over the phone I was told that is United Airline who is holding the $600, hard to believe since they already had a new cancellation policy due to corona virus at the day of my cancellation.
I hope you can help or advise how I can recoup my $600 that I was charged.
I can provide more info if needed.
Thank you very much for your help,
Anne Gheorghiu
Peter Says: Anne, thanks for your email. Send me all the details (dates, confirmation numbers, the names and job titles of the people with whom you spoke) and I will try to help.
EMAIL: Tim Ware
I am reservations for a RCCL cruise next November. Non- refundable tickets with $900 deposit with remainder due in June. I have little confidence that cruising will be safe by then. Regardless, our tickets can be credited to future cruise but not refunded. Issue is that they requiring Drs medical release form prior to boarding and I am not sure I can get that release. My desire to get a refund and maybe cruise in a year or two. Do I have any way to accomplish that?
Thanks
Tim
Peter Says: Tim, thanks for your email. please send me all the details of your reservation (confirmation numbers, ship name, dates) and the names and titles of anyone with whom you have spoken, and I will try to help.
EMAIL: Nancy Tobin
Hello Peter. I’m sure you’ve addressed this but I haven’t heard your opinion regarding celebrity CruiseLine holding onto our $500 deposit. We were 3 couples traveling together. First we were told we would get a full refund but we’ve been fighting for the deposit for 3 weeks and more. 2 of us had the insurance.
I went on their fb page and voiced my opinion and received an IM From someone who asked for my res. number and phone number and they were to contact me haha but have had no contact.
Are we entitled to our deposit under the virus circumstances?
Thank you
Nancy Tobin
Peter Says: Nancy, please let me know the name and title of the person who. contacted you from Celebrity. Also send me the details of your cruise (ship name, reservation number) and I will try to help.
EMAIL: Denise Peters
Peter,
My husband and I are scheduled for a Viking River cruise (on the Rhine River) for July 9th. They have cancelled their cruises through June 30 but have not yet announced their plans for July. We do not want to travel during July, but if we cancel we will loose a lot of money. When would they be required to announce their travel plans for July?
Denise Peters
Peter Says: Denise, they should announce their schedule imminently. If you don’t get a notice by the end of this week, please let. me know.
EMAIL: Elizabeth Araujo
I had several trips cancelled because Corona Virus 19. United and
Delta were prompt in giing vauchers and crediting taxes. However not
so with One Travel.
One Travel, charges $35 fee for the voucher work, When booking there
is a charge, that is not returnable, ok, but what about the taxes? I
paid $64 tax for a ticket to Bolivia. They say taxes are not to be
credited. But Delta and United did do credit it. What do they do
with that money paid on taxes?
Elizabeth Araujo
Peter Says: One Travel is wrong. You can’t be taxed on something you didn’t receive. Please send me the details of your trip, reservations numbers et. al, and the contact person you’ve been dealing with at One Travel.
EMAIL: Rose Abiuso Rosa
Hello Mr. Greenberg,
I enjoy and appreciate all the help you have been giving your loyal followers with all of our travel difficulties during this time. In your “round 16” group of emails, you answered one of questions regarding Trafalgar and not being able to get refunds. You thought they had started to give refunds but, I still have not been able to get my refund for my trip to the Pacific Northwest , scheduled to leave 6/26/2020. When reading many, many comments on their Facebook page, there are many of us very unhappy with their policy and desiring refunds. Is there anything we can do?
Thank you in advance.
Rose Abiuso Rosa
Peter Says: Rose, please send me all the details of your trip and reservation/confirmation numbers and anyone at Trafalgar (name and title) with whom you’ve been speaking, and I will get into this and try to help.
EMAIL: Arleen
Our flights were canceled (round trip Paris-TLV and Milan-TLV) in June but we received an email saying that we could use our tickets for future flights. That is unacceptable. Best course of action? Dispute with credit card? Put in claim with travel insurance (Cancel For Any Reason Policy)? Appreciate any help.
Thank you.
Peter Says: Arleen, I need a little more information. Airline, flight number, reservation confirmation number. But I must caution you, that since. neither of these flights originated or terminated in the U.S. you are not protected under the U.S. Department of Transportation refund rules. You may be protected under the European Union rules, however.
EMAIL: Barb Pinder
Our flight to France for early July was just cancelled. Will it be difficult to get our money back or should we just accept an e-ticket for future travel?
Seven family members were going but 2 of the airfares were done using points from Chase Bank.
Thank you in advance,
Barb Pinder
Hi Peter,
This is really a post script to yesterday’s email regarding our Delta flights to France.
Today I received an update that both the outgoing and return flights have been cancelled, but rescheduled. The return flight is actually 2 days later!
Can we get our money back without a problem? We’re not going this year.
Thank you again,
Barb Pinder
Peter Says: Barb, if the airline cancels your flight first, you’re entitled to the full refund. if they reschedule your flights, that of course means they have CANCELLED your flights and your rights to a full refund are preserved.
EMAIL: Chip Almarode
Good morning Peter.
I came across your web site this morning while searching for information on Viking cruises.
Do you know of any inside information if Viking is going to follow the example of the other large cruise companies in cancelling River Cruises in Europe for the month of July.
With air flight restrictions on quarantining passengers on in coming flights to Europe as well as the US, Viking has not extended their cancellation past June 30.
Our trip is scheduled to leave from the US on June 30 for a 15 day trip down the Rhine River for the first two weeks of July.
Masking from the day we leave until we return sounds like a risk to me. Viking is holding out for some reason, no feedback from those in charge.
Do you have any insight?
Thanks for any thoughts or information you can provide.
Chip
Peter Says: It is my understanding that all cruise lines based in the U.S. have canceled their cruises through September.
EMAIL: Nancy DeMuro
Hi Peter
Love your directness and sharing of all things travel.
Throughout Covid-19 pandemic you’ve said repeatedly wait for the airline to cancel your flight. I’ve been waiting for American to cancel a flight from ORD to LGA on 6/11, but they made a change by 1 hour (so not exceeding 60 minutes and kept the same flight number). It’s May 25th and I’m just wondering if there’s an expectation they could cancel or what my options are at this point.
The other is United. I used miles for a return flight (LGA to ORD) on June 20th and they also have not canceled that flight… same flight number exists and I’m wondering if there are any options there.
I welcome your advice!
Thanks, in advance.
Nancy DeMuro
Peter Says: Hi Nancy, if an airline reschedules your flight, that means they have canceled your original flight and your rights to a full refund are preserved. The same applies when/if United cancels your June 20th flight.
EMAIL: Janice Meyerovitz
I booked a 10 day stay at the Lucerne Hotel from 7/12-22/20 in mid February and it was a non-refundable rate through Hotels.com. I paid the full amount up front to Hotels.com of $2609.49 We had a graduation and a wedding to attend and both have been cancelled and neither the hotel nor Hotels.com will refund our money. My husband and I are both immunodeficient and our Dr doesn’t want us traveling to NYC. I have written letters to both entities and they are asking me to wait until 10 days before the reservation before they will do anything. They seem to be playing for time before giving any resolution, if any. Can you make any suggestions as to how we can get our money back?
Janice Meyerovitz
Peter Says: Janice, thanks for this email. Please send me all the details (confirmation, numbers, and anyone at hotels.com or the hotel itself with whom you have spoken) and I will try to help.
EMAIL: Marianne Loughman
I was to fly on Emirates on March 14 from Chicago to Dubai and return from Rome on April 11, 2020.
Before things reached this level I knew I would not be able to go because of this virus. I have a letter from my pulmonologist stating because of my lung condition I should not travel. Called and told agent would have to cancel because of health and the virus. She said she would cancel and I should fill out request for refund. She did help me fill out the form online. I have not heard from them and have spent hours on hold and then been disconnected. Line busy more holding. Have stopped trying to call at this time.
Hotel in Rome has refused refund…twice..booked through All-accor but the refund request made through hotel and then asked All-accor to try again a refusal. They offered a reschedule till 12/20. With possible increase in cost. I will most likely not be traveling this year and certainly not Rome. This hotel was at the end of a cruise.
Cruise NCL Jade is giving credit till 12/31/2022 and my heart hope’s I will be alive and ships will be sailing.
Tour in Rome refunded all, but, says go to the front of the line at the Vatican won’t be refunded, which I don’t get because everything is and was being shut down. Maybe it’s the tour company making some $$, requested cancel over a month before tour.
Well, I guess I may have given pretty much all the details. lol My finger just kept going.
Any help or suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I am in self quarantine and of course worried about not contracting this virus which I would most likely not survive. I have signed up (I think) for you newsletter and look forward to reading what you write. Sorry this is so long. Looking forward to hearing from you. (please forgive spelling or typos)
Peter Says: Hi Marianne, sorry to be getting back to you so late. As you can imagine, I’ve been inundated with listener/viewer mail and your situation is, sadly, not an isolated one. Can you update me on your problem? Has anyone changed their refund policies in the last few weeks? Let me know and I will try and help.
EMAIL: Joe & Sandy Beaver
Thank you, Peter, for helping so many with your advice of handling traveling issues during these troubling times.
I have several questions, as well:
- We booked a European river cruise through Gate 1 Travel for June 6 – 21, 2020. Gate 1 has “suspended all trips through June 30” and offered vouchers for future travel, but also offered a refund “for all services” as an option, which we plan to take. The refund is for the amount of money that we paid for the trip, including our non-refundable deposit of $600.00. However, we did pay for trip insurance ($438.00 for 2 people). Under the Gate 1 “cancel your reservation option” it is stated “payments are refundable after applying airline-assessed fees and non-refundable Trip Protection Plan”. We aren’t sure whether this statement applies to the airline protection plan (made our own air reservation) or our trip protection plan (river cruise) that we purchased through Gate 1. Should we contact the trip insurance company as well for a refund since Gate 1 postponed/cancelled the trip.
- We purchased the airline ticket separately through Expedia. The flight was on Air Canada from LGA to Brussels and on Brussels Airlines from Budapest to JFK. We bought trip insurance offered when we made the reservation through Expedia. We also selected our seats for both of these flights at an additional cost. Since our river cruise was postponed, these flights are unnecessary now. Where do we begin to ask for a refund for the airfare portion of our trip…….through the trip insurance company (Travel Guard), Expedia, or the airlines (Air Canada & Brussels Airlines)…..since it was Gate 1 who cancelled our trip because of the coronavirus. Also, should we expect a refund of the money that we paid in order to select our seats to allow us to sit together?
Thank you, again, for your help and advice,
Joe & Sandy Beaver
Peter Says: Joe and Sandy, thanks for your email. And I apologize for my late response. For your first question, most folks are not getting refunds for their insurance, although if you paid with a credit card it seems you have a case to dispute that charge with your credit card company, since you contracted for a service you did not receive. As for question number two, there is a long standing U.S. Department of Transportation rule that says if the airline cancels the flight then you’re entitled to a full refund back to your original form of payment. And this applies to all airlines — domestic or foreign — that fly to or within the U.S. However, Canadian airlines are arguing that only Canadian rules apply here — that they are only required to offer credit or vouchers, and not a refund, and for the moment, Canadian courts have upheld that. It’s really up to the U.S. Department of Transportation to enforce that rule, and this may take quite some time. In the meantime, your best possible recourse here may be to dispute the charge on your credit card.
Peter Says: Ramiro, Air Canada SHOULD be refunding your money, but the airline is claiming that Canadian rules prevail when it is abundantly clear that U.S. department of transportation rules govern this, since Air Canada flies to the U.S. The U.S. DOT has not yet taken any enforcement action, and the case is also being argued in the Canadian courts. And, sadly, I don’t expect a speedy resolution here. Stay tuned!