No refund for a canceled lodge in Mexico?
Dear Vacation TROUBLESHOOTER: I booked a 7 days at the Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, for spring crack. The pandemic transpired, and we had to cancel our trip. I contacted Expedia and it served me get a refund for my flights. But the resort will not concern a refund. An Expedia consultant claimed I really should get a refund for the resort, also. But the hotel will not give me my cash again.
Interestingly, my brother experienced reservations at the identical resort. The resort refunded him. I experimented with to dispute the charges on my credit card, but my bank sided with the hotel. Can you help me get my $844 back again?
— Bernadette Cieslak, Hamilton, Ohio
Answer: If the hotel refunded your brother, it should also have refunded you. Basically, it ought to have refunded any individual who experienced to cancel because of COVID-19. On the working day you have been supposed to fly, the Point out Section issued a “do not travel” advisory, urging Americans to stay household. You did the proper thing by canceling.
Most accommodations provided a no-questions-asked refund just after that, but some tried out to keep their customers’ money. At a time like that, you can and ought to lean on your travel agent to assistance. But even Expedia was having some trouble persuading Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan to return your money.
Why did the resort refund your brother but not you? The reply could lie in its existing refund plan. It presents the ability to terminate on certain (more high priced) costs but not on all of them. It’s probable that your brother experienced booked a unique price, which the vacation resort viewed as refundable. I like your idea of a credit rating card dispute and am sorry that did not get the job done. A credit history card dispute is normally the past resort for receiving a refund. I’d say you have been there. (By the way, I believe it’s time for you to discover a new credit history card. Your lender is certainly not on your aspect.)
You could have reached out to an executive at Expedia. I publish the names, figures and e-mail addresses of Expedia’s shopper company supervisors on my buyer advocacy site at www.elliott.org/enterprise-contacts. The subsequent time you make resort reservations, I really encourage you to pay out consideration to the cancellation terms. If you believe you might have to phone off your trip, think about a vacation insurance plan that will address your reduction.
I contacted Expedia on your behalf. It achieved out to the Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan. But the lodge nevertheless refused to return your dollars. Expedia refunded your $844.
