Travel Troubleshooter: One vacation for the price of two
When Delta Air Lines cancels the return portion of Sara Grimm's Puerto Rico getaway, Travelocity's fix is to refund her first vacation package and then ask her to book a completely new one. She does, but weeks later, there's no sign of the money she spent on the first trip. Should Grimm dispute the charges with her credit card -- or is there a better way? Sara Grimm, Wadsworth, Ohio especially when you're talking about a vacation package with various components, such as a hotel, cruise or airline tickets. I can't blame you for making certain assumptions about your Travelocity experience. The online agency's "Travelocity Guarantee," which promises that "everything about your booking will be right, or we'll work with our partners to make it right, right away," made it easy to assume you'd have your money back in no time. Nor can I blame you for filing a credit card dispute. Normally, a dispute is a last resort -- used only when a company refuses to refund a purchase that it never delivered. But when you're out by more than $6,000 that adds a sense of urgency to your case. You could have, and should have, invoked the Travelocity Guarantee when Delta changed your itinerary. True, the canceled flight wasn't Travelocity's fault. But it wasn't your fault, either. As your travel agent, Travelocity should have worked with you to make your vacation right instead of asking you for what amounted to a short-term loan for $3,595, and then sending you back to the site to rebook a vacation on your own. I contacted Travelocity on your behalf. According to its records, the airfare portion of your vacation was refunded to your credit card immediately. However, it took 10 business days to show up on your credit card, which, according to the online agency, is normal. The rest of the refund was delayed because Travelocity tried to credit you for the entire trip, including the $145 you spent for insurance. That insurance is usually nonrefundable, and its system kept rejecting the request. Within a week of contacting Travelocity, you had your entire $3,595 back in your bank. |
