Nancy Giese books an overnight tour to Chichen-Itza, but when she arrives in Cancún, she's told she only has reservations for a day trip. Now her tour operator is refusing to refund the difference between the tours. Is there anything she can do?
Q: I'm trying to get a refund for a tour, and I'm getting the runaround. Last year, my husband, my niece, and I traveled to Cancún for two weeks. Before our departure, I asked my travel agent for a reputable tour company since I wanted to book a tour to Chichen-Itza, a popular pre-Columbian archaeological site. She recommended Gray Line.
I went online and I booked an overnight tour that included a light show and a room at the Mayaland Hotel, as well as access to the grounds in the evening. This cost me $99 per person.
When we got to Cancún, I got the concierge at my hotel to confirm the arrangements. She phoned and I thought it was all set.
When we arrived, we were told that we were booked on the day trip. This did not include the light show. When I explained that I had paid for the overnight trip, the woman at the counter told me there were no hotel rooms available at all. There was nothing she could do. She also told me that she couldn't issue a refund since I had booked on the Internet. She told me to get my refund through the website.
I have contacted Gray Line Cancún several times in the past year. Each and every time, I am promised a refund. Each time, they fail to deliver it. Can you help? -- Nancy Giese, Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada
A: Gray Line should have refunded the difference between the day tour and your overnight tour as quickly as it took the company to withdraw the money from your credit card. Which is to say, instantly.
So why are you still waiting?
That's a question a lot of travelers -- from airline passengers to hotel guests -- struggle to answer every day. Travel companies are quick to take your money and slow to return it, even when you have every right to a prompt refund. The best explanation is that they want to keep your money, and they figure that dragging their feet increases the chances you'll give up.
But not you. You copied me on several e-mail requests to Gray Line Cancún, in which you politely and persistently asked for your money. Gray Line's terms and conditions (you can read them here) are clear about giving its customers refunds: it doesn't. "All tickets purchased on www.grayline.com are nonrefundable," it says.
Curiously, while Gray Line's terms address your own behavior to an interesting level of detail ("You will only provide truthful and accurate information. You will not harass, threaten or abuse other people when using this site in any manner."), it doesn't really talk about the company's obligations to you. Too bad. Obviously, the company should adjust the rate you paid for your Chichen-Itza tour immediately.
While you dealt directly with the Cancún location, you had three other options. You could have appealed to Gray Line at the corporate level. You could have disputed the charges on your credit card. And you could have sued Gray Line in a Canadian Small Claims Court.
Fortunately, you didn't need to do any of those things. I contacted Gray Line on your behalf, and it sent you a full refund.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the host of "What You Get For The Money: Vacations" on the Fine Living Network. E-mail him at celliott@ngs.org.
(c) 2009 Christopher Elliott. Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc.