A travel-complaints trouble-shooter, writing for USA Today, has advised readers to buy travel insurance after investigating a problem one group had with pre-booked accommodation in Grand Cayman in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
A he family wrote to Traveller’s Aide Linda Burbank saying in March 2004 they booked and paid for a vacation for five people at the Westin Casuarina Resort for the December holidays. The letter was posted on the travel section of the USAToday.com Website on 31 May.
The query, from Robin Gannon, says that following Hurricane Ivan’s September hit on Grand Cayman, the group could not contact anyone on the island to ask if the hotel would be open. Starwood Hotel and Resorts’ Westin Reservations number in the US could not locate the group’s reservation number.
‘At that time, we were told that Westin was waiving its cancellation policy, since there were no telephone connections or electricity on the island, and no one knew the condition of the hotel. We were given the option of cancelling and receiving a refund check in the mail, or keeping the reservation in good faith. We were told we could cancel up to one week before our arrival date, since no one could assess the hotel’s damage.
‘We decided to keep our reservation. However, Continental Airlines contacted us in November, stating that the Cayman government would not allow visitors on the island. Continental cancelled our airline reservations and gave us a full refund for our tickets.
‘We have been trying for months to get a refund from the hotel, but it will not reimburse us our $8,669. All the Westin contacts state that since the hotel could open its doors on those dates, we forfeited our full payment,’ reads the letter.
Having looked into the complaint, Ms Burbank replied with good news, saying the hotel agreed to extend the normal hurricane policy to their reservation, allowing the group to rebook their stay. The Westin Casuarina Resort also waived its usual blackout dates so they can enjoy Christmas in Grand Cayman this year.
‘In the event of a hurricane, the hotel either gives guests full refunds, or allows them to rebook their lost vacations within one year. But the policy only applies if travellers can’t reach the island because the airport is closed or if the hotel is shut down during travellers’ reservation dates,’ said Ms Burbank.
‘This means that the hurricane guarantee didn’t apply to you, since your stay wasn’t directly affected by Hurricane Ivan, according to Starwood representative KC Kavanagh. The hotel was fully operational by the dates of your stay, and some airlines had resumed flights to the island – even though your airline didn’t restart service for another two months.’
To avoid a situation like this in the future, Ms Burbank advises travellers to consider buying travel insurance.
‘All policies are not created equal, however, so be sure to read the fine print, to make sure you won’t buy a policy with restrictions that render it useless for your travel plans.
‘Remember that credit-card charge-backs are not a guaranteed safety net. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, credit-card companies will only charge back disputed items if they’re notified of your claim within 60 days from the date the statement containing the charge was mailed. Some card issuers will handle older disputes on a case-by-case basis, but they’re not obligated by law to do so.’
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