The agent will not return the money
In 2020, my family and I had a holiday in Crete, using the services of Vanilla Travel Ltd. Since there were no claims on the main trains for the next summer, we decided to book the trip directly at "Vanilla Travel". Choosing a hotel, we received an invoice with the remark that in order to make a reservation, you have to pay 70 AU$ for each person, including a small child under the age of 2. We paid, everything was fine. Unfortunately, life introduces its own unpleasant adjustments and it is clear that in the summer of 2019 we will not be able to go on a trip. We informed Vanilla Travel via email. We did not receive any answer for a week, reminding ourselves, we received an answer that we will not receive a refund, because these are the rules... Justification, why - no. These are the only rules for changing or canceling trips. It should be noted that the contract has not been signed yet, nor has it been approved electronically. Only paid 210 AU$ (70 AU$ per person). When making a payment, we have agreed that the travel agent reserves the right to deduct 20% of the travel reservation if the cancellation is made up to 30 days before the travel date. - as explained by the travel agent. In our case, the refusal is made 7 months before the trip. Understand, if you refuse a trip a month or a half ago, but in our case not return the euro, in my view it is a fraud. Even if you return the money for the child - he does not have a separate seat on the plane, there is no additional cost for him in the hotel. But no, the agent will not return the money. We understand that turning to the Consumer Protection Center is unlikely to do anything, but we want to warn others to be careful, because agents are nice for a while. Don't buy travel in advance, better focus on last minute deals. Because, God forbid, if something changes for you, you will not get anything back. I hope that this 210 AU$ Pty. "Vanilla Travel" will bring a big profit, because neither we nor our family and friends will use the services of this company anymore, nor do we recommend it to others.
Read more...
