ComplaintsforSwan Mountain Outfitters, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/10/23 I purchased 2 horseback rides for ******** lake. Costing $270. Called on phone to make reservations. Staff told me that Id have an email coming with all the details of the trip. Staff did not inform me that I was unable to cancel the trip or that I ddi not have the option to cancel it. As it was less than 48 hours from the trip. On 6/12/23 at 745 am was our reservations. I was ***** minutes late for the reservations due to one side of the road being closed and taking about an hour to get through the construction. I did call the company and left a message to let them know that Id be late due to the road being closed. We were on the same road the day before and this was not an issue and timed how long it took. When arrived at the business they said it was too late and would not accept us. The riders had not left for the trip yet. Staff would not allow us to reschedule and we were due to leaving for ********* the next day. Staff did not provide goods or services and refused to assist. Reported it to the bank and they closed my credit card and issued a new one in worries it was fraud. When asked the company for a refund on 7/11/23 they told me they could give me a voucher for an off season time when weather could be terrible and costing me more money as this is ******* and I live in *********. Company has been rude and comparing this experience to a missed flight. Please note too I did not sign a contract with them. Stating I agreed to the above.

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  Hello,

  Thank you for the opportunity to review and respond to this customer's complaint. As the customer states, on 6/10/23 she booked a 2.5 hour horseback ride for our Lake ******** ****** inside Glacier National Park. The ride was scheduled for 6/12/23. Due to the overwhelming demand in peak season for Glacier National Park activities and the fact that our horseback rides are one of the few ways that visitors can bypass the ticketed entry requirements for Glacier National Park, we have a strict 48 hour cancellation policy. This means that at time of booking, the customer's ride was non-refundable. This policy is verbally communicated over the phone via registration questions that we ask the guests and then check off when we get the answer. The booking process cannot be completed unless the policy statements are acknowledged. As demonstrated by the screenshots in the attachments, one of the specific acknowledgments is: *********** understands they must arrive at the stated check in time. Late arrivals will be turned away without refunds. This group understands that they must prepare for traffic and parking delays that are outside of Swan Mountain Outfitters' control or ability to predict."The policy is further communicated through the email confirmation and invoice which is sent immediately upon booking and it is re-iterated in two other other emails that get sent after booking, one of which includes their bypass ticket to the vehicle reservation requirement for entering the ********************* corridor during peak season. The screen shots in the attachments show that this guest received and opened all of these emails prior to the day of their ride.
  

  On 6/12/23, this party arrived 30 minutes late for their ride. At that point, the rest of the guests on the fully booked ride who did show up on time, were already being loaded on their horses and were ready to depart the corral. The guests had missed 30 minutes of the check in process (filling out paperwork, loading water bottles and other personal gear into saddle bags, the safety speech and horse safety demonstration and horse assignments). Trying to add these guests on to the ride at that point, would have meant delaying the ride an extra 30 minutes which would have in turn delayed the later rides of the day. If guests arrive late to our horseback rides, we try our best to get them on a later ride time, but the rides were 100% full on that day. Despite the fact that the guest did not get to ride, she and her party still received a vehicle reservation into Glacier National Park for the entire day which they were able to utilize.

  The guest has already attempted a chargeback with her credit card company for this, but the credit card company ruled in our favor given that the documentation of the policy is quite clear. In my follow up communications with the guest, I was not trying to be insulting when I compared our cancellation policy to that of an airline. It's just a very comparable situation that a guest would not be entitled to a refund from ****** Airlines if they missed their flight due to an accident on the freeway. Like us, airlines will only give refunds for situations and circumstances that are in their control. The road construction on the way in to Glacier National Park is not something my company has any control over and it has negatively affected many people this summer. That said, there is very limited time to do road projects in ******* in the summer time, so it is a bit of a necessary evil. For this reason, we put right into our email confirmation that the road construction has been causing significant delays and guests should plan to arrive to their location well in advance of their ride. We even have suggestions of what they can do to bide their time in the event that they hit the timing just right and are early to their ride.

  I do empathize with the guest that this negatively impacted them and their trip which is why I offered a voucher for a future date, not in peak season when we wouldn't be at capacity. That is not something I had to do as our cancellation policy is ******* clear.
  

  Customer response

  07/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20307947
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the folks had not left for the trip. I was at the 20 minutes late and they were still receiving instructions.  Not one person had gear on or was ready to leave the corral. They were still receiving instructions.  I live in ********* and for me to have to make another trip there in the off season seems unreasonable  as this company is in *******. And when were there they refused to offer another time while we were already in *******. In there emails to me they were extremely unprofessional and do not recommend this place of business as I feel humiliated  thank you  Alyssa arch  

  
  Sincerely,
  
  Alyssa Arch

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