ComplaintsforGirls Guide to the World

• Initial Complaint

  03/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up to go on what I thought would be the trip of a lifetime to sail in ******** in April 2024. The trip was two 44 foot catamarans with a private chef, 8 women and two captains. Before I signed up for the trip I spoke with the owner at length and was assured that everything would be perfect. The trip would be very safe with the two boats and so many participants. Only one other person signed up for the trip and because the owner of the company did not want to lose her deposit, she decided that there would be only 1 boat, two paying travelers and that she would go along with her cousin. I do not feel it is even safe to sail around in a small sailboat alone with just a few women. When I sent an email to her in January expressing my concerns she ignored it. Only when I informed her that I would not be paying the balance of my trip did she contact me. She has continued to refused to cancel the trip, refused to refund or transfer my $2600 deposit to another trip and then sent an email out offering a discount of $1400 for anyone else to take my place. That $1400 discount was actually part of my deposit. The website clearly states that if In the highly unusual event that Girls Guide to the World has to reschedule or cancel a trip, we will offer you the option of a) Joining us on the rescheduled trip at a later date (we will make every effort to pick new dates that work for everyone), b) applying your payment(s) towards a different trip, or c) receiving a full refund. Based on the fact that this trip was not at all what was advertised I believe it should have been cancelled and I should have been given the opportunity to choose a, b or c. Instead they decided to keep my deposit and move forward with one paying traveler.

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  We have attached a letter describing the events that have led to **************** filing this complaint. In a nutshell, *** ****** booked a tour to ******** with our company and paid a non-refundable deposit. She acknowledged our terms and conditions when she booked the tour. Those terms and conditions include a cancellation policy stating that all payments are non-refundable if a customer decides they cannot attend the tour for any reason. 

  2 months prior to the tour starting, **************** notified us that she no longer wanted to join the tour and wanted her deposit back. This is impossible. It has cost our company more than $5,000 for ******************** booking. Her last-minute cancellation has cost our company more than $2,500 of expenses beyond her deposit that we cannot recoup at this late date, nor is there time to resell her spot on the tour to another guest.

  **************** does not want to take any responsibility for her actions and decisions or acknowledge the harm they cause our company. She just wants her money back, and has decided to smear our company until she gets what she wants.

  Customer response

  03/27/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Absolutely none of what she said about this trip is true. She told me last summer that she put down a non-refundable deposit for this trip before she even advertised it for sale to the public.  The trip was supposed to be 2 saliboats with 8 women, a private chef and two captains.  Only 1 other person besides myself signed up for the trip.  She told me that because she had that non-refundable deposit for the two boats that she would not cancel the trip even though there would be only 1 boat, no chef and only 2 people.  If you look at their website it shows that every trip has a minimum number of participants and if it not reached the trip will be cancelled.  After I asked her to allow me to use my deposit for another trip she refused but did say if she filled my spot she would refund my money.  A few days after that she sent out a mass email stating that she was discounting the trip by $1400 because of a cancellation.  How can she afford to give someone else a discount but not afford to refund my money.  

  While I understand the cancellation policy, I do not understand why it only applies to me and not the company that is not providing what I signed up for.  I do not believe it is safe to be traveling on a single sailboat in the middle of the ocean and I would have never ever signed up for the trip if that is what was advertised.  I tried to contact her several times but she never bothered to answer me until I cancelled  my trip.  

  I believe that I am *********** a refund for the reasons stated above.  She has been far less than honest about the true details of this **********.

  *********************

   

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩