Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ***** from Champlain Tours in ********** ******* scammed me. We live in ****** and I was looking for a travel agent in ******* to set up a trip for me to see the Fall changing of the leaves in ******* and going to Cape Cod, **. I spoke to a ****** Airlines supervisor and was told ***** booked all of my tickets with his mileage miles. She told me that I will not be getting any mileage points for my trip. ***** did not tell me that from the beginning and I never would have agreed to this.I was told that because he both PAID ************** for me under his account and also used his frequent flyer miles, that he gets my miles for the airfare I paid for and I do not get the miles. *** then the money I paid for my airline tickets and thought was going to ****** Airlines, ends up going in his pocket. I gain nothing and he gets all the gains.When I emailed him and asked him, he lied and denied and said he used a consolidator and told me he used points. I have talked to several travel agents in **********, ** and ****** and they all said what he did was illegal.He booked me in ************* for 3 nights and I also emailed him and asked him if he got my Hilton **************** reservation using his Hilton Points. He has not responded to me in over 2 weeks. I looked up online what the Hilton **************** costs in Burlington and ****** ******************. and it turns out he charged me more than the advertised price on Expedia and Booking.com. I overpaid $300 in hotels. Plus, I paid $300 more because when I found out his scam on the airfare, I called ****** Airlines to cancel his tickets and rebook my own so I could get the frequent flyer miles. *** price went up by $300. So, the total he cost me was $600 that I overpaid because of his scam plus many hours rebookin g everything and figuring out his scam. I would like my money back from him and also I want to protect others from having to go through the same experience. Please see forth emails for more details.

  Customer response

  10/09/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint. Will you please call the business? Thank you. *******************

  Business response

  10/09/2023

  I believe the point of this complaint is moot since the client was refunded entirely, without duress.  

  The claim is that I "scammed" her.  Regardless of how her flights were purchased, I provided her with 2 roundtrip tickets at a fair market price.  Originally, I purchased refunded tickets per her request.  When she requested canceling and rebooking 6 times..plus the additional of her partner late into the planning process, I told her I was using points to help her avoid the increasing cost each time being so close to her departure date.  She thanked me for my generosity. 

  I then learn, after going in to assign her seats, that her flights had been cancelled. Perplexed, I asked the client if that was her intention.  According to her, she had called the airline directly to change the flights for a 7th time while I was unreachable.  This is when she learned that she would not earn points for the flight because of the way they were booked, so she cancelled the reservation.  She then repurchased her tickets directly with the airline at the prevailing rate.  When I spoke with her the next day, she voiced her dissatisfaction not earning points, even when I reminded her our transparency how they had been purchased.  Without hesitation, we refunded her credit card immediately and even returned our $250 trip planning fee, even though she didn't ask us to.

  Later, after booking her hotels at her request, she discovers that the hotel we suggested had openings at a lower rate (at the time of booking, there were only 2 rooms left...presumably a large group had cancelled after we booked her).  At this point, she starts accusing us of lying and scamming her.  

  So, after 20+ hours trying to help this client, we went to the local hotel and convinced them to waive the nonrefundable booking so that we could refund her 100%.  Attached, please find the receipt reflecting full reimbursement.

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