ComplaintsforTravel With Alan

• Initial Complaint

  04/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I booked an Alaska Land/Sea trip with Holland America Lines ***** through Travel with Alan (TwA) for August 2020 to celebrate my retirement. The cruise was cancelled due to covid. We rebooked for Aug 2021. That trip was also cancelled due to covid. I was concerned about re-booking for 2022 because my wife ***************************** had cancer. Talking with Travel with Alan, I learned that *** had a no worries booking policy trying to get customers back. If you cancelled within 30 days you would get Future Cruise Credits (FCCs). So I rebooked for Aug 2022. Sadly, ****** became very ill in July 2022. I emailed and called ************************* from TwA to cancel before the 30 days prior to the trip to get the FCCs. **** wrote that he was sorry the ****** was getting worse. He would intitiate the cancellation process and that I would get all back in FCCS, with the exception of airfare that I had paid. So, the reason that I waited so long to file this complaint is that I was waiting for my FCCs all this time since Aug 2022. I emailed and called *** many times during this period. Some of the emails are attached. *** was completely unresponsive. When calling about refunds, they directed calls to a recording that said something like. " if you are calling about a refund, Don't worry! we are backlogged. Rest assured we will make it right!" So I continued to try to call and write. Eventually in response to my request to take my matter seriously ************** ******* replied on Feb 3, 2024 (attached) that I had recieved a partial refund of $739 (true i did receive $739. and I had a cancellation fee of $4,753.38 because it was a re-booking! So, I finally learned that they were charging me a $4,753 cancel fee instead of giving me FCCs. I then wrote **** hoping that the travel agency could reason with *** and explaing that I booked under the "No Worries" policy. **** promised me he would call his contact at ***in Feb 2024. I have emailed **** 4 times since. No reply

  Business response

  04/15/2024

  Dear ****************:

  I read the complaint that you sent to the BBB.

  I was surprised to receive this, since I remember speaking to you personally.  I am out of town now, with one of our tour groups, so I don't have all of the paperwork at hand.

  As I recall, Holland America did issue you FCCs for the full amount of the cancellation penalty.  The problem, as I recall, is that these "Future Cruise Certificates" issued by Holland America are only valid for one year.

  I told you that I understand your situation and that I'd be happy to go to *************** to try to get these extended, if you want to go to ****** this year.  You stated that you want to go in 2025.  I told you that I'm sure that such a request would not be honored.  As I recall, you were to check to see if you could go THIS year.  If so, I would be happy to go to *************** to see if they will give you an extension.

  Please let me know if this is possible.  You can email me at ******************************* or you can call me, next Monday, when I'm back in the office.

  Thanks.

  ****

  " 

  Customer response

  04/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21539909
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  Holland America did not issue me Future Cruise Credits as **** states in his reply.  I explained this to **** when asking for his help dealing with Holland America as they charged me a cancellation fee of almost $5,000.  **** and I thought ******* had a no worries promise allowing cancellation. **** promised he would contact Holland.  I don't believe **** ever followed up on his promise.  I emailed **** several times since.   No reply.  Therefore I filed this complaint.  I'd like to get the Future Cruise Credits as promised.  It was horrible enough that I lost my wife to cancer.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  05/09/2024

  Hi *******:

  I am in ****** now but I fly home tomorrow.

  The problem we have is that Future Cruise Credits, issued by Holland America Line, during Covid, were valid for 1 - 1.5 years, depending when issued. 

  I know that you lost your wife and we can see if Holland America can make any exceptions.  Did you try to use this credit?

  Could we have a phone meeting on Monday, when I am back in the office.  Let's plan on you calling me at 11:00 AM.  You can call toll-free at **************.

  If that time doesn't work for you, please call the office on Friday afternoon and we will schedule another time.

  ****

   

  Customer response

  05/16/2024

  I have discussed the situation with ************************* at travel with Alan.  I provided him with the documentation of the situation again on May 13.   He promised to contact holland america to seek resolution.   My complaint is not resolved yet.

  ********************;

  Business response

  06/20/2024

  Dear ****************:

   

  We are continuing to try to resolve this issue for you.

  I want to point out that your issue is with Holland America Line, not with us.  They are the ones who had the Covid cancellation policy and they are the ones who will issue the credit.  Nevertheless, we are working with them on your behalf.

  There are a couple of big problems with your claim that are not in your favor.  You claim that, the second time you cancelled, they would not issue the credit.  We are investigating that.  This has been difficult, since it was so long ago.  The other issue is that, if they did issue the credit, it would have been valid for one year, so it would have expired a long time ago.  

  We  have elevated this matter with Holland America Line. You may also wish to write to Holland America Line directly.

   

  Thanks.

   

  ****

   

   

  Customer response

  06/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21539909
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I booked with Travel with Alan in good faith.  They  told me that Holland America had a "no worries" policy trying to get customers back after covid.  If you cancelled more than 30 days for whatever reason they would issue future cruise credits.  My wife, *********************** was dying from cancer so I cancelled before the 30 day mark.  I worked directly with **** as he was my agent.   **** told me that I would receive credits but would lose my airfare.  ******* did not ever issue me a credit instead after 1.5 years finally told me that I had a $5,000 cancellation fee!  They do not reply to my emails.

   

  so i ask my Agent, ************************* (many times) to contact ******* on my behalf.

   

  i have received no evidence that **** has contacted ******* about this matter.

   

  **** (travel with Alan) is a big customer of Holland and has far more access and leverage to decision makers at ******* than i do

   

  in summary.  Holland America did not honor their no worries policy by charging me a $5000 cancel fee instead of giving me a credit.

   

  **** has promised to contact *******.   I do not believe he has done that. So, I lost my beautiful lovely wife and $5000 to Holland America 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  07/23/2024

  Hello ****************:

  I have spoken to Holland America Line many times.  They have agreed that they will do something for you.

  The biggest thing we have working against us is that the credits offered for the "no worries" policy, as we were coming out of COVID, were valid for one year.  As this cancellation was over two years ago, the credits would be expired.

  Still, Holland America has agreed to do something for you.  I will press them again and ask them to respond to you, with a copy to me.

   

  ****

  Customer response

  07/23/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

   

  ************************* has assured us that he has contacted Holland America about this issue and they promise to "do something" for me.  An important point>>> Holland America did not ever issue me a credit honoring their no worries policy.  Instead they charged me an almost $5,000 cancellation fee.

  Thank you to **** for trying to make this right.

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

• Initial Complaint

  02/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  This was the email that I first sent to Travel with Alan:The purpose of this letter is to formally request reimbursement of the full cost of our missed trip, along with transportation/baggage/accommodation charges incurred associated with the missed trip (and existing credit from our prior missed trip with your agency) -- $3,132.44 in total. Cash/check can be made to ************************* and mailed to *******************************************************************************. Please see details below regarding your agencys error that resulted in us missing our Princess ****** Mexican Riviera trip, scheduled for 1/13 1/20/2024. We booked our trip (booking #6R2WXM) on October 18, 2023, with airline flights (***** 1460 at 6:10am on 1/12 from ******* to ***********) confirmed via electronic ticket delivery (eTicket Receipts ************* for ************************* and ************* for ***********************) received on December 19, 2023. We arrived at the airport at 3:00am (>3 hours before scheduled departure), only to be told by ***** Airlines that our booking did not exist. We were rebooked on the next flight available, and ended up missing our ********************** departure from the Port of *********** by 6 minutes. Our other group members were able to make it onto their originally scheduled flight without issue, and board without us. We are beyond frustrated, to say the least. Total charges: $3130.44 $2699.74 cruise/flight booking $120 baggage fees $158.38 one-night hotel stay $34.32 transportation to airport $120 transportation to Port of ***********

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  Dear *****:

  You had signed-up and paid for our cruise to ****** in January aboard Princess **************************** Princess.  According to all of the phone calls and letters that we have exchanged, you missed boarding the ship in *********** on January 13th of this year, and missed the complete cruise.

  Initially you said that you arrived at *************** and proceeded to the Delta Ticket Counter.  You have said that the Delta agent told you that you do not have a reservation or a ticket.  However, when we contacted Delta they easily found your reservation.  They told told us that the reservation history shows that you had requested to change to a later flight. None of this makes any sense to me as Delta had already checked your bags at that point, on your originally scheduled flight.  Delta would not have checked your bag if you did not have a valid reservation or ticket.  We had 82 other travelers on the same flight, many on your same reservation.

  It was especially frustrating for me, when we were on the phone at the pier, that you did not want to leave your Uber over fear that you wouldn't be able to get another, should you miss the ship.  At the same time, I was talking on the phone with the Pier Supervisor.  I told you to go to the port gate but you refused.  They could not wait any longer and closed the port gate.  Had you left your Uber you would have made the ship. After that happened, you refused assistance in getting to ******************* to pick-up the ship there.  

  I know that *****, in our office has spent a lot of time with you, trying to help you.  I also know that you have written several letters to us, to the BBB, and to Princess.  We did advise you, at the time of booking, that all payments are non-refundable and that we are not responsible for travel delays.  I feel very bad that you missed your vacation.  I also am very perplexedas to what happened at the airport that morning.  If you could shed any more light on this, it may be helpful. At this point, we have done all that we can do.

   

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

  Travel With Alan @ Direct Travel.

  Customer response

  03/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 21343222
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer response

  03/15/2024

  Please reopen the complaint ID: ********.  Once I got the response from *************************, I respond right away last night March, 14.  I stated all the reasons that Travel with Alan should take the responsibility about my loss of the cruise.  I requested reimbursement of the full cost of our missed trip, along with transportation/baggage/accommodation charges incurred associated with the missed trip  -- $3,132.44 in total.  I didn't know that I have to fill out this box, so I just sent the attachment and stated that reasons why I rejected what ************************* said. 

  Below it was the insurance sent it to me:

  Please note, when booking through a third party (travel agency), the third party is responsible for notification of schedule changes.
  Please reach out to your travel agent, Travel with Alan regarding this booking/notification error.

  The root cause of this was by Travel with Alan.  Therefore, I request the reimbursement of the full cost of our missed trip.

  I attached the document and stated why I rejected ****'s response.  Please see the attachment.  

  I got the email from BBB that they got no response from **** a couple days ago and the case was closed.  I took the action to file in the court already.

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  Dear BBB:

  I'm sorry we did not respond to you regarding the ongoing case with *************************.  My colleague, *********************, had responded directly to the client on March 19th.  Here was his response:

  Greetings *******************,
  
  My sincere apologies for the delay in response as weve been awaiting further clarification from ***** Airlines regarding your situation.
  
  We spent a substantial amount of time working with *****, trying to figure out exactly what happened with your reservation. In the original Travel With Alan offer form (which you filled out at the time of booking), we stated that air upgrades are available and must be requested at the time of booking. At the time of booking, you requested the included Economy Class air with Travel With Alan, which is what we issued on your behalf. We also found that you contacted ***** on January 3rd to request an upgrade to Comfort Class seats on the plane. You then never paid for this upgrade, and this turned out to be the cause of the issues with your reservation.
  
  When you arrived at ************************************ to check-in for your flight, we do have record that your bags were checked at 4:43 AM for the 6:10 AM departure. Please note that ***** would not have been able to check your bags if you did not have a valid reservation. Furthermore, ***** would not have been able to reaccommodate you to a later flight if you did not have a reservation with the carrier. The confusion with the ticketing error was caused by the fare class mismatch in *****s system as your record indicated the unpaid upgrade to Comfort Class.
  
  Through our conversations with *****s Preferred Partner Desk, we were able to confirm that you were booked, ticketed, and confirmed on DL 1460, which aligns precisely with the documentation you received from Direct Travel/Travel With Alan. All Travel With Alan Guests that were booked on the same flight as part of our group record (approximately 80 passengers in total) successfully made it to ***********, but the error in your specific record was caused by circumventing the standard upgrade process for a group record.
  
  Upon your late arrival in ***********, you proceeded directly to the pier by taxi/Uber, arriving approximately ***** minutes prior to the Port Authorities closing the boarding process. We were speaking to you on one phone, and to the *************** on the other phone. We advised you to go immediately into the port and get on the ship. You refused to leave your taxi/Uber as you were worried that you wouldnt get another should you miss the ship. By refusing to go into the terminal, you indeed missed the ship. We even attempted to reaccommodate you to board the ship on January 15, 2024, in *******************, but you declined the offer to mitigate the loss of this trip.
  
  We have gone above and beyond in trying to assist you in piecing together the events that occurred January 13, 2024, but we are not able to find any evidence that places Direct Travel/Travel With Alan at fault for any wrongdoing. As Direct Travel/Travel With Alan was not responsible for any of these circumstances, we will not be issuing compensation.
  
  We understand this was not the outcome you hoped for, we do sympathize with your frustrations, and it is unfortunate that you were unable to join our group on this trip. While we strive for exceptional guest service, the challenges you experienced during your trip were not within our control.
  
  Thank you for reaching out to Direct Travel/Travel With Alan.
  
  Warmest Regards,
  
  *********************, Director, Cruise Operations & Technology
  phone: ************ | email: ************* 
  ****************************************;| ****************************
  Visit **: www.dt.com

  ******************* had altered her air ticket directly with *****, causing problems with her reservation.  We cannot be held responsible for this as the changes were directly between the client and the airline.  I feel bad for ******************* but not, in any way, responsible.  

  Customer response

  03/27/2024

   
  Complaint: 21343222
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Whatever ***** said in the email they were not true.  I already replied *****'s email.

  I am still stand by my formally request reimbursement of the full cost of our missed trip, total of $3130.44.

  Please see my email that replied to *****
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Customer response

  03/28/2024

  I am still saying the same thing that ***** lied.  Delta airline did not let me alter the seat, because they told me the Travel with Alan had to do the changes.  Please check with delta airline.  I request the request reimbursement of the full cost of our missed trip of $3.132.44 unchanged.

  I am not the only one said the Travel with Alan lie.  Please see the second attachment.

• Initial Complaint

  07/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On Apr 15, ****, we began an 18 day ****** Canal cruise with Travel with Alan, beginning in *************, Fla. It was all inclusive, Our flight did not arrive until after midnight. The ************** was over-booked, and we did not get a room. *************** us to Hotel A, which also was over-booked. We called back to the Sheraton and were informed that **** had sent us to the wrong hotel - should have gone to Hotel B, which had a room for us; however,even though **** was paying for the room, he was not paying for the "early check-in fee" of $118 plus tax. We felt betrayed. We had already paid the room at the Sheraton. By this time,it was almost 5:30 AM. So, was ubered back o the Sheraton, where we spent the rest of the night/morning. We had also prepaid for ****'s "VIP luggage service" (Airport to Ship Cabin). however, **** had sent only one truck which over-filled immediately. Consequently we had to drag all of our luggage into and out of 4 hotel lobbies (Sheraton twice). We emailed **** right after the cruise requesting reimbursement, but he did not respond. I called him earlier this week, left a message, even though the receptionist said he was at his deck. He has not returned my call.

  Customer response

  08/29/2023

   
  **** has satisfied our complaint: he sent a $350 check to cover the hotel cost. He also has given each of us $500 cedit towards a future Travel With Alan trip - good for a year. We're happy customers now. ***** and *************************
  
  Sent from ********************* (*********************)
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Travel arrangements prior to cruise sailing was given to Holland America. They in turn use a trip consolidator so no travel details are available until three weeks before departure. In my case, leaving from the West Coast, my travel was routed through *******, ****** -- with a mid-December departure. Ugh! Could I change this? No, and then learned the reservation was done on a non-refundable basis. All of this completely out of my control. My main suitcase was delayed and didn't arrive until 16 days after start of a 23 day cruise.

  Business response

  03/21/2023

  Dear *****,
  
  I reviewed the complaint letter that you wrote to the Better Business Bureau. I understand that you did not like your chosen flight arrangements and that the airline lost your luggage.
  
  In researching your booking, I found that I had personally handled your flight arrangements. You had requested an upgrade to Premium Economy seating for your airline reservation, and I personally called you and went over all the available options and pricing. I explained that Premium Economy is not available on all airlines and is only offered on the international long-haul flight segments. I also explained that this trip was in the heart of the holiday season and that options were limited. I reviewed the options with you and the cost of each option. Based on availability, schedule, and price, you personally selected the flights.
  
  I am sorry the airline mishandled your luggage and caused a long delay in receiving your personal items. Unfortunately, in air travel, this does happen on occasion. While we often do assist in tracking your luggage, we cannot be held responsible for the airlines operational challenges. We are still pleased to assist you in seeking compensation due to the lengthy delay. Let us know if we can assist you with this.
  
  All of our literature, from the initial advertising offer for the trip, stated that All payments are non-refundable, tickets are non-transferable, and we are not responsible for travel delays. This was reinforced during the booking process and was clearly shown on your invoice.
  
  I hope that,overall, you enjoyed your trip. It was certainly an outstanding value especially for being in the holiday season, and with all of the extras that we had included. I hope that the next time you travel, you will consider a Travel With Alan tour.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************
  Group Coordinator
  

*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. ↩