Category: The Travel Troubleshooter

Maureen DiNafo canceled her vacation to Italy during the pandemic. Since then, she’s been trying to get a refund for her prepaid shuttle — without getting scammed. But is that a valid concern?

Question

I have a problem with Civitavecchia Shuttle, a ground transportation company in Italy. We decided to cancel our vacation in Rome last September and tried to get a refund for our shuttle reservations from Civitavecchia to Rome.

I paid for all three reservations with my Visa credit card. But when I contacted Civitavecchia Shuttle, a representative told me that they were trying to refund the money to my PayPal account.

I never used PayPal to make the shuttle reservation. I never canceled any payments in PayPal, or even know how to use it. I think I should be refunded to my original payment method unless for some reason they can’t reimburse after this long of a time-lapse. Could you help me get my money back? — Maureen DiNafo, Delray Beach, Fla.

After Susan Danner canceled her tour of Ireland during the COVID-19 outbreak, the operator promised a swift refund. But that was a year ago. So where’s her money?

Question:

Last year, I reserved a tour through Paddywagon, an Irish tour operator. I prepaid $1,219 for a two-day Wild Atlantic Way tour of the Irish countryside.

We could not go because of the pandemic. So I canceled the tour of Ireland in May, more than 28 days before the tour started. Under the terms of the tour, we qualified for a full refund. Paddywagon acknowledged the cancellation immediately but has claimed ever since that they cannot issue a refund until they are allowed access to their offices in Dublin.

I can see no reason that the company would not have access to their funds to issue a refund. I have emailed Paddywagon multiple times, and they always respond with the same excuse.

Can you help get me a refund for this canceled tour of Ireland? — Susan Danner, Healdsburg, Calif.

When Thomas Anderson’s Alaska cruise gets canceled during the pandemic, UnCruise Adventures promises a refund. But it never shows up. What can he do?

Can Club Med cancel Emily Moerer’s vacation because of the coronavirus and ignore her refund request? It looks like, according to Club Med, the answer is “yes.”

Can the Elliott Advocacy team extract a different answer? Let’s find out.

Mary Roberts has been waiting nine months for a refund for her canceled train trip with Show Of The Month Club. How much longer should she hold on?

CroisiEurope canceled Eleanor Johnson’s river cruise more than a year ago, but her refund has yet to appear. Can we help speed things along?

On a flight from Porto to Madrid, Iberia damaged Helene Rosenthal’s checked luggage. Why is it taking so long to pay her damage claim?