Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  21/03/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  November 2019, I won a $1500 travel voucher from Magical Trips by ******** ******** which I had 1 year to book a trip with the agency. I won this as a door prize at a wedding show hosted by ********* Entertainment. In June of 2020, I reached out to ******** ******** and she informed me that my one year would start once international borders opened to non essential travel. Once this happened, I tried to book a trip several times and was told she couldn't afford it. I tried working with her over the next year of so and in the fall of 2022, I said I wanted to book a trip and she said ok. In February of 2023 we settled on a vacation and when payment was discussed, she said she still couldn't afford it and would not book the trip. I still tried to work with her and asked her to commit to year end booking of trip, and she refused. ********* ********* reached out and offered me $750 as this was her half of the prize and I accepted. I then reached out to ******** again to book flights in Canada and a one night hotel and she refused stating that I had accepted money from ********* *********. Currently, she still has not booked any travel for me.

  Business response

  05/04/2023

  Thank you for bringing these concerns forward and allowing me the opportunity to reply. I am a sole proprietor who operates a small travel consulting business as an independent contractor affiliated with Trevello (formerly TPI). This has been my career for over a decade.

   

  How my services work: A client will contact me to go on a vacation. They provide me with their wish list, which typically includes destinations, dates, and potential budgets. I then research the best way to get the clients the best value for the package they are looking for, typically offering three options complementary without charging a planning fee. I provide them with government travel links to review what is required for their vacation, collect their travel information through a secure authorization form, and contact the tour operator to book their agreed-upon trip. The tour operator typically charges the client's credit card directly. The tour operator then pays Trevello for my services after travel, and Trevello pays me.

   

  Prize:

  In February 2020, I sponsored a three-night trip to Las Vegas (worth approximately $1500) for travel in early March 2020 as the Ultimate Bridal Show door prize. Since it is a wedding show, and many that attend the show are planning honeymoons, I did offer the opportunity for the winner to take a $1500 Travel Credit instead of the trip to Las Vegas. The conditions were simplistic: The $1500 Travel Credit had no cash value. It had a one-year validity. I would apply it towards the payment of a vacation package I booked on the winners' behalf through a tour operator Trevello has a contract with. (Trevello has hundreds of supplier contracts that offer trips worldwide). ***** Roche Codner won and chose the $1500 travel credit.

   

  At the end of March 2020, the Covid-19 Pandemic caused worldwide travel restrictions. The Newfoundland government also created its own travel restrictions, which were prevalent until the Summer of 2021. More travel restrictions came into play with Omicron in fall/winter 2021/22.

   

  ***** first messaged me in September 2020 asking about a vacation for 2022. I explained to her that we could not book that far in advance. Vacation packages are typically released eleven months in advance. Given the circumstances with COVID-19 and the inability to travel, I explained I would honour the credit past the expiry date. I invited her to call me if she would like to discuss it further.

   

  ***** messaged again in January 2022; at that time, I explained that I would honour the credit; however, it could be up to two years before I could book a trip using the credit due to the hardships caused by the shutdowns and the current restrictions that were still in place. 

   

  In June 2022 and in October 2022, she asked again. I explained to her how hard the travel industry had been affected (no one envisioned the shutdown being as long as it was) and offered her to call me so we would discuss it. She asked if she could use the credit towards a booking for May 2023, and I told her that I would try my best, but I would have to make the final payment at the time of booking, and a deposit was not an option. I did a fair amount of research for her at this time as she asked about Portugal but couldn't give specifics.  

   

  December 2022, she asked if I was working during the Christmas period. I let her know that I was generally around but currently sick; however, she could message me with her package request.

   

  January 2023, her plans changed; she now wanted to leave from Montreal and do Antigua or Barbados. We did have a telephone conversation at this point about these destinations. She also asked me if I dealt with ****** to which I explained that I have no affiliation with ******. (****** are not a tour operator; they are a travel agency and do not deal with outside agencies.) In January 2023, her plans changed again, and she asked me if I knew anything about Greece. I reminded her then that I previously stated it would take time for me to recover from being shut down.

   

  Due to a glitch with my service provider, I missed a voicemail from *****, making her agitated with me. She asked about flights only, to which I reminded her the credit was for a package only. She then found a resort in Portugal she wanted. They were going to do flights, just wanted me to book the hotel she found. Again I reminded her the credit was for a package. I decided to check with our tour operators to see if they offered it and could be packaged somehow, but I was unsuccessful. At that point she asked me about Beaches Turks and Caicos, which was out of her budget. She asked about other lower-priced Turks and Caicos options, so I offered the Sands at Grace Bay and Club Med through a tour operator. She came back asking for a price breakdown. I explained a breakdown was not possible, but the $1500 credit would come from the total. Pricing is from live inventory, set by the tour operator and can easily change within the hour. I also explained I had to take ten days off in February and could not assist during that time. At no point did I tell ***** I would not honour the $1500 credit. I was truthful with *****, I explained recovery has been difficult, and the rising cost of living it was making it harder. I explained I would likely need more time to honour the credit. I was told I was unprofessional and the worst travel agent she had ever experienced.  

   

  In March 2023, after the Ultimate Wedding Show organizer, ********* *********, contacted me as she received complaints from *****. It was not my intention to cause stress for anyone. I contacted ***** and told her I would honour the certificate immediately. *****, at that point, told me she was no longer dealing with me as she was dealing with the show organizer only.  

   

  Pressure grew on ********* ********* as she was concerned of negative press, she offered ***** a cash payout for $750 in lieu of the travel credit. ********* explained that ***** told her she wanted it to be over and would accept the cash payout. Therefore we were of the understanding that the ordeal was over. ********* was surprised when I told her ***** is looking for the remainder from me. March 2023 ***** messaged me again, telling me she wanted two one-way tickets and a hotel close to Toronto airport. I explained again that it was never meant for flight only. She then asked if I was refusing to book her. I asked if she was booking a package. She asked again if I was refusing to book her, and I asked again if she was booking a package.  

  Customer response

  10/04/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:  

  ******** ******** of Magical Trips by ******** has offered nothing as a solution to this situation.

   

  -  I have attached the entire ******** message between myself and ********.  You will see that I tried to work with ******** over 2 1/2 years to extend my voucher or try to book a trip.  I was truly trying to work with ******** as I understood the impact the travel industry had due to COVID.  When ******** refused to commit to booking my trip at some point, I felt I had no choice anymore but to take it to her parent company.

  -  In February of 2023, ******** agreed to book a trip for me.  When I asked her for a breakdown of the cost, she sent me a nasty ******** message saying she didn't appreciate my questioning her and my distrust in her.  She then said she was going on vacation and couldn't book my trip for 10 days.  When she returned to work, she once again refused to book my trip saying she couldn't afford it.

  -  I never contacted ********* *********.  She reached out to me after discussions with ********.  ********* thanked me for not taking this issue to social media and offered me $750 as this was her companies half of the door prize.  My understanding is Stephaine's company had a contract with Magical Trips by ******** for the door prize.

  -  In March of 2023, I contacted ********'s parent company, Magical Trips INC,  to seek help with the situation.  Her team lead, Jamie Murphy, explained that ******** was an independent business owner.  However, he did offer a discounted cruise option to assist with my situation.  I could not take him up on that offer because when ******** refused to book our trip, we booked a vacation for this year and couldn't afford another one.

  -  I did call ******** unprofessional and here are a few examples why.  She constantly brought up her financial situation...Unprofessional.  She said "I know you don't like me, and you will be mad at me"...Unprofessional.  Agreeing to book my trip, go on your own vacation and then refuse to book mine....EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!

  -  All I wanted was to book my dream vacation with the help of a prize that I won.  The wedding show coordinator offered me a solution.  ********'s parent company offered me a solution.  Only when ******** heard I was going to seek legal action, she offered to book my trip and gave me 24 hours to decide or she would consider that I was not entitled to prize anymore.  This is when I asked her to book flights and hotels and she refused.

  -  ******** has not honoured her prize to me.  After all of this, I would not trust her to book any vacation for me.  I want her to pay me $750, her half of the door prize.

   

  Thank you, ***** ******

*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. ↩