Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  10/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid Italy Beyond The Obvious $3750 for travel consulting ($375/day - 10 day trip) where they state on their website that they dont take an extra fee or up charge for excursions. My excursions were exorbitantly priced yet theres no transparency since the company bills me themselves to supposedly pay the travel group theyve booked for me. *** asked for a partial refund because I believe they defrauded me.

  

  Business response

  10/26/2022

  I would like to address this customer's concerns one at a time.
  
  
  I paid Italy Beyond The Obvious $3750 for travel consulting ($375/day - 10 day trip) where they state on their website that they dont take an extra fee or up charge for excursions.
  
  
  
  This is true. Our fees are published on our website and our Platinum travel planning service is $375 per trip day. These are consulting fees and are based on the average amount of time that it takes us to create an incredible Italy vacation for our customers. 
  
  
  It is also true that we do not take an extra fee or up charge for any excursions and in fact it is impossible for us to do so, because the customer pays ********************** only consulting fees and nothing else. In fact, this customer did not pay ********************** one ***** more than the $3,750 in planning fees.
  
  
  In addition, when the customer engaged with us, we sent a detailed contract that described exactly what is included in our Platinum ************************ Not only did we deliver on everything in the agreement, we went above and beyond to try to please this customer, as she asked for many changes during the planning process that were out of scope.
  
  
  Let me also further clarify why it is impossible for us to up charge for excursions. Italy Beyond the Obvious is not a tour operator, and therefore we do not (and legally cannot) pay the vendors directly. We use the customer's credit card, with the customer's permission, to pay the vendors. The planning fees are therefore completely separate, and the customer needs to only look at their credit card bill to see the costs that they paid to the vendor(s).
  
  
  In addition, we have a 5-step travel planning process and at each step, we send the customer our curated recommendations for hotels, activities and more -- with costs. We presented this customer with our recommendations for the activities, with costs, and this customer chose those activities, with full knowledge in advance of the costs. This customer authorized us, in writing, to go ahead and book the activities, which we did, using the customer's credit card.
  
  
  When the hotels, activities and logistics were all booked, we put all detailed information into the final itinerary, which we shared with the customer and then pre-departure, we spent more than an hour on the phone with this customer to review all the details of her trip.
  
  
  For every single thing we booked (every hotel, every tour, every transfer), her final itinerary included detailed information, including the price, the amount that was already paid, the amounts remaining to pay, the method of payment, and any tip we recommended.
  
  
  In addition to this, while they were on their trip, they were supported by our team in Italy, who bent over backwards to accommodate their many last-minute requests for on-trip changes - none of which were refundable as they were inside the cancellation window.
  
  
  Now I would like to address the customer's second assertion:
  
  
  My excursions were exorbitantly priced yet theres no transparency since the company bills me themselves to supposedly pay the travel group theyve booked for me.
  
  
  
  This was a luxury, VIP Italy vacation that most people would consider a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip. Yes, the excursions were expensive. However, the customer was presented with the excursions and the price in advance. The customer chose these excursions and authorized us to proceed with the payment. All details of all prices were at the customer's fingertips in their itinerary app. I personally did not think the excursions were exorbitantly priced, but if the customer thought that, then they could have asked for less expensive options and we would have been happy to provide them.
  
  
  The customer is mistaken that "the company bills me themselves" to "pay the travel group". Italy Beyond the Obvious did not bill the customer and pay the travel group. ********************** used the customer's credit card to bill the travel group directly. The customer can simply check their credit card statement to verify this fact.
  
  
  This is why we claim 100% transparency in costs. This is a claim we make, and we stand behind it. 
  
  
  Also, there is a simple way for this customer to see whether they were up charged.
  They simply need to check their credit card bill and add up the charges for the tours and activities. They know the name of the vendor, so it should be easy to locate these charges on their credit card bill.
  
  
  Then, they simply need to open their itinerary app which shows all details of hotels, tours and more. They need to take out a calculator, and add up the costs that are listed for each activity, transfer, and tour. 
  
  
  They will need to add a 3% credit card fee, which was clearly communicated to them in advance (and which they approved, in writing). And they will need to include the costs of the tours that they did not do which were cancelled at the last minute and therefore not refundable.
  
  
  At Italy Beyond the Obvious, we take these allegations very seriously and in fact in 14 years of business and having done over 600 Italy trips, this is our first customer complaint.
  
  
  Therefore, my team and I sat down to review this customer's complaint. We reviewed all the trip costs. We pulled out our calculators and did the math. We triple-checked that the customer had indeed chosen these activities, with these costs, and had authorized us, in writing, to move forward with the booking. We have all the documentation that they did. And we found absolutely no evidence that this customer was overcharged. 
  
  
  I asked the customer to please check her credit card bill, and tell me what she was charged by the vendor. I told her that if she was overcharged, I would absolutely get her a refund. As far as I know, she has not done this, as I have not heard back. 
  
  
  
  At Italy Beyond the Obvious, we deliver a high-touch, white glove, concierge travel planning service, with high communication to our customers. I went to my email inbox to see how many emails I personally exchanged with this customer, and there are 29 emails. In addition, this customer communicated directly with my team while in Italy.  
  
  
  My only point here is that the customer had many opportunities to discuss costs at multiple points during the planning process and she chose not to. She chose the activities, authorized the payments, went on a trip where everything unfolded completely smoothly and then came home and asked for a refund.
  
  
  This customer has made allegations with no proof and no evidence behind them and therefore I have declined her request for any sort of refund given that Italy Beyond the Obvious went above and beyond to create an amazing Italy vacation for this customer.

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