Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for a ****** yoga retreat in 1/30/23 with true nature travels, paying $350 deposit and $35 registration fee. The retreat was to take place 1/27/24-2/3/24. By November 2023 I had not heard back from the company regarding details about flights to ****** to be scheduled. I reached out to them and only then did they inform me that the retreat was cancelled but offered no explanation as to why. I sent an email 11/21/23 asking for a full refund of $385 (deposit plus registration fee) plus an explanation as to why the trip was cancelled so close to the departing date. They responded by telling me that the registration fee was not refundable and again did not answer my question as to why the late cancellation. I contacted them again on 11/22/23 asking for a full refund, given that they cancelled 11 months after my sending them my payment without an explanation. There are approximately 10 other people I know that signed up for this tour. One of them just sent them a deposit on 7/29/23. Attached are the emails exchanged regarding this cancellation and the company's refusal to refund my registration fee and provide an explanation for the cancellation. The email sent by the company on 1/27/23 acknowledging my payment never mentioned that the registration fee was non-refundable.

  Business response

  12/12/2023

  Good Morning, 
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint (ID #*********. 
  
  This participant reached out to us on November 21, 2023 and we quickly responded. That same morning an email about the canceled retreat had been sent out to the group with the options available. When this participant asked about the $35 processing fee being non-refundable we responded (on Nov 27th): "Regarding the $35 registration fee, it is non-refundable as per our policies. Please refer to the screenshot below from our policies page. For more information about our policies, please click here." 
  
  When participants register for our retreats the registration form they fill in has this statement: "Payment Processing Fee (non-refundable) - $35.00". Also, this policy is on our Terms and Conditions which participants sign on the registration form and they must check off this box: "By checking this box, I agree to the above Terms and Conditions, including True Nature Travel's Cancelation Policy". They also have the opportunity to read our policies on the form and also to download a copy. 
  Our Cancellation Policy is also on each trip webpage. Our Cancellation Policy states: "Full tuition is refunded if the trip is canceled due to low enrollment. The $35 registration fee is not refundable".
  
  The $350 refund (via check) was issued to this participant. 
  
  If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us. 
  Best, 
  ************************;
  
  

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  True Nature Travels has not been completely transparent with their response to the trip cancellation. It was only AFTER I contacted them and asked about the status of the trip did they send the email that day informing participants of the cancellation. At no point did they offer an explanation for why the trip was cancelled, even when I directly asked them. It is only now, after my filing the complaint with BBB, that they have finally offered an explanation. I can understand if I cancelled the trip, I should forfeit the registration fee. However, if the trip is cancelled by the tour group close to the departing date, and only prompted to come forward with informing the group after I called them directly, then they should do the responsible thing and refund the fee.  We were prompted when we signed up nearly a year ago to get travel insurance. I was already ready to put money down for the airfare. Again, transparency requires that a business be upfront with informing their customers, whose money they have had in their possession close to 1 year, on necessary updates so the customer does not get stuck with unnecessary extra expenses and limited options to reschedule their vacation time. I feel that True Nature Travels should reconsider their refusal to refund the registration fee given their laxity in providing follow up information to the tour group. And a customer should not have to file a formal complaint in order to get their questions answered- like, why was the trip cancelled at such a late date?

  Thank you for your consideration of my position on this. 
  

  Business response

  12/15/2023

  Hello, 
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint (ID #*********. 

  The reason that the retreat was canceled was due to low enrollment. The registrations were going very well for this trip but unfortunately, there were many cancellations within a short period of time. 
  Cancellations are taken very seriously. There is a process when a trip has low enrollments that involves the leader, the venue and our team that takes some time. After careful consideration, when we exhausted all other possibilities to make the trip happen the cancellation letter went out to the group. 

  
  On our Webpages, Registration Forms and Confirmation letters we state: This retreat has NOT YET been officially confirmed. Please wait to purchase your airfare until we send you the Book your Tickets letter.

  We apologize for any inconvenience that the trip cancellation may have caused. 
  Sincerely, 
  ************************;
  

  
  

*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. ↩