Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Two friends and I scheduled a bus tour with Deunwald Transportation which was scheduled for July 12th -14th, 2024. The deposits of $186.25 each were paid approximately 1-26-24 and the balances of $588.75 each were paid approximately 5-22-24 which totaled $775.00 each. We made these payments after reading Duenwald's policies which states the following, "If something prevents you from making the tour, the money you put towards it will be returned to you in a gift certificate that allows you to use on future trips through the following year." Due to an extreme heat advisory plus a scheduled boat ride, because of our age and one of us is prone to heat stroke, we decided to notify Duenwald that we couldn't make this trip. ***** called Deunwald to let them know we couldn't do this trip, the lady said that was okay and she would get vouchers out to us that day, and that was all that was said. After two weeks of not hearing back from Deunwald, ***** called them back July 30th to ask where our vouchers were. ***** did not reach anyone but left a voicemail. Then after still not hearing back from Deunwald, on September 6th my friend ****** texted ***** from Deunwald to ask her about our refunds. *****  stated that the money they would refund us would be $292.62 per person that they got back from the hotels we were to stay at. ***** also said everything else we paid is nonrefundable due to short notice on cancellation. But, ****** told her that the policy states if something prevents you from making the tour, the money you put towards your trip will be returned to you in a gift certificate that allows you to use on future trips through the following year. Then ***** said she could talk to her boss about all this but he was out for the weekend. ***** then said she apologized for the poor wording of the policy which has now been updated going forward. ****** stated to change now is very poor business practice and she would expect that they honor the original policy.

  Business response

  09/16/2024

  Subject: Response to Complaint ID ********

  
  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to address the complaint regarding the bus tour scheduled for July 12th-14th, 2024. We aim to clarify the situation from our perspective and explain the actions we took in response to the last-minute cancellation.

  
  Incident Overview: We were informed by the complainant’s party that they would not be traveling with us within a short 24-hour window before the tour’s departure. During the initial phone call from *****, she mentioned that one person in their group was not feeling well. Our representative confirmed the general outline of our policy, which states, "If something prevents you from making the tour, the money you put towards it will be returned to you in a gift certificate that allows you to use it on future trips through the following year."
  However, given the short notice and the fact that we did not have anyone on our waitlist to fill these spots, we explained that we would do our best to recover as much of their payment as possible. Unfortunately, we were unable to find replacements for these three individual travelers, all of whom had purchased single occupancy options for this trip.

  
  Tour and Activity Options: It is important to note that two of the three individuals had previously traveled with us on this tour in 2023. The tour this year was designed similarly, including two shows at the ********** Dinner Theatre and a lunch cruise on **** **********. We ensure that all participants are aware they have the option to opt out of any planned activities. The hotel accommodations, shows, and the lunch boat offer environments with air conditioning, and our tour buses are equipped with fully functioning air conditioning as well.
  Regarding the heat advisory mentioned as a reason for cancellation, such advisories are typically forecasted up to a week in advance. We understand the concern about traveling in such conditions, but accommodations were in place to ensure comfort and safety for our travelers.

  
  Efforts to Resolve the Situation: After being informed of their cancellation, we made efforts to provide refunds equivalent to the amounts recovered from the hotels, totaling $292.62 per person. We understand this was not the total amount paid, but it was the portion we could recover, given the short notice. We have communicated with the complainants through text messages, which will be provided for further context. Included with the text message thread, I have provided call logs from the office phone and the Tour Manager’s cell phone showing multiple communication times before the ladies withdrew themselves from the tour. To verify this proof, there is a text message thread between the office manager and the tour manager about the call/voicemail left by one individual about leave times for said trip just three days prior to departure.

  
  Policy Update: We acknowledge there was some confusion regarding the application of our cancellation policy in this situation. We have since updated our policy wording to ensure it clearly communicates the terms and conditions to all future travelers, minimizing the risk of misunderstandings.

  
  Conclusion: We take all feedback seriously and are dedicated to providing a fair and transparent resolution process. While we regret that we could not fulfill their full expectations in this instance, we believe our actions aligned with our policy and the circumstances surrounding the cancellation. We remain committed to working with our customers to provide the best possible travel experiences and will continue to improve our services and communication.

  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ********
  Owner
  Duenwald Transportation LLC

  Business response

  10/01/2024

  Subject: Response to Rejection of Previous Submission

  
  Dear Better Business Bureau,

  
  We appreciate the opportunity to respond once again to the matter regarding the cancellation of the tour scheduled for July 12th-14th, 2024.

  
  We fully acknowledge that our previous policy indicated that any cancellations would result in a refund in the form of a gift certificate to be used on future trips. However, due to the very late notice of this cancellation, we were only able to recover the cost of the hotel rooms, totaling $292.62 per person. As explained to the complainant during the initial phone conversation, we informed them of the possibility of not receiving a full refund prior to their decision to cancel.

  
  We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. As a company, we strive to improve our policies and communication to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future.
  To resolve this matter and ensure a positive outcome, we will reimburse the three clients by company check instead of providing a gift certificate for the amounts recovered. This reimbursement is for the hotel portion of the trip that we were able to recover on their behalf.

  
  We hope this step reflects our commitment to fairness and resolution, and we appreciate your understanding in this unfortunate situation.
  Sincerely,
  
  *** ********
  Owner
  Duenwald Transportation

  Customer response

  10/04/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  It appears there is a very obvious disconnect in communication between the Duenwald staff and the owner/manager. Once again we need to point out that the information *** ******** thinks was relayed by his staff by phone was not. Again, all that was said was she would send the vouchers that day. Their continued claims that their policies were explained by phone does not make it true. The point is businesses must have their policies in writing so the customer knows upfront what their policies are. 

  Another disconnect was the fact that the departure time had been changed to an earlier time, and again none of the three of us were informed. None of us received a text, phone call, voice mail, or email in this regard. It was not until ****** happened to call them just to make sure of the time that we discovered that information. Since we  were driving from Aberdeen about an hour and a half away, this was vital information for us. Unfortunately communication and customer service was severely lacking in this case. 

  We were expecting a voucher for future travel in the amount we spent for the trip, $745.00. Now *** ******** has offered a company check instead for the hotel reimbursement portion. This has been a very frustrating and disturbing experience for us and it is doubtful that we would book another trip with that bus company as we are not confident we would get the correct information, nor are we confident that we would be welcome on another trip. Therefore, cash in lieu of a trip voucher in this case is much preferred. 

  So to resolve this matter and ensure a positive outcome and reflecting their commitment to fairness as *** ******** states, we are requesting a full refund by company check in the amount that we paid for the trip $745.00 each. This would be the amount we are owed to comply with the policy in effect when we purchased the trips, not the policy that they changed on September 6th. 

  We hope this unfortunate situation can be resolved soon so we can all put it behind us and move on. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ********                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

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

  ****** *****

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