Business History Books » Business Plans » My BAD experience with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL…
My BAD experience with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL…
Question:
Hi All… Just wanted to share my experiences with you to date regarding ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL in New Jersey…. About 3 weeks ago, I was ready to purchase a one-week stay to Club Med Cancun for my 35th birthday in the middle of January ‘99. After looking around the ‘Net, asking lots of questions on this and other newsgroups, I decided to go with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, as the incentive that they offered me was that if I booked with them, they would pay the total cost of my Club Med Membership, plus a free $20 gift certificate. Annelie Miller, the agent, whom seemed very trustworthy, booked the trip for me, and as I was new to all of this, reassured me that this was a great deal and that I was getting a wonderful trip. Note that my trip was planned for January 9-16, for the amount of $1462.00 for a one-week stay. Now, I placed a deposit on my credit card for the amount of $445.50 ( which was 25% according to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL’s accounting ), and I was then secured for the trip. Now, about a week-and-a-half later, I had something of a very important personal nature come up for exactly the week that I had planned to go to Cancun. This meant that I had to cancel my trip, and was not sure when I could re-book. I understood, according to Club Med’s rules, that if I canceled 45 or more days prior to my trip date, that I would only be penalized 5% of my purchase price, which was ( I assumed ), $73.10. This I could deal with, as it made sense to me. I explained this to Annelie Miller at ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, but she gave me " a song and dance " about how " tough Club Med was on cancellations ", _and that I would lose an additional $80.00 to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL ( the supposed paid membership fee )_. Annelie then " explained " to me that I would retain my membership to Club Med in lieu of this $80.00. I told her that I didn’t want to _be_ a member if it meant needlessly losing my $80.00, as I didn’t know when I would be able to re-book. She then told me to write/fax a letter to her stating my problem, and that she would " see what she could do "… Since then, ( last Wednesday ), I’ve e-mailed and faxed ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, but they have not responded. So in total, I’ve lost $153.10, just because I canceled almost two-and-a half months before my trip, for nothing. The $73.10 I could live with, but the additional $80.00, which they discounted as THEIR INCENTIVE FOR ME TO BOOK THROUGH THEM, is being ripped-off from me ! I could’ve just gotten the same deal through Club Med. Needless to say, I’m very angry that they’ve stolen my $80.00 ( something which they supposedly took off of the price to begin with ) !! So in closing, I’m just warning all of you to think carefully before dealing with these people… They obviously don’t hold good customer service in very high regard, and it’s amazing that they would rip-off $80.00 from me, and forfeit a re-booking ( which, ironically, I was able to do within the next couple of days AFTER they pulled this little stunt ; I was able to lock my schedule down, and could’ve taken the trip anyway… ) It’s amazing what little foresight people have. All that loss, just to rip-off $80.00. Amazing. Some people are just desperate for money, I guess… They’ll get it any way they can… So be careful of ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, people. So much for my good experience in booking my 35th birthday. — Best Regards, JP. John-Paul Producer/Composer/Keyboardist WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/ *NEW Quote of the Month : " Nothing ever changes unless there’s some pain." — Unknown eMail to prevent spam eMails. Please remove before sending your reply.
Response:
JP, when I do the math on the numbers you supplied, it is clear that your $445.50 "deposit" consisted of $365.50 actual deposit (25% of $1462) on the Club Med stay plus the $80 CM Membership — with the understanding that your agent would reduce the stay balance by $80 (plus giving you a free $20 gift certificate) when you paid the balance and made the trip. That part seems simple and clear enough. And it also seems clear that your cancellation penalty was 5% of the stay price. What isn’t as clear, however, is whether CM refunds on its CM Memberships, that have already been paid for and perhaps already started at time of booking. You should learn the fine print of CM’s policy on membership refunds. If your agent (or you) can’t get the $80 membership fee refunded from CM, then that’s a sunk cost on your part (and enjoy your bought membership as best you can) — and your agent is no more obligated to pay you $80 out of her pocket (from the zero commission she earns on the cancelled trip) than she is to give you the $20 gift certificate for a trip you didn’t take. From what you wrote, JP, it sounds to me like your agent is trying to get the membership fee back to you, from CM. I don’t find any solid basis in what you wrote for your accusation that your agent has stolen from you. You may have wrongly accused your agent and published libel against her agency. Bottom line, JP, is that you should pleasantly ascertain CM’s policy or rules on refunding membership fees, and whether yours can be refunded as an exception to any contrary rule CM may have. If CM doesn’t have to refund the membership fee, then you should be somewhat adult about how badly you have publicly wronged your agent. Durand Stieger (When e-mailing me, remove "ns." from my address) – - – - – - – - – - – - – – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi All… > Just wanted to share my experiences with you to date regarding ALL > DESTINATIONS TRAVEL in New Jersey…. > About 3 weeks ago, I was ready to purchase a one-week stay to Club Med > Cancun for my 35th birthday in the middle of January ‘99. After looking > around the ‘Net, asking lots of questions on this and other newsgroups, > I decided to go with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, as the incentive that they > offered me was that if I booked with them, they would pay the total cost > of my Club Med Membership, plus a free $20 gift certificate. Annelie > Miller, the agent, whom seemed very trustworthy, booked the trip for me, > and as I was new to all of this, reassured me that this was a great deal > and that I was getting a wonderful trip. > Note that my trip was planned for January 9-16, for the amount of > $1462.00 for a one-week stay. > Now, I placed a deposit on my credit card for the amount of $445.50 ( > which was 25% according to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL’s accounting ), and I > was then secured for the trip. > Now, about a week-and-a-half later, I had something of a very important > personal nature come up for exactly the week that I had planned to go to > Cancun. This meant that I had to cancel my trip, and was not sure when > I could re-book. I understood, according to Club Med’s rules, that if I > canceled 45 or more days prior to my trip date, that I would only be > penalized 5% of my purchase price, which was ( I assumed ), $73.10. > This I could deal with, as it made sense to me. I explained this to > Annelie Miller at ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, but she gave me " a song and > dance " about how " tough Club Med was on cancellations ", _and that I > would lose an additional $80.00 to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL ( the > supposed paid membership fee )_. > Annelie then " explained " to me that I would retain my membership to > Club Med in lieu of this $80.00. I told her that I didn’t want to _be_ > a member if it meant needlessly losing my $80.00, as I didn’t know when > I would be able to re-book. She then told me to write/fax a letter to > her stating my problem, and that she would " see what she could do "… > Since then, ( last Wednesday ), I’ve e-mailed and faxed ALL DESTINATIONS > TRAVEL, but they have not responded. So in total, I’ve lost $153.10, > just because I canceled almost two-and-a half months before my trip, for > nothing. The $73.10 I could live with, but the additional $80.00, which > they discounted as THEIR INCENTIVE FOR ME TO BOOK THROUGH THEM, is being > ripped-off from me ! I could’ve just gotten the same deal through Club > Med. Needless to say, I’m very angry that they’ve stolen my $80.00 ( > something which they supposedly took off of the price to begin with ) !! > So in closing, I’m just warning all of you to think carefully before > dealing with these people… They obviously don’t hold good customer > service in very high regard, and it’s amazing that they would rip-off > $80.00 from me, and forfeit a re-booking ( which, ironically, I was able > to do within the next couple of days AFTER they pulled this little stunt > ; I was able to lock my schedule down, and could’ve taken the trip > anyway… ) > It’s amazing what little foresight people have. All that loss, just to > rip-off $80.00. > Amazing. Some people are just desperate for money, I guess… They’ll > get it any way they can… > So be careful of ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, people. So much for my good > experience in booking my 35th birthday. > — > Best Regards, > JP. > John-Paul > Producer/Composer/Keyboardist > WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/
Response:
>you should be somewhat adult about how >badly you have publicly wronged your agent.
Just like Stieger to tell someone how they should, or should not, act. For a while, I thought that he had found something better to do than preach and scrutinize posts on this NG. Oh well. Stieger, we know that you NEVER have any problems when YOU travel because you always read the fine print, have travel insurance, and alternate travel plans. Unfortunately not all of us are as jet set as you are (or you like to think), and when something bad happens in our travel, we like to share our experience with others. Your condescending responses are not appreciated and do nothing to improve this NG. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience JP. Good luck!
Response:
Steve I too had thought that Duran Duran had split on started his new newgroup related to people who are more perfect than others. Guess not. But I’m sure that if the original poster, JP, follows Duran’s advice he’ll never have a travel problem again. Allan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->you should be somewhat adult about how >badly you have publicly wronged your agent. >Just like Stieger to tell someone how they should, or should not, act. For a >while, I thought that he had found something better to do than preach and >scrutinize posts on this NG. Oh well. Stieger, we know that you NEVER have >any problems when YOU travel because you always read the fine print, have >travel insurance, and alternate travel plans. Unfortunately not all of us are >as jet set as you are (or you like to think), and when something bad happens in >our travel, we like to share our experience with others. Your condescending >responses are not appreciated and do nothing to improve this NG. >Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience JP. Good luck!
Response:
Allan, I couldn’t agree with you more. It is always a good practice to read the fine print and to inquire about travel insurance, however, there is a polite way to suggest these precautions, and there is absolutely no need to tell posters "to be somewhat adult." I am glad to know that there are people like yourself participating in this newsgroup. It seems that all too often posters relating their travel problems are ridiculed and scolded for assuming that their travel plans would go as expected.
Response:
> Just like Stieger to tell someone how they should, or should not, act. For a > while, I thought that he had found something better to do than preach and > scrutinize posts on this NG. Oh well. Stieger, we know that you NEVER have > any problems when YOU travel because you always read the fine print, have > travel insurance, and alternate travel plans. Unfortunately not all of us are > as jet set as you are (or you like to think), and when something bad happens in > our travel, we like to share our experience with others. Your condescending > responses are not appreciated and do nothing to improve this NG.
Steve here has flamed me more harshly than I ever rebuked JP. In Steve’s view, it’s fine for him to criticize me — but wrong for me to gently suggest that it’s not very adult to publicly accuse an agency of stealing money without providing any supporting evidence. One doesn’t need to be a travel genius to realize that an agent is only a middle person. If the agent can’t legally get back the CM Membership fee, then the agent can’t reasonably be expected to absorb that cost out of the zero commission from a client-cancelled trip. What’s so difficult to understand about that? Sharing our experiences is what this newsgroup is all about (or should be). And unsupported libelous claims of theft is what this newsgroup should not be about. Also, we don’t really need the flaming. BTW, I only glance through the fine print and rarely have travel insurance. But more importantly, I try to remain reasonable, adjustable, and flexible. And I recommend that course to others. Durand Stieger (When e-mailing me, remove "ns." from my address)
Response:
Allan, what’s the benefit from restarting the name calling? Durand Stieger (When e-mailing me, remove "ns." from my address) – - – - – - – - – - – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I too had thought that Duran Duran had split on started his new > newgroup related to people who are more perfect than others. Guess > not. But I’m sure that if the original poster, JP, follows Duran’s > advice he’ll never have a travel problem again.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hi All… > Just wanted to share my experiences with you to date regarding ALL > DESTINATIONS TRAVEL in New Jersey…. > About 3 weeks ago, I was ready to purchase a one-week stay to Club Med > Cancun for my 35th birthday in the middle of January ‘99. After looking > around the ‘Net, asking lots of questions on this and other newsgroups, > I decided to go with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, as the incentive that they > offered me was that if I booked with them, they would pay the total cost > of my Club Med Membership, plus a free $20 gift certificate. Annelie > Miller, the agent, whom seemed very trustworthy, booked the trip for me, > and as I was new to all of this, reassured me that this was a great deal > and that I was getting a wonderful trip. > Note that my trip was planned for January 9-16, for the amount of > $1462.00 for a one-week stay. > Now, I placed a deposit on my credit card for the amount of $445.50 ( > which was 25% according to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL’s accounting ), and I > was then secured for the trip. > Now, about a week-and-a-half later, I had something of a very important > personal nature come up for exactly the week that I had planned to go to > Cancun. This meant that I had to cancel my trip, and was not sure when > I could re-book. I understood, according to Club Med’s rules, that if I > canceled 45 or more days prior to my trip date, that I would only be > penalized 5% of my purchase price, which was ( I assumed ), $73.10. > This I could deal with, as it made sense to me. I explained this to > Annelie Miller at ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, but she gave me " a song and > dance " about how " tough Club Med was on cancellations ", _and that I > would lose an additional $80.00 to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL ( the > supposed paid membership fee )_. > Annelie then " explained " to me that I would retain my membership to > Club Med in lieu of this $80.00. I told her that I didn’t want to _be_ > a member if it meant needlessly losing my $80.00, as I didn’t know when > I would be able to re-book. She then told me to write/fax a letter to > her stating my problem, and that she would " see what she could do "… > Since then, ( last Wednesday ), I’ve e-mailed and faxed ALL DESTINATIONS > TRAVEL, but they have not responded. So in total, I’ve lost $153.10, > just because I canceled almost two-and-a half months before my trip, for > nothing. The $73.10 I could live with, but the additional $80.00, which > they discounted as THEIR INCENTIVE FOR ME TO BOOK THROUGH THEM, is being > ripped-off from me ! I could’ve just gotten the same deal through Club > Med. Needless to say, I’m very angry that they’ve stolen my $80.00 ( > something which they supposedly took off of the price to begin with ) !! > So in closing, I’m just warning all of you to think carefully before > dealing with these people… They obviously don’t hold good customer > service in very high regard, and it’s amazing that they would rip-off > $80.00 from me, and forfeit a re-booking ( which, ironically, I was able > to do within the next couple of days AFTER they pulled this little stunt > ; I was able to lock my schedule down, and could’ve taken the trip > anyway… ) > It’s amazing what little foresight people have. All that loss, just to > rip-off $80.00. > Amazing. Some people are just desperate for money, I guess… They’ll > get it any way they can… > So be careful of ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, people. So much for my good > experience in booking my 35th birthday. > — > Best Regards, > JP. > John-Paul > Producer/Composer/Keyboardist > WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/ > *NEW Quote of the Month : " Nothing ever changes unless there’s some > pain." — > Unknown > eMail to > prevent spam eMails. Please remove before sending your reply.
I have booked many trips to Club Med with All-Destinations Travel, and have had zero problems. They have been very good at arranging "slightly unusual" trips with Club Med; something that is not always easy. But they don’t have any control of Club Med’s policies; or Club Med’s silly "Membership Fees". Steven Goodman
Response:
Talk to you credit card company, they should take that off your bill, without much problem. sb
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi All… > Just wanted to share my experiences with you to date regarding ALL > DESTINATIONS TRAVEL in New Jersey…. > About 3 weeks ago, I was ready to purchase a one-week stay to Club Med > Cancun for my 35th birthday in the middle of January ‘99. After looking > around the ‘Net, asking lots of questions on this and other newsgroups, > I decided to go with ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, as the incentive that they > offered me was that if I booked with them, they would pay the total cost > of my Club Med Membership, plus a free $20 gift certificate. Annelie > Miller, the agent, whom seemed very trustworthy, booked the trip for me, > and as I was new to all of this, reassured me that this was a great deal > and that I was getting a wonderful trip. > Note that my trip was planned for January 9-16, for the amount of > $1462.00 for a one-week stay. > Now, I placed a deposit on my credit card for the amount of $445.50 ( > which was 25% according to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL’s accounting ), and I > was then secured for the trip. > Now, about a week-and-a-half later, I had something of a very important > personal nature come up for exactly the week that I had planned to go to > Cancun. This meant that I had to cancel my trip, and was not sure when > I could re-book. I understood, according to Club Med’s rules, that if I > canceled 45 or more days prior to my trip date, that I would only be > penalized 5% of my purchase price, which was ( I assumed ), $73.10. > This I could deal with, as it made sense to me. I explained this to > Annelie Miller at ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, but she gave me " a song and > dance " about how " tough Club Med was on cancellations ", _and that I > would lose an additional $80.00 to ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL ( the > supposed paid membership fee )_. > Annelie then " explained " to me that I would retain my membership to > Club Med in lieu of this $80.00. I told her that I didn’t want to _be_ > a member if it meant needlessly losing my $80.00, as I didn’t know when > I would be able to re-book. She then told me to write/fax a letter to > her stating my problem, and that she would " see what she could do "… > Since then, ( last Wednesday ), I’ve e-mailed and faxed ALL DESTINATIONS > TRAVEL, but they have not responded. So in total, I’ve lost $153.10, > just because I canceled almost two-and-a half months before my trip, for > nothing. The $73.10 I could live with, but the additional $80.00, which > they discounted as THEIR INCENTIVE FOR ME TO BOOK THROUGH THEM, is being > ripped-off from me ! I could’ve just gotten the same deal through Club > Med. Needless to say, I’m very angry that they’ve stolen my $80.00 ( > something which they supposedly took off of the price to begin with ) !! > So in closing, I’m just warning all of you to think carefully before > dealing with these people… They obviously don’t hold good customer > service in very high regard, and it’s amazing that they would rip-off > $80.00 from me, and forfeit a re-booking ( which, ironically, I was able > to do within the next couple of days AFTER they pulled this little stunt > ; I was able to lock my schedule down, and could’ve taken the trip > anyway… ) > It’s amazing what little foresight people have. All that loss, just to > rip-off $80.00. > Amazing. Some people are just desperate for money, I guess… They’ll > get it any way they can… > So be careful of ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL, people. So much for my good > experience in booking my 35th birthday. > — > Best Regards, > JP. > John-Paul > Producer/Composer/Keyboardist > WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/ > *NEW Quote of the Month : " Nothing ever changes unless there’s some > pain." — > Unknown > eMail to > prevent spam eMails. Please remove before sending your reply. > I have booked many trips to Club Med with All-Destinations Travel, and have > had zero problems. They have been very good at arranging "slightly unusual" > trips with Club Med; something that is not always easy. > But they don’t have any control of Club Med’s policies; or Club Med’s silly > "Membership Fees". > Steven Goodman
Then I think that agents such as ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL should quit inferring that the membership fee payment is some sort of " discount incentive " in order for you to book with them !! That’s the way that it was communicated to me ; if it wasn’t, then why wouldn’t have I just gone to Club Med directly, as I was going to do in the first place ? Because ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL made me think that I was getting a " deal " by going through them… In closing this silly thread; whatever the written/contract terms may have been, I just think that the whole perceived " discounted " price ( meaning – paid membership, ONLY if you don’t cancel ), should be clarified by ALL DESTINATIONS…. It’s just bad business not to do so, and leaves a lot of room for messes like this. — Best Regards, JP. John-Paul Producer/Composer/Keyboardist WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/ *NEW Quote of the Month : " Nothing ever changes unless there’s some pain." — Unknown eMail to prevent spam eMails. Please remove before sending your reply.
Response:
Well put Steve-Who is this jerk? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->you should be somewhat adult about how >badly you have publicly wronged your agent. >Just like Stieger to tell someone how they should, or should not, act. For a >while, I thought that he had found something better to do than preach and >scrutinize posts on this NG. Oh well. Stieger, we know that you NEVER have >any problems when YOU travel because you always read the fine print, have >travel insurance, and alternate travel plans. Unfortunately not all of us are >as jet set as you are (or you like to think), and when something bad happens in >our travel, we like to share our experience with others. Your condescending >responses are not appreciated and do nothing to improve this NG. >Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience JP. Good luck!
Response:
What’s the matter, Gary; can’t you recognize a fellow jerk? Durand Stieger (When e-mailing me, remove "ns." from my address) – - – - – - – - – – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Well put Steve-Who is this jerk?
Response:
J.P. I am sure you could go directly to Club Med, but sometimes agencies that do a ton of business with a specific destination, cruise, etc may get a better deal to pass on to you. It happens with cruises. If you buy the "rack" rate in the catalogue directly the cruise line, you will pay more money than seeing your local cruise specialist. Allan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Then I think that agents such as ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL should quit >inferring that the membership fee payment is some sort of " discount >incentive " in order for you to book with them !! That’s the way that >it was communicated to me ; if it wasn’t, then why wouldn’t have I just >gone to Club Med directly, as I was going to do in the first place ? >Because ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL made me think that I was getting a " >deal " by going through them… >In closing this silly thread; whatever the written/contract terms may >have been, I just think that the whole perceived " discounted " price ( >meaning – paid membership, ONLY if you don’t cancel ), should be >clarified by ALL DESTINATIONS…. It’s just bad business not to do so, >and leaves a lot of room for messes like this. >– >Best Regards, >JP. >John-Paul >Producer/Composer/Keyboardist >WWW : http://jpg.cyberhq.com/jpg/ >*NEW Quote of the Month : " Nothing ever changes unless there’s some >pain." — >Unknown >eMail to >prevent spam eMails. Please remove before sending your reply.
Response:
>Allan, >I couldn’t agree with you more. It is always a good practice to read the >fine >print and to inquire about travel insurance, however, there is a polite way >to >suggest these precautions, and there is absolutely no need to tell posters >"to >be somewhat adult." I am glad to know that there are people like yourself >participating in this newsgroup. It seems that all too often posters >relating >their travel problems are ridiculed and scolded for assuming that their >travel >plans would go as expected.
I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Stieger here. The original poster was behaving like a child. It’s obvious that the travel agent has lost out on this deal, doing all the work and getting $0 back. It’s not the travel agent’s fault the original poster changed her plans. The deal was clear: the travel agent would absorb the $80 membership fee from the commission. Without a commission, I can’t for the life of me understand how anyone could think the travel agent not only do all the work for nothing but pay for the $80 membership as well. The original poster’s failiure to see what should be plainly obvious to a 10 year-old, as well as her childish use of capitals and multiple exclamation points probably made her seem as childish to Stieger as she did to me. And I hope we can stop seeing bitter travel ignoramuses slam innocent travel agents for mishaps that are beyond their control.
Response:
>Then I think that agents such as ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL should quit >inferring that the membership fee payment is some sort of " discount >incentive " in order for you to book with them !! That’s the way that >it was communicated to me ; if it wasn’t, then why wouldn’t have I just >gone to Club Med directly, as I was going to do in the first place ? >Because ALL DESTINATIONS TRAVEL made me think that I was getting a " >deal " by going through them… >In closing this silly thread; whatever the written/contract terms may >have been, I just think that the whole perceived " discounted " price ( >meaning – paid membership, ONLY if you don’t cancel ), should be >clarified by ALL DESTINATIONS….
Sorry!! I’ll decide when to close THIS SILLY THREAD!! And if anyone doesn’t see it "the way I do," why, I’ll just HOLD MY BREATH until I TURN BLUE!!
Response:
> Allan, > I couldn’t agree with you more. It is always a good practice to read the fine > print and to inquire about travel insurance, however, there is a polite way to > suggest these precautions, and there is absolutely no need to tell posters "to > be somewhat adult."
That’s a misquote, Steve. What I actually wrote for JP is: "If CM doesn’t have to refund the membership fee, then you should be somewhat adult about how badly you have publicly wronged your agent." I not only saw the need to write that then, but I now see even more need for it as the story unfolds. From JP’s point of view, he is blithely unaware that his false published allegations, that the agency has stolen $80 from him, are indeed libelous. It is interesting to note that, per JP, the agent offered him TWO booking incentives: (1) an $80 credit on the Club Med stay cost, with such credit being equal to CM’s required membership fee, AND (2) a free $20 gift certificate. JP has railed greatly over the agent’s "theft" of $80 from him, following JP’s cancellation and the agent’s inability to get Club Med to relax its nonrefundability of paid membership fees — but JP hasn’t uttered a peep about the agent not delivering the $20 gift certificate. As any reasonable adult should know, both incentives can only come from the proceeds of a completed sale. When JP approved the $445.50 charge to his credit card, equal to the 25% deposit ($365.50) plus the $80 membership fee, he could have no doubt that he was fronting the money for the membership fee. And when JP canceled the trip, he should have accepted the fact that Club Med has a printed clause of no membership-fee refunds (see Steven Goodman’s post on this, when the agent has tried but can’t get Club Med to bend its membership-fee nonrefundability clause, then the agent can’t reasonably be expected to absorb that cost out of the zero commission from a client-canceled trip. It would make just as much sense for JP to insist that the agent has stolen from him the offered $20 gift certificate. Both incentives were clearly based on a completed sale, and when JP canceled the sale he also canceled any right or expectation to the incentives. What JP has managed to do here is to cause an agent to do twice as much work for zero commission, and then get publicly trashed and wrongly maligned by JP in the process. Part of JP’s punishment of the agent, taking his business away from her, surely must be seen by her as the only silver lining to the whole fiasco. > It seems that all too often posters relating their travel problems are > ridiculed and scolded for assuming that their travel plans would go as > expected.
That may well be how it seems to you, Steve, but there’s no evidence of it in my writings in this thread. I wrote no ridicule, nor did any scolding; I just politely stated the facts as I see them. As for JP’s expectations, he’s the one who canceled and he’s the one who should learn to accept and live with the reasonable results of his cancellation. Of course, I think we all await the day when Club Med will wake up to how archaic and counterproductive its membership requirement is, not to mention its nonrefundable aspect — but that’s another story. BTW, when JP took his tale of woe to another newsgroup, rec.travel.resorts.all-inclusive, that group’s moderator, Hal Segal, replied copied below. For this, JP is now trashing and maligning Hal in this newsgroup. In my view, Hal’s post (copied below) is right on target. Durand Stieger (When e-mailing me, remove "ns." from my address) – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services Newsgroups: rec.travel.resorts.all-inclusive References: 1 In my opinion, the customer here is not being ripped off, but is instead attempting (1) to make the agent pay for their own change-of-mind, and (2) smear the agent in a public forum if they don’t get their way. In the Club Med terms and conditions, available for all to see in their brochure, it clearly states that their membership and initiation fees are non-refundable. This is a Club Med policy that agents have no control over. I do not agree with the policy — indeed, I think the fees are counterproductive — but that is not the issue here. When the agent agreed to a discount equal to the Club Med fees, it was only with the assumption that the customer would actually travel, and that commissions would be earned to offset these fees. For the customer to cancel and then demand that the agent absorb those fees is not reasonable. In the case of Le Beach Club, we book hundreds of our members to Club Med and other all-inclusive resorts, and there are occasional situations where someone is not happy. We try to deal with the problems or misunderstandings in a reasonable and professional manner. But we would not want our Club to be smeared publicly the way this person has done. Sometimes there are differences of opinion, and both sides have reasonable points of view, but it would appear that this client is trying hard to inflict damage on an agent when they should graciously accept the cancellation penalties for there own change-of-mind. Hal Segal
Response:
Just a little remark to this strange "CM Membership fee". In Germany (and the rest of Europe as well AFAIK) this fee is of course totally unknown. In march of this year i was in Singapore for business reasons and went to Club med