Silver blades tour group

[Flip Jump]

In search of anyone who had booked a trip to 2020 Worlds with silver blades touring group. A friend of ours did but has not received her money back in full. She has received some but not all. The group is no longer responding to calls. Looking for any one with experience with this tour group or suggestions on how to remedy this situation. Thanks.

 

[DreamSkates]

The only thing I can think of is to contact the Better Business Bureau.

 

[overedge]

In search of anyone who had booked a trip to 2020 Worlds with silver blades touring group. A friend of ours did but has not received her money back in full. She has received some but not all. The group is no longer responding to calls. Looking for any one with experience with this tour group or suggestions on how to remedy this situation. Thanks.

Did your friend pay with a credit card? If so, she can dispute the charge with the credit card company on the basis that the product/service she purchased was not provided.

 

[acraven]

A fellow fan went through this several years ago with a different skating-tour company; hers was based in California. In addition to following overedge's credit card advice, you might try my friend's suggestion.

"Tour groups are essentially travel agents and they are regulated by the states. I contacted the appropriate Calif. office and sent a complaint. They had a fund to reimburse customers who lost money, but unfortunately it only applied to Calif. residents. Anyone in this position should contact the state where the tour company is registered and also where they live and find out if they have any legal options."

 

[greenapple]

In search of anyone who had booked a trip to 2020 Worlds with silver blades touring group. A friend of ours did but has not received her money back in full. She has received some but not all. The group is no longer responding to calls. Looking for any one with experience with this tour group or suggestions on how to remedy this situation. Thanks.

I don't think your friend has to worry about anything. I spoke to that tour operator a few weeks ago and she told me she was having problems getting refunds but is seriously chasing the hotels, etc. down on a daily basis. She had to contact the BBB in BC to get any action out of a company that she had booked pre and post tours with. So while it is taking time, your friend will get a refund at some point.

I also heard that Montreal hotels are dragging their heels refunding money to hundreds of people who booked on their own.

 

[overedge]

I don't think your friend has to worry about anything. I spoke to that tour operator a few weeks ago and she told me she was having problems getting refunds but is seriously chasing the hotels, etc. down on a daily basis. She had to contact the BBB in BC to get any action out of a company that she had booked pre and post tours with. So while it is taking time, your friend will get a refund at some point.

The original poster said the tour operator is not responding to their calls. If the tour operator is having trouble getting refunds herself, she should contact the customers who are still waiting and explain the situation to them.

 

[greenapple]

The original poster said the tour operator is not responding to their calls. If the tour operator is having trouble getting refunds herself, she should contact the customers who are still waiting and explain the situation to them.

The tour operator probably has many clients so it would not be possible to be chasing down refunds while fielding endless telephone calls. Everyone who bought a Worlds package from this tour operator has an email address to contact them.

 

[overedge]

The tour operator probably has many clients so it would not be possible to be chasing down refunds while fielding endless telephone calls. Everyone who bought a Worlds package from this tour operator has an email address to contact them.

Sorry, but it is not the customers' job to be trying to get an explanation of what happened to their money. Regardless of how busy the tour operator is, they still took the customers' money and didn't deliver the promised product.

Obviously some of that was out of their control, and I'm sure the tour operator is equally frustrated at not getting back the deposits and purchases they made at their end. But they should still be letting the customers know what's going on. If it's not convenient for them to respond to phone calls, at the least they could send out a mass email explaining the situation.

 

[greenapple]

Everyone who buys a skating tour package is advised in advance and signs an agreement that the tour price is non-refundable for any reason - and the friend of the person who wrote the first post knows that. So legally the tour operator is not obliged to refund anything, send emails or answer telephone calls. The fact that they are trying to get money refunded to them so they can send it out to clients is something they took on themselves. Everyone should just be patient and refunds will happen eventually.

 

[overedge]

Everyone who buys a skating tour package is advised in advance and signs an agreement that the tour price is non-refundable for any reason - and the friend of the person who wrote the first post knows that.

How do you know what the friend of the poster knows?

So legally the tour operator is not obliged to refund anything, send emails or answer telephone calls. The fact that they are trying to get money refunded to them so they can send it out to clients is something they took on themselves. Everyone should just be patient and refunds will happen eventually.

Are you serious? It's not legal to offer a service/product, cancel it, and then refuse to give the money back. The tour price being non-refundable refers to the customer deciding not to go on the tour, not the business cancelling the tour. And whatever the situation is, it's bad business practice to not respond to your customers' concerns.

Incidentally, the Silver Blades brochure for the Worlds tour says,

Silver Blade Tours Inc.reserves the right to cancel any tours at their discretion within an acceptable time frame. In such instance, full refund of all payments minus an administrative fee will constitute full settlement to the passenger.

 

[Jarrett]

I don't why you two are getting heated about something has nothing to do with either of you. The poster didn't provide what responses their friend was given when they received the partial refunds. They don't even say how many times they called or if they emailed too. Silver Blades is not some random tour company, they have served the figure skating community for years. If anyone actually has information about any getting a full refund this year it would probably be useful to the original poster's friend, not this back and forth.

 

[Tinami Amori]

I just spoke to the manager of this company. She said she is not hiding just not in the office some times. She was surprised that some one is still calling about a refund as her records show she credited everyone's CC accounts over 2 weeks ago (for the Worlds 2020 event).
If this is the right company then just call her.

Silver Blade Tours, Inc.
"The Skating Tour Experts"
Claudyne Cassella Hutchinson
[email protected]
Tel. (386) 943-4071 - Fax: (386) 738-2512

 

[overedge]

I don't why you two are getting heated about something has nothing to do with either of you.

The poster asked for suggestions on how to deal with the situation.

 

[MacMadame]

I did a Silver Blades tour many years ago and found Claudyne to be professional and helpful.

 

[nylynnr]

I did a Silver Blades tour many years ago and found Claudyne to be professional and helpful.

I agree with MacMadame and Greenapple. I've known Claudyne for many years. I would email her again and I'm sure she will respond.

 

[once_upon]

Like @MacMadame I found her to be very professional

 

[MacMadame]

Btw, the original post said that the OP's friend had received a refund, just not for the full amount. That is different from not getting a refund.

 

[barbk]

They can't manufacture money out of thin air. I've read of other tour agencies that are struggling to provide refunds because suppliers they used haven't yet given them refunds and they've also spent money they will never get refunded on staff and other expenses. The cruiselines, which have access to substantial lines of credit, were still taking 90 days or more to refund cruisers for canceled cruises. United charged their policy (and then changed it again) trying to declare that a massively re-routed and delayed trip was the same as the nonstop flight I'd booked, so only credit was available.

I hope that you get your money back and that Silver Blades survives.

 

[Frau Muller]

About the foreseeable future:
Does anybody ever want to book anything related to travel before we’re 100% sure of a vaccine or cure? Seriously.

That said, I hope that everyone is refunded his/her money for any travel costs within this COVID era. I just received the last hotel refund for ballet travels to have occurred in June. (I snuck-in a trip see ABT in Costa Mesa, in what turned out to be its last performances!) For the first time in decades, I have absolutely no travels planned, for work or pleasure. Very weird feeling. Thank goodness for TV & streamings. Practically every major ballet troupe except ABT and NBCanada has been free-streaming recent films of complete ballets this summer.

 

[MacMadame]

Does anybody ever want to book anything related to travel before were 100% sure of a vaccine or cure? Seriously.

I just booked travel plans. We're going camping on a lake a few hours from here. I can get 100% of my deposit on the RV back if we can't go after all. Not sure about the campsite. I think if they close it, we'll get a refund or credit. But it was cheap enough that I'm willing to eat the money if we can't go.

No way I'm flying anywhere though. Or even leaving the state.

 

[sammary]

I know Claudyne and knew her mother, Barbara who was also owned a skating travel company. Claudyne is a total professional and I am sure she will answer your concern.