Posted on 08/10/2005 9:36:39 AM PDT by MaureenPT
I was just wondering if anyone has had such an experience and what did you do about it. My friends had been saving and planning a trip to Anchorage,Alaska for 3 years. They were to leave 20th of this month.
Lo and behold the husband was not feeling good last week, legs were hurting, shortness of breath, wife took him to hospital emergency room. Cath was ordered and and they discovered major blockage, had open heart surgery right then and there.
Needless to say trip had to be cancelled, They realize the airlines would voucher the tickets for another time, they were okay with that, but they had put a deposit down on a motor home so they could travel through Alaska. The proprietor would not give them any compensation for the deposit, even after a medical report was faxed to him, showing the emergency surgery,and that this was not just a whimsical decision to cancel the trip. The proprietor said they are not responsible for medical conditions, and refused any type of compensation to them, very heartless and no compassion whatsoever. My friends would have accepted a partial refund, or a reschedule for the following year, but the man did not offer any comprimise to their misfortune.
Would appreciate any comments and opinions regarding this situation.
How was the deposit paid?
And I think that is the purpose of a deposit anyway- by paying it you are agreeing to the rules of deposit.
We've rented RV's in the past. They are usually owned by mom and pop franchises. I'm guessing that if the unit is not used, then that month's balance sheet is affected. I'm a small business owner so I can empathize with the person renting the unit. I can guess that they had to turn away other potential customers because of limited inventory. This is a lot different situation that the airlines. The airlines factor in these last minute cancellations and have lots of cash flowing in and out to compensate. Just my thoughts.
Secondly, re-read the contract specifically about the deposit. Then Get the business owner, if that doesn't get anywhere, call the local TV Station in Alaska and explain the issue.
If they paid for the whole thing up front and the owner rented it out during the time they were to have it then yes, they should get a refund. If it was just a deposit to hold it, a partial payment, then the owner should be able to keep it if he can't rent it out during that time. Short notice like that he will be out the rest of the rental money during that time so he is trying to recoup his loss. How much was the deposit?
But again, a deposit is a deposit. I am an event planner and we scrutinise contracts for deposit information BEFORE signing or paying anything. You won't get out of it. Emotions really have nothing to do with it, though you may ask if you could just use the RV at a different date and not lose the deposit.
Travel insurance - don't leave home (or even plan a trip) without it. Perhaps check with their credit card company, if the deposit was put on that, to see if they offer any type of travel cancellation reimbursement...
The proprieter is not necessarily being totally out of line, after all he probably will not be able to re-rent the motorhome for that time period, so he is out that money. If he offered to just switch the rental, he would be displacing a future potential rental just to replace the money he lost.
Was the RV rental in Anchorage?
Legally, you are bound to the contract and there is very little you can do.
It's completely up to the owner to decide outside of the contract.
I think I saw a Seinfeld episode similar to this once.
Unless there was a clear cancellation policy on the rental contract, you are responsible for the deposit.
Why come a political website about this issue in the first place?
Sad to say, the devil is always in the details. Before signing on the dotted line, read the fine print, very, very, carefully.
You have a valid point, especially when it comes to your livelyhood...
Couple things. If it was in the contract, as several posters have explained, your friends are out of luck. If not, many states require no cancellation, no refund policies to be posted or otherwise affirmatively disclosed in some fashion. Alaska may be one of those states. If your friends really want to make an issue out of it, they could contact the state's attorney general's office and file a complaint. Most AG's office have a consumer protection division that will at least listen to the complaint. They could also contact the better business organization for that area. Hitting them in pocketbook (what they did sounds insensitive, even if it was not illegal) is probably a better solution than any legal remedies.
Thay take a loss because they missed out on renting it. Their bills don't stop coming just because you didn't rent the RV.
So the deposit is a way of slipping the loss.
NOW is peak season for RV rentals.. ANYWHERE.. especially in Alaska.. Even IF.. they kept the deposit it cost them(the renters) money.. no doubt..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.