A Penticton mother of two said she experienced a travel booking nightmare and wants to warn others.
Christine Rutherford said she booked a family holiday vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The trip, purchased through Air Canada Vacations, was a surprise for her husband’s fortieth birthday.
Rutherford said out of an abundance of caution she purchased cancellation insurance through RBC because her husband was in between jobs.
Sure enough, just weeks before the trip, he found new employment.
That’s when Rutherfor canceled the trip and sought a reimbursement through RBC, which sold her cancelation insurance.
“Their website said as soon as you find out you can’t go, cancel your trip … and then phone RBC to initiate your claim,” Rutherford said.
She said she followed those instructions and contacted Air Canada Vacations to cancel.
She then contacted the insurance company to file a claim, only to discover her reason for cancellation wasn’t covered by the policy.
“I was panicking, I was upset I was crying I just felt so sick to my stomach because I just thought, ‘Oh my god, what do I do now?’” she said.
She tried to rebook her trip so she could go with her children if she wasn’t able to obtain a refund.
“When got the agent on the phone she just said basically, ‘Oh there is absolutely nothing we can do. Once we push the button there is nothing, your trip is gone,’” she said.
Feeling helpless and cheated she said she filed a complaint, only to learn the same thing.
“After a week I guess the sick feeling had gone away. But I was starting to get angry by that point because I just don’t feel like that is right,” Rutherford said.
After being contacted by Global News, RBC Insurance had a change of heart.
“In this particular case, although the claim was not covered, we have made the decision to pay the claim as a goodwill gesture for our client,” said an RBC spokesperson in a statement.
Air Canada Vacations said it encourages all customers to ensure they read and understand the coverage they are purchasing.
As for refusing to return the trip after it was cancelled, the company said in a statement “Ms. Rutherford contacted us on January 6 asking us to cancel her booking, without any explanation. We advised her that travel date is January 20, therefore full cancellation fees apply as it is within 45 days.”
It goes on to say, “The correct cancellation terms and conditions were applied in this case.”
Rutherford admits she should have read the full policy and warns others to contact their insurance companies before cancelling travel plans.
“It’s all there. I know exactly what I did that I shouldn’t have done.”
Rutherford hopes her buyer beware story will remind consumers to always read the fine print.