Business ProfileforCanterbury Pilgrimages & Tours

This complaint involves the tour company called Canterbury Pilgrimages and Tours. My husband and I, along with 60 other people paid for a Holy Land Pilgrimage via Canterbury. Our 1st deposit of $450 a piece was made on 2/28/23. Our final payment of $5,250 a piece was made on 8/23/23. Our scheduled trip was set for November 6-17, 2023. As you know the war started in ****** on 10/7/23. They have never "canceled" the trip but said it is postponed. We have not received any refund of our money, which for us together is $11,400. They have said we could use the money to go on one of their other trips or go to ****** when it is opened again. I didn't pay to go on one of their other trips and this trip was with a group of people from our church who we felt comfortable going with. Canterbury did send an email in the middle of December 2023 saying that they would refund us 55% of the money if we chose not to go on one of their other trips. We have never received any checks or money from them. As you know the airlines were required to refund all of the money for any flights into ****** during that time, so they didn't have that expense. It doesn't seem fair for them to keep 45% of our money. We didn't even leave the state! We have friends who were scheduled at the same time to also go to ****** for a tour with a company called Smart Tours. Of course, they were not able to go and have been given a full refund for their trip! Overall we have had very poor communication with Canterbury. An example was trying to get a receipt for the money we sent them. It doesn't seem like a difficult thing for them to do, but we asked several times and never did get one. We heard this same thing from a couple of other people. To me, a reputable tour company would follow up with each person and at least give you the feeling that you matter! I have never felt that from Canterbury Pilgrimages.