ComplaintsforTripMasters

• Initial Complaint

  05/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am currently on the final 2 days of a family trip to Italy arranged by Tripmasters. Their job was to book adequate transportation and boarding while we were here. 3 of the 4 trains booked were scheduled for hours after checkout, so it cost me extra money to book alternative travel between destinations so we didn't have to sit and wait with 10 days worth of luggage for 5 people for several hours at a time.2 of 3 B&B sites booked did not have any breakfast offering at all so I am unsure how they can be called a B&B. There were also no attendees available outside of initial checkin to pickup keys for the entirety of our stays. The 3rd B&B did offer breakfast but told us we opted to not have breakfast included, which would have had to have been a decision made by Tripmasters when the finalized the booking, and was not something they ever discussed with me ahead of time.The final dwelling was supposed to be a hotel where we had 2 rooms booked. I received notification 3 days ago that they made a booking error and had my family split between the hotel and an apartment that were in the same building but run by different owners. The options given were to split out family up, change rooms around after night one, or cram the 5 of us into a room made for 2. None of these options were acceptable so I had to spend additional money once again due to their error in booking to secure alternative lodging for my family at a cost of several hundred euros.I would like some or all of the additional costs incurred refunded.

  

  Business response

  12/09/2022

  Dear BBB,

  We apologize for any delays.

  We're pleased to inform you this case has been resolved on September 23rd. After working with our vendors, a refund of $ 352.00 has been already placed for the first room at ******************** Hotel. Additionally, we processed the amount of $ 479.09 for the second room, despite not receiving assistance from the supplier or the hotel. This has been placed on the same account used for payment.The client has been informed and were satisfied with our resolution.

  We hope this can clarify the inquiry.

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

• Initial Complaint

  05/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I used Tripmasters for a April 15-26, 2022 trip. The trip booked excursions and most of those were cancelled before I left for the trip. A few while on the trip. I have received refunds for most of the excursions except two. I have called since April 26, 2022 in hopes of getting the matters resolved and kept getting the run around on the phone and no follow up (I have called/chatted at the minimum 6 times). The last time I called was Friday, May 6, 2022 and since I have not received any callback, follow up or resolution. Now so much time has passed that I can't even go through my travel insurance to get a resolution (they needed claims within 20 days and today, May 11, 2022 marks days 21 and 22 for both exercusions). I am looking for a refund for the scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef and a refund for the Rainforest railway. Both didn't happen because of weather. For the helicopter ride, the reps kept saying they were waiting on word from the vendor. For the railway they were supposed to send me info to send to my insurance since the vendor wouldn't refund the money, but as stated they haven't sent in time and my insurance won't accept a claim.

  Customer response

  09/09/2022

  From: ************************************* <********************>
  Date: Thu, Sep 8, 2022 at 8:41 PM
  Subject: Re: Complaint #******** Inquiry
  To: *********************** <*************@mybbb.org>
  
  Thank you. You can cancel this complaint (let me know if I need to do anything on my end). I have received my refunds after filing another BBB complaint with the third party vendor who is on the west coast.
  
  *************************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am trying to redeem $3,400 in travel credits and I keep being asked to give Tripmasters more money. They are charging me a higher price than the have online for the same trip. I have asked one day to give them 24 hours to secure the trip and they have asked for $400 more and then $1,500 more tha the exact same trip on their website. I asked to talk to a supervisior anf they said they didn't have one. I've been trying to book a trip with the credits for two months now and just keep getting "the run around." They have even gone as far to say that my cell phone and land line will not allow them to call me to book the trip. Always with the same result of more money than the exact trip online.

  

  Business response

  05/04/2022

  Dear BBB,
  
  We are sorry to hear about the client's disappointment when redeeming their credits.
  The feedback has been received and we assigned this to our one of our senior agents who was able to coordinate the rebooking process according to the client's request. We apologize for any difficulties Ms. ***** may have experienced.
  
  We hope this can help respond to this claim.

   

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

• Initial Complaint

  04/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a trip last night through tripmasters and after booking it, I noticed it was not the complete trip I had carefully shopped for. Upon email review, I noticed it was missing 2 connecting flights. I called them and asked them if I was missing something, and they infomered me that I had physically removed the option of having those flights. We are a group of 6 people with 2 separate bookings, both were lined out the same way once paid for. I let them know that this was impossible and that I never would've done that and the chances of it happening in 2 different booking were pretty slim. After being booked for a total of 15 minutes they told me they couldnt cancel it and would have to charge me an extra **** bucks for 4 people due to my error( assuming another 600 for the other 2). Started sounding like a scam pretty quick. Especially since it was very evident that english was not there first language and there was clearly a language barrier. I started rebooking the exact same trip, same thing happened, the connecting flights wouldnt generate anywhere on their website. ************** to ********* to ********* to ******* to ****** to *********. I wanted self travel in ********, and had selected such. Upon further review, I found that if you did ANY altering (SELF TRAVEL IN ********) , it removed those connecting flights, the only way there software would recognize it is if you allowed them to do the trip the way they wanted to (train travel). I had informed them of this over the phone, yet it wasnt there problem and was still my error. Obviously a software glitch on their end, but how do you communicate that to them directly when they wont take the time to understand it or even understand what a software glitch is. Still not sure its not a fraudulent company after my interaction with them, so I called my bank and put a fraud notice on my card. I tried to used their service for a wholesome trip, not a partial trip and expect such (given their a real company)

  

  Business response

  04/12/2022

  Dear BBB,

   

  Thank you for bringing this case to our attention.

  We're glad to inform the error has been fixed and both bookings have the regional flights needed to complete the itinerary. This will be at no extra charge to the clients and the additional cost has been absorbed by Tripmasters. A notification has been sent to both bookings on April 9 and the client is able to view the full booking at any time.

  We hope this can help resolve the claim.

   

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

  Customer response

  04/13/2022

  Good Evening,
  
  The flights have been added, but they were at a cost to us. We had to pay an additional **** for them. Since your absorbing that cost, based on your response to BBB, does that mean we are getting a refund of ****?

  

  Business response

  04/14/2022

  Dear BBB,

  In order to clarify the compensation granted, Please note we have offered to absorb $150.00 per booking as compensation as these bookings were under review by our **************** Supervision team. We apologize for any confusion. However, Tripmasters has absorbed $300.00 for both bookings and has been approved by the client on April 9. Please see as follows:
  

  ******
  

  Total: usd$399.80 per person Less usd$150.00 compensation = usd$249.80 per person for 2 Regional flights x 4 passengers.
  

  Once approved, We will only charge usd $999.20 to *********.

  Reply on 4/9/2022 8:23:24 PM: Looks good!
  
  

  ****** 

  Total: usd$399.80 per person Less usd$150.00 compensation = usd$249.80 per person for 2 Regional flights x 2 passengers.
  Once approved, We will only charge usd$499.60 to **** *****.

  Reply on 4/9/2022 8:25:57 PM: I approve. Thank you for your help. Please proceed with charging the balance to the card on file 
  
  We hope this helped clear the claim and once more, we apologize for any confusion.

   

  Kindest regards,

  Tripmasters

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I booked a package BooKing reference ****** for a trip to several cities in Argentina. Chose first package the site offered. It was for 7 nights, 3 in Buenos Aires, 2 in Iguazu Falls, and 2 in El Calafate, location of immense glaciers in Patagonia. Made purchase. Next day I get email saying "the flights I have chosen", which made me arrive AFTER first hotel night, only let me be one instead of two nights at the glacier area (which has short daylight). Paid $3368,44 for this package. Meaning I would be in country 6 hotel nights and paying for 7, depriving me of part of the purpose of our trip. I called Leandro at Tripmasters customer service, based on the Philippines. He said he would fix the problem. I advised I should not have to pay extra for the site's mistake. He rebooked me, and for sake of my vacation, I paid an extra $182, for a now total of $3550.46. I have done the reservation changes myself now. Original package is, at website now, $3028.94. But new, second, identical package is $3088.94 at the website now also; (however, the rep based overseas priced it at $3550.46). All this happens because Tripmasters website tricks customers into taking first appearing package, which is impossible to fulfill, as it has 6 hotel nights, not seven, as per flight schedules built in. This is dishonorable conduct for a reputable business. My name is ***** **********, MD. My email is [email protected]. I do not have the capability to upload documents now, but Iwill if requested by the BBB or Tripmasters at once. Tripmasters must do the right thing and reprice my package at the current rate.

  

  Business response

  04/05/2022

  Dear BBB,

  In regards to the package selected by the client online, please note this can be fully personalized according to the client's desired travel dates. We have no control over what flights are available at the time of booking. We also provide the client with the opportunity to read and review their itinerary for any possible changes prior to processing any payments. In regards to their Calafate portion in Latinamerica, since their arrival time is during the early hours of the morning, the hotel night of June 9 is needed in order to secure a room for the client upon arrival. Otherwise, they would need to wait until check-in hours which is typically at 2:00pm.
  

  We, however thank you for bringing this to our attention. One of our senior agents will immediately contact the client for a solution and meet their expectations prior to their travel date. 

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

  

  Business response

  04/07/2022

  Dear BBB,

  Thank you for your message.

  Our senior agent will contact *** ********** via e-mail to *****************@*****.com to better coordinate a schedule to arrange his trip according to his request.

  We hope this helps clarifying the inquiry.

  Kind regards,
  Tripmasters

  Customer response

  04/08/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** **********
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On January 6, 2022 I booked a hotel through Tripmasters for a hotel room in *************** Resort for February 20 - 24th. The reservation was for four nights at the total price of $104.00 excluding incidentals. When booking the reservation, Tripmaster stated that payment would not be applied until the reservation was confirmed. On January 7th, I received a written confirmation from Tripmasters informing me that the reservation was confirmed. In addition, money was withdrawn from our bank account in the amount of $104.00. For payment in full.On January 13, 2022 I received an e-mail from Tripmasters that they would not honor the rate - due to some mysterious error. Apparently, a 3rd party whom Tripmasters is working with - rejected the reservation. They subsequently wanted additional monies for the hotel. This is considered bait and switch, as I do. Or believe it is right to renege on a confirmed reservation.I am uploading my travel voucher which provides a Confirmation number and the specific services that I paid for. In addition, I am providing the actual document where Tripmasters lists the Booking details with the Total Amount paid and the Total Amount Due. Under the itinerary details section - the rate and hotel is clearly noted as being confirmed.Under contract law, it is my understanding - when an offer is provided and accepted in due consideration of payment - a contract has been made. In good faith, I believe that Tripmasters should honor the rates that are posted on their website.I do not like businesses that do not honor their prices and I frown on businesses that use bait and switch tactics to obtain more monies from customers. Please mediate.Respectfully,******* A

  Customer response

  02/01/2022

  From: ******* ****** <*********************>
  Date: Tue, Feb 1, 2022 at 10:18 AM
  Subject: #********
  To: <**************@mybbb.org>
  
  Greetings *****,
  
  Please update my complaint with Tripmasters to acknowledge that they have worked with me to settle my complaint and I no longer have an outstanding issue with Tripmasters.
  
  They actually negotiated a fair rate regarding my hotel room rate request and am completely satisfied.
  
  Thank You,
  
  ******* ********

  Durham, NC ***********

• Initial Complaint

  01/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In September of 2019, my 4 friends and I booked a trip through TripMasters to go to Paris, France, and Barcelona, Spain. The trip included airfare to and from Europe (through ******** ********), and from city to city, as well as hotels for the entire trip. The trip was supposed to occur in March of 2020, but due to the covid-19 pandemic we were unable to go. We have tried rebooking trips several times, but each time we find out new information that was not disclosed prior and it prevents us from booking. For example, 2 of us tried to book a trip to The Bahamas and when we received the pricing quote, it was double the price of what was advertised on the website. We were also told that since the trip was booked at a contracted rate, we have to book a trip somewhere with an "available contracted rate. " Therefore they said we could not used the flight vouchers if we wanted to go to The Bahamans. This was very confusing to us. After several months of back and forth, and a lot of contradicting information, we were told today (1/12/22) that we could transfer our ******** ******* credits and book directly through **, and receive a full refund of the hotel vouchers from TripMasters. We were happy to have this news. However, when we called ** and asked to book flights from Chicago to San Francisco, they explained to us that since the original flights were to Europe and back, that we can only use the vouchers to fly to Europe and back. No one from TripMasters ever explained this to us. Our flight credits expire at the end of March of 2022, and today (1/12/22) we learned for the first time that we can only use these credits to fly to Europe and back. In a normal world, it would be very difficult to plan a trip to Europe within 2.5 months, but in today's world with new covid variants forming every few months, it is impossible. We would like a refund of the entire amount of money that we gave to TripMasters which is 7,685.59.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2022

  Dear BBB,

  We have reviewed ************************'s claim. The client along with other 4 travel companions booked a trip for March 2020 to Europe. As you can understand this trip has been greatly affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19. Therefore, we had to take action and cancel the booking. Along with the process, we negotiated credits and refunds to avoid financial impact to our clients.

  This case has been assigned to one of our senior agent who handled this booking. As a travel agency, we have exhausted all of our resources by negotiating with our vendors ways to waive penalties and obtain the best option available for the client. Some of the services were booked under the non-refundable rate. These are services with special discounts, however non-refundable in case of cancelation or amendments.

  In regards to their travel credit with American Airlines, we were able to extend their flight credit two (2) times. First extension was granted until December, 2021. After negotiating with the airline a second time, we were able to extend their travel credit until March, 2022. ** voucher must be exchanged by: March 31st, 2022 (Extended -Originally was December 31st, 2021)Travel must be completed by: March 31st, 2022. NO EXTENSION will be granted.

  When our Customer Service team worked on this client's booking, we have stated the clients the following "Services which reflect specific vendor names may have some restrictions for rebooking. You will need to contact us for information regarding claiming those credits or exchanges." We have displayed the breakdown of each traveler's set of credits and exchange voucher options. 

  We have no control over what the airline has imposed as a condition for rebooking. In this case, their exchange option for flights were for traveling to Europe. This does not include regional flights within the ** as these are different contracted rates. 

  The clients decided not to travel. Therefore, the total refund amount of $ 2,095.15 which is the available refund for the clients will be credited to the original form of payment provided by ******************************* and **. *********************. By processing this refund we believe we were able to resolve the client's original request.

  We hope this helped clarifying the inquiry.

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  we booked with this company for Spain  tour & paid around $3500 for 2 people .our bag damaged by airline & Cordoba /Granada hotels did not provide air conditioner in rooms/turn heat on night & me /my wife sleep in hot rooms with sweating total 4 nights. I did complaint to front desk & they told me they got very less money for rooms where as I paid full & for good rooms .tripmasters unable to get refund from hotels as well as ****** airlines which I fly from JFK on 10/30/2021 I did complaint to airlines but as per them booking was done through tripmasters & can not accept my complaint.all proof was summitted to them .the agent ***************************** was rude & unprofessional. yelling me over phone /hang-up my phone call.

  

  Business response

  02/15/2022

  Dear BBB,

  We hope this finds you well.
  

  We are well aware of this client's complaint and we have done everything in our hands to assist this client. In regards to the damaged bag, we have advised the client airlines will always have a damaged bag section to file a complaint online. The client advised he did file a claim with ******.  We have also recommended him to file a claim with his insurance program as this was selected in the booking process. However, the client chose to cancel and obtain a refund for this and not file a claim for compensation. Tripmasters cannot be responsible of how the airline handles the client's baggage during their flights.

  We filed a claim to our suppliers in regards to our client's dissatisfaction during their stay in Cordoba and Granada. Despite our efforts, we were unable to obtain compensation. The client booked the most basic properties which may not meet the american standards. Some of these hotels will have the air conditioning centrally regulated only within the summer months of June to September. We as a travel agency, definitely understand this is a basic service that should be provided throughout the whole year. This is why we highlight our best picks throughout the booking process. Our picks are marked as *favorite* and we have a data team that is constantly updating the best hotel choices that will definitely meet our client's expectations. We hope this can help for future considerations.

  As per our Terms and Conditions, Tripmasters cannot be held responsible for hotel dissatisfaction. Our Terms and Conditions must be agreed to prior to booking a trip online.

  Due to the reasons stated above, we cannot provide the client with compensation and we have done everything in our hands to assist the client.

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

• Initial Complaint

  12/10/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I and my family vacationed in Italy in September/October of this year (2021).We engaged Tripmasters to book our trip: Booking # ******.We were scheduled to fly on ******** Airlines, but the "operator" was ***** Airlines; that means that we paid ******** (through Tripmasters), but that the actual airline we would travel with would be ***** Airlines. Upon on our arrival at ************************** to fly home we were told by ***** Airlines that they had absolutely no record of our having bought tickets to fly. We had paid Tripmasters for our tickets, but apparently they failed to notify ***** Airlines of our purchase. Luckily I had saved a screengrab of our purchase receipt for the tickets on my phone. Thus ***** Airlines acknowleged that we had indeed purchased tickets, but it said that, as they had not been paid for them, the only thing they could do was allow us to fly on "stand by." ***** said that only four seats remained available (the exact number of seats that we needed), and that if any of the seats were to be purchased before departure that we would not be able to fly. Instead we would have to return the next day, be placed on stand by again, and go through the process again; and we would not be given any credit for food, transportaion or lodging. By the grace of the gods no additional tickets were purchased and we were able to fly home, but we endured four hours of panic and worry in the mean time. Tripmasters response to my complaint to them was to claim that, because we made our flight, they had done nothing wrong. They offered us a one hundred dollar credit as a token gesture of compensation. I do not want their credit. What I want is for Tripmasters to acknowledge that they indeed did indeed do something wrong when they failed to notify ***** Airlines of our ticket purchase. I want them to explain how that failure occurred, and describe what steps they have taken to make sure that horrible mistake does not happen to other customers.

  

  Business response

  01/04/2022

  Dear BBB,

  We took the time to do the proper research with each department involved and the airlines (**/**) agency support desk to investigate further the issue. I would like to inform you that ******** ceased business on Sep 25th, 2021 as it was bought by ***** ********* *****, from Sep 25th to Oct 15th took part in all the transition between airlines affecting many reservations not being synchronized with other carriers such as **/**/** being part of their contract.

  This issue was not TripMasters fault, it was a problem between carriers synchronization with their reservation system. The reservation system is called ***, Airlines uses different GDS like *******/*****/*********/*******, and many more. Because of this type of transition, problems occurred not seeing each other tickets which was the actual problem on this particular reservation. We had sent tickets numbers to both carriers but Alitalia synchronization was disrupted by merging to Italo ********* ***** and that was when the problem arised.

  Also, I would like to explain; when airlines ceased operations no flights are guaranteed. Meaning, if you purchased a seat reservation and the flight is cancelled no refund will be processed. Being on a stand by does not guarantee space on the aircraft, I believe in this case the flight was not cancelled and was not at full capacity and that is why seats were able to be confirmed on spot.
  
  

  http://view.news-***************.************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
  
  https://************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

  We also were notified of this issue upon return of the trip, not allowing us to investigate or solve the issue at spot with the airline involved. Regarding our client's concern with future customers, we actually run ******* to detect problems when synchronization is on our end, Unfortunately, this issue came from ********, therefore, it was impossible to be detected. When we had cases reported we do action them right away, if your case was worked directly at the airport we cannot interfere as we can duplicate reservations and resolution can be affected. 

  We hope this helped clarifying the case.

  Kind regards,

  Tripmasters

  Customer response

  01/04/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Dear BBB:

  Tripmasters' explanation is nothing more than deflection and spin.

  Although it is true that ******** Airllines ceased operations approximately a week before our scheduled flight -- our tickets were purchased SEVEN MONTHS before the flight.

  That means that Tripmasters had seven months to notify ***** Airlines that we had purchased tickets to fly on their airline and Tripmasters failed to do so.

  If I had not saved a screengrab of my tickets purchase receipt on my cell phone, we would NOT have been placed on stand-by, because again, Tripmasters had failed to notify ***** Airlines that we had purchased tickets.

  We would have been completely stranded.

  The fact that we were able to fly, solely because I had luckily saved a screengrab of our ticket purchase on my phone, does not in any way obsolve Tripmasters of their deriliction of duty to inform ***** Airlines that we had purchased tickets to fly on their airline during the many months leading up to our travel.

  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I booked a travel package to Morocco & Paris in the amount of $3,761.30 on 2/720. The booking Code was ******. On 8/20/20, Tripmasters ("TM") cancelled my trip and refused to give me a refund. TM ONLY offered me the below future travel credit and said that I could rebook at a later date. ********* International flight - $1,554,98 -***** *** ***** regional flight - $713.58 -************************** - $339 -******************* - $316 -**** Hotel in Paris- $837.74.In 6/2021, I began the process of rebooking my travel. My new booking code is ******. When I was rebooking, TM said in order to rebook the below services that I would need to pay an additional fee. - ***** *** ***** - TM made me pay an additional $399.70 - ************************** - TM made me pay an additional $240.79. On 11/2/21, ***** *** ***** cancelled my regional flight and I requested that I receive a refund for the full amount that I paid for the flight, which at this point is $1,113.28 ($713.58 + $399.70). TM told me that I would only be refunded $798. I then had to book a new flight via *** ****** for an extra $421.28. On 11/13/21, ********* cancelled my flight into Morocco and said that they could not book me on an alternative flight. TM said that I could request a full refund. On 11/1521, TM emailed me and said that they would not refund my flight. TM said they would only give me a refund of $733.49 and a future credit for $2,462.80, but that I would also be penalized $241, so my refund would be reduced to $492.49. TM said in order to not be penalized in needed to rebook the cancelled flight with a new carrier and pay an additional $6,113.26.Since 2/2020, I have paid a total $4,494.79 for this trip. The trip and my flights have been cancelled through no fault of my own, but TM has refused to give me a full refund. And they continue to impose penalties on me, and I just keep losing money. I believe TM is defrauding me out of my money. I want a full refund of $4,494.79!

  

  Business response

  12/20/2021

  Dear BBB,

  We hope this finds you well.

  We received a claim from *************************** regarding a refund for the unused services with Tripmasters. We have informed the client that a refund has been issued.

  We have issued the refund to the client as follows:

  Refund $-641.50already processed on card ending in **** on November 30
  

  Refund $ *******to be processed on card ending in ****
  Refund $ 332.48        to be processed on card ending in ****

  PENALY: $ 241.00

  When booking online, clients have the option of selecting special discounted prices for the services offered. These are non-refundable. This means no refund can be issued if cancelled or amended. Our Fulfilment department is currently working towards a waiver, however, we cannot guarantee a refund will be issued.

  Therefore, we believe we have complied with the client's request to refund the trip as agreed to by contract. Additionally, we're taking a step beyond to waive the non-refundable service selected by the client during the booking process.

  Best regards,

  Tripmasters

  Customer response

  01/23/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Regarding the $655 for booking #******, Tripmasters said the client was unable to travel due to COVID-19 outbreak. What Tripmasters is refusing to acknowledge and take responsibility for is that Tripmasters (not me) initiated the cancellation of the trip. At the time of cancellation, I requested a refund, but Tripmasters refused. The hotels were nonrefundable only if I cancelled or made a change to the trip. That did not happen. In this instance, Tripmasters was the one that cancelled the trip, so they should provide me with a refund. It is unethical for a travel agent to cancel a clients trip and then say the trip is nonrefundable and pocket the clients money.
  

  Regarding the $241 for booking ******, this additional fee was for a hotel, and Tripmasters failed to provide detail regarding how I again had no choice but to pay the additional cost. Tripmasters booked this hotel using Expedia. I spoke to the hotel and asked them if they would rebook my reservation at no additional cost. The hotel said that they absolutely would rebook my hotel for no additional cost, but that Tripmasters first needed to provide them with my hotel voucher. Tripmasters actually failed to get my hotel voucher from Expedia, so because of this, the hotel would not honor the original price of my reservation and required an additional payment of $241 to rebook the reservation. Instead of Tripmasters taking responsibility for failing to get the hotel voucher and covering this additional cost on my behalf, Tripmasters told me that I had to pay the additional $241 and if I did not pay it, I would forfeit all the money that I had already paid towards my hotel. So, I had no choice but to pay the additional amount. 
  

  As you can see, Tripmasters has very unethical and irresponsible business practices, and I have said multiple times that I will not be satisfied unless I get a full refund. 
  

  As I have told Tripmasters, if this matter is not resolved through the BBB process, I will file a lawsuit against the company and let a judge decide the outcome. 
  

  Regards,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  02/04/2022

  Dear BBB,

  In regards to the client's claim, we understand the client is frustrated with the outcome provided. 
  

  In the initial booking, Tripmasters had no choice but to cancel all the trips that were affected by the pandemic and this was no easy task. Had we not cancelled the booking in time, the client would have incurred in much higher penalties. Because we were able to act fast, we have minimize the penalties. We do not believe our actions were unethical as our main goal was to alleviate our clients' financial loss.

  As we worked on the client's rebooking, we have used the credit of $ ******** to confirm the new services for her new trip abroad. As stated in our terms and conditions, If for some reason, a hotel fails to confirm, we will advise the client as soon as possible with alternatives. The credit card will not be charged until we receive the client's approval. Hotel ************************** had a price increase which we do not have control over at the time. As previously stated, we advised the client with the new price and waited for her approval before confirming the reservation. The client accepted the conditions and we proceeded to confirm the service.

  Our accounting team has also prepared the documentation needed for *****************'s insurance claims as you will see attached in the e-mail. Both bookings have been protected with an insurance policy selected by the client.

  Once more, we regret the client's frustration with our outcome. However, no refunds will be provided as these are penalties that are needed to be paid to our vendors. 
  
  Best regards,

  Tripmasters
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩