Q: I recently planned to attend the Miami Broward Carnival to celebrate the birthdays of two of my cousins. In total, 14 of us were traveling to Miami from Canada. My flights were on Air Canada, and I was booked at South Beach Plaza Hotel, a reservation I had made through Booking.com.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Matthew was forecast to hit the east coast of Florida on the day I was scheduled to arrive. A state of emergency was declared. Air Canada canceled my flight. I alerted the hotel about the situation even before my flight was officially canceled. Once it was canceled, I called the front desk to ask for a refund. After several days of back and forth, the hotel charged me 50 percent of the cost of the room โ $320 โ which I think is ridiculous and unfair.
I purchased two carnival tickets online for $30 plus service fees. After trying to reach someone for several days, a representative finally responded to my email with the same โno refundโ policy and an offer to honor my ticket next year.
I have no intention of attending the carnival next year, after this horrible experience. I am a single mother with two children; it is not a simple task for me to get away or to know if I will be able to afford it next year. This entire experience has tainted my view of Miami. โ Fennella Bruce, Pickering, Ontario
A: Iโd be disappointed with the way your family reunion turned out, too โ and I might blame Miami. But this is a travel-industry problem with a unique travel-industry solution.
The problem? Your hotel and the carnival offered a nonrefundable rate and ticket, and didnโt want to take the losses if you couldnโt show up, even if it wasnโt your fault. This is a common and customer-unfriendly policy across the global tourism industry, and is hardly unique to Miami.
The solution: travel insurance. A policy that would cover trip interruption might have allowed you to recover some โ or all โ of your expenses.
Your case underscores the importance of reviewing the terms and conditions of any travel purchase. Some hotels will allow cancellation at the last minute; others are completely nonrefundable and canโt be changed.
If youโre planning a vacation anywhere in the Southeast United States or Caribbean during hurricane season (June 1 to Nov. 30), you need to be prepared for a disruption.
I contacted both the hotel and the carnival on your behalf. My involvement didnโt change the answer.
But thereโs a silver lining. You received all of your money back for your airline ticket, since Air Canada canceled the flight. Your cousin was able to sell the carnival ticket, allowing you to receive a full refund minus the service charges. And you also found out that you had travel insurance through your employer, and were able to file a claim to recover some of your costs.
I hope youโll give Miami another chance.
