Lynda Eberhart and her husband were looking forward to a scenic trip with their friends through the Canadian Rockies. They booked their journey through Railbookers, paying $5,419 for a luxurious Rocky Mountaineer rail tour. But when disaster struck, their dream trip turned into a months-long battle for a refund.
Warning: Eberhart’s story is tragic and infuriating. It features death and corporate intransigence, and if you’re expecting a Hollywood ending, you may be disappointed.
OK, let’s get the death part out of the way. Eberhart says it happened several months before their departure, just a few days after they’d paid for the entire tour.
“Tragically, our previously healthy friend was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with aggressive small cell carcinoma one week later,” she says. “He was admitted to hospice care the next week and passed away.”
Of course, the Eberharts decided to cancel their rail tour that summer. And that’s when insult was added to their injury.
Eberhart had purchased trip protection and expected a full refund. Instead, Railbookers gave each couple a travel voucher for less than half of what they’d paid. The reason? The train portion of the trip, which made up two-thirds of the cost, was nonrefundable under Railbookers’ terms and conditions. And the travel protection didn’t cover their friend’s illness.
This case raises several important questions:
- Who’s responsible when a trip is cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances?
- What’s the real value of travel protection plans?
- How can you escalate a complaint when customer service fails?
Let’s take a closer look at Eberhart’s case.
“It felt like we were being penalized for something beyond our control”
Last year, the Eberharts booked a train tour of the Canadian Rockies. Not just any train tour, but a Rocky Mountaineer tour — a breathtaking journey through one of the world’s most stunning natural landscapes. Their tour would take them on a scenic loop through the heart of the Canadian Rockies, combining luxurious train travel with immersive experiences in iconic destinations like Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver.
But after paying for the trip, the Eberharts’ travel companion received a devastating diagnosis. He had a highly malignant type of cancer and most likely had just weeks to live.
Eberhart cancelled their trip shortly after the funeral and expected a full refund. After all, she had purchased the tour operator’s protection plan.
Initially, Railbookers promised the couple a full future travel credit but said it needed to calculate the exact value of the voucher. Ultimately, it issued each couple a future travel credit of $2,507 — less than half of what they’d paid.
The reason? The train portion of the trip, which made up two-thirds of the cost, was nonrefundable under Railbookers’ terms and conditions.
“We were shocked,” Eberhart says. “We had travel protection, but it didn’t cover this situation. It felt like we were being penalised for something beyond our control.”
Rocky Mountaineer is known for its strict refund rules.
But rules are rules. Under “special restrictions” in the fine print, the Eberharts had agreed to forfeit the entire cost of the train part of the trip, which was about two-thirds of the total cost of their package.
Eberhart’s travel advisor called to get additional clarification on the matter, and a representative confirmed that once they paid in full, the train portion was no longer eligible for the future travel credit. Even a death certificate wouldn’t sway Rocky Mountaineer.
This reminds me of another Rocky Mountaineer case we had a few years ago, which ended with a partial refund.
The bottom line: Railbookers would not refund the Eberharts, even though they had purchased travel protection. They would only receive a credit for the non-rail portion of the trip.
This is probably as good a time as any to remind you to read the fine print on your travel insurance and protection. They can come with significant restrictions.
But the Eberharts had two things going for them. A Railbooker representative promised them full credit in a phone call, and there are typically exceptions for the death of a passenger, even in super-restrictive contracts like the one Rocky Mountaineer pushed in front of them.
In other words, there was hope.
Who’s responsible when a trip is cancelled because of unforeseen circumstances?
When a trip is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances—like a death in the family—travel suppliers want to avoid losing money on the booking. That’s why the delicate print matters.
In Eberhart’s case, Railbookers’ terms and conditions stated that the train portion of the trip was nonrefundable once she paid for it, despite their travel protection plan, which left them with only a partial refund.
Travel insurance exists to cover unexpected issues, and many policies cover the death of a travel companion. Regretfully, Eberhart’s didn’t. (Here’s my guide to buying travel insurance.)
It’s essential to read your protection plan. Even the best policy has exclusions, and most only cover specific issues, like trip interruptions or medical emergencies during travel. Few will cover cancellations because of pre-existing conditions (although you can sometimes get a waiver at the time of purchase).
Eberhart made some assumptions about her travel protection that she shouldn’t have.
What’s the real value of travel protection plans?
Travel protection plans are marketed as safety nets, but they often have limitations. In Eberhart’s case, the plan didn’t cover the cancellation of the train portion of the trip.
What does it cover? The benefits are outlined in Railbooker’s terms.
Trip cancellation coverage. Reimburses nonrefundable trip costs if you cancel for covered reasons, such as illness, injury, or unforeseen emergencies.
Trip interruption coverage. Provides reimbursement if your trip is cut short due to covered events, including medical emergencies or severe weather.
Emergency medical coverage. Covers medical expenses incurred during your trip, including hospital stays and doctor visits.
Baggage protection. Offers reimbursement for lost, stolen, or damaged luggage during your journey.
Travel delay coverage. Compensates for additional expenses (e.g., meals, accommodations) if your trip is delayed due to covered reasons.
24/7 assistance services. Access to a global assistance hotline for emergencies, travel advice, and support.
You can also buy a “cancel for any reason” add-on, which would provide a partial refund if you cancel for any other reason. But Eberhart hadn’t done that.
How can you escalate a complaint when customer service fails?
Eberhart was confused. She had received assurances of a refund, then the devastating news that she would only get a partial credit. What should she do?
She tried to appeal to the highest level possible at Railbookers. (We publish the names, numbers, and addresses of the customer service executives at Railbookers.) She could have also contacted Rocky Mountaineer to plead her case.
It looks like she also took her case to her travel advisor and separately disputed the charges on her credit card—perhaps a little prematurely.
These escalations might have worked, including involving my advocacy team (which she obviously did). But we’re dealing with Rocky Mountaineer, a company that does not typically give refunds. There were no guarantees.
A partial victory
I reached out to Railbookers several times on Eberhart’s behalf. As I’ve already mentioned, a promise to issue a full credit and the fact that one member of the party had died were at the heart of the case. Companies often waive their rules for the next of kin, crediting the widow or widower the full value of the ticket as a goodwill gesture. That wouldn’t have helped in this situation.
The process really tested her and my patience. It took six months and several inquiries to get a response from Railbookers, but I finally did.
“Thank you for your patience as we looked into the inquiry,” a representative told her in an email. “After reviewing, we will be able to waive your future travel credits and refund the amount to the card we have on file for you.”
The Eberharts got $5,014 back from Railbookers, which is not quite a full refund, but about twice what they’d originally been offered. But they’ve learned an important lesson about the limits of travel protection.
“It’s a partial victory,” Eberhart told me. “But it shouldn’t have taken this long. And it shouldn’t have required outside intervention.”
By Christopher Elliott
BIO:
Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected].
