STOUGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - From vacations to business trips to visiting relatives, COVID-19 has forced just about everyone to cancel or drastically modify their travel plans.
That includes Anni Zechello and her daughter. This past April, the Stoughton resident had plans to visit a beloved cousin in Canada who has been battling lung cancer.
“She just had surgery,” Anni says. “So I wanted to make sure I saw her before anything, God forbid, happened.”
Last year, well before the pandemic, Anni booked their flights from Boston to Toronto through the airline. Then she booked a hotel room using a travel web site called Reservation Counter. Mother and daughter were excited about their trip.
But things changed quickly. By mid-March, with the coronavirus spreading rapidly, Anni realized their travel plans were going to be grounded.
“The border closed,” she says. “I heard that the airline closed and then naturally, what good are hotel rooms if you’re not going to be able to get there?”
Disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to see her cousin, Anni contacted the airline and was able to get a flight credit she could use once it’s safe to travel again. But when she contacted the hotel to try and get her money back, there was a problem.
“She said she could not do anything about it because it was [purchased by] a third party,” she says.
The hotel was willing to give Anni her money back, but couldn’t because she booked it through Reservation Counter. She reached out to the travel site. Anni says the representative told her no, they weren’t offering a refund.
“This is totally wrong,” she says.
With nowhere else to turn, she called Solve It 7.
We contacted Reservation Counter and explained Anni’s situation, including the fact that the hotel itself said it would offer her a refund if it could. The representative told us they would contact the hotel directly and if the hotel approved a refund, they’d credit the money back to Anni.
A few days later they did.
“The next billing cycle, I noticed my credit already there!” Anni says.
She got her refund and can use the money for another hotel stay once it’s safe to visit her cousin in Canada.
“I certainly do appreciate my money back,” Anni says. “I know I would call Solve It 7 again if I have another problem!”
Do travel troubles or refund woes have you searching for a solution? Maybe we can help. Send an email to SolveIt7@WHDH.com or give us a call at 617-367-7777.
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