TAP Air Portugal canceled our flights, but where’s our refund?
Q: In the summer of 2019, I booked seven roundtrip tickets from Miami to Budapest on TAP Air Portugal through Expedia. I planned to fly to Europe the following spring with my husband, my two daughters, my mother and my two cousins.
In March of 2020, a week or so before our scheduled departure, TAP Air Portugal canceled our flight because of COVID-19. I waited a few months before doing anything, since I got an automated email about flight credit. And who knew when the world would open up again?
Eventually, time passed, life circumstances changed and I knew that the seven of us would not be able to take that trip to Budapest anytime in the near future. So I began the process of trying to get a refund.
It’s been a year since I asked for a refund, and there’s still no refund from either Expedia or TAP Air Portugal. When I try to check my refund process, it either doesn’t have anything in the system or still shows a credit.
I am exhausted from having to go back and forth between the two. Anything you can do to help me would be so much raded through the streets, riding in shopping carts and strollers and atop floats like local celebrities.
On the tours, visitors can peek inside – but not enter – the living quarters of the dogs that are ready to go home with a “Geezer Guardian,” under assessment or deemed lifers because they suffer from a serious condition, such as dementia or separation anxiety. (OFSDS dogs go to permanent homes, but they return for vet appointments and medical treatments. For this reason, the caretakers must live within 100 miles of Mount Juliet.)
“There’s Cinnamon and Oreo, and Ketchup and Potato – she looks like a potato,” Sally said as we pressed our noses against the windows in Geezerville, a residential wing with five rooms. “Bentley is going to live forever,” she added slyly.
Unless you are a resolute cat person, you will be itching to scratch a dog behind its ears. And you can. Most of the interactions take place in the play areas. In Central Bark, an indoor park with boneshape benches, clovergreen turf grass and a mural of the Manhattan skyline, I pet Tony during his breaks from an imaginary squirrel chase. In one of the three outdoor yards, I horsed around with Dixie Do, a mom mastiff, and her two sons, Jake and Ivan. I romped with caution: Though gentle, the family weighs 460 pounds total, not including slobber.
All of the dogs spend at least 45 minutes a day in the “tropics” of Tennes
appreciated.
A: TAP Air Portugal should have refunded your flights promptly since it canceled them. But like several airlines during the pandemic, it didn’t. Instead, it offered a ticket credit, which EU regulators eventually said was not allowed. Under existing EU rules, an airline must offer either a full refund or a credit for a canceled flight, no matter the reason for the cancellation.
The correspondence between you, TAP Air Portugal and Expedia is pretty confusing. It looks like Expedia believed TAP had resolved your case because you had asked TAP Air Portugal directly for a refund, so Expedia closed your case. And, as is so often the case, no see, a green space called the Oasis Yard that has a cooling splash pad and an artificial palm tree. I joined a play group already in session. Fancy, a terrier mix, hobbled over to Sally, who picked her up for a cuddle. Fancy’s son, Lil’ Pete, ran by with a tennis ball in his mouth. Woody, his brother, cheered from the sidelines. In the corner, I joined the curly crew, Henry and Robby, also known as the Poodle Puddle. The bonded pair are blind, so they had to trust me when I told them how fabulous they looked in their purple sweaters.
In the spring and fall, the sanctuary leads Tuesday-evening hikes along the property’s wooded trails. The outings alternate between slower dogs, including some in wagons and strollers, and speedier ones. I had planned to attend a hike with the hare group, but the sanctuary had to cancel the event because of an earlier outbreak of kennel cough. As consolation, I joined Noël Kiswiney, a staff member, and Deeno, a hound mix, on a morning stroll.
Deeno is mostly blind and had a large tumor removed from his side, but that didn’t stop him from nimbly crossing Knight’s Bridge and bounding down the leafy path. Hikes typically last 45 minutes to an hour, with several stops to sit, rest and pant. After we completed the short loop, Noël and I were chatting when Deeno interjected. “He’s telling you it was a good time,” Noël said, translating for me. one was willing to take responsibility for your missing refund.
You might have asked for your money back a little sooner. It looks as if you waited several months to start the process. The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to get your money back. That’s just a general rule when it comes to my consumer advocacy. Waiting only benefits the company that already has your money.
You also could have
OFSDS does not offer unsupervised off-site excursions, but I found a number of willing and able companions at the Nashville Humane Association. For just over two years, the private rescue center has been running a program called Doggie Dates and Rover Nights. I signed up for both. Selflessly, I wanted to help the staff better understand the dogs’ behaviors outside the shelter environment, which improves their chances of adoption. Selfishly, I wanted a fourlegged playmate I could squire around Nashville.
For the daytime excursion, I arrived just after 11 and received a yellow sticky note listing the names of six dogs. I was directed to the back area, to the pens. I read their profiles – Fresca: “goofy, cuddly, outgoing” – and tried to not look too deeply into their puppy-dog eyes. I returned to the front desk with my selection, and a few minutes later, a handler appeared with Luna, a 6-month-old with an ebony coat, almond eyes and a toddler’s irrepressible energy. An employee gave me a printout of hiking spots and drinking and dining establishments that are partial to pets.
After browsing the park options, I piled Luna into my rental car and drove through the upscale neighborhood of Belle Meade – “Crank up the cute, Luna,” I instructed her – to Radnor Lake State Park. Dogs are only permitted on Otter Creek Road, the perfect spot for a trek with a dog you’ve just met. The paved path is flat and reached out to executives at both companies. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the customer service managers at Expedia on my consumer advocacy site at elliott.org/company-contacts/expedia-customerservice-contacts/. I also publish the executive contacts for TAP Air Portugal at elliott.org/company-contacts/tap-air-portugal/.
I contacted Expedia on your behalf. It reached out scenic, with enough room on the shoulder to roll in the grass without falling into the lake.
We hiked for two hours, and I’d like to say that Luna slept on the return trip, but she was more rambunctious than ever. I pulled into the driveway of a multimillion-dollar home to tighten her harness. The owner approached the car window, and I explained my predicament. He smiled knowingly, as if he had heard this one before.
When I returned for the sleepover, Luna had been crossed off the slip of paper; another volunteer had chosen her for a slumber party. I decided on Pamela, a 2-year-old with Cleopatra eyes and a calm demeanor. (I had rented an Airbnb, so I wanted a dog who neither chewed nor zoomied.) The rental was near Vanderbilt University, and we crisscrossed the campus chasing small critters in the fading pink light. A woman who had stopped to pet Pamela suggested we go around the corner to Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint – for sour beer and dog biscuits. In the morning, Pamela and I swung by Osa Coffee Roasters before her 9 a.m. return time. She stood on her hind legs to see whether there was anything on the menu for her. (There wasn’t.) Back at the shelter, I told her to go get adopted. Then I raided the racks of merchandise, diverting the tears.
I was on my own until my flight left later that afternoon. I popped into Fido, a cafe and coffeehouse in Hillsboro Village to TAP Air Portugal, which refunded your ticket. Expedia also sent you a $50 certificate by way of apology.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Elliott’s latest book is “How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveler” (National Geographic). Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org. that occupies a former pet shop. I told myself I was there for the mushroom toast, but I really wanted to check out the outdoor seating area for future dates.
Postscript: Not long after my mid-October visit, Luna and Pamela were adopted. 765 Nonaville Rd., Mount Juliet, Tenn.
615-314-5565
ofsds.org
The sanctuary runs tours three times a day, Tuesday through Friday, and twice a day on Saturday. Cost: $10 per person. Volunteers can walk the pups on free Tuesday-night hikes. The fall season recently ended; the events will return in April.
213 Oceola Ave., Nashville
615-352-1010
nashvillehumane.org
The rescue center runs the Doggie Dates and Rover Nights program every day except Monday. There are two slots per outing, with pickup at 11:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. The center will provide supplies, including food, poop bags and a blanket for the rental car. Free, but you can show your support in the gift shop.