Beware of potential problems booking trip on U.S. website
I recently booked online to travel to British Columbia for my summer holidays. I booked and paid for my flight and car rental first and then I decided to book my hotel accommodations.
I found a nice hotel in Vancouver and was happy about the location and the price.
After I booked, I looked at the confirmation and realized that somehow I ended up on an American booking site and the price that I had thought was in Canadian funds was actually in U.S. currency. Now I am paying more for the hotel than I wanted to. The hotel booking is 100-percent non-refundable. Isn’t there a way I can cancel and get a refund without losing all my money?
Unfortunately, when you purchase travel services you are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the travel services purchased. It is unfortunate that you did not realize that you were booking on an American booking site and that the funds being quoted were in U.S. currency.
You could attempt to contact the online travel agency’s customer service department to explain the situation.
Perhaps as a goodwill gesture they may assist with rebooking you into a hotel that is within your travel budget. They may possibly waive any rebooking or service fee to make the booking changes for you.
It would really be up to the company’s discretion as you had agreed to the terms and conditions when you confirmed your booking.
There are some tips to consider when booking and purchasing travel services online.
It is very important that you take the time to understand what travel company you are dealing with and where your money is going when making online purchases.
Carefully review the company information, especially if it’s your first time dealing with the company. Check the Contact Us or the About Us pages to see where the company is located. If they are located outside of Canada, then most likely, the prices will be quoted in a different currency.
If you cannot easily find where the company is located on the website or the information is not provided, be cautious of making a booking. Reputable companies will always make their location and contact information easy to find on their website.
Most websites will have a clear notation beside the price indicating the currency being quoted, while other websites may have a drop down box beside the price that allows you to select which currency you wish to have the prices displayed.
Ontario’s travel industry is regulated and all online travel retailers located and operating in province are required by law to present the price in Canadian currency, otherwise it must be indicated in a clear, prominent and comprehensible manner, that a different currency is being used.
In addition, Ontario’s consumer protection legislation requires the total cost of your travel services to be disclosed at the time of booking.
Booking errors can easily occur if not careful.
With so much information being displayed and so many websites to select from, it can be easy to lose track. Checking the top navigation bar from time to time will help you keep things in check.
Before entering your payment information to confirm and purchase the travel services online, take the time and use this last opportunity to review all the information. Ensure all the travel services you have selected and the information you have provided is correct and that you understand the total cost including the currency being quoted.
When shopping for travel, taking the time to review all the details can make all the difference and allow you to be more confident with your online travel purchases. Dorian Werda is vice president, operations for the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO), a non-profit corporation that regulates 2,500 travel retailers and wholesalers registered in Ontario. Send your travel questions to travel@thestar.ca Not all questions can be answered
It is very important that you take the time to understand what travel company you are dealing with and where your money is going when making online purchases