Complaint Review: Classic Escapes Travel

 
CLASSIC ESCAPES TRAVEL HAS BEEN SUED FOR FRAUD AND DEFAMATION AFTER REFUSING TO MAKE A SMALL REFUND TO A DEFRAUDED CUSTOMER CLASSIC ESCAPES OWNER STACY FLORENTINOS DEFAMED A DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER AFTER RECEIVING A LETTER REQUESTING A SMALL REFUND FOR A TRIP TO GALAPAGOS.

SHE PAID BIG BUCKS TO HER ATTORNEY AND TO THE PLAINTIFF TO SETTLE THE LAWSUIT FOR DEFAMATION AND FRAUD WHEN SHE COULD HAVE AVOIDED THIS SITUATION IF SHE WAS NOT SO ARROGANT AS TO HAVE REFUSED TO PAY THE  SMALL REFUND REQUESTED.

INSTEAD OF MAKING A GRACIOUS REFUND SHE DEFAMED THE PLAINTIFF THROUGH THE INTERNET.

EVEN AFTER PAYING THROUGH THE NOSE TO SETTLE THIS LAWSUIT SHE STILL TAKES HER CLIENTS TO THE DESTINATION SUBJECT OF THE FRAUD CLAIM AFTER SETTLING THE ALLEGATION OF FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION OF THE DESTINATION AT ISSUE.

BEWARE OF CLASSIC ESCAPES TRAVEL

Here is a copy of the letter the plaintiff sent Stacy Florentinos which she responded to by saying that she would rather pay an attorney than make a refund.

I am writing regarding some issues I have regarding my recent trip to Ecuador & The Galapagos Island I booked through your company via Living Socials departing on January 3, 2012.

I signed up on October 13, 2011 informing you on October 24, 2011 that I was signing up for double occupancy at the rate of $2850. On December 15, 2011 I was ambushed with an email stating that I owed you an additional $895 for a single supplement and was informed that if I did not pay it I would not receive my travel documents. I protested and you reduced the supplement by $100. That notwithstanding, I informed your operations person, Lori, that I was paying under protest and upon my return from the trip would seek to recover that payment. I was told that there were no other single persons to pair me up with. You knew this in October. Had I been informed of this in October or November, I would have canceled the booking.

You should know that other travel agencies offer similar trips for substantially less money through TravelZoo.com and include the Otavalo Market at no additional cost.

As to the trip itself, you could have offered a better tour rather than leave us "at leisure" in Quito and Guayaquil. As to the visit to Quito on Day 2, Wednesday, January 4th, your itinerary implies that it would be a full day tour as you do not say that the afternoon would be "at leisure." The visit was most inadequate. The tour guide did not have us see the interior of the Basilica most likely because there was an admission charge for this. He did not have us see the money museum because there was not enough time. He did not give us a tour of the President's building nor did he take us to the museum. The tour could have included these facilities with us having lunch at a local restaurant at our own expense.

The Otavalo Market was not as represented. I specifically went on this optional tour to purchase an armadillo shell guitar to balance a banjo signed by Pete Seger on the walls of my media room. This market did not comprise of "streets" to stroll as stated in your itinerary but just one square bordered by four streets. The vendors were selling cheap machine made items that you would see in flee markets, not handicrafts items such as were offered in the handicrafts market in Guayaquil. Other than machine made scarves, hats, tee shirts and stamped out jewelry and the like (yes, offered at inexpensive prices) there was basically nothing to buy. There were no armadillo shell guitars or even armadillo shells. The market does not deserve its reputation. It is not a true handicraft market like the handicraft market in Guayaquil where I was able to make some remarkable purchases.

Consequently, I seek a refund for the $795 you charged me for the single supplement and for one and half days plus the $100 option for the Otavalo Full Day Tour. Since this was basically an eight day tour with day nine being the return to Miami at 4 a.m. I am calculating the day rate at $2850 divided by eight which works out to $356.25. This works out to $427.50 as a refund for one and a half days plus $100 for the Otavalo supplement. With the single supplement of $795 I seek a total refund of $1322.50. Kindly confirm that you have refunded this amount to my American Express card today.

In the event that you refuse to make this refund, I will contest this amount with American Express asking them to charge back these charges. Should you dispute these charge backs and should American Express side with you, I will commence a legal action against your firm in New York City Civil court where you will need to be represented by a lawyer where you will incur legal expense greater than the amount I am seeking so it is in your best interest to provide me with the refund.

In the future, you should plan better trips where you provide guided tours rather than leave your customers "at leisure" in locals with which they are unfamiliar, provide them with lunches and perhaps dinners and night clubs visits and the like, like other travel agencies do similar to a trip I had last year to Cambodia and Thailand.