I just received a call today and was told that my May trip was cancelled. I asked for a refund. The fellow told me he didn't think I could get a cash refund since my $1000. was from a voucher given to me from another trip THEY cancelled a year ago. A year ago I received mixed messages from different people. Was kept on hold several times and finally I agreed to put my $1000. in a voucher for a different trip.
THE MAN FROM RS WHO CALLED TODAY SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO GIVE REFUNDS. HE WILL CREATE A CASE FILE THAT WOULD GO TO THOSE IN CHARGE.
They've gain interest on my $1000. for a year and now they want to keep it longer. Any suggestions on how to get a CASH REFUND?
RS feel like a multi-million dollar corporation and not a non-profit. I hope I'm wrong.
Their corporate office is located in Massachusetts. I believe from reading other travel forums that the Consumer Laws in Massachusetts require them to refund money for trips they cancel. You can contact…
Thanks! Our first trip was to costa rica with grandkids. The second was Ashville gardens. We didn't buy trip insurance for either.
I called them today. they (Caroline) said they are going to check phone calls to see where I was told that my money is refundable. Hopefully they will find the right one.
I also received an email asking…
Their corporate office is located in Massachusetts. I believe from reading other travel forums that the Consumer Laws in Massachusetts require them to refund money for trips they cancel. You can contact the Massachusetts Attorney General's office with a complaint which you can do online.
In the past I've had issues with office staff not being well-trained so DO follow this up.
Just curious...where was your trip to? US or International?
Let us know how this works out.
~Pam
I've done a bunch of programs but I'm not really happy with how they have responded during this pandemic. They did step up last spring and start refunds when people asked for them but it seems like staff is undertrained and uninformed on the process and the laws of MA. I totally understand it is hard on a business but they also have to adhere to the law. I've got 3 programs booked between now and May 2022 so there should be enough money to process your refund, lol!!
I don't usually buy Trip Insurance until I make my final payment. Dumb to pay $650 for insurance when my deposit is $250.
Sorry to post another reply but a friend reminded me of the verbiage on the Road Scholar site regarding cancellations. It says:
"What happens if Road Scholar cancels a program?
Very rarely, we may need to cancel your program prior to departure. If we do, we’ll notify you as far in advance as possible, and you’ll get a full refund on the cost of your Road Scholar program payment, or you can transfer your money to another program. If you incur penalties for canceling or changing transportation arrangements, we’ll help defray those costs by giving you a Road Scholar voucher, up to a maximum value of $300, which you can use toward the cost of your next Road Scholar program."
It's under Practical Information/Money Matters at this link:
https://www.roadscholar.org/practical-information/money-matters/
How could Staff members NOT be informed on the refund policy?
I also received an email asking to recommend a friend to RS and I might win $500.
In good faith, I could not recommend RS to anyone right now.
Dear Mary Anne, I've reviewed your account and see a supervisor is working on your request and will be in contact with you directly as soon as they've completed their investigation into the issue. Warmly, Adrienne
They are saying I can't get my cask back ..only voucher. It seems they can only find files that have the answers they want. ..My advice to everyone...start writing down the names/dates of people from rs you talk to. If I did that I could now prove they said that I could get cash back...I never should have trusted RS. I listened to the recording of Mr. Moses. Pres. of RS - sad RS doesn't practice what they preach. Spoke with Attorney Gen office today. Will be filing a complaint with them as well as the Kellogg Foundation...maybe they can help me get back my $1,000.
Dear Mary Anne, I see a supervisor has already reached out to you. In their review, you cancelled a program while it was still scheduled to run, which means you were subject to the cancel/transfer fees. In cases like this, we're not able to provide a cash refund, which is what you were told at that time. You were still able to use your deposit toward another program, taking advantage of the free transfer period and re-enrollment voucher that was provided when you cancelled the first enrollment. This voucher has been re-issued to your account and you can apply it to a future program. We're sorry you feel that this is inadequate, but it is our policy regarding vouchers. Sincerely, Adrienne
I filled a claim for trip cancellation August 4, 2022 and it is still not even under review. AON tells me to be patient. Well it's at least $5000 of my money RS has. Next step file a complaint with Massachusetts Dept of Financial services. What else can I do, other than picket the RS offices?
You can also contact the Insurance Commissioner for your state and ask them to intervene (unless you live in MA and that's what you are doing above, lol.). You're looking at almost 4 months to process this claim. I understand they are busy but seriously, they should stop selling policies for a while if they can't service them. Put everyone in the company on processing claims including the CEO. Same complaints from others traveling with different companies who also use AON.
There are a couple of RS Facebook pages where there are actually RS staff members who respond to issues. If you do FB take a look at Friends of Road Scholar and Women of Road Scholar. I understand being short-staffed but apparently they have abandoned this discussion forum except for posting pages for new online programs.