After trying relentless to get some satisfaction from Air Canada Vacations for their behavior - I wrote a "One-Last-Attempt" formal letter and sent it to all relevant parties.
Because I am still getting no reponse or claim of responsibility I have decided to share my experience with the Web World so as to, in some small way, prevent this from happening again.
It goes as follows:
As I begin planning another trip to Cuba for my boyfriend and I, going out of my way to ensure none of our travel plans this time involve Air Canada, I figured now was as good a time as any to inform you of how detrimental our last Air Canada customer service experience was. Please note that the following story is my own. The italicized portion of the following is copied directly from the terms and conditions stated on the Air Canada Vacations Web site (http://www.aircanadavacations.com/en/contact_us/terms_and_conditions).
This time last year, I booked an all-inclusive Air Canada Vacation to Breezes Bella Costa in Varadero, Cuba through Sell Off Vacations. It was a gift for my boyfriend and our first time making such a trip. Instead of being able to relax and enjoy it, it quickly turned into a nightmare.
We had a connecting flight in Montreal, and upon arriving (on time) to the Montreal airport, we immediately realized that the one and only flight going to Varadero had taken off early, leaving without us. We later found out from an Air Canada Vacations representative in Toronto that this was due to the flight having been overbooked. Upon finding out that the flight had taken off without us, we found our way to the Air Canada Vacations representative in the Montreal airport to find a solution. We were bluntly told that there was nothing they could do for us. Not getting any satisfaction there, we next went to the ticket counter to try to correct the problem and save our vacation. First, we were told that the flight could not be rebooked for another full week. Then, thankfully, we ran into a travel agent (who was also left behind by the same flight) who informed us that we could fly into Cuba that weekend, but only if we flew into Havana and not Varadero. The Air Canada ticket agent said that could be arranged, and that it would be a next day flight. We immediately informed the aforementioned Air Canada Vacations representative of our new plans to successfully fly to Cuba the next day and were unbelievably met with the same, unhelpful, and quite frankly rude reception we had received mere minutes earlier. The unbelievable part had to have been the fact that after we had finally found our own way from a city we had never before been in to a country we had never before been in, we were basically told “that’s great, good luck when you get there.”
Reporting of Incidents
Regardless of Air Canada Vacations liability, any incidents including injuries, service cancellation or problem, or dissatisfaction must be reported to an Air Canada Vacations’ destination representative or Customer Care during the event to allow Air Canada Vacations an opportunity to provide assistance in rectifying the situation.
Since Air Canada Vacations offered us no place to stay besides the Montreal airport (an actual suggestion), we cabbed (costing us $44.00), bussed (another $88.74), and then stood in the freezing cold to stay at a relative’s house in Ottawa. We had earlier arranged to get our connecting flight to Toronto from Ottawa.
In all three airports, I went to the Air Canada Vacations service desks and asked for help in figuring out how we were going to get from Havana to Varadero. One representative told me that it was only 15 minutes away and we could get a bus. Another said that there would be an Air Canada representative waiting for us in Havana, but didn’t know the number to call to let them know that we were coming. Yet another said that it was so close we could walk and then when I asked them to call to let them know that we were arriving a day late, she gave ME the number to Cuba to call on my cell phone. To top it all off, the number turned out to be incorrect!
The travel agent who was stuck in the same situation as us informed us that we needed to talk to someone about our late arrival, in case the hotel gave our room away. We spoke to Air Canada representatives in person and on the phone (hours on the phone) over the course of two days. Yet, when we finally arrived in Havana, Cuba, the travel representative for Air Canada had no idea we were coming, had made no travel arrangements for us to get to our hotel, and in the end just flagged us an unmarked van which he claimed to be a cab and sent us on our way. At a cost of 120 Convertible Pesos (approximately $210 Canadian!), and several hours later, we arrived by “cab” at our hotel only to find out that no one had called to let them know we had been delayed and they charged us for the previous night anyway. After all that had happened, we were at least lucky to still have a room waiting for us.
Prices DO Include
Selected combination of flights, accommodation, airport-hotel transfers at destination and/or car rental, and any other inclusions as specified for product selected as confirmed at time of booking.
So, without any reimbursement, we lost a full day and night in Cuba (including orientation). We had to find our own transportation to our resort, which was also supposed to be included in the vacation package. We had to find our own accommodations in Montreal / Ottawa due to the plane taking off early without us. Our safety was in jeopardy because Air Canada Vacations, after having flown us into Havana and not our original destination of Varadero, left us to our own devices to get to where we needed to go without us knowing a word of Spanish.
It is simply not acceptable.
And now, trying to plan another getaway has the added stress of our last experience and of the complete disregard shown by Air Canada Vacations for its customers and its customers’ safety. I feel as though this mistake is very serious and I would like to think it can somehow be corrected. It should also never happen to anyone else ever again. For more information, I can be reached by phone at *** *** **** or by email at *********@hotmail.com. I do hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Mental Apple
Please consider this circumstance while booking with Air Canada Vacations as they are adamant that none of what happened had anything to do with them and are sticking by the fact that their service was of exceptional value!
Thanks for reading.
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