I booked ressie, friend backed out!#$%^&*(+_

[geokeim]

Sorry to hear about this mess.
I can't help but wonder if there may not be a lack of communication and assumption between you two?
You as the planner assume she would be responsible for her portion. (I know I'm the planner among my friends) and that her failing to live up to her end would cause stress and undo expense on your end.
She may be the type of person who needs this calmly explained in great detail.
(a happy go lucky non planner?)
Go over the situation with her item by item. Airfare, reservations, time spent planning etc.(write it down, some people are visual) Don't hold back on the way you feel, but stay calm.
See if she has the opportunity to borrow the money, put it on a credit card etc.
Once she understands the gravity of the situation, she may well come through.
If she doesn't, it doesn't seem as if she is a very good friend.

If she refuses to come through (and lets be honest, she can come up with the $ if she wants to) post a note @ Cheerleading practice offering the trip to someone else. You & dd may make a new (and more responsible) friend who would love a trip to WDW.

good Luck!

 

[surfer_ed]

Bad situation.

I think it is a no brainer she needs to pay for the tickets. Things do happen and the rest of it can be adjusted but she will need to work something out for you on the $800.

I have a brother who does this often. Last year in fact we waited for a family trip to Nova Scotia until the very last minute becuase he kept saying he was going and then cancelled.

We are all going to WDW this fall and I said I would arrange for a place to stay etc but not his airfare...simply becuase I do not think he can make it.

 

[JodyTG]

I'm really sorry that this happened to you. I also learned the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished...

 

[MEK]

$400 RT airfare is very expensive. She is going to have to pay for her tickets and you will need to modify your reservation. I assume you are staying at a moderate for $167/room only. You could see if anything is available in the value resorts for free dining. The values really are fine for a mom/daughter. I stayed in them the last two summers with my son for free dining. That should cause your package price to decrease. Your package price will probably decrease by about $1000 if you drop the 2 tickets and downgrade to a value resort.

It is probably a good idea to do your own airfare in the future. I am not familiar with Hamburg NY, but you are paying more than I would pay to fly cross country.

No matter what happens, have a great trip!

 

[skier_pete]

Hi there! Looks like we will be visiting the World at the same time and probably leaving from the same airport (Buffalo)...unfortunately I have already bought our air tickets, so I can't help you there. We will be at POFQ, so we'll probably share a bus at some point!

You are correct in that you can change the reservation however you want up to 45 days in advance. (That's July 7th for us both.) And you are also right, the room cost would be the same, the only difference would be the park tickets for your friend and her daughter. After that...you cannot make changes unless you have the insurance and a legitamate reason for changing ("I can't afford it" is not considered legitamate to the insurance company.)

I can't tell from your posts, did you talk things over with your friend, explain the situation with the airline tickets? If I were you, I would find out exactly how much will be non-refundable (call airtran on this) and then explain that to your friend. Tell her you understand her situation, but that you are losing X amount of $$ that you can't get refunded. I would suspect she would be willing to reimburse you for that, as it is not your fault she canceled the trip.

SkierPete

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Is there anyone that could take thier places? Maybe you could transfer the airline tickets to another name (someone who won't bail) and make your friend pay the transfer fee?
I'm sorry she bailed on you

 

[cheerforchelsea]

In my opinion she is still responsible for any $$ that you cannot recover....

 

[myrsfmly]

I had a similar situation recently... The way I got out of the airline tickets being non-refundable is this:

I upgraded the non-refundable ticket that I needed a refund on to a refundable ticket... cost me $700!!! then I immediately (on the way home from the travel agency) called and asked for it to be refunded and got the total (now $1200) refunded right back to the original credit card! It was a little scary because I was afraid that there could be a glitch and I would be out all that money but it worked perfectly with no hassle!! Good luck!

 

[denman007]

I guess that if she doesnt come up with some sort of plan prior to July 1 (due date for balance is July 6), I can modify ressie for DD & me...right!? .... I mean, I can use the airfare credits for other cheerleading trips to Nationals this upcoming season! But, would have been nice to have that $800 to pay towards the WDW trip instead.

It sounds to me like you need to talk to her. Communication is key here.

I think these are your 3 options.

1. You can't get transferable tix or credits. Ask her for payment or pmt plan.

2. You can get credit vouchers. Ask her for payment or payment plan and give her the vouchers she bought.

3. You can transfer tix to someone else to go. Ask her to make up any differences/shortfalls.

You need to talk to her about your concerns and potential financial loss.

 

[HM]

I had a similar situation recently... The way I got out of the airline tickets being non-refundable is this:

I upgraded the non-refundable ticket that I needed a refund on to a refundable ticket... cost me $700!!! then I immediately (on the way home from the travel agency) called and asked for it to be refunded and got the total (now $1200) refunded right back to the original credit card! It was a little scary because I was afraid that there could be a glitch and I would be out all that money but it worked perfectly with no hassle!! Good luck!

That is a very interesting idea! Glad it worked for you.

 

[jenniferhornsby]

I had non refundable tickets on Southwest and the prices dropped after I booked them. They let me rebook the airfare and keep the difference as a credit that I had to use within the year. Maybe you could get the $800 credit for another trip...if you plan to travel within the next year. I'm so sorry though!!

 

[Reginak]

Before you go any further, ask her gently what is going on and why can't she afford it - she may be in a real bind or it may just take her longer to pay back than the two of you originally planned.

Try to work it out; explain that the airfare is non-refundable. As said before see if one of the other cheerleaders would like to go or one of your daughter's other friends. They could pay for the airfare cost and your friend could pay for the penalties for changing the tickets.

If the airline won't let you do this then your friend should pay all nonrefundable stuff and if you explain that you can't get a refund then she may step up and pay without you having to ask. She may not realize that you are getting stuck with the bill.

Regina

 

[StrwLady]

I found this on Airtran's web site. I think you need to talk with your friend and work something out.

"All AirTran Airways coach tickets are non-refundable and a $75 fee per person applies to any change made after purchase, plus any applicable increase in airfare. Business class tickets (A and J fare classes only; not including promotional fares) are fully refundable and no fee applies to changes. Please note that the lowest fares may require an advance purchase, such as 3, 7, or 14 days. Fares shown do not include Airport Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18. The September 11th security fee of up to $10 is not included. Fares do not include segment taxes up to $3.50 per segment. A segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing. Fares to/from Puerto Rico do not include additional government taxes of up to $30.80. Cancellations must be made at least one hour prior to departure or customer forfeits reservation and any monies paid against the reservation. This reservation is non-transferable - no name changes allowed."

If you were willing to take the credit and us it later then maybe instead you can allow her to pay you over time

Regardless, as I said in an earlier post, I hope all works out and your friendship can withstand this.

 

[danceintherain]

awww... that totally sucks... I hope that you can work it out.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Go and stay somewhere cheap. No reason to lose out just because she isn't going.

Never count on anyone going until they pony up the dough (or you're willing to foot it). People like to say they're going to do things because they really WANT to do them. They HOPE to be able to do them. They really aren't planning to screw you over. But they do because reality crashes down on them and it isn't practical for them to spend the money.

Not just for Disney, but for everything, wait until they put their money where their mouth is.

 

[ThruTheEyesOfMyChild]

I had a similar situation recently... The way I got out of the airline tickets being non-refundable is this:

I upgraded the non-refundable ticket that I needed a refund on to a refundable ticket... cost me $700!!! then I immediately (on the way home from the travel agency) called and asked for it to be refunded and got the total (now $1200) refunded right back to the original credit card! It was a little scary because I was afraid that there could be a glitch and I would be out all that money but it worked perfectly with no hassle!! Good luck!

I am VERRRRRRY interested in hearing more about how this worked for you! I am having a hard time understanding it. My AirTran tix are coach, non-refundable. I hate the thought of spending anymore money on them to make this work...probably because i don't undertand the theory.

I want to discuss this with my friend, however, she is now playing the "hide-n-seek" game with me. Probably because she is embarassed by the whole thing. I havent called AirTran yet to cancel anything or to find out the penalities associated with cancelling, still hoping for a miracle...or maybe a little pixie dust!!!

 

[Reginak]

Consider offering to change the dates of your trip so that she can have longer to pay.

One solution would be that you and your daughter go now; upgrade to season passes; reschedule her airfare and return with her and her daughter when she is able to pay for room, etc. She might be able to pay for the airplane tickets plus the $75 change fee for each ticket but not able to pay for the whole trip. She could start making payments to you now for the airfare and, when finished, start saving up for the rest of the trip which you take before July of next year.

Your season passes would allow you to return next time without having to pay for park tickets and you might be able to get a season pass discount of up to 40% on your room now and on the room you book for your trip later.

This way you get your $800 back. She pays $800 plus $75 per ticket and still gets to go to WDW at a later date giving her more time to save; her $800 isn't wasted money.

I don't think that you have to pay the fees to change the tickets until you schedule the new flights; you just have to let them know that you are canceling the current flights.

Regina

 

[SunnieRN]

Wow! I'm so sorry you are going through all of this...

1st) I would ask the mothers of your daughters other cheerleeding friends, or school friends if they would be interested in going on the trip with you.
Maybe you can find someone who would like to join you! Then, since your original friend is having financial issues, she would only be liable for the difference in costs.

2nd) Check online for "Craigs List" in your area. Good/free place to list things for sale and being airline tickets and with a long way out for people to plan. You should most likely be able to sell them without a problem.

3rd) I would ask your friend to make a written agreement to reimburse you for ANY financial loss you have due to the situation. If you explain to her that you are diligently using your planning skills to help "fix" the financial burden she left you in she may be more willing to be reasonable with you!

I hope you and your daughter have a WONDERFUL time on your vacation!
Best of luck with recouping your losses!

 

[myrsfmly]

I am VERRRRRRY interested in hearing more about how this worked for you! I am having a hard time understanding it. My AirTran tix are coach, non-refundable. I hate the thought of spending anymore money on them to make this work...probably because i don't undertand the theory.

I want to discuss this with my friend, however, she is now playing the "hide-n-seek" game with me. Probably because she is embarassed by the whole thing. I havent called AirTran yet to cancel anything or to find out the penalities associated with cancelling, still hoping for a miracle...or maybe a little pixie dust!!!

I bought non-refundable/exchangable tickets (on usair I think) to go to Disney with family and a family friend. The family friend backed out (not so friendly) and I was afraid I was going to be out the $300 for the ticket... I called usair or whatever airline it was and they told me to:

• Upgrade the ticket (cost me $700)
• Then cancel the entire reservation
• credit was immediatly reimbursed to my credit/debit card for the full amount

I was nervous to do it but it worked amazingly well... call the airline and ask if you can purchase an upgrade to the ticket that will make it transferrable and/or refundable. It costs an arm and a leg but the money was only out of my account for ten minutes. I used my debit card so it would be reimbursed quicker... sometimes my credit company can take forever... I had to go to the ticket office in person to upgrade the ticket (Can't remember why) and I literally called the 800 # for the airline from the parking lot after the upgrade and got all my money back... You should try it! I was 2 minutes away from trying to sell the ticket on ebay!

 

[dizplanner]

The problem with the upgrade option was that she bought the airline tickets through Disney - this would make this much more harder to do if it is possible at all.