How to resolve travel disputes when you’re away from home
Resolving travel disputes are already difficult enough, but when you’re in a different country and time zone, it’s seemingly impossible – and sometimes it is.
Take Michael Blank, from Philadelphia, who was hit with two 45-euro speed tickets after he visited France. They were sent electronically to his rental company, Europcar, which added two 30-euro "administrative charges” they said covered the cost of passing the ticket from the authorities to the driver.
"The rental was reasonably priced, but with the added 150 euro for the two tickets, it turned out to be anything but reasonable," Blank told The Washington Post.
It does seem that companies use distance and language barriers as excuses to deny refunds. And it seems partially true as least, although it’s also true that many of these fines apply to all customers regardless of nationality or if you’re a traveller.
So what happens when your car/train/flight company charges you extra, refuses you a refund, or make a mistake?
Elizabeth Megan, a tour operator in Boston, says taking your complaint to a higher level is a strategy that works well when you're dealing with a problem overseas. "Based on my experience, that's the best way to get their attention," she says.
Emailing instead of phoning helps as well. You’ll not only have a paper trailer of any interactions, but if you’re dealing with a foreign language, employees on the other end may need to run your emails through translation software.
But the best advice is not to wait until you get home.
Matthew Storm, the director of innovation and solutions at NICE Systems, which helps large organizations monitor and improve their customer service, says the ideal time to resolve a travel problem is while you're still on the ground. Don’t let companies use distance as an excuse to give substandard service or refuse you a refund.
Storm recommends researching local customer-service phone numbers for your vendors prior to travelling. "Keep local and international numbers with you during your trip, and it will save you the time finding them in the event of an emergency," he says.
Source: The Washington Post
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