Sand in the Coffee, Vol. 126: the canceled week, and how to ask for your money back
Ask in writing, ask for something specific, and ask this week. That is most of the column.
The storm has passed, and a lot of people with a week booked on the Key or in Orange Beach are now staring at a calendar and a confirmation email. This is the calm, practical edition. I won’t promise you a refund, because that depends on your contract, and I haven’t read it. But how you ask changes how it goes, and the person on the other end is dealing with a lot of messages today.
give them a day first
Property managers and front desks around here are dealing with their own buildings and their own staff this morning. A message sent in the first few hours is likely to sit. Send it today so it’s in the queue, then expect a real answer in a few days, not a few minutes. Be nice. The person reading it didn’t make the weather.
dig out three things before you write
- Your confirmation, with the dates, the address and the total you paid.
- The cancellation or storm policy, usually a link in the booking email or a clause in the rental agreement. Read the sentence about named storms or mandatory evacuations. It exists in most of them.
- Your travel insurance paperwork, if you bought any. Find the policy number and the claim phone number now.
what to say
Keep it to a few lines: your name, your dates, the property, and the one outcome you want. Something like: “Our stay of [dates] was affected by Hurricane Isaias. Under the policy in our agreement, could you tell us whether we’re eligible for a refund, a credit, or a rebooking? We’re flexible on dates this winter or next spring.” Offering two options gets you a yes more often than demanding one.
credit versus refund
A credit toward a future stay is easier for many owners to give, because the money stays in the business during a hard month. If you can actually use it, take it, and ask what the expiration is and whether the rate is locked. If you can’t, say so politely and ask what’s possible. Get whichever one you land on in writing before you consider it settled.
the other bookings
The condo is only one piece. Charters, golf, a dinner reservation and any rental gear you reserved each have their own rules, and each is a separate email. Tour operators and boat captains are usually the most flexible this time of year, since the water is closed to them too, but ask.
if you haven’t left home yet
Don’t drive down to look. Roads and bridges can stay closed after the weather has gone, and utilities may be under notice for days. Pensacola’s utility, for one, has issued a precautionary boil-water notice. Call the property first, and wait to hear that the area is open.
when the coast is ready
Keep /beach-today/ open for flags and conditions. Surf after a storm stays rough well past the last raindrop, and the flag tells you more than the sky does.
The Gulf will still be here in November, and so will the empty rental calendar, which is its own kind of invitation. Late fall is quiet, cheap and good. Ask nicely now, and the rebooked week may turn out to be a better one.
— Chris
P.S. Know a restaurant, charter, shop, or event we’re missing? Add it — free, Florida side or Alabama side: /submit/
