Dear Stumbled,
On October 3, 2022, I reserved a seat on Megabus for the busy Sunday after Thanksgiving as I was returning to Boston after visiting family in Philadelphia. After adding in the $3.99 reservation fee, the total came to $53.98. On October 26th, I received an email from Megabus canceling my trip “due to schedule changes” and promising a refund. However, all I received was $49.99. I wrote him a letter every few months requesting a refund of the $3.99 and almost never received a response until a year later when an agent named Daniel replied with a letter explaining that the service fee was non-refundable. There was no. I understand why the company would keep the rate if I canceled or rebooked, but this was the company's decision. can you help? Gabriel, Boston
Dear Gabriel
This may not seem like much compared to the typical Tripped Up fare, but you'll be shelled out $3.99 for a fee that appears to be arbitrarily designed to inflate the company's profits. No one likes being beaten. In this frustrating case, I didn't even get the service I paid for, and I still paid the service fee. Considering the amount of effort that went into this sub-$4 quest, I think they value principles over money.
When I contacted Megabus, Megan O'Hare, a spokesperson for Megabus and its parent company, Coach USA, was reluctant to discuss your request or refund your service fee. “Unfortunately, we do not comment on the details of customer interactions,” she wrote in an email.
Fortunately, thanks to the mostly unsolicited email string you forwarded to me, I now have the details. After sending four emails between November 2022 and September 2023, we finally received a response from Megabus on September 22, a day after threatening to “file a formal complaint” with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Ta. (Good move!)
“The $3.99 reservation fee is a non-refundable fee upon completion of a reservation that you agree to and agree to the terms and conditions on our website,” wrote Daniel, a member of our customer support team. “Unfortunately, that amount will not be added to your total refund amount.”
I responded to Ms. O'Hare to confirm that this is company policy and to ask what the service charge is actually used for, but she did not respond.
You didn't end up filing a complaint with the Department of Transportation, because when you contacted them, officials told you that they were not requesting a refund of the fare for your canceled intercity bus trip. Because I pointed out possible federal regulations. (The Biden administration's recent announcement requiring airlines and travel agents to disclose fares “the first time fare and schedule information is provided” does not apply to bus travel. Megabus and its competitors Other companies add fees later in the booking process.
Therefore, only the Megabus terms and conditions remain. It states that a “$3.99 non-refundable reservation fee” will be charged “to cover administrative costs associated with the reservation” and that this fee will not be refunded if the customer changes the reservation. is listed. In fact, I was charged again. There is no mention of what the fees will be if the travel agency itself cancels.
Jeff Thorburn, a professor of consumer protection law at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, told me in an email: “When a contract is ambiguous, the ambiguity is biased in favor of the party accepting the contract, in this case the consumer. “It is interpreted as such,” he said. But he added: “I don't know if the court will accept that interpretation.” And when he takes Megabus to court for $3.99, his already eccentric quest may be pushed into windmill territory.
Consumer advocate Chris Elliott, who has helped thousands of travelers through his nonprofit organization Elliott Advocacy, suggests credit card chargebacks as an easier solution for consumers in similar situations. Did. “Banks take a dim view of this type of fraud,” he wrote. (This advice applies more to others than it does to you, since chargebacks typically need to be initiated within 60 to 120 days.)
So why does Megabus keep the management fees even though they are inconveniencing customers by not providing service?
I think you could also argue that some cost was incurred to schedule the route in the first place and perhaps to process the credit card order. But it's hard to see how that's your problem.
Even companies with a reservation fee business model often promise to refund the reservation fee if the service is not provided. Ticketmaster and Broadway.com both specify in their terms of service that they will refund fees for concerts, events, and shows if they are cancelled.
At least two of Megabus' major competitors charge return service fees. Flixbus, which owns Greyhound, will provide “the full ticket price, including fees,” according to its terms of service.
Trailway's terms and conditions are even more vague. However, Alex Berardi, president of Trailways.com (Trailways' ticketing and sales platform), told me that if the trip is canceled through no fault of the passenger, “we will refund the money, including fees.” Told. ”
“The customer service is just great,” he said, adding that Trailways operator cancellations are less than 0.75% of trips, and more than half of those cancellations are due to weather.
Mr. Berardi also noted that an agreement between the two companies allows you to reserve seats on Megabus on Trailways.com and is protected by Trailways' Terms of Service.
Amtrak does not charge a reservation fee. And you don't have to dive into the maze of airline shipping requirements. That's because the Department of Transportation specifically requires airlines to refund “the ticket price and/or associated fees” when canceling a flight.
Is there anyone else who will refund the service charge? British Megabus. The company, which has been under separate ownership since 2019, will refund “fares and transaction fees” if it is unable to provide suitable alternative transportation, according to its terms of service.
Gabriel, you mentioned that bus and train fares from Philadelphia to Boston had increased by the time Megabus canceled your trip.
Fortunately, thanks to a flexible work schedule, I was able to fly home from Philadelphia on Tuesday on a JetBlue flight booked for 5,000 miles (worth about $65, according to a 2022 Points Guy review) and a $5.60 fee. I was able to do. In total, if you add in his $3.99 in lost Megabus fares, he ends up with about $25.
If you're like me, you can easily make up for your losses by consuming Thanksgiving leftovers at a relative's house from Sunday through Tuesday. So they are the ones who should really be angry at Megabass.
Need advice about your best-laid travel plans gone awry? Email TrippedUp@nytimes.com.
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