Hotel only offering voucher. How do I get insurance coverage?

ranjeet2000 wrote: ↑ So the hotel booked is 100% non-refundable. They offered voucher which I will not use. I tried to claim via trip cancellation and they said they will not cover because of voucher. Is there any way to get my money back?

You did a non-refundable purchase, and the hotel may still be offering rooms for the dates you booked. So you don’t really have any grounds for doing a chargeback or anything, unfortunately.

If the hotel isn’t offering any rooms for the days you booked, you could try doing a chargeback on your credit card.

C

Although the hotel offered voucher they haven't sent me anything. This is from/for March 14, 2020. Can I still do charge back if they don't provide voucher? They don't respond to my emails.
Insurance company says according to them, I'm getting a voucher.

In my opinion, if they were closed, you should get a refund. If you weren't able to travel due to a travel advisory, then your trip cancellation insurance should cover it.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of companies out there that aren't doing the right thing, trying to stay afloat by offering vouchers when they should be refunding. And the credit card companies don't want to eat the massive losses either.

So you should try everything. Try the hotel, try the chargeback, try insurance.

Wait to see if the hotel can accept guests for the dates you booked. If it cannot, do a charge-back. That's what I'm going to do with one of the non-refundable hotels I booked. I'm going through insurance too, but have a feeling that the voucher "refund" will probably be their response to not cover this.

lpin14 wrote: ↑ Wait to see if the hotel can accept guests for the dates you booked. If it cannot, do a charge-back. That's what I'm going to do with one of the non-refundable hotels I booked. I'm going through insurance too, but have a feeling that the voucher "refund" will probably be their response to not cover this.

It appears that OP's reservation was for mid-March so it should be known whether they were open or not.

And why should you get a chargeback or insurance claim payment as well as a voucher? That would mean going from paying for your stay but instead getting a stay for free so it's not at all surprising that insurance wouldn't cover a situation where a voucher has been offered/provided.

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ It was a NON REFUNDABLE RESERVATION

The hotel is offering you a Voucher

Either cuz they COULD NOT ... OR ... DID NOT deliver the reservation as booked to you

Technically it’s a GOOD WILL GESTURE

So it’s gonna be a case of you take the voucher ... or you get nothing

That’s what you get when you buy a non refundable anything
It’s what NON REFUNDABLE Means

And that’s basically what you’ll find out if you try to go thru insurance, or do a CC claw back

I’d agree if they were open and ready for business. We don’t know that. Non refundable applies when the purchaser opts out.
The way you respond to people sucks by the way.

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ Actually ... we do (sort of) know that
The OPs Reservation was for Mid March 2020.

What’s not clear is WHO was breaking the agreement

If him, and they offered a voucher
Then good deal

If them, and they offered a voucher
An ok deal (more so if he booked thru a 3rd party ... and not direct )

Either way ... his Travel Insurance Co is gonna say he’s been offered GOOD WILL on a NON REFUNDABLE RESERVATION
And that’s all that’s he’s gonna get

* My responses are based on the tiresome fact that too many people don’t read what they sign up for / buy when they travel.
RFDers will needle over a penny on the smallest of things, but when it comes to truly big bucks ... like houses & vacations (or investments)
They just sign on the dotted line without ever reading any T&Cs. It boggles my mind

Your exhaustion with people not reading terms and conditions doesn’t seem to extend to the people running these companies that are keeping client money when they should be giving it back. I dare you to find a term or condition that allows hotels to deny refunds if they are closed, regardless of the type of rate the guest booked. Cash for coupons is not termed and conditioned. How about a fully refundable airline ticket that won’t be refunded? Pretty sure that’s as clear as it gets and it’s being denied. So the exhaustion that comes through in your replies is inappropriate. I doubt very much you’ve read any of these terms and conditions you claim others should. If you have I’m sure you’ll post the clause that allows hotels to keep money when they close.

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ Should ... and legally obligated to are 2 different things.

Unfortunately most Consumers do not understand the difference.

These Airlines, Hotels, etc are not doing anything illegal by giving back their Customers vouchers for future reservations. Period.

Hey, I get it ... not everyone is happy with the situation ... but it is within their LEGAL RIGHTS

In the same way stores can decide their own REFUND & RETURN POLICIES as well.

When you buy a NON REFUNDABLE anything ... it’s a risk. Cuz the Retailer is essentially selling you an AS IS product.

That risk is even higher if you buy it thru a 3rd Party, and not direct. It’s like shopping at a Flea Market vs a Retailer directly. You get what you get.

* These places we currently assume ... will reopen at some point in time ... hence the vouchers (Airlines, Cruises, Hotels )
BUT ... let’s for a minute assume they do not reopen.
Then under Bankruptcy Laws the person with a reservation just becomes another Creditor hoping they’ll see some pay back
Truth is though ... they are way down the list ... of those who are owed a lot more
And rarely see anything.
Definitely NOT FAIR
But perfectly LEGAL.

Ya ok. Now I know you don’t know what you’re talking about when you start talking legal rights. Absolutely out of your element. Sorry. You are. Espousing what you think is legal based on your opinion of what non refundable means and it’s application doesn’t make it so. You’ve muddied together a number of scenarios that are easily distinguishable. You’re also assuming how the law operates on these things such as store refunds etc. You’re just plain wrong and think arrogance and volume makes you right. You’re like that guy at a function I hear going on about law and his rights and I just cringe cause they have no idea what they’re talking about. I know that sounds harsh. It’s actually sympathy.

The question is, were they closed or not on those dates? Non-refundable or not, if a product/service can't be delivered and you have evidence then a chargeback is appropriate.

Whether you decided to go or not is secondary to that because you wouldn't have been able to check in anyway.

kenze wrote: ↑ The question is, were they closed or not on those dates? Non-refundable or not, if a product/service can't be delivered and you have evidence then a chargeback is appropriate.

Whether you decided to go or not is secondary to that because you wouldn't have been able to check in anyway.

I agree. The question of it being a non-refundable rate is moot IMO if the place wasn't open for business. OP seems to be reluctant to share this piece of information.

This issue is a huge grey area.

I just cancelled a non-refundable hotel booking. Canada has a travel advisory against international travel, the destination country's border is closed and foreigners cannot get in. I didn't not travel b/c my dog died or other typical reason.

Regardless of whether or not I could have traveled (I would not) what is the solution? If you take "non-refundable" as verbatim the risk is all mine. I accept that but the industry will have to accept the consequences of future travel attitudes should they choose to enforce it such. I won't stomp my feet and threaten never patronizing them again but I will have a bad taste in my mouth.

A vaccine is not expected for 12-18 months best case. When one gets approved it then needs to be rolled out to the general population. Whoever develops a successful vaccine (there are many in development) will manufacture and give it to their own citizens first, add several more months, maybe a year. Canada is not a front runner in this regard.

I was offered a voucher good for 12 months. What good is it given vaccine timing? If you travel and get seriously ill with Covid you likely won't have insurance to cover medical care, lodging, logistics changes, etc etc. as Covid is being excluded from new policies.

Many itineraries are a complex tangle of destinations and logistics. What's the chance one would even repeat such months down the road? What if the voucher was only good for 3 months? 6 months? Would insurance consider this adequate compensation? I wouldn't.

Unless something unforeseen happens (SARS virus mutated and went away, discovery of an effective therapeutic, quicker vaccine, etc) I don't see traveling internationally for at least 2 years.

This situation is new. The industry will change and the gov't will need to provide new legislation. In the end we will all adjust.

For insurance coverage it'd be better for me if no vouchers were offered so I can claim coverage based on a travel advisory, but that's my policy. YMMV.

Where was the hotel - North America (which was still open around that time) or Europe (some of which has shut down)?