Stph
OUTRAGEOUS!
Do NOT book with this company! The owner kept my 1000$ deposit since covid started, refusing to give it back even after postponing for 3 YEARS! I begged her to give me my money back when covid hit and put me in a really tough financial position (not being able to pay rent and buy decent food) but never got a single dollar back, and didn't even TRY to make a gesture at all (split the apple in half would have been appreciated considering...). This says a lot about her as a person, and I don't think I even need to elaborate... Plenty of other operators with great customer service if you’re looking for a humpback swim, don't let your dream be ruined by a company like this one!
Response from Humpback SwimsJan 17, 2023
Stephanie signed our terms and conditions, which mention what will happen in any situation, including a pandemic. All guests that we book have to sign our terms before placing a deposit. She agreed to the terms, and when a pandemic happened (COVID), we executed our terms. We have our terms with our clients so that everyone is on the same page, if a situation were to arise. COVID-19 happened, so we moved all clients funds to the following year until a trip could be run. Guests were welcomed to come in 2022, which over 100 did. They had a wonderful time. Guests who could not come, were then pushed to 2023. The reason we could not give back funds, is because we pass all deposits to our vendors in Tonga. They keep the funds on hold for the trips to be run. We were not able to refund Steph, as we do not hold on to deposit funds. Clients who rebook their tours to the next year, also agree that they can not get a refund should they cancel. Stephanie also agreed to this clause. We tried numerous times to communicate with her, and we could not come to an agreeable solution. For anyone who is reading this, you can see we have wonderful reviews for guests who do come and swim with the whales. They have a wonderful time in Vava'u, and get to meet many amazing humpback whales. We personally do not think that executing our agreed contract with a client, that covers pandemics is unacceptable. We do this to protect our business but also our vendors in Tonga.