Friends due to fly from Toronto to Disneyworld next week..they are afraid and sad. The Wife called their travel agent and said she felt "illness" coming on (so she could get reimbursed). The travel agent was furious and told her this was fraud. Harrassed her, made her feel guilty etc. Also told her that travel insurance companies were being very strict with this type of cancellation over the next few weeks. Anyone tell me what difference it could possibly make to the travel agent (other than a pittance in commission) if someone felt they couldn't travel right now. <BR>And aren't these events enough to make an illness real? The anxiety alone would make me sick with worry.

Sympathetic with fraud? I would hope very unsympathetic.

Did your friend by full-fare or restricted airline tickets? Full-fare, she can get her money back. Restricted ticket, it depends upon each specific airline's rules, not the travel agent. Most are being flexible and issuing refunds or credits for future flights. Did your friend buy a package which would include the air and hotel and possibly other amenities? Then take it up with the tour company. <BR> <BR>Did your friend by trip insurance? An "illness coming on" is your friend's fear? I suppose if she can get a doctor's note saying that she is unable to fly for legitimate reasons and did purchase trip insurance she might get a refund or a partial refund, but it depends on the rules of the trip insurance policy she purchased. <BR> <BR>But, don't blame the travel agent -- the travel agent is just the intermediary and is following the "rules" that your friend bought into.

None of us should tolerate fraud and deceit or look the other way. Your friend was no friend to the travel agent by trying to include the agent as part of a fraud so she could get some money. Your friend should feel guilty.

Nice of your friend to lie at a time like this, particularly when airlines and hotels are doing everything they can to insure that people can either postpone or cancel their trips. Your friend deserves to lose her money. <BR> <BR>Why couldn't she tell the truth, that she's afraid to fly? Too grown-up, I guess. The travel agent cares about her lying because he's a human being.

"The Wife called their travel agent and said she felt 'illness' coming on (so she could get reimbursed)." <BR> <BR>"And aren't these events enough to make an illness real?" <BR> <BR>The fear is real, the illness, as you pointed out in the first part of the post, was not. Had the fear brought on an illness, yes, there would be reimbursement. <BR> <BR>I understand your friend's feelings. Although her intent is not to defraud, per se, it is still unacceptable to put in a claim for a loss you have not had (i.e., an illness that does not exist) no matter what "good reason" you may have. <BR> <BR>Having worked in the insurance industry for several years, I can tell you the dollars add up very quickly. Agents are our "front line" for letting us know something about a claim just isn't right. If an insurance company refuses to accept an agent's business (based on claim frequence, claim costs, etc.) that agent loses a lot of money. Not to mention that the agent's (and the rest of the company's) other customers have to absorb the loss through premium payments. It's not your friend's commission the agent is worried about -- but multiply it by the number of comissions the agent gets from that insurance company? That's what adds up. <BR> <BR>I'm sorry for your friend, she feels like most of us do. Her claim to "illness" is understood, however cannot be allowed. Fraud is the crime that most people feel they're "entitled" to commit (they paid premiums, this is what insurance is for, etc.) however it still is a crime. <BR> <BR>Maybe if the agent had explained it in a more calm manner, your friend wouldn't be so upset.

It isn"t a matter of sympathy, but good public relations and decent business practices.

Let's stop expecting that everyone else and all businesses should suffer the financial loss as a result of what happened this week, so that us individuals won't. The events of this week are going to effect all of us financially one way or another before this is all over and we need to understand it. It shouldn't be an issue of "good business" or "the customer is always right." Those businesses are owned by people and have employees. There is going to be a tremendous loss to the economy and the idea of defrauding an insurance company to pass along an individual's loss is not right. None of this is "fair," but it doesn't help for people to expect someone else to take all the financial suffering. I hope your friends recognize their mistake and call their travel agent and withdraw their claim.

I can understand someone not wanting to travel but if so, it has nothing to do with the travel agent, they should absorb the cost themselves. From the scenario posed, it appears there was some travel insurance involved in which case it is fraud but moot I think as it's not up to the travel agent, I think all insurers require documented proof of an illness before reimbursement. No one is going to pay for the "feeling" that illness is coming on, this sounds incredibly silly. I think the agent could have been more sympathetic, while firm in telling her it was fraud, but there are always two sides to every story -- maybe she'd heard 10 calls like that that day and was tired of it. The amorality involved in the comment about why the travel agent couldn't participate in business and fiduciary fraud is astonishing, but I am constantly surprised at the lack of morals and ethics I see posed on travel boards nowadays from adults.